vuelta05

congrats to me

2005-09-18T20:59:00.000-05:00

Kudos to Petacchi, he had to win every sprint today to win the little fishy jersey and he did it. Classy performance, and he won a final sprint that sounded uphill and didn't suit him. But without Bettini there to pip him, he took it. Evidently it will also be the same sprint for the World Championships, so that will be interesting. Winning the day again, was Pablo Neruda's Nudists. And the final GC win goes to my Unfrozen Taco.

Well, the 2005 Vuelta has been a blast, hope you guys enjoyed it too, i never thought i would win. Drop me a line and let me know what you thought of the new draft format. I know it's easier from an implementation point of view.

heras nearly got the stage

2005-09-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

but it was Ruben Plaza, another great name or street address. Pan Blanco won today's stage and my squad broke the 1,000 point mark in the GC. So it looks like the Unfrozen Taco has this Vuelta in the bag. It would take a banner day by Vuelta Skelta to take back the lead, but my money is on Petacchi which would mean Pablo Neruda's Nudists.

Should be the last abandon of this year's Vuelta
OLE! lost David Canada who is not Canadian.

timed to perfection?

2005-09-16T20:10:00.000-05:00

So there wasn't a sprint finish, and my man Haussler won the stage, putting me further ahead on GC. I'm not used to winning fantasy sports so commentary ends here. I'm thinking tomorrow will be a battle between Menchov and Sastre in the timetrial, but who knows.

Wouldn't be a vuelta stage without abandons...
Herradura Cura lost Santos Gonzalez
Senor Poopy lost Geslin and Guido Trenti
Pan Blanco lost the Cricket
El Rippo lost Perdiguero
Thor and The Basque Batallion lost the Termin-Aitor

i swear i didn't cheat

2005-09-15T20:20:00.000-05:00

Nicki Sorensen won today's stage and nobody had him on their team. The real story of today's battle for the points was Eladio Jimenez who attempted to win the KOM in a single day. Unfortunately for him, there are no more mountains in the Vuelta. Fortunately for me, his points drove Unfrozen Taco to the win on the day and the lead in the overall. One has only to look at my team's performance in the sprint stages to know that this isn't a lock, i expect the lead may change two more times before Sunday. But we shall see...

More for Communidad Valenciana

2005-09-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

Carlos Garcia Quesada won today along with A Spain in My Ass and that's quickly becoming one of my favorite jerseys. The tight battle for the overall spread out some with Brian's Vuelta Skelta forging a bit of a lead. Will it be enough? More mountains tomorrow.

gnashing teeth of a rabid vorpal cricket

2005-09-13T20:27:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite riders, Paolo "the cricket" Bettini ripped it up today.

This little man, twirling an enormous gear, with his tiny frame sprinting ahead of this humongous peloton.

Due to the uphill sprint, he managed to stop the Alessandro "I'll win everything that's flat" Petacchi train.

Benefitting from his performance was none other than Taylor's Pan Blanco who won the stage.

With only five days remaining in the Vuelta, it's getting a bit crowded at the top. As of today, there is a tie between Dr. Brian'sVuelta Skelta and Jeff's Thor and the Basque Batallion for first place on the GC. A mere 7 points back is Taylor's Team Rookie led by Denis Menchov. I would be remiss if i didn't mention that my sleeping giant, Unfrozen Taco is close behind them. But the real intrigue might come from none other than Carrie Casagrande currently sitting in 7th, but only 135 points back and she has Heras. So anything could happen, if he goes on a tear. Stay tuned...

Wouldn't be a stage without some abandons:
Fruita Freewheelers lost stage-winner Bertagnolli
Las Mariquititas lost former NCS sprinter Julian Dean

125 lbs of fury, Heras Kicks Ass

2005-09-11T12:33:00.000-05:00

Roberto rolled into the gold jersey today, while Denis Menchov crumbled like a Spanish version of a Chips Ahoy cookie. Seizing the day was Carrie Casagrande while the Vuelta Skelta maintained his narrow lead for the overall.

Only abandon affecting teams today was Las Mariquititas who lost Boonen.

unfrozen taco baby!

