Le Tour Mediterranéen - Stage 1

38km 2'35" gap

First DNF Diego Rosa (Androni)

85km to go gap 5'55"

Text updates in French http://direct.directvelo.com/live-course/1861/tour-mediterraneen-etape-1...

Giant are right at the front looking for Degenkolb to come second

Doubt many will have their picks in the break. Berard was on my longlist, others not even considered.

Apparently Nocentini and Hutarovich have both crashed... and both in my standard

Some last minute changes for a less sprinty team

Taylor Phinney (BMC)
John Degenkolb (GSH)
Sylvain Chavanel (IAM)
Sonny Colbrelli (BAR)
Michel Kreder (WGG)
Benjamin Giraud (LPM)
Baptiste Planckaert (RLM)
Luis Leon Sanchez (CJR)
Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJ)

I think a lot of people will have Zoidl......you know when you look in the filter of value-high to low and skip to the last rider on the last page for your 3 credit men!!

Ray - yes I agree about Busche - had him in until the last minute when I had to replace him with Ludvigsson for the extra credits. On the list for later in the week, as is his teammate Zoidl...

Gap now 8.35 with the same 5 man breakaway that DrH mentioned earlier.

Valencia, Stake Laengen, Gouault, Grijalba & Berard (according to twitter)

There's a lot of love for LuLu out there!! Although drheaton seems to be happy with an eight man team in the first post LOL

My standard team for(hopefully the first 2 sprinty/classics type stages):

Degenkolb
Phinney
LuLuSanchez
Boy Van Poppel
Hushovd
Hutarovich
Sicard
Fedrigo
Zoidl

Don't think Chava,Peraud et al will come into play except to finish with the bunch on these 2 stages and then attack the race on stage 3 and then the stage 4 time trial then try and fend off the likes of Betancur,Rolland and Pellizotti in the final Summit Finish

The need for Chava in a purist team left me with a weaker support cast

Chavanel
Phinney
Degenkolb
Busche(this has got a bit of a Cali feel to it?)
Devenyns
LeMevel(I seem to have been picking him forever as he's got cheaper and cheaper!!)
Duque
LuLuSanchez
Fedrigo

Very difficult comp to work out this one. Will the sprinters make it over the bumps and lumps and is the TT long enough to go purely for TT guys ?

My purist is:

Tobias Ludvigsson
Pierre Rolland
Thomas Peterson
Francesco Manuel Bongiorno
Bartlomiej Matysiak
Franco Pellizotti
Angel Madrazo
Marcel Wyss
Julien Antomarchi

My standard is:

Danilo Napolitano
Luis Leon Sanchez
Bartlomiej Matysiak
Yauheni Hutarovich
Rinaldo Nocentini
Angel Madrazo
Sylvain Chavanel
Nikolay Mihaylov
Julien Antomarchi

Mu purist team..

Benjamin Giraud (LPM)
DS Value: 3.0 Form: 0.00

Riccardo Zoidl (TFR)
DS Value: 3.0 Form: 0.00

Taylor Phinney (BMC)
AR Value: 23.4 Form: 12.60 In form rider

Tobias Ludvigsson (GSH)
DS Value: 15.0 Form: 1.40

Giovanni Bernaudeau (EUC)
DS Value: 3.0 Form: 0.00

Sylvain Chavanel (IAM)
GC Value: 36.4 Form: 5.80

Jean-Christophe Peraud (ALM)
KM Value: 22.3 Form: 0.00

Luis Leon Sanchez (CJR)
DS Value: 10.9 Form: 1.80

John Degenkolb (GSH)

Might have made a mistake with my standard.....

gone sprinty

Degenkolb
Belletti
D.V.P
Pineau
Sicard
Hutarovich
Atkins
Zoidl
Delaplace

Purist

Peraud
Chavanel
Kreder
Busche
Ludvigsson
L.L.Sañchez
Hoogerland
Atkins
Quintero

Some similarities in our teams drh which is encouraging!

PURIST
Chavanel
Peraud
LL Sanchez
Roux
Larsson
Felline
Ludvigsson
Vorobyev (3.0 wildcard)
Planckaert

STANDARD
Degenkolb
Belletti
Felline
M Kreder
Porsev
Roux
LL Sanchez
Ludvigsson
Kern