A Stupid Excel, Plannning, and Cameron Trick

Will I ever learn?

Will I?  Will I?  Sigh, no, apparently I will not.  I cannot believe I didn’t catch this before.  I have been struggling with this for, oh, about 6 years (whenever 11.1.1.1 came out and with it outlineload.cmd).  I am actually really and truly mad at myself for not knowing this.  Idiot.

The background

During a long, troubling, stressful, and not particularly fun weekend (sorry for the whine but not knowing this really frosts my cookies) trying to get ASO Planning to do something it just cannot do for my KScope14 session, I stumbled across this simple solution to Planning outlineload.cmd files in Excel.  

The problem

When a member has a comma or special character in it on metadata export (outlineload.cmd and with 11.1.2.3, Planning itself will export dimensionality) Planning will wrap double quotes around the member or alias so that it can correctly parse the field and the record on the way back in.  What happens then in Excel (I tested on Excel 2010 but this has been the way it’s worked since at least Excel 2003 and probably before) is this:

In case you can’t tell, an Account with the member name Depr,Taxes,Insur. Is spread over multiple columns in Excel where in fact it should be in the Parent column.

What’s even weirder is that the member name is in the correct column.  See the yellow highlighted cell A477.  So what’s up with the pink highlighted data in A478, B478, C478, and actually just about everything else in row 478?

A quick look in Notepad++ shows little difference.  Or at least one it took me literally almost forever to spot.  Idiot.

Goofus and Gallant

The bad

The good

The test with the answer

Do you see it?  Do you?  Please don’t be as blind as I was.

The answer is spaces.  Or more specifically, spaces after commas.  That’s it.

Bad, bad, bad

Metadata-comma-space-metadata is bad.

Depre, "Depr,Taxes,Insur.", Depreciation, false

Good, good, good

Metadata-comma-metadata is good.

Depre,"Depr,Taxes,Insur.",Depreciation,FALSE

The end of this Stupid Trick

That’s why even in the bad file the first instance of Depr,Taxes,Insur. worked in cell A477 but blew up in B478.  Record 477 didn’t have a leading comma-space as it was the first field in the record.  Record 478 did because it is the second column and had that infernal comma-space preceding it as a delimiter.   This difference in behavior in Excel was the clue that made me finally realize that maybe there was an issue with the way the delimiting was working.

I should also note that I looked around for a definition of comma-delimiting and I could not find:

1. Any document or standard that said that spaces should or should not follow the delimiting commas.
2. Any document or note regarding Excel that stated that Excel works this way.

I can’t believe I am the first to recognize this or figure it out and document it.  Perhaps this is all so obvious that world+dog already know it but it eluded me, hence this post.

To plainly state the solution to this incorrect delimiting in Excel:  All you have to do is go into a text editor and search for comma-space and replace it with plain commas-no space before you import it into Excel.

That second good file?  It’s the result of that search and replace.

Arrrgh, soooooo frustrating.  At least I have one positive thing coming out of this weekend.  May you never make this mistake.  I have a sneaking suspicion that most of you already knew this.  Double arrrgh.

Be seeing you.

Elia lets it rip again

The 2014 tour of turkey is turning out to be a real doozy for cannondale pro clan! Today on stage 7 elia picked where he left off in the last bunch gallop again blasting through the line for another emphatic victory. Today's stage was a little more run of the mill but none the less we had couple of tricks up our sleeve to give elia the best chance of victory. Here's how things unfolded.



The day got off to the perfect start not just for the riders but more so for Elia. In the start town we spotted a star bucks and while you would think Italians with all there coffee class would scoff at america's fast coffee chain, it not the case at all. The italian riders and particularly elia are big fans of Starbucks no matter where we are in the world outside italy so throwing down some caramal machiatos before the stage start instantly had the boys in a very buoyant mood. Elia had double reason to smile as the startbucks sold mugs which are apart of a series of mugs that elia happens to collect. He spotted a few he thought he didn't have and made a quick phone call home to confirm. Sure enough a few minutes later the cannondale clan exited Starbucks all smiles with caramel maciattos putting a perk in step and elia with the biggest grin thanks to the bag full of porsolen mugs he couldn't wait to get home and show his friends and family! At this point I knew it was definitely going to be his day again!!



Once the race began things immediately went as planned and a small 3 man break extremely easy to control was let free. They were given a small gap but not to much as none of us could be bothered making the chase any harder than it needed to be so it was always at the easily pegbackable 2-3min make for the first half of the race. The plan was for Snr sagan and I to take turns riding on the front to ensure I still had some energy left to help position the boys in the final km's and also to ensure Juraj didn't need to blow himself up unnecessarily as the race was easy to control. Juraj took the first shift while I sat back with the boys and enjoyed the view. One thing distracting me in the early part of the stage was cavs pedaling action which I felt didn't look as sharp as earlier in the week and perhaps he was tired. I didn't know for sure but i decided to go and ride on the front in the middle section of the stage and just turn the wick a fraction on the climbs as if he was a little fatigued it was our only chance to add to that before the inevitable bunch sprint. I knew the stage pretty well so knew when best to do this and after 30km of racing I went and switched spots with Juraj.



