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2023 Spring Classics CQ Game

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:
25.02Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite1.UWT3
25.02Faun-Ardèche Classic1.Pro
26.02Faun Drome Classic1.Pro
26.02Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne1.Pro
01.03Trofeo Laigueglia1.Pro
04.03Strade Bianche1.UWT3
15.03Danilith Nokere Koerse1.Pro
15.03Milano - Torino1.Pro
16.03Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut1.Pro
17.03Bredene Koksijde Classic1.Pro
18.03Milano-Sanremo1.UWT1
22.03Classic Brugge-De Panne1.UWT3
24.03E3 Saxo Classic1.UWT2
26.03Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields1.UWT2
26.03GP Industria & Artigianato1.Pro
29.03Dwars door Vlaanderen - A travers la Flandre1.UWT3
01.04Gran Premio Miguel Indurain1.Pro
02.04Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres1.UWT1
05.04Scheldeprijs1.Pro
09.04Paris-Roubaix1.UWT1
12.04De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne1.Pro
16.04Amstel Gold Race1.UWT2
19.04La Flèche Wallonne1.UWT2
23.04,Liège-Bastogne-Liège1.UWT1
01.05,Eschborn-Frankfurt1.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.
 
3000 points seems generous this year, some of the prominent names are very cheap, which, I assume, will make the final teams not that much different to what they would look like if there was no limit at all. I expect a lot of similar teams.
I don't know about that. If there's no limit I think most people would just chuck Pogacar and Van Aert in there instead of trying to find some bargain sub-100 point rider to fit the team under budget.

Last year I had Girmay as an unique pick and a spectacularly terrible team around him to sabotage any chance of a good finish. I look forward to repeating the process and figuring out which 11 riders are going to sink my star's efforts this time around.
 
I don't know about that. If there's no limit I think most people would just chuck Pogacar and Van Aert in there instead of trying to find some bargain sub-100 point rider to fit the team under budget.
I said "not that much different", not "identical". Of course some compromises have to be made, but I can easily envision a team that will have 6 or 7 riders that would be inside my top20 for this campaign regardless of price.
 
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3000 points seems generous this year, some of the prominent names are very cheap, which, I assume, will make the final teams not that much different to what they would look like if there was no limit at all. I expect a lot of similar teams.
I haven't actually looked at likely picks or their prices at all: I just keep the same team size and budget since the game was initiated (I think by @CQmanager, but I may be misremembering).

Previous winning scores:
2022 Laarsland 1688 (242 point margin)
2021 Leadbellly 2602 (261 margin)
2020a* Vladimir 216 (31)
2020b* Bminchow 2203 (16)
2019 Tobydawq 3211 (658)
2018 Madrao 2314 (6)
2017 Just Some Guy 2112 (157)
2016 Vladimir 2378 (326)
2015 Geraint Too Fast 1899 (99)
2014 Josedin 2197 (94)
2013 RMeloa 2186 (87)

but the number of races and points available has varied from year to year. 2020, as I'm sure we all remember was distinctly odd: I declared Vladimir as winner at the end of the much abridged Spring, but did a redux with some substitutions allowed and a very different series of races included when racing resumed in the Autumn.

So, if Anderis's prediction is true, will Tobydawq's record score be under threat?
 
2 riders I thought about as must haves are collectively about 300 points more expensive than I remembered them.

Which makes me rethink my previous statements. I'm now struggling to pick anybody sensible and stay within budget for the last few spots of my team.
 
When I try to send my Team Thats the answer

Your content can not be submitted. This is likely because your content is spam-like or contains inappropriate elements. Please change your content or try again later. If you still have problems, please contact an administrator.
@Red Rick or any other admin: Is this a known issue? There was also an entry for one of the other games that never reached my inbox although the sender (@Rufs) had clearly sent it.
 
I've sent my team. Somehow I had managed to use exactly 3000 points, although I'm still confclicted about not including one cheap rider. I feel like I'm making a mistake but I would need to throw away another rider to make a place for him and this another rider is someone I can see doing a big result in the Ardennes potentially so not an easy choice. :(
 
Only 12 men, and a variety of race types, makes this a tricky game for getting it right; some people virtually ignore the Ardennes, some remember that the lead has swung around after they leave the cobbles behind. Or remember that sometimes it hasn't...

Teams by the start of Omloop please...
 
20 teams so far, 93 different riders selected: 54 are unique picks, and 4 are on at least half the teams. One team at about 94% of the maximum possible so far in terms of popularity ranking, one at about 26%; 3 teams pushing the budget right to the three thousand limit, one not actually breached the 2000; 4 teams have invested over 1000 points on one rider, one hasn't even spent 500 on anyone.

Where will your team sit among these stats? Nowhere if you forget to enter: all the details in the OP.
 
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That might not be your only appearance in that list.

If you have sent a team, and I have not sent an acknowledgement, it may have got lost in the ether as happened to Rufs in the ER game: please resend (not you, TRiley: I have yours but haven't checked it yet)

And if you haven't, you know what to do (or can read the OP if you do not)
 
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AC, velorooms is down, I did sent you an e-mail days ago with my team, I guess you didn't get it?
Can't sent pm as newly registered member I guess (can't remember my password and don't have my old e-mail adress to reset the password).
 

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