Fantasy Cycling 2004
Period Three

Date: Wednesday, 28 April, 2004
Time: 7:56:20 pm
Topic: Tour de Romandie, stage 1

On today's first road stage of the Tour de Romandie, Jan Svorada led home the 105-strong bunch for Sophia's Sureshots.

Also in that huge peleton were Ready Steady Rider Tyler Hamilton at 28th, Alex Zülle of Thomas's Tiger Team at 49th and Nightowler Ivan Basso at 64th.

Overall positions remained pretty much unaffected, with Tyler Hamilton holding third, Alex Zülle tenth and Ivan Basso thirteenth.

Highest overall place for Sophia's Sureshots is held by Oscar Cammenzind at 24th.

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Date: Thursday, 29 April, 2004
Time: 11:35:08 pm
Topic: Tour de Romandie, stage 2

With an uphill finish to stage 2, only 27 riders finished together at the front today. Second man home was Ivan Basso (Steve's Nightowlers).

Tyler Hamilton was eighth for Lisa's ready Steady Riders, Nicki Sorensen thirteenth for Thomas's Tiger Team and Oscar Camenzind two minutes back in 58th for Sophia's Sureshots.

Today's result lifted Ivan Basso to second overall while Tyler Hamilton held onto his third place slot and Alex Zülle improved to seventh for Thomas's Tiger Team.

Oscar Camenzind remains best placed Sureshot but has slipped back to 35th.

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Date: Friday, 30 April, 2004
Time: 10:40:21 pm
Topic: Tour de Romandie, stage 3

Another hill-top finish today saw Tyler Hamilton of Lisa's Ready Steady Riders take third place on the third stage.

Familiar names Alex Zülle (Thomas's Tiger Team) and Ivan Basso (Steve's Nightowlers) were fourth and seventh respectively on the day. Jan Svorada finished thirteen minutes back in the groupetto at 66th to be first Sureshot home.

Overall, Hamilton improved to second as Basso slipped back to fourth. Still improving, Zülle is now up to fifth overall.

A finish in the groupetto today pushed Oscar Camenzind back to 49th overall where he remains the best placed of Sophia's Sureshots.

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Date: Saturday, 1 May, 2004
Time: 8:04:34 pm
Topic: Rund um den Henniger Turm

Just to note in passing that Erik Zabel took seventh place for Steve's Nightowlers in the 43rd Rund um den Henniger Turm run over 205km today.

Only 35 riders finished the full distance, amongst them was Rolf Aldag (Thomas's Tiger Team) in 23rd place.

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Date: Monday, 3 May, 2004
Time: 3:21:49 pm
Topic: Tour de Romandie, stage 5 & overall

In winning the final 20.4 km time trial, Ready Steady Rider Tyler Hamilton clinched overall victory yesterday.

On the day, Ivan Basso came home fourth fastest for Steve's Nightowlers and Oscar Camenzind was the fastest Sureshot in 20th, just one place ahead of the quickest of Thomas's Tiger Team: Nicki Sorensen.

Overall, Ivan Basso ended up holding onto seventh.

Nicki Sorensen finished just outside the points at sixteenth but Oscar Camenzind could only manage 52nd overall. Alex Zülle, who had been going well for Thomas, was a non-starter on the final stage after a crash the previous day.

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Date: Wednesday, 5 May, 2004
Time: 6:52:49 pm
Topic: Quatre jours de Dunkerque, stage 1

Veteran sprinter Jimmy Casper won out in a two-up sprint at the end of the first stage of the 50th Quatre jours de Dunkerque today (Wednesday, 5th May) to take top honours for Sophia's Sureshots.

Robert Hunter was today's best finisher from Thomas's Tiger Team: he came in eighteenth. Also in the 120-strong bunch, just thirteen seconds behind the two leaders, was Mark Scanlon of Steve's Nightowlers who finished 42nd.

Overall, prime position belongs of course to Casper. Other Sureshots in scoring places overall are Henk Vogels (ninth) and Stuart O'Grady (tenth).

Hunter is 21st on GC and Scanlon is 44th.

Lisa's Ready Steady Riders weren't represented among the starters of this race.

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Date: Friday, 7 May, 2004
Time: 7:13:06 pm
Topic: Quatre jours de Dunkerque, stage 3

Just like the first stage, today's third stage ended with a two-up sprint contested just seconds before a huge bunch finished together. Victory today went to current French National Champion Didier Rous of Thomas's Tiger Team.

In the big bunch, Sophia's Sureshot Henk Vogels took 32nd and Bradley Wiggins was 57th for Steve's Nightowlers.

Overall, today's win lifts Rous into second place.

Vogels is just outside the points in sixteenth position and Mark Scanlon lies 33rd as the best placed Nightowler.

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Date: Saturday, 8 May, 2004
Time: 6:56:53 pm
Topic: Quatre jours de Dunkerque, stage 4

Elsewhere, this may be the first day of the Giro d'Italia but in France attention is very much still focussed on the north-west coast as the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque reached Boulounge sur Mer. Today Laurent Brochard (Thomas's Tiger Team) was just edged out, taking second place at the head of a trio of riders just seventeen seconds behind the lone winner.

Highest placed rider from Sophia's Sureshots today was Stuart O'Grady, who was 48th. For Steve, the first Nightowler home was Mark Scanlon in 70th place.

Overall, Brochard now holds second on GC just two seconds ahead of yesterday's winner Didier Rous (also on the Tiger Team) in third place.

In 44th, O'Grady holds the best overall position of Sophia's Sureshots while Scanlon is best placed Nightowler in 64th.

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