I love riding on the front, it's certainly one of the most enjoyable parts of this job for me. You always have a special feeling knowing the whole peloton is behind, you are the one that gets to decide how fast, how slow, and where on the road you want to ride, it's a really cool feeling. The break was well and truly in check so as far as unstressfull days riding on the front go this was perhaps one of the more relaxing chases I have done for a couple of reasons. Firstly the gap was small to a small group of riders and secondly we had 2 extremely strong and experienced teams to work along side in opqs and greenedge so there was no panick at the head of the peloton. Next came my little hunch that cav was stinging a little and the longer drags ahead. I didn't want to telegraph what I was doing but just ride at a pace that was a little above what's comfortable without anyone really noticing. On the longest of the drags I did however just give it a little more stick until I heard the first "slow down" from behind and to hear where it came from, sure enough it came from cav and his men so I knew I had hit the spot. We were not going super hard, certainly no harder than in the earlier stages so was the sign I was looking for. When your on the front and you ride a little harder than necessary which riders often do when on the front, you get quite a kick of adrenaline when your leading the bunch but it's important to acknowledge that you have over reved it and acknowledge with an apologetic hand "sorry I didn't realise and will back off". With the rollers now behind us Juraj came and tagged me off the front now with around 60km to the finish.



Back in the group I settled onto cavs wheel and again studied the way he moved on his bike. I was again convinced he was a little tired and relayed this to elia, if nothing else increase the belief in his mind that he was fresher than his sprint rival. It drew and approving nod and amile from the Green machine Missile and again I knew it was another day for him. Sprinters seem to fuel of confidence and while I will have no idea if my hunch's or ideas today were on the money or not I didn't really care, all I wanted to ensure was that elia was in the best shape mentally and physically for those final crucial crazy km's. Around 30km's from the line I swapped again with elia and was back on the front.



Another reason I was very excited to be riding the front today was I wanted the opportunity to get some subtle TT training in before the tour of california. The TT may not be decisive but will certainly be important so riding at 50kmph with the wind in your face is always great training so was a golden opportunity to finish of the good week of preparations here in turkey. Also during my second stint I rode in the most aerodynamic position possible to start activating the small muscles that you use for the TT. When you bent over in the TT posi it's a very different way of applying the power so was a good chance to switch some of these reactor muscles on. The final 30km again was extremely enjoyable. Again the race was well under control so we could comfortably knock out nice long turns at 50kmph+ to get some great training in the legs. With around 10km to go the break was finally brought to heal so now we just Waited for another team to decide we were not riding fast enough. It didn't happen as everyone seemed keen to follow Opqs and us so at 5km to go I swung off to go back and give motorbike marunga a hand back in the group.



The last 5km of course is always scrappy so you want to stay as safe as possible. Today after the work on the front I would have the same spark at the finish I did on stage 5 but I did still have a couple of km of energy left to shelter marunga as he guided Elia onto the prized wheel of Cav. Somewhere between 2-3km to go marunga left my wheel for the final time with elia spinning his legs effortlessly warming up the turbo. As usual I tacked onto the back of them ready for any last minute mishaps in position but in the end a crash around 1km would prevent me from contributing anymore. No stress marunga had again done his job perfectly and Elia still had his bodyguard GB for company. Infact the only annoyance was the fact that having to stop for the crash I didn't get to watch the big screen and see the final sprint and how amazing was Elia's victory!



In the final few hundred m's I have no idea what unfolded but Elia was no longer behind cav. 2 big gaps opened infront of him in the final few hundred m's which he had to close simply to get on cav's wheel. When he finally got there around 100m from the line he quickly realized he had the superior speed and didn't hesitate blasting straight by him and powering to his 2nd victory of the tour. That's surely was a an even more dominant display than stage 5's victory and one I am sure will give elia an incredible amount of confidence as he heads toward the giro d Italia.



So great stuff boys. The week is just going along so incredibly well. Everyday we continue to gell as a group and get to know each other better and the results are speaking for themselves. Cycling in my opinion is certainly the most teamly sport there is and being apart of the Cannondale pro cycling team this week here at the tour of turkey has been simply oarsome!!



Cjw

formolo uno formolo

Stage 6 in the tour of turkey and most probably the last chance for a chance to shake up the GC. After his powerful display on stage 3 formula 1 formolo was our card to play today and was rocking around like a duracell bunny this morning charged up and ready to rumble. The stage was not super hard however the conditions of the road and wind were certain to play there role which they duly did and by the time we arrived at the final short climb to the line it was a pretty tired peleton. So again like everyday plenty went on before the final climbing skermish at this year's tour so here's how it unfolded.



