VDS Feedbag

by Chris... on Mar 17, 2008 2:33 PM EDT in News

Big day today: the awarding of the first technicolor jersey. Tshawytcha, take a bow! Also, leave a comment if you want to view your new style. Some thoughts, after Paris-Nice:

First, all files are updated, including the allraces spreadsheet. I have yet to take the time to master the art of making a separate team scoreboard; maybe next week. But I did cull the top scores and posted the top five in the race results sidebar. Also, miraculously, the spreadsheets are truly final, with no known outstanding fixes needed.

And, oh, by the way, it never hurts to check my math, in both the allraces and the Paris-Nice spreadsheets. Let me know of any problems. I managed to credit Juan Garate within minutes of giving all his points to Juan Antonio Flecha... probably wishful thinking on my original part.

As for how the scoring went, it's interesting to see the spoils spread around so much. Obviously Davide Rebellin's victory was far from dominant: no stage wins, third on points, only nabbed the yellow jersey on the penultimate day. He came within 26 points of the lowest possible total for a race winner. Still, it's good to be king: the GC win haul of 250 was alone more than anyone else scored...

... but just. Luis León Sánchez scored 245 points, and Robert Gesink, despite seeing his win chances go pear-shaped on Saturday's last descent, scored 222 points. Sánchez and Gesink both bumped up their lower GC placings with lesser jersey points. Which suggests that maybe the most valuable rider this year will be someone who can score across the board at a grand tour. This almost never happens in Le Tour, but is a distinct possibility in the Giro (and maybe the Vuelta) where the GC guys score high up on both points and mountains competitions too.

Nocentini and Popovych showed the irrelevance of the daily standings, by doing nothing more than placing high on GC, and going from 10 and no points all week, respectively, to 190 and 150 points. It's nice to think of a running tally, but the fact is stage wins remain only mildly amusing. Thor Hushovd's points jersey alone was worth 1.5 of Gert Steegmans' stage wins.

And the final potential lesson, one hopes, from Paris-Nice: the season is long, so teams that scored next to nothing (ahem) shouldn't despair. That said, for my Giro-heavy and currently pathetic squad, May can't come fast enough.

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Down Road Team almost 900 points!

I'm 6th or 7th overall, yahooo! but Tirreno and MSR don't look good, I only have Zabriskie and Fothen

Ursula's team called "Square Wheels for Speed" got 900+ points just in Paris-Nice! That's more than impressive

by King of Doping on Mar 17, 2008 3:35 PM EDT 0 recs

Boonen?

Should I be worried yet that this guy's my leader? Everyone else seems to be showing their pre-MSR form - Hushovd, Gilbert, Steegmans, Ale-Jet, Freire, even Bettini seemed to be stretching his legs today.
Nah, I'm sure he's just saving himself, right? Right!?!
On a more positive Thousand Islanders note, man, am I glad Cancellara was a last-minute addition to my team.

Thousand Islanders: Time to sink or swim, guys!

by Jiggs on Mar 17, 2008 3:59 PM EDT 0 recs

Boooonen

he sound optimistic:
http://www.tomboonen.com/eng/dagboek/
"A few more days and I'm hitting the big time. I'm ready for it. The Tirreno-Adriatico has been an ideal preparation."

by King of Doping on Mar 17, 2008 4:08 PM EDT up 0 recs

Monument points

350-300-275-250-225; 200-175-150-125-100; 90-80-70-60-50; 40-30-20-10-5

Boonen could rack up 700 points or so even before Roubaix.

by Chris... on Mar 17, 2008 4:31 PM EDT 0 recs

Don't worry about Tommeke

He'll be fine when it counts.

"Only those who are in top condition can say that the Ronde is not hard. For everyone else, it's the Way of the Cross." -Andrea Tafi

by Drew on Mar 17, 2008 4:48 PM EDT 0 recs

OK, panic's over

Guess I'm just worried about missing the early VDS break.

Thousand Islanders: Time to sink or swim, guys!

by Jiggs on Mar 17, 2008 5:41 PM EDT up 0 recs

God damn Gesink!

I would have really cleaned up if Gesink had listed to some tips from LL on how to descend. But thanks KoD. I'm sure MSR will put me back in my place. Boonen will do fine in the next month, you can be sure. He's my pick for winning the CQ title.

