Written by Bywater CT at 19:38 22/9-2011
When bad results streak started one and a half seasons ago, team management looked for a solution. After 3 long nights of thinking 24/7 a perfect solution was found: if the team can't get results in Top Division races, team should not take part in those. The strategy was briefly tested at the end of season 16 and worked quite well. It was put to regular use and gave the team enough points during early season 17, that it was allowed to sign up for Perm Tour and defend Herman Eagles' jerseys won there the previous season. Team expected nothing good out of it, but TV wanted to see Eagles racing again, this time struggling instead of winning. Eagles knew well that this will finish in such a way and tricked organisers into banning him due to his last season's win being a scandal because he should not climb so well. Koos Zijlstra was sent as captain, with team management hoping that his great downhill skills will let him escape from the journalists who will gather at the finish of the King Stage.
Everything went to plan. Zijlstra achieved nothing, but also gave not a single interview during the race. Journalists hated him and said he should escape as far as possible, Africa would be perfect. Bywater CT has fallen low in the ranking. So low, that it was possible to sign up for Dibola-Denau race. Which was held in Africa. To maintain good relations with newspapers, Koos Zijlstra was immediately sent there, to make use of his good form he achieved when escaping from journalists.
Zijlstra got 7th place there. This was a good start. First top 9 position since 3 weeks. Team spirit skyrocketed, as the whole team went to Africa and they had a good laugh together (especially when all journalists pretended to not see Zijlstra at the finish line). As the team was free to sign up for Zyte Division races, they did. Many races in many places, and mostly successful. Strategy of avoiding Top Division started to pay off big time. The team earned right to ride Nederlandse Tour easily. It promoted to Top Division (still with full Zyte Division racing schedule and commited to maintain strategy). Finally, when all ways of getting into lower level races (even bribery) failed, team was signed up for a Top Division race in Norway. To keep the plan working, Zack Davie and his supporting crew had to ride blindfolded. Luckily Davie knew the route as he did this race two seasons earlier. He did so well that he even scored.
This was unacceptable for team management, which announced that Davie will be fired before end of the season and in the last race he will be helper of Koos Zijlstra. Who was to be fired as well, but noone wanted to buy him. Because of this he got a new contract, stating that he must amuse fans, annoy journalists, and do some racing from time to time.
In the meantime the TTing squad, back from successful Nederlandse Tour, went to Baghdad, to ride famous "Shoot me if you can" ITT race. Their shiny new bikes with all TT equipment possible not only let them survive, but also bring good money. Those money will be spent on letting the whole team travel to Sweden, to enjoy expensive vodka and illegal call-girls. And to do some not too important race on Monday. After whole weekend of partying it's sure they will not be afraid of anything.
All this success led team management to a sad discovery: team was in top 10 of OCM ranking (despite scoring only 320 points in Top Division races during last 90 days) and was locked there for good at least for a few weeks. Even D1.1 races were out of our reach, probably for at least half a season.
But such an unimportant thing will not stop the strategy that worked such wonders. Bywater CT will still avoid Top Division races. Most of them at least. Instead riders will rest, enjoy themselves and try to make the headlines via causing various scandals. They are quite good at this. Koos Zijlstra, Herman Eagles and Hector Edinho will get most rest. Over a month without racing. After all this slacking off it's sure they will get some major results later. Other riders will also get some rest. All to maintain great team spirit, which is very important nowadays. And results show, that in Bywater CT it's on all-time high, with 8 different riders contributing to team's results during last weeks.
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Bywater CT S17 D48 to D84 achievements
Arthur Ostrem
D69 Vitre ITT 1st
D53 Westerstede Zeitfahren 6th
D77 Luxembourg TT 8th
Total: 230 points, $26.000
August Elofsson
D53 Westerstede Zeitfahren 2nd
D82 Nederlandse Tour YC 3rd
D84 Baghdad ITT 5th
Total: 190 points, $24.000
Domingo Astarloza
D77 Luxembourg TT 2nd
D79 Groningen Prologue 6th
D69 Vitre ITT 7th
D82 Nederlandse Tour GC 7th
Total: 270 points, $27.000
Hector Edinho
D79 Groningen Prologue 1st
D84 Baghdad ITT 1st
D82 Nederlandse Tour YC 2nd
D69 Vitre ITT 5th
D80 Groningen-Hengelo 5th
D82 Den Haag-Amsterdam 5hth
D82 Nederlandse Tour GC 5th
D65 Epe-Zwolle 6th
D80 Hengelo-Eindhoven 7th
D81 Utrecht-Rotterdam 7th
D50 Kolding TT 9th
Total: 70 points, $78.000
Herman Eagles
D62 Caceres-Cuiaba 5th
D66 Bagno di Bomagna GP 7th
D58 Rosenheim-Koenigsbrunn 9th
Total: 160 poins, $15.000
Koos Zijlstra
D63 Rio Pico-Gas Nac 2nd
D59 Juberri-Canolic 3rd
D75 Criterium La Provence G2 6th
D48 Dibola-Denau 7th
Total: 290 points, $38.000
Zack Davie
D68 Epuyen Climbs 5th
D82 Lillehammer-Dovre 5th
Total: 160 points, $16.000
Zenobio Gastelu
D77 Luxembourg TT 5th
D50 Kolding TT 8th
Total: 110 poins, $12.000
In total: 2180 points (way too many), $237.000 (way too little)
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Comments
So my team will probably be back in action for Melbourne-Canberra (Eagles is already at 96 RS, 21 to go).
If I score points, problem is not solved. I need to win. If I get mostly 7th-9th places, I lose money - 30 such results let me stay in top 50 ranking, but earn me less than 200k. This season's low level racing earned me 300k :)
I will try, I have way too many points so I'm stuck here for long :D But first I want to get my top riders top form ready. Eagles will use it in Perm and Essex. Zijlstra, if I score some more points, in Germany. Edinho, unless I really score a lot, in NL Tour. So, if I get not too bad results, I guess I go back down to Zyte more or less a season from now. I will have to race, to fight boredom ;) E
Why dont you just try Div1 races? You say you are too bad for that, but Why not participating and see what happens?
If you are really that weak (which I dont think) than you wont score and drop to Div2.
If you do score, the whole problem is solved.
Very nice :)
Dropping divisions was the best thing that happened to me (in OCM, of course). I could not score in 4, then in 5, in 6... and since I reached 8, I've been able to score up to third division, now looking to Zyte.
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