It's nearly July, so the non-cycling fan world suddenly becomes aware of our sport, and we find ourselves trapped between on one hand wanting to be dismissive of the hype and asserting how much better the racing is in every other event of the year, and on the other knowing that this race encompasses the best riders seeking to be at their peak.
But we can take pride in burrowing down into the less fabled riders among the peloton and showing our expertise and judgement in the Tour de France CQ game.
Or you can be proud of being a July fan and just pick anyone you have heard of, or who has a name you like the sound of: you'll probably still beat some of us.
Your team Your task is to pick 8 riders who will be taking part in the Tour, and who between them have a total current CQ score of 4000 or less. That CQ score is their tally of points from the previous year, as allotted at CQRanking.com: more specifically, their score for the year to Sunday 26th June, which will be available for download on the 27th.
Your score Your score is also on a scale determined by the CQ site: The biggest points are for GC (600 for the winner, 20 for anyone who finishes), but there are stage points (80 for the winner, 1 for 10th), points for the KoM and Green jersey final classifications (same scale as stage points) and a 20 point daily bonus for the man who is to wear Yellow on the next stage.
Entering the Game Firstly: don't try to do so until the prices are set after CQ has processed all the points from national championships weekend on Sunday. But when your team is ready, send it to me by PM at either Cycling News Forum or on VeloRooms. It saves me time if you put the name in CQ's format (surname, then forename; particular care needed on riders from Spanish speaking countries, Portugal and Denmark; accents are handled inconsistently) and put nothing else in your message: I don't need you to tell me their team or price. You must do so by the time the first rider starts on the Time Trial course in Copenhagen at 4pm local time on Friday 1st July. As soon as possible after the first team is sent in, I will share my selection with that manager to avoid me being tempted to steal good ideas from other managers. You can change your team after you send it in if you have second thoughts before the deadline: if there is a problem with your selection I will let you know unless you leave it until the last few hours. I do have an established set of rules for making substitutions in your team if it is overbudget or has non-participating riders.
During the race There is nothing you have to do, and nothing you can do, once the race starts. I will do updates daily (real life permitting) in a minor competition (based on stage top ten points only) as well as the main game, which will become more realistic as the GC becomes more settled.
There is no prize beyond bragging rights, but if you are on VeloRooms I can add a little yellow or green jersey to your profile, which is nice...
Can I help?If you have any questions, feel free to post them here, or send them to me by PM.
But I also hope I can help via this spreadsheet which I will update as the team line-ups become clearer, which helps you compile a team within budget, gives the preferred presentation of names, shows the scheme for the points you can win, and will have the correct prices from Monday afternoon. Search will, if he is true to his former very helpful self, put a list of riders and prices up when most are confirmed in this thread.
So I hope you will have a go, whether you are one of the regulars (you have to take part in this to be part of my 4 seasons challenge) or new to these games, or normally only try the annual game. And see of you can persuade someone else to have a go, even if they are just sticking a pin in a list of names: they won't be the only one (unless RhD changes tactic)
Good luck, and enjoy the game and the racing.
But we can take pride in burrowing down into the less fabled riders among the peloton and showing our expertise and judgement in the Tour de France CQ game.
Or you can be proud of being a July fan and just pick anyone you have heard of, or who has a name you like the sound of: you'll probably still beat some of us.
Your team Your task is to pick 8 riders who will be taking part in the Tour, and who between them have a total current CQ score of 4000 or less. That CQ score is their tally of points from the previous year, as allotted at CQRanking.com: more specifically, their score for the year to Sunday 26th June, which will be available for download on the 27th.
Your score Your score is also on a scale determined by the CQ site: The biggest points are for GC (600 for the winner, 20 for anyone who finishes), but there are stage points (80 for the winner, 1 for 10th), points for the KoM and Green jersey final classifications (same scale as stage points) and a 20 point daily bonus for the man who is to wear Yellow on the next stage.
Entering the Game Firstly: don't try to do so until the prices are set after CQ has processed all the points from national championships weekend on Sunday. But when your team is ready, send it to me by PM at either Cycling News Forum or on VeloRooms. It saves me time if you put the name in CQ's format (surname, then forename; particular care needed on riders from Spanish speaking countries, Portugal and Denmark; accents are handled inconsistently) and put nothing else in your message: I don't need you to tell me their team or price. You must do so by the time the first rider starts on the Time Trial course in Copenhagen at 4pm local time on Friday 1st July. As soon as possible after the first team is sent in, I will share my selection with that manager to avoid me being tempted to steal good ideas from other managers. You can change your team after you send it in if you have second thoughts before the deadline: if there is a problem with your selection I will let you know unless you leave it until the last few hours. I do have an established set of rules for making substitutions in your team if it is overbudget or has non-participating riders.
During the race There is nothing you have to do, and nothing you can do, once the race starts. I will do updates daily (real life permitting) in a minor competition (based on stage top ten points only) as well as the main game, which will become more realistic as the GC becomes more settled.
There is no prize beyond bragging rights, but if you are on VeloRooms I can add a little yellow or green jersey to your profile, which is nice...
Can I help?If you have any questions, feel free to post them here, or send them to me by PM.
But I also hope I can help via this spreadsheet which I will update as the team line-ups become clearer, which helps you compile a team within budget, gives the preferred presentation of names, shows the scheme for the points you can win, and will have the correct prices from Monday afternoon. Search will, if he is true to his former very helpful self, put a list of riders and prices up when most are confirmed in this thread.
So I hope you will have a go, whether you are one of the regulars (you have to take part in this to be part of my 4 seasons challenge) or new to these games, or normally only try the annual game. And see of you can persuade someone else to have a go, even if they are just sticking a pin in a list of names: they won't be the only one (unless RhD changes tactic)
Good luck, and enjoy the game and the racing.
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