Ninja of the Tour

[Armchair cyclist]

Re:

That's Bakelants out. I'll try to stealthily replace him with Vuillermoz

Bit late really: you'll have to content yourself with a record breaking daily score and the lead in the CQ Tour game.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

My pick of Uran has also eliminated himself.

We have:
Buchmann (Hugo Koblet)
Landa (Squire) @ 0:18
Talansky (18 Valve) @ 0:28
G Martin (Kazistuta) @ 0:58
Henao (The Pirate81) @ 1:03
Bennett (Rote Laterne) @ 1:05
Caruso (Ratta Kuningas) @ 1:06
Kreuziger (Geraint Too Fast) @ 1:12
Betancur (Martin) @ 1:48
Mollema (Hakkie2) @ 3:54
Barguil (Silver Grenade) @ 3:55
Pantano (Blues in the Bottle) @ 4:23
Zubeldia (Vladimir) @ 7:47
Howson (Del) @ 11:39
Felline (Ruby United) @ 14:20

Already out:
Benoot (Klint E) (St 4, top ten)
Bakelants (Laarsland) (St 5, break)
Uran (Armchair Cyclist) (St 5, top ten)

(Thanks to Shalgo for the correction, included in a later edit)

 

[shalgo]

Benoot is out--9th on stage 4.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Glad I don't have to determine who is to be excluded by virtue of being in the break today. many being perfectly ninja within the 50. We'll see what PCS define as the break tonight.

 

[silvergrenade]

Dont think many will be left after today.
My pick, Warren Barguil has most probably eliminated himself

 

[klintE]

Benoot failed on stage 4, so i choose Mikel Nieve now

 

[Armchair cyclist]

PCS have declined to list those comprising the break on the last two stages, even after the several dozen were reduced to something more worthy of listing.

On the first rest day we have a top three who none of us picked:
Meintjes @ 1:54
Latour @ 2:24 *
Nieve @ 3:12
Henao (The Pirate81) @ 3:49
Caruso (Ratta Kuningas) @ 3:52
Buchmann (Hugo Koblet) @ 5:40 *
Betancur (Martin) @ 7:28 *
Mollema (Hakkie2) @ 19:49 *
Pantano (Blues in the Bottle) @ 19:59 *
Talansky (18 Valve) @ 26:05
Zubeldia (Vladimir) @ 33:24
Howson (Del) @ 54:39
Felline (Ruby United) @ 1:11:37

Already out:
Benoot (Klint E) (St 4, top ten)
Bakelants (Laarsland) (St 5, break)
Uran (Armchair Cyclist) (St 5, top ten)
G Martin (Kazistuta) (St 8, top ten)
Kreuziger (Geraint Too Fast) (St 8, top ten)
Barguil (Silver Grenade) (St 9, top ten)
Bennett (Rote Laterne) (St 9, top ten)
Landa (Squire) (St 9, top ten)

*: I'm fairly sure these were too visible on stages 8/9 to truly be ninjas, especially as three of them were constantly being announced by commentators as virtual leaders, but I'll abide by the criteria I gave in the OP of PCS breakaway listing.

(edited: thanks for the heads ups)

 

[del1962]

Landa has a top ten

 

[Squire]

Re:

Landa has a top ten

You and your big mouth!

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Re:

Landa has a top ten

Thanks: I thought that that was the case, but I looked somewhere to confirm and somehow misread what I saw. Now edited: sorry Squire, but your lead in the CQ game should compensate.

 

[Ruby United]

The guys with * are no ninja in my opinion.
It looks like it might pay to bet against Zubeldia.

 

[klintE]

I don't think Nieve is more visible than Talansky, Henao or Buchmann. But it's subjective. Stick to the rules.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Re:

I don't think Nieve is more visible than Talansky, Henao or Buchmann. But it's subjective. Stick to the rules.

That's why I didn't asterisk Nieve.

But the presence of those I did asterisk in breaks, and the amount of screen time and commentary mention they had, mean that I am not very confident in PCS as the definition of low profile.

 

[dusty red roads]

It doesn't matter who's the most visible, or who has the best time, if Haimar is still there he wins automatically!

 

[Sylvester]

Kreuziger was 5th in Station des Rousses.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Re:

Kreuziger was 5th in Station des Rousses.

So he was: thanks

 

[klintE]

Nieve out of competition due 10 position today

 

[ThePirate81]

Meintjes out

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Re:

Meintjes out

Nieve out of competition due 10 position today

So now at least the leader is someone that one of us picked, and Caruso has overtaken Henao on GC, so Ratta Kuningas is our current leader. And top riser of the day on the CQ game today too.

 

[Ruby United]

Re: Re:

Meintjes out

Nieve out of competition due 10 position today

So now at least the leader is someone that one of us picked, and Caruso has overtaken Henao on GC, so Ratta Kuningas is our current leader. And top riser of the day on the CQ game today too.

Looks like Caruso will be out after today...

 

[Ruby United]

So... who won?

 

[Brullnux]

Caruso, in perhaps one of the best ever performances

Edit: didn't see the change in rules, I thought it was just not finishing top 10. I think Buchmann or Vuillermoz then. I don't remember seeing Buchmann in a break, but Vuillermoz I think got in one or two.

Edit#2: Well, Vuillermoz isn't officially listed as ever being in a break, so I guess he wins. But I saw him far too often. I think Buchmann deserves it more. He's never listed on pcs either. I missed both the Jura stages so I don't know whether that's accurate.

 

[Squire]

I think the breakaway rule makes it a bit too arbitrary. Caruso would be a deserving winner.

I thought for a minute that although he was no ninja, my Landa pick was the highest placed, but then I saw that Armchair picked Uran!

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Only 4 selected finishers, using PCS's listing of who was in a break (maybe we should exclude breaks of more than about 12 riders in future)
15th: Buchmann (Hugo Koblet)
28th: Henao (The Pirate81)
52nd: Zubeldia (Vladimir)
88th: Howson (Del) @ 54:39

PCS were rather inconsistent: Buchmann was not only in a break on stage 8 (or was it 9?), but PCS didn't list a large break, although he was frequently picked out by commentators that day and (mis-)identified as virtual leader. Henao was visible, but mainly as riding within, but never at the front of, the Skytrain. Zubeldia came to the front today for his swansong appearance, but without really breaking his disguise. Some members of the Orica staff might have noticed the existence of Howson: I didn't.

Eliminated:
Benoot (Klint E) (St 4, top ten)
Bakelants (Laarsland) (St 5, break)
Uran (Armchair Cyclist) (St 5, top ten)
G Martin (Kazistuta) (St 8, top ten)
Kreuziger (Geraint Too Fast) (St 8, top ten)
Barguil (Silver Grenade) (St 9, top ten)
Bennett (Rote Laterne) (St 9, top ten)
Landa (Squire) (St 9, top ten)
Felline (Ruby United) (St 14, DNF)
Caruso (Ratta Kuningas) (St 15, break)
Mollema (Hakkie2) (St 15, top ten)
Pantano (Blues in the Bottle) (St 17, break)
Betancur (Martin) (St 18, break)
Talansky (18 Valve) (St 18, break)

 

[Brullnux]

In fairness, Buchmann was very ninja for 90% of the tour. He is a worthy champion.