Not content with his monumental ride in yesterday's breakaway, the austrian oxe Mattias Krizek again formed part of the days strong breakaway. He must have become a bit claustrophobic within the peleton as the race progressed as he showed no signs of saw legs on the 10km leg stinging undulating start today and seemingly effortlessly blasted of the front of the bunch. Mattias has just come of a very strong period of racing in belgium where he finished all the major cobbled classics. This is no mean feat on your first foray into the hard man's land of belgium and the experience has not only improved his condition greatly but also his confidence and he has been an absolute beast of a bike rider this week. It's been really great to see Mattias going so well as he is a big talent and super nice chap to go with so I am very happy for him. He raced the month with me in australia and was certainly a crucial cog in our teams success in down under and later at the suntour. It goes without saying that I have really enjoyed racing along side him in the early part of the season, he's a great fella to have on your team! Anyways off krizek went again and again this was a perfect situation for us as like yesterday whoever chased was going to be chasing hard and that would only play more into the youthful hands of formula uno formolo on the final climb of the day.



As expected the powerfull break with Mattias at the helm pulled out a sizable gap quickly. The teams of MTN and Astana obviously wanted to chase the stage win and it meant from the get go they were riding full gas along with cofidis, the team of the race leader. Back in the group marunga motorbike marongoni and the Canadian cannonball Boivin did the perfect job of keeping formolo and I protected from the wind. Snr sagan Juraj again had the beverages on tap and fresh bottles where never far away which is real luxery on a hard hard windy riding in the gutter stage. Elia was the man with the experience and guided us through the bunch, when to move up, when to relax and was the calming mentor for the ever exuberant formolo just wanting to put the pedal to the metal! Basically put the team continued to role along as the drilled unit we have become over the past 5 stages so we were all calm relaxed and exactly where we needed to be when we needed to be there. The course was basically flat for the first 160km with 2 climbs inside the last 25km, the first a long 8km drag which did nothing to split the bunch but the final 5km kick to the line would be another story.



As we blasted along the flat and inside 10km to go our boys took control. Motor bike marunga and Cannonball Boivin took the reins ahead of the peleton while elia guided formolo and I into position. Sure enough as the climb began at 5km to go we were 5-10 wheels back and where we needed to be. The pace, as it had been all day was fierce as the peleton starting shrinking. I made sure formolo was in the perfect place and waited to swing into action. It was important to isolate all the favorites from there team mates as then formolo was not at a disadvantage to any of his rivals. Formula uno formolo was spinning his light gear and looked as fresh as a daisey. Like elia 24hrs before you could simply see in his pedal stroke, the calmness on his face, and his positioning in the peleton that it was his time to shine. As we passed under 3km to go the pace momentarily lulled and not wanting anyone to gain a respite I swung into action.



Onto the front I went and on a climb that's always a nice feeling. The old bat and ball scenario and for that time you have the honor of taking the wind in your face you are the Bat belting the ball as hard as you like!! The plan was simple once I took the front go full gas. Infact formolo had instructed me to go full full full gas as he felt so good so there was no need to hold anything back! I felt good, not as good as I would have liked this week but good enough to make a difference today and turned the throttle as hard as I could. As my heart rate headed north of 200 beats per minute I knew I was heading toward the explosion point and was committed, was just going to interesting to see how long I lasted. The pace had been high since the bottom so even taking the front I was already well and trully in the red zone but that's racing, you go until you blow. I didn't really pull for all that long, perhaps 2minutes or so but succeeded in thinning the group down and isolating the GC favorites from there teams. As I swung off and formula uno formolo effortlessly spun past still perched up in 5 position in the group it was obvious he was one of the freshest there. Sure enough 1km later the eventual winner adam Yates, another 21 year old super talent leapt clear of the field en route to the stage win and race lead. Formolo waited patiently as the race leader tried in vein to cose the gap and when formolo sensed he could serve him no more he blasted of his wheel zooming to a phenomenal 2nd place which catapulted him into 4th position on GC. What a fantastic effort by the young charger and also a performances that showed all the class and hallmarks of a rider with a massive massive future ahead of him.



Once I swung of the front around 2km to go I turned of the engine and rolled up as effortlessly as I could to the finish. I had an absolute ball yesterday working in the sprint and once my job was done today I immediately switched to energy saving mode for elia tomorrow. I can't stress enough how much I have enjoyed the environment within the cannondale pro clan here in turkey this week. We have simply had an absolute ball and become a real unit both on and off the bike. We still have 2 stages to go so work still to be done, looking forward to getting stuck back into it tomorrow.



Cjw

Elia Elia Elia!!

That was one very very enjoyable day for the cannondale clan here at the tour of turkey! Elia Viviani did what most thought wasn't possible this week beating Cav to the line in today's bunch gallop! As always there plenty that went on between the flag dropping at km 0 and the green flash of Elia blasting though the finish tape ahead of the field so here's a little recap.



