2025-26 CX Game

[Armchair Cyclist]

The principle is the same as the CQ games: pick a team of prescribed size to a budget that is based on the same scoring principle as they are trying to gain points in this time around, then sit back and watch in either wonderment or despair as they perform even beyond your hopes, or totally fail to meet your expectations of them.

But this is Cyclo-Cross, so things are a bit different:

• The scores are from PCS, not CQ;
• Your team can have any balance of males and females that you wish;
• Points have already been earned by some riders, before we begin;
• Riders who are under 23, especially the men, might get lots of results that won't be of any benefit here.

So, what you need is 18 names, male or female, with a maximum PCS points total for 2024-25 of 25000 changed, see post #6 below 18000. This is based only on their elite level points, so the PCS site may lead you astray in regards to the price of any rider that was competing in underage events last year (and your riders might waste a lot of effort in U23 events this year. Which is why I have created a selection spreadsheet. Disturbingly, the PCS site doesn't seem to be offering the end of last season prices tonight (I hope that is sorted by the time the season is properly underway), and has some discrepancies where a table is visible, so these prices are from the spreadsheet I had last year: I hope they are right: I won't penalise anyone for using the prices I am publishing even if they are wrong. If anyone is seriously under budget in their submission, I'll let them know because that might have been problems of using the prices from the site.

Points for the whole season, from the Australian championships back in mid August to the Brussels University race in mid February (is there not usually the Oostmalle after that? This could be variable). That means some riders already have points, but experience from the two previous editions show that they are fairly insignificant. There probably are some riders who are already in profit, you are perfectly free to pick them if you want to.

Entries to me by PM on this site before the Kermiscross on 16th October Essen Exact Cross on Saturday 18th October (extended in view of low uptake).


The two previous editions have each had only 7 players: hoping for a few more this time around.

I said recently I would get the launch up by the end of September: mission achieved in some time zones...

 

[Devil's Elbow]

There is apparently an Exact cross this weekend

It's so early because the next weekend is occupied by the Gravel Worlds.

25000 points was already quite high last year, riders are cheaper this time because of five fewer World Cup races last season, and we will have a race with quite a few big names to help us get an idea of who's good before the deadline. I already cracked 90% of the maximum possible score last year - I fear that the median team might be able to manage that this time round.

 

[RedheadDane]

Is it possible to find 18 CX riders of 18 different nationalities?
Turns out, not quite, so I'm cheating a little.

 

[Cordi333]

Is it possible to find 18 CX riders of 18 different nationalities?
Turns out, not quite, so I'm cheating a little.

Is completely posible. You're not going to win with that team, tho.

 

[RedheadDane]

Is completely posible. You're not going to win with that team, tho.

Let me re-phrase:
Not quite possible if you want at least a theoretical possibility that your riders will score points.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

It's so early because the next weekend is occupied by the Gravel Worlds.

25000 points was already quite high last year, riders are cheaper this time because of five fewer World Cup races last season, and we will have a race with quite a few big names to help us get an idea of who's good before the deadline. I already cracked 90% of the maximum possible score last year - I fear that the median team might be able to manage that this time round.

I just default to keeping the same budget year to year for every game, but having looked at a few trial combinations, I think DE has a point. One could pick nine of the top ten, then still have enough left that a rider like Maghalie Rochette would be your mean spend, or take the whole of the top 11 before looking for a budget pick.

Given that no-one has yet submitted a team, I shall forego the idea that historical editions are comparable (not that there are many) and lower the budget.

So let's make it a round 1000 points average spend per rider: 18000 budget.

Tagging those who have already indicated interest in case they don't have the thread watched: @Redhead Dane, @Cordi333
Apologies if you were near to completing your selection at the other budget.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I thought the deadline was Ruddervoorde for some reason, while I had most of my team ready this is not an ideal way to mount a title defence...

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Very few entries so far (I haven't bugged the forum much), so I'll extend it to the start of Saturday's televised races.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Then maybe I'll change a couple of things when I actually have time to think about it...

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

sure

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Three hours or so left: you might never have a better chance to get a top three placing in one of these games!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I have submitted a team, so I really hope only two other people have signed up...

Thank you for extending the deadline, by the way, as I was away on holiday until last night and had completely forgotten when the game was originally scheduled to begin.

I chose not to pick one particular rider so I don't expect to win, but I should at least be able to do marginally better than last season.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Let me re-phrase:
Not quite possible if you want at least a theoretical possibility that your riders will score points.

You can actually make it to 18 with only riders in the rolling top-100 of the men's or women's ranking...

1. Either Van Empel or Brand
2. Either Vanthourenhout or Aerts
3. Orts
4. Schreiber
5. Backstedt
6. Vas
7. Casasola
8. Clauzèl
9. Kuhn
10. Strohmeyer
11. Rochette
12. Either Boros or Zemanova
13. Konwa
14. Chladonova
15. Either Degenkolb or Budde
16. Heigl
17. Lisbygd
18. Beshir (curious as to whether anyone's taken him)

 

[RedheadDane]

You can actually make it to 18 with only riders in the rolling top-100 of the men's or women's ranking...

Beshir definitely wasn't in the top-100 when I was working on my team...

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Beshir definitely wasn't in the top-100 when I was working on my team...

Rolling, not last year's.

 

[RedheadDane]

Rolling, not last year's.

This one, or which one?

Individual

cx.procyclingstats.com

 

[Devil's Elbow]

This one, or which one?

Individual

cx.procyclingstats.com

Yes, that one. Beshir is in 86th at 268 points, which is not bad for someone who cost zero. Had the budget been a little bit lower, I would have included him.

 

[RedheadDane]

Yes, that one. Beshir is in 86th at 268 points, which is not bad for someone who cost zero. Had the budget been a little bit lower, I would have included him.

Yeah, that's the one I was using.
Definitely changed a lot since I was working on my team.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

The women's ranking for the current year is a horrible mess: I hope they will get it sorted out soon. For example, Maghalie Rochette has had 7 wins and a 2nd in the Trek races, for 580 points, but is only showing at 150 here, which is the points I need for the spreadsheet.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I did one last pick of someone who has already done enough to guarantee a profit from a low price, but considered Beshit for that. To be honest, not really having any other source of CX news and gossip, I'm not sure that I trusted he was real. An 18 year old Ethiopian getting that set of results in the US races seemed like a database error.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

think I have to go carpet shopping this afternoon: might be a few hours before I put up the teams (or watch the Men's Essen race)

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I did one last pick of someone who has already done enough to guarantee a profit from a low price, but considered Beshit for that. To be honest, not really having any other source of CX news and gossip, I'm not sure that I trusted he was real. An 18 year old Ethiopian getting that set of results in the US races seemed like a database error.

If you thought that was his name, I can see why you wouldn't have much faith in him

I didn't look at him at all, but I do remember hearing about him (it was likely this post from DNP that first made me aware of him). It appears he can't yet race outside of the US, so unless that gets sorted immediately once he turns 18 he probably won't score many points during the second half of the season.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The women's ranking for the current year is a horrible mess: I hope they will get it sorted out soon. For example, Maghalie Rochette has had 7 wins and a 2nd in the Trek races, for 580 points, but is only showing at 150 here, which is the points I need for the spreadsheet.

The points on the rider pages at least appear to be correct (i.e. the line right at the bottom of the results list).

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

The points on the rider pages at least appear to be correct (i.e. the line right at the bottom of the results list).

indeed, but a lot more work to update