Posting this a bit earlier than usual, but at least that leaves me next week clear for the Emerging Riders games.
Most sports start their annual cycles in a fairly low-key way, and build up to the most important events as the season reaches its conclusion. For many cycling fans, the perception in this sport is different, with many of the best and most important races in the first third of the year. And so we are thinking in some detail about four of the biggest six one day races, and many more of the more entertaining ones, whilie still getting used to new kits and team names.
And so the range of CQ games has its early season edition: the Spring Classics game awards performances in the World Tour and Pro Tour races from the end of February to the beginning of May. It is in some ways the easiest of the games, you need only 12 riders (male) and you have a budget of 3000 points, each rider's cost being their 2022 CQ score (you did keep your notes, calculations and shortlists from your selection process for the Main Game, didn't you?).
But it is also the most tactical: will you concentrate entirely on the hard men who might be described as Flandrians, no matter where they are from, or will you keep some space for climbers and sprinters for those races that are not characterised by lack of tarmac and surfeit of turbulence? There are some big points available, but how much of your budget are you willing to spend on the high priced riders most likely to gain them? And how confident are you that the riders you think could do well will not spend the Spring riding one week races instead?
There are 25 races in the series, and 4 different levels of reward:
Teams to me by PM at Cycling News or Velorooms by the time the Omloop starts in the (European) morning of 25th Feb; updates on the evening of each race, hopefully.
Good luck.
Most sports start their annual cycles in a fairly low-key way, and build up to the most important events as the season reaches its conclusion. For many cycling fans, the perception in this sport is different, with many of the best and most important races in the first third of the year. And so we are thinking in some detail about four of the biggest six one day races, and many more of the more entertaining ones, whilie still getting used to new kits and team names.
And so the range of CQ games has its early season edition: the Spring Classics game awards performances in the World Tour and Pro Tour races from the end of February to the beginning of May. It is in some ways the easiest of the games, you need only 12 riders (male) and you have a budget of 3000 points, each rider's cost being their 2022 CQ score (you did keep your notes, calculations and shortlists from your selection process for the Main Game, didn't you?).
But it is also the most tactical: will you concentrate entirely on the hard men who might be described as Flandrians, no matter where they are from, or will you keep some space for climbers and sprinters for those races that are not characterised by lack of tarmac and surfeit of turbulence? There are some big points available, but how much of your budget are you willing to spend on the high priced riders most likely to gain them? And how confident are you that the riders you think could do well will not spend the Spring riding one week races instead?
There are 25 races in the series, and 4 different levels of reward:
25.02 | Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite | 1.UWT3 |
25.02 | Faun-Ardèche Classic | 1.Pro |
26.02 | Faun Drome Classic | 1.Pro |
26.02 | Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne | 1.Pro |
01.03 | Trofeo Laigueglia | 1.Pro |
04.03 | Strade Bianche | 1.UWT3 |
15.03 | Danilith Nokere Koerse | 1.Pro |
15.03 | Milano - Torino | 1.Pro |
16.03 | Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut | 1.Pro |
17.03 | Bredene Koksijde Classic | 1.Pro |
18.03 | Milano-Sanremo | 1.UWT1 |
22.03 | Classic Brugge-De Panne | 1.UWT3 |
24.03 | E3 Saxo Classic | 1.UWT2 |
26.03 | Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields | 1.UWT2 |
26.03 | GP Industria & Artigianato | 1.Pro |
29.03 | Dwars door Vlaanderen - A travers la Flandre | 1.UWT3 |
01.04 | Gran Premio Miguel Indurain | 1.Pro |
02.04 | Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres | 1.UWT1 |
05.04 | Scheldeprijs | 1.Pro |
09.04 | Paris-Roubaix | 1.UWT1 |
12.04 | De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne | 1.Pro |
16.04 | Amstel Gold Race | 1.UWT2 |
19.04 | La Flèche Wallonne | 1.UWT2 |
23.04, | Liège-Bastogne-Liège | 1.UWT1 |
01.05, | Eschborn-Frankfurt | 1.UWT3 |
Teams to me by PM at Cycling News or Velorooms by the time the Omloop starts in the (European) morning of 25th Feb; updates on the evening of each race, hopefully.
Good luck.