Here's a question: Is Contador eligible for the young rider jersey in the Vuelta? I don't have him on my team and I'll be very few other VDS's do either, but damn, Bert could really pick up one's team and carry it across the finish with a Vuelta win along with the young rider, KOM, and high Points standings as well.

by ursula on Mar 17, 2008 5:37 PM EDT 0 recs

Hm

doubt it, but that's just a guess.

by Chris... on Mar 17, 2008 6:06 PM EDT up 0 recs

but...

there's no 'young competition' in Vuelta. In exchange you got a 'Combination competition' who nobody cares about

I hope they change it soon...

by King of Doping on Mar 17, 2008 6:11 PM EDT up 0 recs

That's right!

Forgot about the Combo Comp. Geez.

by ursula on Mar 17, 2008 6:14 PM EDT up 0 recs

Hey

nobody said the VDS would be won on merit.

by Chris... on Mar 17, 2008 6:22 PM EDT up 0 recs

Ha!

yep the VDS will be won on drugs! or money! Chris in what currency do you want your bribes?

by ursula on Mar 17, 2008 9:55 PM EDT up 0 recs

Easy

Loonies. Accepted everywhere now, besides vending machines.

by Chris... on Mar 17, 2008 11:01 PM EDT up 0 recs

I kept a canadian 5 dollar bill

after my trip to the great white north last year. Now I could buy two shares of Bear Sterns stock with it!

-K-

by KevinK on Mar 18, 2008 8:14 AM EDT up 0 recs

At least

Might be five shares before the day's over.

by Chris... on Mar 18, 2008 10:28 AM EDT up 0 recs

I'd like to thank

all the little people who made the creation of The Diminutive Vikings possible. We couldn't have moved all those stepstools and phonebooks into place without you.

With any luck, I'll still have some guns left after the classics have run their course. We'll see........

It's just around the next bend. Really.

by tshawytcha on Mar 17, 2008 6:29 PM EDT 0 recs

Little people

other diminutive vikings, I am guessing?

by Chris... on Mar 17, 2008 6:43 PM EDT up 0 recs

something fishy here...

America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, badass speed. -Eleanor Roosevelt

by ELVISGOAT on Mar 17, 2008 7:53 PM EDT up 0 recs

Not just

any fishy. But the tastiest fishy in the north Pacific.

by Chris... on Mar 17, 2008 8:18 PM EDT up 0 recs

when faced with starvation

lutefisk?

"Race radios in Cat 4?"

by gravel road on Mar 17, 2008 8:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

Breakfast of Champions

and favorite of small norsk everywhere. Our little Thor could have used a lutefisk yesterday.

America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, badass speed. -Eleanor Roosevelt

by ELVISGOAT on Mar 17, 2008 9:17 PM EDT up 0 recs

Have you

ever tried Lutefisk?

If not, don't. Personally I'd rather eat my dogs sh*t on a stick.

It's just around the next bend. Really.

by tshawytcha on Mar 18, 2008 10:51 AM EDT up 0 recs

I'm giving it all up for the Gunnars

Especially for the faith Sarah has had for years in Sylvain Chavenal. Good on you Sarah for keeping the faith! I was so pleased for you when he won the stage and look at all your points. Well done indeed.

If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

by bethie on Mar 17, 2008 7:02 PM EDT 0 recs

aw thanks!

I have to be honest, I am just so happy about his win that I keep telling people about it (and most of them just don't care). As for my VDS team, sometimes it pays off to stick with the people I've been a fan of. Although I am bothered by the number of High Road riders on my team.

Team Gunners

by callmecayce on Mar 18, 2008 9:03 AM EDT up 0 recs

In all sincerity...

Little Thor deserves all our admiration for wresting the multicolor in his first every VDSentry. Way to go! But you just wait till the REAL racing starts next weekend. The real mean will come to the front then and your little fishy folk will be swept away like so much lutefisk before the tide. Oh yeah, it looks like you left an "s" out of Tshawytscha.

America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, badass speed. -Eleanor Roosevelt

by ELVISGOAT on Mar 17, 2008 9:26 PM EDT 0 recs

There are

way too many S's in the world. Just look around.

How's about my little Yuriy Krivstov eh?

Gotta love a good bargain. Now if he can Give Valjavec some help in the GT's I'm all set.

It's just around the next bend. Really.

by tshawytcha on Mar 18, 2008 10:48 AM EDT up 0 recs

*men

America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, badass speed. -Eleanor Roosevelt

by ELVISGOAT on Mar 17, 2008 9:27 PM EDT 0 recs

This Morning

I had a little play with your spreadsheet and have emailed it to the main PC address. A couple of tweaks that may be useful.

