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Most boring/ exciting Tour de France in last decade?

Page 4 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Jun 15, 2009
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Re: Re:

Mayomaniac said:
FoxxyBrown1111 said:
Libertine Seguros said:
2011 race sucked for 2/3 of it

And the one week that was good actually (better say 2 stages) balloned it to the best for some. I just dont get it. As you said in another thread, a Dauphine week doesnt make a GT (something like that).

2011... the worst ever TdF I saw, and in a tie for all time worst GTs (the 2012 Giro being the other).
Worse than the 2012 Tour? I remember how frustrating it was to watch the 2012 Giro, I really hoped that the Tour would be better, but that was hands down the worst GT that I ever saw.

In my opinion yes. Looking hard at each other, riding backwards, and sprinting for the win after the finish line is the lowest you can ask for.
 
Re: Re:

Libertine Seguros said:
Flamin said:
Libertine, you didn't just do that out of your memory, did you? :eek:
The only thing I had to look up was which stage Sørensen won and which one Ivanov won, as I knew they'd both won easily from the break being allowed to go. Week 2 I'm a bit hazy on as that was all stages where Astana just helped Ag2r keep the break to the right distance all week until the HTC train could take over and we were reduced to pretending to be excited when Pellizotti outsprinted Egoi Martínez at the mountaintops of cat.2 and 3 climbs in the fight for the polka dots when everybody knew Pellizotti was the stronger sprinter of the two anyway. Weeks 1 and 3 are burnt in my mind indelibly as images of what cycling can be at its worst, while week 2 was so dull I couldn't even manage that.

_O_

Well, I have a completely opposite mechanism then, since boring GTs/races get erased from my memory very quickly :p incredible you remember (almost) every stage.

Red Rick said:
Flamin said:
Libertine, you didn't just do that out of your memory, did you? :eek:

Did you really have to ask that.

LS has by far the best rants on this forum, or any cycling forum

I know. Still, 6 years is a LONG time ago and not just some key stages but also meaningless **** stages. Crazy.

Anyway, I was just curious if Libertine had some small notes or something, or had to look something up, or just completely out of memory.
 
Re: Re:

FoxxyBrown1111 said:
Libertine Seguros said:
2011 race sucked for 2/3 of it

And the one week that was good actually (better say 2 stages) balloned it to the best for some. I just dont get it. As you said in another thread, a Dauphine week doesnt make a GT (something like that).

2011... the worst ever TdF I saw, and in a tie for all time worst GTs (the 2012 Giro being the other).

Even I am fan of giro I must admit that 2012 giro really pissed me, especially stage finished on Stelvio, that time I was in dolomites and I cancelled my trip through monte bondone and santa barbara to see queen stage, hell I was so disgusted what happened ther, I only wished that De Gendt will win a giro, pitty he did not for what other contenders did, rider which dissapointed me most was Purito, I prayed for him so much
 
Aug 9, 2009
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Re: Re:

Gigs_98 said:
Libertine Seguros said:
ray j willings said:
Wiggins tour was fantastic, such a close race between him and the rest of Sky.
Agreed, it was like the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix. All those people complaining about a race that was settled with an overtake on the last corner of the last lap, I mean what more could people want?
How many people do you think got that one :D
There are a lot of masochists who cant get enough processional racing from cycling alone and need to branch out to other offerings :D
 
Seriously without Alberto 2012 would probably have been the worst year for gt's ever:

the giro with one serious attack in 21 stages (De Gendt)
the tour with one serious attacks in 21 stages (Nibali although that attack didnt make the race much better)
the vuelta which would also have been pretty boring without the epic Fuente De stage (and the fact that the spanish destroyed froome which was quite amusing)
 
Re:

Miburo said:
Can you do this for the last 10 tours libertine? Was a fun read :)
Fine, people, you asked for it (I probably won't do all 10), don't blame me if you get fed up of diminishing returns, since not all races are as buried in my memory as the 2009 Tour for the horror it wrought (and also that I was writing my dissertation at the time, mostly to give me a chance to unwind and relax after the arduous, repetitive and frustrating work of suffering through the 2009 Tour), plus with each being the same style the entertainment both for me and yourselves will probably decline too.