The day got off to the perfect start for the team with the austrian oxe Mattias Krizek jumping into the days breakaway. Today's stage started on a 3km climb which obviously meant it was going full gas so the men that make a breakaway like this are always the strong men so was a big hats off to krizek forging clear with his fellow escapees! It was a good sized group up the road and 3 climbs in the first 30km's of today's stage all the sprinters were happy for the break to get away early so the climbs could be done at a more gentlemanly pace. For us it was a golden situation as we didn't have to contribute to chasing the breakaway and could save our legs for the final km's. Coupled with this the fact that such strong riders were up the road meant that although there capture was seemingly inevitable, the chasing teams would have to use a lot of biscuits to do it and in the process weaken there sprinting trains, this was going to prove to be a big advantage for the Cannondale Team and Elia at the finish.



Following the 3 climbs in the first part of the stage it was basically a gradual downhill for the remaining 150km. As always once the race was under control we assembled our troops around Formolo and Elia to keep the as protected as possible and out of harms way. At one point around 70km from the finish Cav asked me if we were going to help chase? I said what do you mean we are contributing to the chase!! We have our strongest engine up the road and you guys are having to go full gas to try and catch him!! We had a laugh and he called me a smart arse but I knew from this exchange that he wasn't happy with how hard his boys were having to chase and burning precious matches, another advantage for us!



Today Elia and I spoke much more than usual in the race. The tour of turkey has been really enjoyable for me earning back his trust following my letting him down at the tour down under in January. Half way through the stage we both realized we had done this stage finish before in 2011. It was a harder run in over the final 30km than it looked on paper and unique in that it had a nasty kicker climb at 1.5km to go, downhill until 500m to go, and then flat to the finish, all on a massive road. Last time the finish was real messy sprint as no team could keep the pace high enough on the decent to form a train. We realized this was going to be an important element in elia executing his perfect sprint so luckily I had a good idea of how we would make this happen!! Elia's face really lit up when we realized how well we knew the final 50km of the race. He beamed with a big smile and said to me "that's really good for us isn't it?" and I of course said "absolutely! Today's our day". The plan was basic, withstand all the inevitable attacks on the rollers and on the final kicka 1km from the finish we had to have Elia on Cavs wheel. My job was to keep motorbike marongoni, GB and Elia protected from the wind onto the climb so at the top they were in the perfect position. When spelled out like that it seemed easy and I have to admit being able to visualize exactly how that could play out made me 100% confident we could execute the plan. I realized today more than ever there is a lot to be said for experience and homework on the lay out of decisive points in a bike race!!



Up the road krizek was driving the breakaway along. We were absolutely motoring all day and that meant that the quickstep team were working very very hard all day. Elia looked confident from km 0 today and all of the team realized this straight away. When you spend so much time racing and training together you can often see in a team mates pedal stroke and in the position he is holding in the bunch how he is feeling. Today Elia looked sensational and as we know he is one one the fastest men in the world on a bicycle that means there is a good chance he can win the bike race. The 6 of us left behind by krizek back in the bunch continued to move as one ensuring we were always where we needed to be. I barely had to look around at all for elia or formolo today, we always knew where each of us where. It's been really great to see how this group has gelled over the first 5 stages in the tour of turkey.



So into the final 50km and our plan began. Motorbike marunga and I kept the boys in a safe position up the front and out of the wind. The pace was really picking up and you could sense a lot of fatigue in the group thanks to the strong men still 2 minutes ahead in the breakaway, again, great job krizek! Snr Sagan ensured that we always had a our drink bottle cages full with fresh beverages. It seemed like every 15min he would arrive with a fresh cold one, when your going all out a nice refreshing cold bottle can be the difference between imploding and charging on and with Juraj around there was no way we were not going to be nicely hydrated! Inside 20km from the finish lotto played there hand and while adam hansons attack was neutralized quickly it did dispatch 2 of cavs workers under the forcing of the pace. The rollers kept coming and into the final 5km fighting for position became so much easier. We were still all together and people where not trying to push us around anymore, it was going to be our day! You could see the difference in the way the sprinters tackled these rollers most of which powered over in a big gear. Elia on the other hand maintained a high cadence and spun a light gear, another great sign for the finish! Of the sprinters that would survive the rollers Elia was surely going to have the most spark left in his finishing sprint kick! My optimism continued to grow. At around 5km Krizek was swept up. He had made a massive effort and contribution to the team plans today by being one of the hairs being chased by the greyhounds and again underlined what a great team player he really is. Every single stage of the race this week Mattias has been present and accounted for doing way more than has been asked of him and most importantly he has done it all with a massive grin on his face! He truly is a real great motivation to be racing along side, great stuff krizek!



At 2km to go the final kicker was infront of us. We were in the perfect position ready to make our charge for cavs back wheel. I was so chomping at the bit to execute our final play and Motorbike marunga, elia and his bodyguard GB were lined up behind keen to get the party started. As we started the climb marunga spotted cavs wheel free and promptly roared past me and dropped elia of onto it, his role was executed perfectly. GB was locked to Elia's wheel so if anyone wanted his spot they would have to fight the cannadian cannonball for it first, good luck!! With the boys in the box seat it was now time for me to do what I should have done on stage 1, get to the front and drive the pace as high as possible to ensure it stays lined out and elia doesn't have to focus on anything else than roaring of cavs wheel. As I broke from the pack to ride to the front Davide Rebellin Attacked hard in the hope of a solo victory. Sorry Davide but not on my watch you ain't going anywhere, this was our day and promptly closed him down and let him know he can ride as hard as he liked but I was not leaving his back wheel. Not surprisingly he relented and slipped back to the bunch. It was now just over a km to go and I took a quick look to ensure elia was still glued to cavs wheel. I waited momentarily for what was left of cavs lead out train, being 2 guys, Pettachi and Mark Ren Dog renshaw and promptly drilled it!