2005-09-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

Eladio Jimenez won yesterday as did the Unfrozen Taco, finally! It only took 14 stages. Big win for my squad moved me up to 3rd overall, with Vuelta Skelta taking over the lead on GC.

Abandons continued profusely:
Herradura Cura lost Azevado
Vuelta Skelta lost Joachim
Pan Blanco lost Bellotti
El Rippo lost Tom Steels
Pan Blanco lost Manuel Beltran

unlucky stage 13

2005-09-09T22:12:00.000-05:00

Not a great day for Team Disco fans, as Tricky Beltran, Jose Azevado and Benoit Joachim all called it a race. There was confusion at the finish, when Mauricio Ardila finished his sprint at a KOM sprint 200m before the finish line. Samuel Sanchez won the stage with team El Rippo also taking the day. The GC battle has gotten closer but Taylor's Team Rookie is still in the lead. Tomorrow's stage is meant to shake up the vuelta contenders and may be a great springboard for Heras, if he can overcome his injury. We'll see.

Abandons continue at a whopping pace:
Fruita Freewheelers lost Glomser
Herradura Cura lost Piil

blue train rolls again

2005-09-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

So blah blah blah Petacchi again blah blah blah Pablo Neruda's Nudists blah blah blah. He got his fourth victory of this year's vuelta on a stage animated by Luis Pasamontes who was off until 15km to go. Reading the play by play made it sound like he got pulled back nearly exclusively by Rolf Aldag who was a MACHINE. Team Rookie held on to her lead, but didn't add much to it. The big mover was Vuelta Skelta

Another day means another bundle of abandons:
OLE! lost Botero
Carrie lost Luis Perez
Thor and the Basque Boys lost Thor!
Herradura Cura lost Markel Irizar
Pan Blanco lost Guesdon
A Spain in My Ass lost Bradley McGee

laiseka wins, mucho mucho abandons

2005-09-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

Love that Euskaltel jersey, Roberto Laiseka won the stage along with Thor and the Basque Batallion. Only fitting that Jeff's Thor and the Boys would win on the day that Thor abandoned the Vuelta, bummer. Taylor has put her stamp of authority on the race gc-wise. If Menchov prevails, i think Taylor has it in the bag, don't count Heras and Carrie out though.

Lots of abandons from yesterday...
A Spain in My Ass lost Nozal
Carrie lost Aitor Osa
Taylor lost Fedrigo
Pablo Neruda lost Angel Casero
Taylor lost Max Van Heiswick
Fruita Freewheelers lost Ivanov
Las Mariquititas lost Flecha
Thor lost Garrido

If this keeps up, we may have some low scores.
Check out Menchov in this photo, he looks like he's auditioning for Ernest goes to Spain.

you say manseebo i say mansaybo

2005-09-05T13:56:00.000-05:00

So Francisco "Face of Pain" Mancebo won today's stage, along with Vuelta Skelta so congrats to Brian Wolshon for the victory and also for being quoted in yesterday's New York Times. Today was mucho climbing and mucho quitting, i'm in shock by the abandons. In the battle for the GC, Team Rookie continues to smack everyone else around. It may be tough to bring her back, i know Unfrozen Taco ain't going to do it. Come on SASTRE!

Menchov back in GOLD

2005-09-04T10:57:00.001-05:00

Here is a rare photo of Roberto Heras commuting to the Vuelta to save gas. I know it's weak but there weren't many photos available this morning.