2010 Tour:
Prologue - in an unexpected shock, Cancellara wins. Sky prove their tactical nous by looking at the course, with cobblestones and technical corners, and ensuring their team leader starts in the rain.
1 - worthless flat stage. Cavendish causes his 291st crash of the season enabling Petacchi to win.
2 - possibly the most interesting week 1 stage design Prudhomme has put forward in years. So the péloton neutralises it. A bunch of people crash, Cancellara makes everyone wait for Schleck, and the bunch rides in together behind Chavanel.
3 - there are cobbles. A bunch of people crash, Cancellara doesn't make everyone wait and instead rides off into the distance. Chavanel punctures. Cancellara doesn't wait. Contador punctures and finishes the stage on a flat tyre. He is insulted for losing time in the last kilometre.
4 - the first of a trifecta of worthless flat stages, but worth watching the last 2km to see Danilo Hondo destroy the HTC train, a performance I swoon at to this day. Petacchi wins again. Cav has a tantrum.
5 - worthless flat stage. Cav wins.
6 - worthless flat stage. Cav wins.
7 - Chavanel decides he wants the maillot jaune back and takes another win in a solo escapade. Little happens behind.
8 - Before we get to the final climb, Lance enlists Euskaltel to help him perform a tribute to the demolition derby. Wiggins melts down completely. Schleck attacks to gain a few seconds and Cadel Evans gets the yellow jersey by virtue of not cracking like an egg. After a long spring season & running out of gas in the Giro, and with a painfully weak support team, the forum goes into meltdown with Australians adamant Cuddles will clearly win.
9 - With Valverde banned, Caisse d'Épargne stick several riders up the road to try to get into the GC. Several KOM candidates are instructed not to interfere with Jérôme Pineau's points-gathering so that a Frenchman keeps the jersey. Schleck and Contador go clear and catch the dithering break. Phil Liggett calls Samuel Sánchez, caught behind the leading duo, a terrible descender.
10 - Radioshack block the road ensuring that not a single Frenchman gets into the break on Bastille Day. The stage is disgracefully dull. Paulinho wins.
11 - Worthless flat stage. Mark Renshaw is kicked out the race for headbutting people, trying to throw them over barriers and just generally being a huge tool on the Graeme Brown level. Much whining ensues from Cav fans.
12 - Vino attacks. Contador attacks and chases him down, then loses the final sprint because he can't sprint. Little-known French climber Anthony Charteau gets the KOM.
13 - Worthless flat stage salvaged because VINO.
14 - Schleck and Contador hold a trackstand competition. Riblon wins from the break.
15 - Nothing of any real interest happens here. Contador takes the maillot jaune.
16 - Lance gets in the break to try to salvage something from the race. Barredo tries to do a flat solo from 45km out because the stage was designed back to front. Sean Kelly calls him an idiot. Garmin get scared that Ryder Hesjedal's 10th place is under threat and start chasing the break down. Horner kills himself trying to get Lance one final stage win. Pierrick Fédrigo outsprints him so easily he could have started from the péloton and still beaten the Texan.
17 - The two greatest climbers in the world fight tooth and nail on one of the sport's most hallowed passes. No wait, that was the Giro Donne. My mistake. The two greatest climbers in the world hold hands like a couple of adolescents on the Tourmalet and talk of each other's greatness in the press to allay talk of bad blood. It is embarrassing. Christophe Moreau is the only rider capable of challenging Charteau's polka dots, but Radioshack won't let him in the break because they need to protect their lead in the Teams Classification (really).
18 - Worthless flat stage.
19 - Cancellara wins the time trial to the shock of nobody. Contador doesn't club Schleck like a baby seal to the shock of everybody. Contador ensures his margin of victory is perfect for people to continue to whine about it for years, but forgets not to put clenbuterol in his blood, which settles that argument once and for all.
20 - Worthless flat stage. Petacchi shadows Cav home, meaning Prudhomme recognizes he needs to change the system to make it even more sprinter biased, because obviously Ale-Jet isn't a sprinter.
 
