I did have a planned team which did include Chacón, but had a three-pronged leadership of Niewiadoma, Uttrup and Lippert because I figured that way I would never have to worry about cognitive dissonance between people I wanted to win and people I needed to win for the game. It's also why I couldn't pick Dygert or Deignan last year even though they came at a combined cost of 2 points, because I couldn't bring myself to be in a position where I might have to cheer for them.
But then it struck me that some teams might pick Kopecky, and my only chance in response to that would be to pick Vollering, and a solid policy of always picking Vollering has stood me well for three years now. I have no idea what to do with your emerging riders game because Demi isn't eligible. I'll probably have to pick Bodine because submitting a lineup without any Vollering would just be weird. But making room for a single rider who accounts for 55% of the entire budget is hard. And she'll probably break a leg and go down for the season in Strade Bianche now.
At least Kopecky might be a worse pick than Vollering due to the track commitments.
I considered Wiebes, because that could be a guaranteed 1000 points, whereas my sprinter-y picks in Balsamo, Manly, Barbieri, Sierra and Wollaston won't necessarily make a combined surplus. I decided not to keep Jastrab since she's coming back from injury and it sounds like she won't be ready to race for a while.
The easiest pick was Gigante, because she only had to finish the NC ITT to get into green, although some BORA like mechanical work (allegedly) almost ruined it. I don't have very high expectations to her, given how the last few years have gone, but for 4 points it was a no-brainer.
Olivia Baril is probably my worst pick, but as my token Basque-ish rider she only really has to score more points than Ane Santesteban to be a success.
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