2013 Giro d'Italia CQ game

[Armchair Cyclist]

I cannot offer the functionality of CQManager's site, or even the fancy multi-sheet Excel file that Hugo offers, but in their absence, I'll take this on.


Rules
Team of exactly nine riders. Teams with fewer riders will be filled out with cheapest riders available (2nd sort criteria will be alphabetical by surname). If quota of nine cannot be reached in this manner (eg, 8 riders totalling exactly 3500, no free riders starting race) team will be disqualified.

Riders selected who do not start the Giro will be replaced by the next most expensive from their own team, if possible, otherwise as above.

Teams with more than 9 riders will have their most expensive pick(s) removed from their squad (That should make sure no-one tries that!)

Budget
After discussion, budget will be 3500 points.

Price of riders
CQ current score as at 28th April, with points accumulated over 12 months leading up to that date, for which the update file that CQ release on Monday 29th will be considered definitive.
This spreadsheet on Google Docs has the price of all riders listed at cyclingfever (as at Thursday evening: Caruso for Basso, Rollin for Veikkanen, Ignatenko for Ignatiev, Navardauskas for Howes) as due to race, and those excluded from the game because of doping bans are asterisked.

Rider eligibility
As previously, any rider who has been under a ban for any part of the period during which their price is calculated is not eligible.
So that is a no to Danielson, Vande Velde, Visconti, Scarponi, Pozzato, Gavazzi, Pellizotti, Rasmussen: perhaps others can help by adding to this list.

Submitting your team
By personal message to me.
I have lodged my team with Maaaaaarten (first to submit a team) so that there can be confidence that I didn't pick from among the best of everyone else's ideas.

Should my inbox fill up on any day, please try again after about 8pm (UK time) by which time I should have had a chance to clear it.

Deadline
Saturday 4th May 1500 BST/1600 CET

Scoring
Points issued according to the points tables of CQ (column GT2). Note there are no points issued for the young rider category.

Teams submitted so far:
18-Valve Pithy
Afrank
Al Pacino
Armchair Cyclist
Asdfgh101
Bicycle Boy
BlackBandit222
Comodoro
Cyival
EvansisTheBest
Falze
Garfield *
Geraint Too Fast
Handbrake
Hilltopfinisher
Hugo Koblet
Jakob747
Jancouver
Just Some Guy
Karaev
Kazistuta
Kjetilraknerud
LightBing *
Lupetto
Maaaaaaaarten
Manafana
MC Mountain
Mellow Velo *
Minessa
NairoQ
Ruudz0r
Sasquatch *
Search
Shalgo*
Taiwan
The Fool on the Hill
Tuarts
Vitapen
Vladimir
Whittashau
Yellow Knight

Teams marked * have issues with prohibited riders or those not scheduled to ride

I had always thought of this as a knowledgeable and intelligent forum: amazed at the number of adding errors, inclusion of riders who are not competing and lack of awareness of who has been banned in the last 12 months.

Good luck!

 

[mc_mountain]

Really pleased to see your post Armchair. Excited to play. I'm not fussed about budget but think tighter the better.

 

[TeoSheva]

Really pleased to see your post Armchair. Excited to play. I'm not fussed about budget but think tighter the better.

I agree

3000 sounds fine maximum 3500

 

[Netserk]

2013 score or current score?

 

[search]

current value I think?! 3000 points sounds good.

Wiggins current value is something like ~2000 points, Nibali ~1400, no need to take sprinters anyway (no big names at least), so 3000 points should be more than enough

 

[Afrank]

Anyways back on topic, 3000 sounds good. Looking forward to the game.
To confirm: riders scores will be their 'current CQ-value' as of April 28th. Correct?
And thanks for getting this going Armchair.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

2013 score or current score?

As others have said, the current score, the 12 months up to 28 April. Will edit the OP to make that clearer.

 

[asdfgh101]

I strongly suggest that people check out current cq scores before offering a preference for 3000. This total will likely make Nibali essential if he wins GC. 3500 would allow teams to risk picking Wiggins (will cost about 1900 after Romandie update) whilst allowing the Nibali teams one more GC rider and the non-Nibali teams to load up on a mix of sprinters and GC guys who could collectively beat Vincenzo's score even if one misfires (and no my 9 riders don't add up to 3499, i always pick my team at the last moment ).