Re: Re:

Gigs_98 said:
Libertine Seguros said:
ray j willings said:
Wiggins tour was fantastic, such a close race between him and the rest of Sky.
Agreed, it was like the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix. All those people complaining about a race that was settled with an overtake on the last corner of the last lap, I mean what more could people want?
How many people do you think got that one :D

Probably quite a few of us
 
Jun 15, 2009
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Re: Re:

bassano said:
FoxxyBrown1111 said:
Libertine Seguros said:
2011 race sucked for 2/3 of it

And the one week that was good actually (better say 2 stages) balloned it to the best for some. I just dont get it. As you said in another thread, a Dauphine week doesnt make a GT (something like that).

2011... the worst ever TdF I saw, and in a tie for all time worst GTs (the 2012 Giro being the other).

Even I am fan of giro I must admit that 2012 giro really pissed me, especially stage finished on Stelvio, that time I was in dolomites and I cancelled my trip through monte bondone and santa barbara to see queen stage, hell I was so disgusted what happened ther, I only wished that De Gendt will win a giro, pitty he did not for what other contenders did, rider which dissapointed me most was Purito, I prayed for him so much

Rodriguez was the strongest. But he threw it away, literally. One hilly stage riders were "on strike" doing nothing, the others was Bassos "train", then nothing, then Rodriguez sprinting from 500 meters out... But that was still better than the Schlecks complaining about rain, downhills, and else, plus "attacking" after the finish line. Never seen such "competition" before and after. And no, two stages dont make up for 19 shitty ones. 2012 was heaven in comparison to the 2011 TdF...
 
Re: Re:

Libertine Seguros said:
ray j willings said:
Wiggins tour was fantastic, such a close race between him and the rest of Sky.
Agreed, it was like the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix. All those people complaining about a race that was settled with an overtake on the last corner of the last lap, I mean what more could people want?

Yeah, somewhat similar to Melbourne '98, although that cloud admittedly had more of a silver lining :D
 
Re: Re:

Libertine Seguros said:
Miburo said:
Can you do this for the last 10 tours libertine? Was a fun read :)
Fine, people, you asked for it (I probably won't do all 10), don't blame me if you get fed up of diminishing returns, since not all races are as buried in my memory as the 2009 Tour for the horror it wrought (and also that I was writing my dissertation at the time, mostly to give me a chance to unwind and relax after the arduous, repetitive and frustrating work of suffering through the 2009 Tour), plus with each being the same style the entertainment both for me and yourselves will probably decline too.