Today's timetrial was won by Denis Menchov and Herradura Cura which should help Tom move up a bit on the GC. With Menchov's win, Team Rookie took control of the overall again, although behind her places 2nd - 6th are pretty close. I think the real Vuelta is beginning.

the trifecta

2005-09-03T21:15:00.000-05:00

Petacchi, Petacchi, Petacchi
He won his third stage today as did Pablo Neruda's Nudists. Meanwhile Thor and the Basque Batallion commandeered the gc lead with steady and consistent sprinting from Thor Hushovd. Tomorrow is the TT.

topsy turvy friday

2005-09-02T13:06:00.000-05:00

It's always great to see the Discovery jersey in a victory salute, today Petacchi flatted and it sounded like Zabel was a shoe-in but Max did the deal and won for Team Disco.
Team Rookie, who had the stage winner, finished second to Vuelta Skelta who won with a superb showing of squad depth. Both Pablo Neruda's Nudists and A Spain in My Ass lost ground today as their riders were penalized. No word yet on why they received -5 sprint points, but hey, i just post this stuff i don't officiate. That didn't help A Spain in My Ass's grasp on the GC lead, so a reshuffling was in order and Team Rookie bumped the Fruita Freewheeler powerhouse for top honors.

In other news, you can all thank Taylor for the team substitute suggestion as yesterday's withdrawals saw a lot of team turnover.
Ljungqvist in for Landis on OLE!
Ongarato in for Cadamuro on Vuelta Skelta
Finot in for Auger on Pablo Neruda's Nudists
Coyot in for Bonomi on A Spain in My Ass
Boven out for Team Rookie, Quesada already sub'd in.

back on top

2005-09-01T12:44:00.000-05:00

Roberto Heras climbed back into the leaders jersey today with an awesome climbing performance that dumped everybody else. Carrie Casagrande benefited from his slamming ride and won the stage. Meanwhile defending champ from last year, A Spain in My Ass took back the overall lead from the Fruita Freewheelers.

A lot of climbing points were awarded today, likewise there were a few dropouts, most notably Floyd Landis which really shocked me. I thought he might do well this year. Anyway, tomorrow's stage features climbing plus a long descent to the finish, so will it be a day for the climbing sprinters or the regular sprinters or the clmbers?

the best of times, the worst of times

2005-08-31T17:23:00.000-05:00

Today Thor Hushovd sprinted like a man among boys (just like me) to take the win. Look at that gap! Talk about the cat among the pigeons, or the iron in the fire, or the maiden and the three-legged cow(insert your favorite Ligget-ism here). Predictably, it was a great day for Thor and the Basque Batallion as they took the stage and moved up to 2nd on the GC.

However disaster did strike during the stage when Iban Mayo, also of the Basque Batallion, retired. The Fruita Freewheelers, still leading in the general classification even after only notching one point today, lost Jose Enrique Gutierrez.

In other GC news, Pan Blanco leap-frogged me today to move into 11th place, so i don't want to hear anymore belly-aching! My finely honed squad is just managing to stay in front of Senor Poopy and owner of the first draft pick, Carrie Casagrande. My draft looks like it works as well as it does in the NBA!

Ay Caramba, can the mountains come soon enough? Don't worry, they'll be here tomorrow.

Petacchi blah blah, Nudists blah blah

2005-08-30T11:33:00.000-05:00

Well Petacchi and the Blue and Silver train of Fassa Bortolo are back in effect. Today was the longest stage of the whole race, hot and flat with no KOM points on the line. Pablo Neruda's Nudists took their second stage in a row, but couldn't yet overtake the overall lead of those Fruita Freewheelers. Bradley McGee stayed in the golden fleece.

The sprinters may have their days for a few more, as far as i can tell, there is a good climbing finish on thursday and the really sick stupid climbing starts next Monday. So the complexion of our gc may shift at that point, we shall see. I know the Unfrozen Taco could use some help.

In other news, Angelo Furlan bowed out yesterday, so Adolfo Garcia Quesada started today for Team Rookie.

Petacchi back in charge

2005-08-29T22:03:00.000-05:00

Note, as i was typing this entry this morning we lost power, and only got it back tonight around 9:00, but all is well here in Baton Rouge.

Katrina was nice enough to leave us with our cable and power long enough to read the live report today. Stage 3 results can be seen here. Pretty cool sounding stage, Thomas Ziegler tried to give it a go on the last climb of the day but the sprinters brought it all back and Fassa set it up perfectly for Petacchi and Pablo Neruda's Nudists.

The GC is also shaping up now with the Fruita Freewheelers tied for first with A Spain in My Ass and the battle for second also a tie with Team Rookie and Las Mariquititas.