We were now on the downhill drag to the line and inside 1km to go. Behind me Peta was doing a great job in instructing me on how to ride with left and right and good and a lot of faster's! Problem was we were going downhill and I was spinning like a egg beater at 70kmph so I resorted to the technique I had decided to use for this exact moment earlier in the stage. Back in california in January Junior matty mohoric had taught me his much famed sitting on the top tube while pedaling technique. When he did it I realized I had to do a million watts to keep up with him going down hill so knew it was effective. I decided this downhill was the perfect place to adopt it for 2 reasons. Firstly my legs were screaming from the effort of the stage and secondly and although maby not so sporting of me I knew the man behind had to take on more wind. As it was a crucial leadout man for cav the less Peta had at the finish the better for us as cav would have to start sprinting earlier into the headwind and elia would get more time to plan his blast straight past him! So, onto the top tube I went and pedaled as fast down the hill as I could. It was my only possible way to increase the speed as my power was gone and if quickstep or any other team thought I was going to slow well they didn't have to stay on my wheel and could pass me at anytime. I quickly realized that there was no one coming up on my left so knew the group was strung out a little and Elia was sitting pretty!! As the road flattened out I returned to the comfort of my saddle dug as deep as I could for a few more m's, had a quick look over my left shoulder to see that there was still nobody challenging me for the front position and got the jolly hell out of there before I slowed down the train. I had the birds eye view of watching elia fly by on the 3 quickstep boys wheels and thought little rippa, Elia is definitely going to finish this off!!



And did Elia finish it off!! He blew past cab so fast that even cav retreated to Elia's wheel to ensure he finished 2nd. It was an emphatic victory for Elia by over 2 bike lengths which gave him time for a big salute as he ripped though the finish tape and although my heart rate was still north of 200 beats per minutes I somehow found enough oxygen to let our a cheer of my own. That was a really special day.



You don't get many days like that where you have the chance to really execute a plan. The most important thing today was that all 7 of the cannondale pro cycling boys here in turkey believed we could do just that. Quickstep have really dominated all week and to be fare they almost did everything right again today. Perhaps had elia of not had the knowledge of previous finishes here then things may have been different but he did!! Also don't underestimate the massive contribution krizek played by being up the road. They breakaway was never allowed more the 3min and that meant strong men were riding very hard up the road and the group behind was riding even harder. The only way we could take on cav and his merry men was by trying to tire them out. I have to admit they are a class above and if they are all fresh and have it all there own way they just give everyone a wholopping! Today however we got our chance and while Elia was the star of the show it was awesome simply to be apart of our support act. To Motorbike Marunga, austrian oxe Krizek, Canadian Canonnball Boivin, formula 1 formolo, my roomy Snr Juraj Sagan and of course the lead singer of the band Elia lightning Viviani, thanks so much for putting on today's show, from where I was watching, it was extremely good viewing



CJW

turkish slippery dip!

We had a novel sort of a day for stage 4 here at the tour of turkey. The stage was short with a few rollers which came in the final 20km so a shoot out with the sprinters that can handle a few speed humps was expected. As with the previous sprint stages 1 and 2, a small easy to control break was let lose and after yesterday's leg snapping day in the mountains everyone seemed happy with the situation. We started in barmey conditions, it was almost 30 degrees when the flag dropped, but grey clouds on the horizon threaten to ruin a tanning day for the peleton!



I have commented on a few occasions about the type of road surface here in turkey. I actually like it as its that gravelly type ash felt but instead of being the aussie dark grey it's a light cream tint. It's not only the colour that resembles a slate of marble but the gravely surface appears to be millions of mini marbles stuck ontop in the hope that it give a car grip. Well when the roads dry it seems fine, not anything out of the ordinary but sprinkle some water ontop and you may aswell be trying to ride on a wet sheet of smooth marble! It's simply put the most unridable surface I have ever encounter in the rain! 2 years ago we had 1 day in the pouring rain and while the team had planned for this and brought me tyres from Paris roubaix, nice and thick and strong, it was still one of the most unique days I have ever witnessed on the bike. It was 220km long and by the end only 30 riders remained in the front. Not so much because the stage terrain was difficult but basically because at one point or another 120 people hit the deck, often a number of times. I remember witnessing 4 riders crash trying to attack on a climb! As soon as they stood up and accelerated, boof! Down they went! So I had this experience and obviously when the rain drops started on a short climb knowing a nasty decent was to follow, I made sure I was right at the front and formolo was right behind me. Sure enough another team with a past winner in astana knew the risk and just as I got to the front they stormed forward and started setting a fiersome tempo. Formula 1 and I slotted into the 4th and 5th positions behind the pace setters so was a case of being in the right place at the right time!