2010 Tour:
Prologue - in an unexpected shock, Cancellara wins. Sky prove their tactical nous by looking at the course, with cobblestones and technical corners, and ensuring their team leader starts in the rain.
1 - worthless flat stage. Cavendish causes his 291st crash of the season enabling Petacchi to win.
2 - possibly the most interesting week 1 stage design Prudhomme has put forward in years. So the péloton neutralises it. A bunch of people crash, Cancellara makes everyone wait for Schleck, and the bunch rides in together behind Chavanel.
3 - there are cobbles. A bunch of people crash, Cancellara doesn't make everyone wait and instead rides off into the distance. Chavanel punctures. Cancellara doesn't wait. Contador punctures and finishes the stage on a flat tyre. He is insulted for losing time in the last kilometre.
4 - the first of a trifecta of worthless flat stages, but worth watching the last 2km to see Danilo Hondo destroy the HTC train, a performance I swoon at to this day. Petacchi wins again. Cav has a tantrum.
5 - worthless flat stage. Cav wins.
6 - worthless flat stage. Cav wins.
7 - Chavanel decides he wants the maillot jaune back and takes another win in a solo escapade. Little happens behind.
8 - Before we get to the final climb, Lance enlists Euskaltel to help him perform a tribute to the demolition derby. Wiggins melts down completely. Schleck attacks to gain a few seconds and Cadel Evans gets the yellow jersey by virtue of not cracking like an egg. After a long spring season & running out of gas in the Giro, and with a painfully weak support team, the forum goes into meltdown with Australians adamant Cuddles will clearly win.
9 - With Valverde banned, Caisse d'Épargne stick several riders up the road to try to get into the GC. Several KOM candidates are instructed not to interfere with Jérôme Pineau's points-gathering so that a Frenchman keeps the jersey. Schleck and Contador go clear and catch the dithering break. Phil Liggett calls Samuel Sánchez, caught behind the leading duo, a terrible descender.
10 - Radioshack block the road ensuring that not a single Frenchman gets into the break on Bastille Day. The stage is disgracefully dull. Paulinho wins.
11 - Worthless flat stage. Mark Renshaw is kicked out the race for headbutting people, trying to throw them over barriers and just generally being a huge tool on the Graeme Brown level. Much whining ensues from Cav fans.
12 - Vino attacks. Contador attacks and chases him down, then loses the final sprint because he can't sprint. Little-known French climber Anthony Charteau gets the KOM.
13 - Worthless flat stage salvaged because VINO.
14 - Schleck and Contador hold a trackstand competition. Riblon wins from the break.
15 - Nothing of any real interest happens here. Contador takes the maillot jaune.
16 - Lance gets in the break to try to salvage something from the race. Barredo tries to do a flat solo from 45km out because the stage was designed back to front. Sean Kelly calls him an idiot. Garmin get scared that Ryder Hesjedal's 10th place is under threat and start chasing the break down. Horner kills himself trying to get Lance one final stage win. Pierrick Fédrigo outsprints him so easily he could have started from the péloton and still beaten the Texan.
17 - The two greatest climbers in the world fight tooth and nail on one of the sport's most hallowed passes. No wait, that was the Giro Donne. My mistake. The two greatest climbers in the world hold hands like a couple of adolescents on the Tourmalet and talk of each other's greatness in the press to allay talk of bad blood. It is embarrassing. Christophe Moreau is the only rider capable of challenging Charteau's polka dots, but Radioshack won't let him in the break because they need to protect their lead in the Teams Classification (really).
18 - Worthless flat stage.
19 - Cancellara wins the time trial to the shock of nobody. Contador doesn't club Schleck like a baby seal to the shock of everybody. Contador ensures his margin of victory is perfect for people to continue to whine about it for years, but forgets not to put clenbuterol in his blood, which settles that argument once and for all.
20 - Worthless flat stage. Petacchi shadows Cav home, meaning Prudhomme recognizes he needs to change the system to make it even more sprinter biased, because obviously Ale-Jet isn't a sprinter.

Mostly humans are victims of themselves, so I'm convinced that LS drowns himself drinking in the DVD's of the '09 Tour on a weekendly basis :D

Great write ups!! Yes, more please :)

In a slight defence of '09, stages 7 and 20 would have been much better raced if it weren't for strong headwinds on the final climbs.

Love the "worthless flat stage" quote.

Stage 2 and 3 analysis here is brilliant. Likewise I couldn't (track) stand the pot calling the kettle black attitude of Cancellara.

I disagree with what you said about stage 17 - as I thought Andy gave it a really good crack that day - but I still smirked at your review.

You really don't like that climb very much do you? :p
 
Re: Re:

malakassis said:
The Hegelian said:
I think of it in terms of 2 epochs:

That period - '07 to '11 was brilliant. A lot of interesting pretenders to the throne, a lot of drama, chaos, some close GC battles.

'12 to now has been pretty dire. I've lost interest pretty early on in all of them, including the one unfolding now.

good one! so you r talking about post USPS pre sky-era! i hope the route designers learn and insert some real high mountain stages. iseran,galibier,izoard,bonette,agnel,tignes,cayolle,granon! we need stuff like that to put skyborgs back in their place

That's a big part of it for sure. Cycling is always a battle between control and chaos. It's sublime when chaos triumphs eg Ghent Wevelgem this year. GT's seem increasingly controlled and controllable, especially the TDF. When chaos breaks through it's hugely entertaining. Controlled races are fine if you are a member of the team doing it, but for an observer there becomes little point observing.
 
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Re: Re:

Libertine Seguros said:
Miburo said:
Can you do this for the last 10 tours libertine? Was a fun read :)
Fine, people, you asked for it (I probably won't do all 10), don't blame me if you get fed up of diminishing returns, since not all races are as buried in my memory as the 2009 Tour for the horror it wrought (and also that I was writing my dissertation at the time, mostly to give me a chance to unwind and relax after the arduous, repetitive and frustrating work of suffering through the 2009 Tour), plus with each being the same style the entertainment both for me and yourselves will probably decline too.

