sorry about the late rest day part deux update. was actually out on the bike much of the day for the first time in moons.

flobikes/tissot games still has teams canam 73 and X Merckx The Spot running 1-2 in the league. little has changed there.
leads/standings not insurmountable by any means-esp with all the shenanigans this year-will a few dynamite stages left in the last week.
we still have that little tt monkey wrench to snarl things even more.

velogames is another matter entirely. we've got ten teams still bunched up within an 800 point span with most of those with a realistic podium
shot depending on the last week. teams the bounty and X Merckx The Spot still holding court here as well-for now. the abandons of mvdp,
roglic and others have brought the high-fliers back to the pack. gonna be a wild last week. good luck everyone! interested in hearing your predictions.
been a few daze so here's a(another) horrible prediction for sweet stage sixteen...wout.

This is the weirdest race I've been in. I'm in first place but I don't think I've added 500 points in the last week. I can hear the water running out of the barrel.......

^ quit pissing on me, canam73 . ;)

There will be some folks blasting through us soon enough.

I know, but the suspense is suffercating!

Alright, stick a fork in me. At least I stayed upright during all the argy bargy of the chasers finally coming through. Press on, lads.

No pinot my @$$. I'm going to have some, or at least a nice big glass of Cote du Rhone c/o Costco, as soon as I finish this G&T. I'm in Uran mode at the moment. However, a strong showing from Woods tomorrow or BIsseger in the TT could put me back above my e-friend/nemesis. So maybe I'll toast to good fortune with two goblets o' Rhone.

Damn, I forgot all about that one. I'm better off to not even go back over there to look. :eek:

Vingegaard for stage 18.

Nothing against your beverage. If there were a rider named Merlot, I wouldn't be able to say that. :innocent:
The race is not yet over, but today's stage is close to what I hopefully imagined while selecting my roster.
Things could get quite a bit less interesting for the next few years as everyone selects from Pogacar, Vingegaard, Bernal, MVDP, WVA and Evanpoel. The game could be decided by whether or not Caleb makes the time cut.

Say it isn't so, USAZorro. It's been a real snooze this year with two dominant Slovenians, the stacked dark blue train, and Ewan the clearly dominant sprinter. It it gets any worse in future years, just pass the Thunderbird and pop some Bartles & Jaymes spritzers for the ladies. It may even drive us to go for a ride on the Schlitz Malt Liquor bull.

Safety alert. Don't hurt yourself and taco your wheel by hitting the anchor I just threw out. I'm headed backward in the league standings like Dylan Van Baarle does when his day is done.

To add insult to injury, I got hit with some frijoles today in the Tissot league, too.

^^ Rigo and I decided to pass on this rat race and opt for tapas somewhere on the Tourmalet ...

Crazy thing happened last night, I was on the phone with the local police in Pau, to offer a kind donation for their efforts in keeping Le Tour safe. Towards the end of the conversation I mentioned my velogames team, and Bahring any unforeseen circumstances I would not be Victorious against my fellow forum goers who've picked Colbrelli and Co. Imagine my surprise this morning! Not once during our conversation did any of these police raids ever come up!! :innocent:

i'm sure USAZorro is counting down the hours till the favored discipline...that little stage twenty itt...might be good for some #*&%!.

I've advanced my talents. I can now kill a thread without even making the post. :innocent:

I've just been reflecting on how I've lavished praise on riders I then didn't pick! Cattaneo has really pulled in a haul!

Of note is Franck Bonnamour B&B Hotels p/b KTM, a 4 pointer that has brought in 542 points.

Which riders are sandbagging abit and prepping for the Olympics?
Will EF completely disregard GC in Vuelta or go with Carthy or Higuita?

recap before the final stage!

flobikes/tissot-canam73 would seem to be unassailable and on the top podium step. FlyingBurritoBrothers and
X Merckx The Spot will finish 2-3 and probably in that order.

velogames-USAZorro looking good with both the likely winners of the yellow jersey and green jersey in the fold. canam73 seems to
be a lock for the silver medal. third place currently held by some hoser but position is up grabs with a certain team just below packing
pogacar's likely 600 point whammy for the overall. that's gonna be hard to fend off with a loose confederation of rag-tag riders.

covering both southern and northern rhône.
thirsty now…hmmm…

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9cac858f5.jpeg

Well played, sir. Well played. I've been out-Rhoned and out-Velogamed.

I worked up a powerful thirst doing 7 1/2 hours of work in the sun at a local race yesterday, only to come home and find myself even deeper in the standings. Fortunately, though out-Rhoned, I was not out of Rhone.

After the end of tour points are bestowed, USAZorro is going to be lording it over us little people with Tadej-like proportions.

^still thirsty. USAZorro looks to be unimpeachable. Too soon?

Jumbo Visma sure took some hits but the white dwarf Petite Visma that was left after the collapse of the red giant had a helluva Tour. WVA putting the exclamation point on the all-round in all-rounder. Plus another podium and the second step in GC. Their Plan B and consolation prize is that which are undreamable dreams over in Cofidis or, surprisingly, in this iteration of Ineos.

I shall console myself in so many ways and further slake my thirst with this lesser Rhone. Here's an idea. ¿While we're at it, why not get a head start on la Vuelta? Salud.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0d9211d3a1.jpg

final results be in!


in velogames, team NoPinot helmed by USAZorro came on like the dqs train in the last few km's and steamrolled everyone/everything in the way.

team the bounty captained by canam73 lead most of the way during the proceedings and finished a super second. the bronze medallist should probably be dq'd on principle alone.


in flobikes/tissot land, canam73 more than managed to hang on and dominated the game from wire to wire. FlyingBurritoBrothers was gangbusters the last few days, dodged the anchor

unceremoniously dropped into the proceedings by the third place venture, X Merckx The Spot, and finished second.


if memory serves (and that's a big if), USAZorro has now taken the giro, vuelta and tour de france in the span of two years. not too shabby.

pretty sure canam73 has a big share of the recent virtual trophies as well. salud!


thanks to everyone that played, thrived, survived or otherwise. it was a weird, yet fascinating, tour for sure. hope to see you all here in about five weeks.

it's almost vuelta time, baby!

Thanks for organizing this again. Vuelta could be incredible, and am anticipating it. Hoping to thread the needle and being back to work by then, yet able to watch it.

p.s. - I've heard no calls for the bronze to be dq'd, and will break out trains, steamrollers and space lasers to obliterate anyone who does. :beer: This was a very chaotic event and luck played a huge role all the way around.

Well played :thumb:

Congrats to all the winners! :beer:

Don't completely dismiss the possibility in the future. But, yes, no egregious violations have been noted and seconded for THIS iteration of a grand tour. Our host and e-friend is deserving of all the protection that Jewish space lasers and ill tempered sea bass can deliver. Circle the wagons!

https://i.makeagif.com/media/12-07-2015/2KGo9R.gif

Sure was fun everybody. Thanks for putting it together. See you at the Vuelta.

vuelta is gonna be a party! really looking forward to it as always. this year could be spectacular.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vue...l-and-pogacar/