More rider bumping, i hope this will all get cleared up as more riders gain points in the first week. Sergei Ivanov was replaced with Andre Korff and Luis Perez Romero with Freddy Gonzalez.

Carrie Casagrande lost Giuliano Figueras yesterday so today Matt Hayman subbed in.

Win Stage 2, get a Zorro hat

2005-08-28T15:44:00.000-05:00

The Fruita Freewheelers took their first stage of 2005! Bertagnolli won the stage and Bradley McGee has now worn the leaders jersey in all three of the major national tours. The overall was taken by A Spain in My Ass.

Results for Stage 1

2005-08-27T15:15:00.000-05:00

Posting these results took way longer than i had hoped. Evidently Hurricane Katrina is affecting internet service :). Anyway, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Taylor's Team Rookie picked up Denis Menchov as the last pick in the first round of the draft and it paid dividends today. He smashed the course. Rick Verbrugge got second and his quote is reason #1258 why I'm not a pro: " I used a 44 and 55 chainring in front: 44 to climb the hill strongly and 55 to be fast enough downhill and on the flat." Uh, yeah right, don't mind my feebleness. Anyway, hope to have more comprehensive results up tomorrow, team breakdowns, etc. Peace out.

1 Team Rookie 104
2 A Spain in My Ass 56
3 Herradura Cura 47
4 Unfrozen Taco 34
5 Pan Blanco 20
6 OLE! 20
7 Carrie Casagrande 14
8 Las Mariquititas 12
9 Senor Poopy 3
10 Vuelta Skelta 1
11 El Rippo 0
12 Fruita Freewheelers 0
13 Pablo Neruda's Nudists 0
14 Thor & The Basque Batallion 0

Bumped Rider

2005-08-27T14:02:00.000-05:00

In compiling the results today, i learned that José Cayetano Julia Cegarra got bumped by Francisco Perez, so A Spain in My Ass has a "replacement".

Last Minute Entry

2005-08-27T12:51:00.000-05:00

I know i'm bending the rules here, but i think it's okay since i haven't checked the results yet. I rode with Keith this morning and he'd like to submit a team, I think the fact that his team is coming in post-draft is enough of a penalty. Anyhow, welcome aboard Senor Poopy which was constructed from the scraps left.

Also thanks to Tom who said he would kick in a bottle of tequilla which I'll work into the prize list some how. That will evolve as we get closer. Peace out!

Results of the Draft

2005-08-27T07:57:00.000-05:00

Alright, and not a moment too soon, here are the draft results. It looks like about half of each team is filled with recognizable names, the other half will make it quite interesting. Anyhow, today is the time trial, so let the games begin.

Draft Order set for Tonight

2005-08-26T10:19:00.000-05:00

The draft order is set...

1 Carrie Riche
2 Thor & The Basque Batallion
3 OLE!
4 Fruita Freewheelers
5 Las Mariquititas
6 Pablo Neruda's Nudists
7 Vuelta Skelta
8 Herradura Cura
9 El Rippo
10 Pan Blanco
11 Unfrozen Taco
12 A Spain in My Ass
13 Taylor Ahrens

How does this draft work?

2005-08-23T15:09:00.000-05:00

Here is a good question, that reminds me that i haven't really explained how the draft works:
how do I know who other people have picked?

The answer is that you won't.

In fact, if you fill out your own list, you may not get anybody on it.
here's how it works you say you want
1. heras
2. zabel
3. landis
4. jaja
5. jose
and the rest you don't care about

Your team ends up getting the 6th pick in the draft, picked randomly by me once all the teams are in.

The team with the first pick also had heras on their list as first, they get him, you don't.

the team with the second picks had heras 1st and zabel 2nd, heras already got picked so they get zabel.

The team with the third picks had landis 1st and he is available so they get him

The team with the 4th pick had landis 1st, then jaja 2nd so they get jaja b/c landis already got picked

The team with the 5th pick had heras 1st, jaja 2nd but they're gone so he gets jose who was his 3rd pick.