And for the VDS geeks, a rider value table:

Rider Cost Points Value for Money

Yuriy Krivstov    1    160    160
Sebastian Langeveld    1    125    125
Matt Goss    1    100    100
Rinaldo Nocentini    2    190    95
Enrico Franzoi    1    50    50
Mike Friedman    1    50    50
Carlos Barredo Llamazales    2    90    45
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil    6    245    40.83333333
Kjell Carlstrom    1    40    40
Markus Eichler    1    30    30
Karsten Kroon    2    55    27.5
Borut Bozic    2    50    25
Robert Gesink    10    222    22.2
Philippe Gilbert    12    250    20.83333333
Thor Hushovd    16    333    20.8125
Sylvain Chavanel    4    76    19
Yaroslav Popovych    8    150    18.75
Nick Nuyens    12    200    16.66666667
Davide Rebellin    18    276    15.33333333
Steven De Jongh    10    150    15
Juan Manuel Garate    6    80    13.33333333
Jerome Pineau    2    25    12.5
Maxime Monfort    2    25    12.5
Chris Anker Sorensen    4    40    10
Leif Hoste    12    100    8.333333333
Enrico Gasparotto    4    31    7.75
Bobby Julich    4    30    7.5
Gert Steegmans    12    80    6.666666667
David Zabriskie    4    25    6.25
Alexandre Efimkin    2    10    5
Manuele Mori    2    10    5
Fabian Cancellara    20    92    4.6
Oscar Freire    25    111    4.44
Alessandro Petacchi    20    65    3.25
Tom Boonen    25    80    3.2
Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver    14    40    2.857142857
Maarten Tjallingii    6    15    2.5
Filippo Pozzato    16    35    2.1875
Danilo DiLuca    20    35    1.75
Thomas Lovkvist    6    10    1.666666667
Cadel Evans    25    40    1.6
JJ Rojas Gil    10    10    1
Stefan Schumacher    16    10    0.625

by Monty. on Mar 18, 2008 7:33 AM EDT 0 recs

i think

that I should take a screen cap of the VDS standings. Because I cannot imagine this will last.

Team Gunners

by callmecayce on Mar 18, 2008 9:02 AM EDT 0 recs

Don't be so sure

I was in the lead early last year and managed to hang on to a podium place in the end. When you are on a roll, good things keep happening.

by Jens on Mar 18, 2008 10:35 AM EDT up 0 recs

I like

the way you think Jens.

It's just around the next bend. Really.

by tshawytcha on Mar 18, 2008 10:53 AM EDT up 0 recs

And I like the way you dress.

I'm aiming to decorate my comments with that very jersey.

By the way. Does the VDS-jersey have a name? If not we really need to get one and I'm not voting for "the greenandyellowwithpolkadotsandthelittlevelodromerider-jersey"

by Jens on Mar 18, 2008 12:44 PM EDT up 0 recs

La Maglia Technicolor

by Chris... on Mar 18, 2008 1:32 PM EDT up 0 recs

Seriously

The year-long comp won't be won at the Tour. I'm sure a handful of people will score big at the big races. Where you separate is by scooping up points in the little ones too. So in reality, this could be an indicator of where things are going. unless of course the top teams were all specifically designed to do well in March.

by Chris... on Mar 18, 2008 11:08 AM EDT up 0 recs

The Big Bummer

I didn't read the rules very carefully and failed to notice that fewer riders score points this year( top 3 instead of last years top 10). Therefore my strategy from last year of having little workerbees who bring home minor points in a lot of races isn't going to be as successul this year. Vaitkus and Duque were excellent for me but I doubt they can be top 3 in races they placed 5:th or 7:th in last year. Kirchen is another matter, I'm amazed only 5 people picked him.

by Jens on Mar 18, 2008 12:37 PM EDT up 0 recs

Top 3

in minor jerseys and stages. Top 10 on GC. I'm not sure the guy who finished 7th in the Intergiro was really trying to do so.

by Chris... on Mar 18, 2008 1:32 PM EDT up 0 recs

well

That was sort of my philosophy, but mostly it was 'how many riders that I like can I have on one team.' Though I do wish I could swap out Christian Pfannberger for Trent Lowe.

Team Gunners

by callmecayce on Mar 18, 2008 2:39 PM EDT up 0 recs