Sure enough the group shattered on the 2km climb, astana were going full tilt to ensure there GC man went down the other side at the front. Formolo and I were sitting pretty although working solidly to do it and as we crested the top of the climb we braced ourselves for what was most likely going to be the most slippery decent we had ever tackled when suddenly my mate adam Hanson saddled up beside me!



Adam has done this race a few times and knew this decent very well. He informed me a mere 200m from the plunge down the other side that this is a really really dangerous decent and he thought we should let some air out of our tires for it. I would never argue with adam and promptly pulled over and let out around 100psi or 6 bars a and re mounted with MTB pressure in my kenda's! This may seem a bit brash in the middle of the race but we were at the front with the peleton scattered all over the mountain behind thanks to astanas pace making and in 15seconds tops we were back on our bikes. People laughed at us as they passed but soon we were the ones content with our decision. First corner, 10 down including the race leader. Second corner another 10, 3rd another bunch and so on. Basically riders were tumbling down like a set of domino's and by the bottom adam and I were back at the front! It was chaos. Riders would spot a crash happening 100m ahead, reaf on there breaks to anticipate going around it and consequently form another pile up. Basically put if the decent was any steeper than the 6% that it was then we would have had to walk down it! One rider who knew the decent aswell as adam was the bull himself Andrei Greiple. He knew the danger and what was going to happen and promptly got of his bike and went down the decent in the team car! Takes some singers to risk getting disqualified but hats off to him for taking a stand. Not surprisingly as soon as we reached some flat ground the race officials make the sensible decision to neutralize the stage until the conditions became safe to race again. So that was the little bit of drama today so back to the race.



After the restart we had around 100km to run. Ironically the man who risked disqualification by protesting earlier in the stage put his team on the front to what seemed like setting himself up for the sprint. Therefore the remaining 100km was extremely controlled and above all the riders felt safe again. The only obstacle between us and the finish was a couple of short fast climbs in the final 20km, not decisive enough to cause to much damage but enough to put the sting in the pins. Not surprisingly all the sprinters got over the climb in the front and results sheet read similar to that to stages 1 and 2. I made sure formolo was safe and sound and up the front and then started drifting to the back to wait for elia to arrive and get him back to the front. Sure enough he tacked onto the back of the mainfield around 4km from the finish and immediately let me know he was there and to go. The group was single file and going full gas so I knew if I didn't move immediately we wouldn't get him back into a sprinting position. So off we went and I was full tilt, 100 riders strung out is a long long line and not easy to pass 1 rider let alone 100 when the peleton is rocketing along at 60kmph. Anyways I spotted krisek way up ahead and knew I just needed to get elia to him and then krizek would do what he could in the final km's. We got back to belly of the bunch and elia left my wheel to find krizek and now was in the lap of the gods a little how his sprint would go. In the end krizek continued to impress by guiding elia forward and in the end elia would be 5th. Considering where he had to come from in the final 5km it was a pretty good result so in the end we were content. Formula 1 formolo moved up a place on the GC so was another positive day for the team. We are certainly improving everyday on looking out for each other so looking forward with anxious anticipation to see what we can do in the next 4 stages.



Cjw

stage 3 tour of Turkey

Today we had the Queen stage of the 2014 tour of turkey. 3 long climbs between 12-22km in length all neatly spaced out along a 182km stage was always going to see who the strongest rider in the race was. I was super confident for today, perhaps to much as I would find out at days end so started the stage full of optimism. All the cannondale boys were pretty spritely this morning actually after two good sprint stages it was time to see what formula 1 formolo and I could do in the hills.



The stage on paper I thought was an absolute beauty. 3 longs climbs totaling almost 50km in combined length and merely 10km of depending all day. Basically meant it was a recipe for a brutally hard day from start to finish and when you through in a road surface that was somewhere in between hotmix and gravel you basically needed to have some pressure on the pedals all day long. Usually these days are the ones I really look forward to as its like doing 5hrs on the home trainer which oddly enough I greatly enjoy just without my big 3d TV, austar cable, and of course an endless supply of old cycling movies! With the first climb after 30km the chances where things would not hot up until then and surely when we started the first of our 3 monster climbs the group was all together but that didn't last long!



I had been hoping for this as I felt it was my best chance to get away in a strong breakaway. In 2011 a similar stage played out when I did just that and it ended up deciding the GC, alas no matter how attentive or aggressive I was it just didn't happen. Attack after attack ensured on the first climb and the group was scattered all over the place. The climbers were obviously all to the fore but also nobody was isolated and had members of there team around them. This meant that when a group formed it always was missing one strong team. Added to that, we'll atleast I found out when I was in what I felt was a dangerous move nobody wanted to work to get it away. A team may have had a rider in the group but I may not have been there GC man so with the presence of other GC riders from other teams they off course did not help and ultimately killed the momentum and you would be brought back. So try as I might to get something going it just didn't happen and as often happens after an absolute bull tearing start to a stage a cease fire is called and small group slips away and everybody goes super easy, one extreme to the next and tool 70km for that to occur today. The broken group reformed and we headed to the second climb at a very leisurely pace.