2010 Tour:
Prologue - in an unexpected shock, Cancellara wins. Sky prove their tactical nous by looking at the course, with cobblestones and technical corners, and ensuring their team leader starts in the rain.
1 - worthless flat stage. Cavendish causes his 291st crash of the season enabling Petacchi to win.
2 - possibly the most interesting week 1 stage design Prudhomme has put forward in years. So the péloton neutralises it. A bunch of people crash, Cancellara makes everyone wait for Schleck, and the bunch rides in together behind Chavanel.
3 - there are cobbles. A bunch of people crash, Cancellara doesn't make everyone wait and instead rides off into the distance. Chavanel punctures. Cancellara doesn't wait. Contador punctures and finishes the stage on a flat tyre. He is insulted for losing time in the last kilometre.
4 - the first of a trifecta of worthless flat stages, but worth watching the last 2km to see Danilo Hondo destroy the HTC train, a performance I swoon at to this day. Petacchi wins again. Cav has a tantrum.
5 - worthless flat stage. Cav wins.
6 - worthless flat stage. Cav wins.
7 - Chavanel decides he wants the maillot jaune back and takes another win in a solo escapade. Little happens behind.
8 - Before we get to the final climb, Lance enlists Euskaltel to help him perform a tribute to the demolition derby. Wiggins melts down completely. Schleck attacks to gain a few seconds and Cadel Evans gets the yellow jersey by virtue of not cracking like an egg. After a long spring season & running out of gas in the Giro, and with a painfully weak support team, the forum goes into meltdown with Australians adamant Cuddles will clearly win.
9 - With Valverde banned, Caisse d'Épargne stick several riders up the road to try to get into the GC. Several KOM candidates are instructed not to interfere with Jérôme Pineau's points-gathering so that a Frenchman keeps the jersey. Schleck and Contador go clear and catch the dithering break. Phil Liggett calls Samuel Sánchez, caught behind the leading duo, a terrible descender.
10 - Radioshack block the road ensuring that not a single Frenchman gets into the break on Bastille Day. The stage is disgracefully dull. Paulinho wins.
11 - Worthless flat stage. Mark Renshaw is kicked out the race for headbutting people, trying to throw them over barriers and just generally being a huge tool on the Graeme Brown level. Much whining ensues from Cav fans.
12 - Vino attacks. Contador attacks and chases him down, then loses the final sprint because he can't sprint. Little-known French climber Anthony Charteau gets the KOM.
13 - Worthless flat stage salvaged because VINO.
14 - Schleck and Contador hold a trackstand competition. Riblon wins from the break.
15 - Nothing of any real interest happens here. Contador takes the maillot jaune.
16 - Lance gets in the break to try to salvage something from the race. Barredo tries to do a flat solo from 45km out because the stage was designed back to front. Sean Kelly calls him an idiot. Garmin get scared that Ryder Hesjedal's 10th place is under threat and start chasing the break down. Horner kills himself trying to get Lance one final stage win. Pierrick Fédrigo outsprints him so easily he could have started from the péloton and still beaten the Texan.
17 - The two greatest climbers in the world fight tooth and nail on one of the sport's most hallowed passes. No wait, that was the Giro Donne. My mistake. The two greatest climbers in the world hold hands like a couple of adolescents on the Tourmalet and talk of each other's greatness in the press to allay talk of bad blood. It is embarrassing. Christophe Moreau is the only rider capable of challenging Charteau's polka dots, but Radioshack won't let him in the break because they need to protect their lead in the Teams Classification (really).
18 - Worthless flat stage.
19 - Cancellara wins the time trial to the shock of nobody. Contador doesn't club Schleck like a baby seal to the shock of everybody. Contador ensures his margin of victory is perfect for people to continue to whine about it for years, but forgets not to put clenbuterol in his blood, which settles that argument once and for all.
20 - Worthless flat stage. Petacchi shadows Cav home, meaning Prudhomme recognizes he needs to change the system to make it even more sprinter biased, because obviously Ale-Jet isn't a sprinter.

wow! amazing knowledge! this is true passion! do you also travel to be on the road and see it live? are you some sport-journalist or semipro?
could you please do another wrap up for the most exciting 90ies GT?
 