Now you get 6th pick, the top 5 on your list are all signed on to other teams, so it goes to your 6th pick which you didn't choose, so it would be the top ranked guy on my ranking list who isn't selected yet. In this case it would be Petacchi.

So you see, you don't get to pick him like in a live draft, instead you just set your "preferences" in your list and you may or may not get them. Sometimes it works out pretty sweet, sometimes you don't get anybody you wanted. I've seen both, b/c this is the way we do Fantasy NBA.

Hope that helps...

Registration is Open

2005-08-23T13:20:00.000-05:00

To register for the 2005 Fantasy Vuelta, e-mail me with your teamname and revised pick list, if you want to customize it. Thanks! Registration closes at midnight on Thursday, August 25th.

Rule Changes for 2005

2005-08-23T13:11:00.000-05:00

Ok, game play will continue as it has for previous years with two fundamental changes.

One, you will receive your team as the result of a draft held on Friday, August 26th. Everyone will default to using the pick list supplied in the previous post unless you supply a different order to me by midnight on Thursday, August 25th. The results of the draft will be published to this blog sometime on Friday. If we need more riders than the 68 "ranked" below, they will be picked at random from the remaining field.

Two, each team manager will receive a squad of 10 riders. The last rider selected in the draft for your team will serve as a substitute. His points will kick in when/if one of your first 9 riders pulls out of the race. Once the teams are posted, if you would like to designate another rider as your sub, just let me know via e-mail.

That's all i can think of for now, no prizes yet, we'll see how this shapes up. Thanks for playing.

2005 Vuelta Draft List

2005-08-23T13:07:00.000-05:00

Pick Rider
1 HERAS HERNANDEZ Roberto
2 ZABEL Erik
3 PETACCHI Alessandro
4 MANCEBO PEREZ Francisco
5 FREIRE GOMEZ Oscar
6 JIMENEZ Eladio
7 MENCHOV Denis
8 NOZAL VEGA Isidro
9 LANDIS Floyd
10 PIEPOLI Leonardo
11 SASTRE CANDIL Carlos
12 ZABALLA GUTIERREZ Constantino
13 PEÑA Victor Hugo
14 BELTRAN MARTINEZ Manuel
15 PARCUAL RODRIGUEZ Javier
16 GUTIERREZ CATALUNA José Enrique
17 GONZALEZ DE GALDEANO Igor
18 PEREZ RODRIGUEZ Luis
19 SIMONI Gilberto
20 IVANOV Ruslan
21 CASERO Angel Luis
22 JOACHIM Benoît
23 HORRILLO MUNOZ Pedro
24 GONZALEZ JIMENEZ Aitor
25 GOMEZ MARCHANTE José Angel
26 HORRACH Joan
27 SEVILLA RIBERA Oscar
28 LATASA David
29 AZEVEDO José
30 HUSHOVD Thor
31 BACKSTEDT Magnus
32 BOONEN Tom
33 VAN HEESWIJK Max
34 BETTINI Paolo
35 DANIELSON Tom
36 GARCIA QUESADA Carlos
37 LASTRAS GARCIA Pablo
38 STEELS Tom
39 BLANCO David
40 MARTIN PERDIGUERO Miguel Angel
41 FUENTES Juan
42 ZANOTTI Marco
43 VAN BON Leon
44 RUBIERA José luis
45 MAYO DIEZ Iban
46 LARA RUIZ Francisco José
47 CASPER Jimmy
48 VOECKLER Thomas
49 OSA Aitor
50 CAÑADA GRACIA David
51 PEREIRO SIO Oscar
52 DEAN Julian
53 OSA Unai
54 FLECHA Juan Antonio
55 BALDATO Fabio
56 BOTERO ECHEVERRY Santiago
57 VANDEVELDE Christian
58 MCGEE Bradley
59 PIIL Jakob
60 PERON Andrea
61 CALCAGNI Patrick
62 PLAZA Rubén
63 KLIER Andreas
64 GARCIA ACOSTA José Vicente
65 PAOLINI Luca
66 PRADERA Mikel
67 FURLAN Angelo
68 SERRANO RODRIGUEZ Marcos A.