Onto the second and longest climb of the day and I slotted myself in up the front with formula 1 formolo. The pace was pretty cruisy for the first half before the south African team MTN forced the issue in the second half. This would half the size of the peleton by the top not surprisingly and also put the sting in some legs. One set of legs I noticed it wasn't stinging was formolo who was impatiently sitting behind me. I say impatiently as he kept on cruising up beside me I could tell just itching to open up the throttle. I had to have a quick word with him to just cool the jets and as its a headwind he is better nestling himself in behind my big frame and saving his energy. He reluctantly agreed and slotted into the slip stream. Infant I can't remember being more than 1m away from formolo much of the day except in the beginning when we were trading turns covering moves and in the final 5km when I imploded but more on that later. Formolo as I have said is my favorite team mate and for some reason we cruise through the bunch well together, whether it me following him or him following me it doesn't matter, I always feel calm in the race knowing he is there. Anyways so over the top of the climb and now was just a 50km flat drag to the base of the final 12kick to the line. I started feeling a little light headed at the top of the 2nd climb but shook it off and slammed another caffeine gel, unfortunately this turned out to be a big flashing warning sign that would bite me on the backside on the final climb.



On the flat there was another re grouping of sorts and formolo and I were joined by our strongmen. Marunga motorbike marongoni, our austrain strongman, and GB the Canadian cannonball were all present and accounted for and quickly set up a wall of defense around formolo and I. These guys are absolute expects at having there men in the right place at the right time and today was no different. When Marunga, Krisek and GB are with you you simply stick it into auto pilot and follow there wheels, it's so relaxing. The boys were simply awesome and what made me feel the best was how positive they were. They told me I looked like I was spinning really well which was great as it backed up how I felt! They wanted to ride on the front and to back myself but I said just wait and see what happens, probably was a sign that in the back of my mind I knew something just felt a bit off! As we approached the final climb it was a block head wind and the boys were chomping at the bit to get on the front and light it up. Once astana used there final man with 10km to go I couldn't hold krizek back. Marunga and GB had held the front spot into a nasty headwind and krizek drummed out a vicious tempo for a few km that shelled around 50riders. At this point my confidence was growing and when he swung of inside 7km from the line the group that remained was going to fight out the stage. Immediately MTN again took up the pace making and again I was quickly onto the wheel, all was on track as I anxiously awaited the final 3km kick to the line to see what I could do. Then almost in a split second, well perhaps over the course of 20seconds my tank was empty, I was cross eyed and had gone completely hungerflat. Stupid stupid stupid!! I briefly retreated to the back of the group for some extra shelter in a vein hope it would pass put not to be and soon I was unceremoniously dumped out of the back of the lead group. Formula 1 formolo was still spinning those youthful exuberant legs of his away in the first positions so that was a big positive that the rookie was still there flying the green flag! I tried to regain my composure and shoveled down another gel and while at 3km to go I started to make ground and looked like rejoining I again went lights out for good and in the final 2km was wondering if I would even make it to the finish line! I was pushing full gas and thinking I was doing 500 watts but when I looked down I was barely doing 200watts and 8kmph. Lucky the police escorts didn't give me a parking ticket I was going so slow! Anyways once your that far gone there is nothing you can do but grovel to the finish line.



Meanwhile up ahead formula 1 was showing all the class that to be frank he shows every single race. He is having a fantastic debut season with the team and is already a very reliable and valuable team mate on so many fronts. By days end he would arrive in the first 10 in a select group of top climbers and be 9th on GC. He was absolutely cocka hoot with his performance and I know as the week goes on he will only get better so it's going to be exciting seeing what we can do to move him up the leaderboard in the coming days.



Where did I go wrong?? Well I don't exactly know but am guessing it was a combination of many things. Firstly the start was full gas and full of action and as I felt so good, perhaps the best ever, I probably neglected eating and drinking properly in the first 2hours. Yes very stupid and short sighted on a 6hr stage! Secondly once I realized I hadn't got in enough food perhaps I scoffed down a couple of extra gells which contained caffeine and lost track of how much of it I had consumed, on a hot day like today that can be a problem later in the stage. Finally I hadn't done a hard stage like this this year so maby forgot what it takes out of you and not eaten and drank enough for dinner and breakfast this morning, again feeling so good figured would just be another day. So at the end of the day I can pin down exactly the cause of my hunger crisis but it's a safe bet that all of the above contributed. Now I simply need to learn from it and make sure I don't make the same mistake in the important races coming up but trust after feeling as bad as I felt in those final km's and crossing the line not being able to see straight, I won't be letting that happen to me again, that's for certain! One positive about completely depleting yourself of all your fuel stores in the manner I did today is the comeback feed!! It's similar to the experience of the first proper meal back after having food poisoning, food never tasted so good! Oh boy did I enjoy my turkish dinner tonight! It is what it is now and have to move on. That's one great thing about writing this blog as once I put it in writing firstly I own my words and secondly it all seems clearer in what went on, good or bad and I find it easy to put the day behind and look ahead to tomorrow's stage which no doubt will through up another set of surprises.