Re: Re:

malakassis said:
wow! amazing knowledge! this is true passion! do you also travel to be on the road and see it live? are you some sport-journalist or semipro?
could you please do another wrap up for the most exciting 90ies GT?

If you will pay him for it, why not :D
but Imagine that 20 posts like that will cost him like hours of work
 
2009 Vuelta:
1 - prologue for some reason not called one. Cancellara wins, because it's 2009.
2 - worthless flat stage. Lots of crashes late on because this is the Netherlands and there are 845 pieces of road furniture in the last 10km.
3 - worthless flat stage. Lots of crashes late on because this is the Netherlands and there are 845 pieces of road furniture in the last 10km.
4 - literally 3/4 the peloton crash in the last few kilometres. Fuglsang gets in ahead of time by sliding into an oil tanker. Horner abandons. Mosquera is carried across the line by two teammates. Greipel wins.
5 - back in Spain with a few hills but nothing close to the end. Greipel takes the race lead on bonus seconds.
6 - still worthless flat stages. Vacansoleil get a stage win.
7 - ITT. Cancellara wins, because it's 2009. Evans complains Valverde got a motorbike to draft.
8 - Cunego rolls back the years and rides away from a conservative bunch of favourites to win the first MTF. Nothing else happens. Evans takes the lead.
9 - Rein Taaramäe throws a sure stage win away by stopping for a nap on Xorret del Catí. César wins. Valverde catches the remains of the breakaway at the line to take the lead on bonus seconds. Evans headbutts Robert Gesink for no reason & claims the break sat up to let Valverde get them.
10 - The break goes on an intermediate stage. Vino tries to stamp his authority on the race but fails. Gerrans wins, but nobody complains because it's 2009 and he hasn't become the Simon Gerrans we know.
11 - Worthless flat stage.
12 - Ryder Hesjedal wins a mountain stage from the break. The main contenders soft-pedal because they're scared of the next couple of stages even though this is the best designed mountain stage. Gesink and Mosquera gain a few seconds late on. The whole of Astana leave the race. Sorry, Vino leaves the race, but you won't see another Astana jersey for the next week.
13 - The queen stage. Moncoutié wins. Samu is dropped. Evans then punctures and throws a hissy fit because the neutral service car is very slow. He joins Samu, then gets dropped by him. Cuddles fans insist this is proof of a conspiracy and Cuddles would have won without this despite over half his timeloss being after Samu dropped him, him having been behind Valverde before it, and him not gaining any time on the Don after. Mosquera attacks to gain time. Valverde steals some time bonuses.
14 - Cunego goes in the break & everybody panics until they realise he sat in the bus yesterday. Then they sit up and let him win. Mosquera and Samu drop Valverde on La Pandera but he fights back on the flatter section to pass Evans and Gesink. Evans fans use this as proof Evans could have won. Cunego then quits the race.
15 - Caisse let the break go. Lars Boom wins.
16 - Worthless flat stage.
17 - Worthless flat stage salvaged by Anthony Roux just holding on from the break because Caisse didn't care about catching him. Mosquera crashes while riding down a straight road in the bunch.
18 - Caisse let the break go again, and Phil Deignan wins on the Murallas de Ávila to become the highest placed GC man with a stage win.
19 - Gesink crashes early in the stage and puts a hole in his leg, losing five minutes. Samu attacks on the last descent but Valverde goes with him, so he sits up. Evans doesn't attempt to gain any time back. The descent, the last chance to take time on Valverde on the road, is taken so fast that Basso and Mosquera catch the leaders. Cobo attacks on the last ramp to win.
20 - David Millar wins the ITT, mainly because Fabian Cancellara has gone home.
21 - Worthless flat stage.
 
Re: Re:

Dazed and Confused said:
ray j willings said:
Wiggins tour was fantastic, such a close race between him and the rest of Sky.

At least we had two ITTs involved in 2012. Now its just wheelsucking with the objective of protecting a placement. Pathetic.

TdF has had difficulties to find a right balance between TTing and mountaintop finishes.
This year = too much mountains
2012 = too much TT (and no HC mountaintop finishes, only three cat 1s)
 

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