 

[taiwan]

Um guys: Wiggins current value is nearly 2400. 75 points each left for 8 riders. Not that I'll be going down the Wiggins road anyhow.

 

[search]

Um guys: Wiggins current value is nearly 2400.

nope, it isn't, he will not defend his points from Tour de Romandie

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I strongly suggest that people check out current cq scores before offering a preference for 3000. This total will likely make Nibali essential if he wins GC. 3500 would allow teams to risk picking Wiggins (will cost about 1900 after Romandie update) whilst allowing the Nibali teams one more GC rider and the non-Nibali teams to load up on a mix of sprinters and GC guys who could collectively beat Vincenzo's score even if one misfires (and no my 9 riders don't add up to 3499, i always pick my team at the last moment ).

Could I ask you to clarify: do you want me to consider this a !vote for a budget of 3000, or 3500, or something else?

 

[karaev]

3500 sounds better to me ! It gives participants more alternatives...

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

As far as I'm concerned it's the lower the better for all CQ games, it forces you to either pick creatively, or take big risks; more exciting as far as I'm concerned. Off course, at both 3000 and at 3500, that element is still very much present, but my preference would be 3000.

 

[taiwan]

nope, it isn't, he will not defend his points from Tour de Romandie

Ah gotcha.

 

[asdfgh101]

The classics game was dominated by Cancellara (unavoidable). The problem with 3000 is that if Nibali wins GC he is essential; seems a shame for a game to be decided by one rider when in this instance it doesn't have to be the case. With 3500 a non-Nibali team can purchase 5 good riders and afford one mistake amongst them, with 3000 this wouldn't be possible. FWIW i will probably pick Nibali but the game will be much more fun and there will be greater diversity between teams with 3500.

 

[search]

I doubt there are many who will pick Nibali to be honest, no matter the budget

 

[jaylew]

I vote for 3500

 

[Tuarts]

3500

Previous rules for dopers.

 

[Afrank]

It's the 28th and I want to start creating my team, 3000 or 3500?

Votes so far.
3500: Tuarts, jaylew, asdfgh101, Karaev
3000: Maaaaaaaarten, Search, TeoShiva

Armchair, what's the final call?

 

[Jancouver]

It's the 28th and I want to start creating my team, 3000 or 3500?

Votes so far.
3500: Tuarts, jaylew, asdfgh101, Karaev
3000: Maaaaaaaarten, Search, TeoShiva

Armchair, what's the final call?

Yes, its the 28th, however the 28th official update from CQ is not up yet, or is it?

3000 points for me, less points = harder game.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

It's the 28th and I want to start creating my team, 3000 or 3500?

Votes so far.
3500: Tuarts, jaylew, asdfgh101, Karaev
3000: Maaaaaaaarten, Search, TeoShiva

Armchair, what's the final call?

Give us a chance: you didn't even wait for the 6pm discussion deadline!

Vote very close, but I found arguments for 3500 more persuasive. Opening post duly ammended

Yes, its the 28th, however the 28th official update from CQ is not up yet, or is it?

3000 points for me, less points = harder game.

CQ post the updates on Mondays for the week ending on the Sunday (as referred to in opening post). I've never watched it closely enough to know what time tomorrow you might expect to see it.

 

[Afrank]

Give us a chance: you didn't even wait for the 6pm discussion deadline!

Vote very close, but I found arguments for 3500 more persuasive. Opening post duly ammended


CQ post the updates on Mondays for the week ending on the Sunday (as referred to in opening post). I've never watched it closely enough to know what time tomorrow you might expect to see it.

Too excited to get started.

 

[taiwan]

Noone's as cheap as I thought they were

 

[CQmanager]

FYI I wont be able to run the Giro game. The website is not ready as it was decided the games will be run through excel spreadsheets so it would require too much work and it would be redundant to what Hugo is doing.

I would be happy to play though. 3000 points for me

BTW the 28.4.2013 CQ download is available but I wont be doing any website updates until after the Giro.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

URL="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1Cf6O_wjKR8M2FZWFJQRHpwRGs/edit?usp=sharing"]This spreadsheet on Google Docs[/URL] has the price of all riders listed at cyclingfever (as at Thursday evening: Caruso for Basso, Rollin for Veikkanen, Ignatenko for Ignatiev, Navardauskas for Howes) as due to race, and those excluded from the game because of doping bans are asterisked.


(For those who don't notice changes to the OP)