CJW

Turkey Stage 2

It appeared that the fun in the sun had come to an abrupt end this morning. We woke up to grey skies and as soon as we began our 6km trundle down to the start area the heavens opened and we got soaked to the proverbial you know what!! And we hadn't even started the race yet! We quickly signed on and retreated to the van and for the first time in my professional cycling career did a full change of cloths before the race began. Now toasty and warm and ready for a fresh attack on the inclement weather conditions the weather gods decided to smile upon us and when the flag dropped it warm barmy and sunny once again much to everybodies relief. So off we went for stage 2 and on paper looked like it would be a carbon copy of 24hrs earlier and end in a bunch sprint. That suited us just fine and after refining our final 10km execution the cannondale pro clan started stage 2 full of optimism for another great result from elia.



As expected all went to the script from km 0. A small break was set free and the teams of the sprinters quickly gained and maintained tight control on how much rope the escapees would be given. The break never got far away so was nice and calm and relaxed in the group, everybody seemed content for another nice gentle day enjoying the turkish coastline. Our boys like yesterday assembled around elia and we're always alert and ready for any sudden changes in conditions but for the most part it was a very chatty peleton today as everybody caught up with there buddies in the bunch.



Off course I took the opportunity to have a chat with some of my fellow colleges, today most commonly Adam Hanson. Adam is perhaps the most interesting and intelligent cyclist in the peleton. He has a degree in computer programming and as a result is a genius with technology. Most of you who follow the sport would also be aware of the custom shoes adam makes for himself made of carbon fiber. He has 7 pairs here in turkey and plans on wearing a different pair each day. I guess he has probably made 21 pairs for the upcoming giro!! Each sporting a different design, wouldn't put anything by Adam! Yesterday we briefly chatted about him doing up one of his Ferrari's and he said he was making many parts himself. I was quite intrigued by this so asked him a bit of a rundown on how he makes not only his shoes but car parts and no doubt anything else carbon fiber with his bare hands. As always it was an incredibly enlightening conversation and suffice to say I am much more knowledgeable on moulds, silicon, vacuum packs, air pockets, and the different types of sheets of carbon fiber available than I was before the start of stage 2 this morning. I make sure I really pay attention when adam is explaining somthing as he is one of those unique guys who really enjoys sharing his knowledge with you and also likes broadening your knowledge base on the given topic of conversation. We also discussed some intricacies of what he has discovered during his time spent performing his "hobby" or "passion" as he calls it. Discoveries which when he explained to me I feel have the potential to change the direction of certain cycling parifanallia quite substantially in the future!! That's all I will say on the matter as the things he discussed are truly ground breaking discovies so watch his brand hanseno very closely in the future should he decide to commercialize any of these ideas. Anyways was great to catch up with the crocodile man adam Hanson today during the stage.



Back to the race and not a lot to report really. Was basically a carbon copy of yesterday however unfortunately elia got a little out maneuvered in the final scrappy run to the line and finished 7th. Senior Sagan Juraj did a great job helping shut down the early break in the final 15km and like yesterday the remaining 6 of us were on the front at 10km to go. Today we reshuffled the order a little with krizek and I, not intentionally but I just happened to be behind formula 1 formolo when he finished winding up the pace with 5km to go. Elia had again simply asked that we get his leadout man motorbike marongoni as close to 2km to go as possible and from there he would be fine. So kept the big dog rolling for a couple of kms before krisek took over around 3km to go. Marongoni then took his turn and at 1km Elia was right where he wanted to be like yesterday but unfortunately it was all a little scrappy and the result was not what Elia had been planning on. Despite this all the guys did exactly what was asked of them and was certainly even more organized than yesterday so I was really pleased to see the improvement in the cannondale clan from this perspective atleast. It's important when you have one of the fastest sprinters in the world on your team that no matter what team elia is racing with can do the basics in positioning him for a chance to have a crack at the sprint. We don't feel we have the firepower to do a full on lead out train train but certainly a team capable of contributing and see improvement daily in this area is very encouraging for the remainder of the season.



Tomorrow will see a big change in the landscape of the race. We will leave the beauty of the coastline and head inland to the turkish mountains. Tomorrow on paper at least is certainly the queens stage of this year's race and should have the greatest impact on the final general classification. I personally am very excited about tomorrow, it's one of those rare days that basically only goes uphill so after my stint in tenerife climbing up and down the volcano I am looking forward to seeing where all that work has put my climbing condition. So bring on stage 3, I am sure my favourite team mate will be right up the front aswell so will be exciting to also see what his young and enthusiastic legs do to the peleton!



Cjw