2026 Spring Classics CQ Game

[tobydawq]

?

Sorry, it should have been posted in the general CQ game thread.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Race 2 Faun Ardeche

1​	SEIXAS Paul	130​	3​
8​	CEPEDA HERNANDEZ Jefferson Alveiro	34​	1​
14​	PESCADOR CASTRO Diego	14​	2​
16​	BRENNER Marco	10​	6​
17​	GUALDI Simone	9​	1​
18​	CARR Simon	8​	7​
19​	BAGIOLI Andrea	7​	1​
20​	HEALY Ben	6​	1​
21​	RIVERA VARGAS Brandon Smith	5​	1​
22​	GREGOIRE Romain	5​	2​
29​	OLDANI Stefano	5​	1​

18Valve	167​	Seixas Pescador, Brenner, Carr	80​
Ingsve	140​	Seixas, Brenner	50​
Josedin	130​	Seixas	35​
RedheadDane	34​	Cepeda	25​
SamuCuenca	20​		15​
Onizuka	19​		10​
JonEzeitza	17​		5​
Bminchow	14​		2.5​
DJW	14​		2.5​
QueenStagiare	10​		1​
Leadbelly	8​
Madrazo	8​
Peixotini	8​
Rufs	8​
SlowClimber	8​
HiHope	5​
the rest	0​

Green standings
This is the minor classification, so I usually only put up the top ten.

1​	DJW	82.5​	(-)
2​	18Valve	80​	(+9)
3​	AmisVelo	50​	(-1)
3​	Ingsve	50​	(+8)
5​	Josedin	35​	(+6)
5​	Search	35​	(-2)
7​	Peixotini	25​	(-3)
7​	RedheadDane	25​	(+4)
9​	Madrazo	15​	(-4)
9​	SamuCuenca	15​	(+2)

Standings
Only about 1/8 as many points gained as in the Omloop, so that race is far more influential in our positions than the French race

1​	DJW	411​	(-)
2​	Peixotini	327​	(+2)
3​	AmisVelo	322​	(-1)
4​	Search	321​	(-1)
5​	Madrazo	308​	(-)
6​	Leadbelly	291​	(-)
7​	Triley36	283​	(-1)
8​	EvansIsTheBest	278​	(-)
9​	Ingsve	267​	(+6)
10​	QueenStagiare	254​	(-1)
11​	Armchair	221​	(-1)
12​	Josedin	195​	(+11)
13​	SlowClimber	192​	(-2)
14​	18Valve	182​	(+15)
15​	Del1962	159​	(-3)
16​	DJSprtsch	148​	(-3)
17​	RedheadDane	142​	(+2)
18​	Mikks	140​	(-4)
19​	HiHope	131​	(-3)
20​	Rufs	127​	(-2)
21​	Laarsland	126​	(-5)
22​	DevilsElbow	106​	(-2)
23​	Vladimir	105​	(-2)
24​	Shakes	98​	(-2)
25​	Bminchow	65​	(-1)
26​	JonEzeitza	63​	(+1)
27​	Kazistuta	49​	(-2)
28​	Blues_in_the_Bottle	47​	(-2)
29​	Onizuka	32​	(+1)
30​	SamuCuenca	30​	(+1)
31​	LosBrolin	28​	(-3)
	CollectiveWisdom	194​
	SoLastYear	134​
	MainGamePop	218​

Another double header tomorrow, with rather similar fields, but both races are 1.PS, so not as many points available

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Race 2 Faun Ardeche

1​	SEIXAS Paul	130​	3​
8​	CEPEDA HERNANDEZ Jefferson Alveiro	34​	1​
14​	PESCADOR CASTRO Diego	14​	2​
16​	BRENNER Marco	10​	6​
17​	GUALDI Simone	9​	1​
18​	CARR Simon	8​	7​
19​	BAGIOLI Andrea	7​	1​
20​	HEALY Ben	6​	1​
21​	RIVERA VARGAS Brandon Smith	5​	1​
22​	GREGOIRE Romain	5​	2​
29​	OLDANI Stefano	5​	1​

18Valve	167​	Seixas Pescador, Brenner, Carr	80​
Ingsve	140​	Seixas, Brenner	50​
Josedin	130​	Seixas	35​
RedheadDane	34​	Cepeda	25​
SamuCuenca	20​		15​
Onizuka	19​		10​
JonEzeitza	17​		5​
Bminchow	14​		2.5​
DJW	14​		2.5​
QueenStagiare	10​		1​
Leadbelly	8​
Madrazo	8​
Peixotini	8​
Rufs	8​
SlowClimber	8​
HiHope	5​
the rest	0​

Green standings
This is the minor classification, so I usually only put up the top ten.

1​	DJW	82.5​	(-)
2​	18Valve	80​	(+9)
3​	AmisVelo	50​	(-1)
3​	Ingsve	50​	(+8)
5​	Josedin	35​	(+6)
5​	Search	35​	(-2)
7​	Peixotini	25​	(-3)
7​	RedheadDane	25​	(+4)
9​	Madrazo	15​	(-4)
9​	SamuCuenca	15​	(+2)

Standings
Only about 1/8 as many points gained as in the Omloop, so that race is far more influential in our positions than the French race

1​	DJW	411​	(-)
2​	Peixotini	327​	(+2)
3​	AmisVelo	322​	(-1)
4​	Search	321​	(-1)
5​	Madrazo	308​	(-)
6​	Leadbelly	291​	(-)
7​	Triley36	283​	(-1)
8​	EvansIsTheBest	278​	(-)
9​	Ingsve	267​	(+6)
10​	QueenStagiare	254​	(-1)
11​	Armchair	221​	(-1)
12​	Josedin	195​	(+11)
13​	SlowClimber	192​	(-2)
14​	18Valve	182​	(+15)
15​	Del1962	159​	(-3)
16​	DJSprtsch	148​	(-3)
17​	RedheadDane	142​	(+2)
18​	Mikks	140​	(-4)
19​	HiHope	131​	(-3)
20​	Rufs	127​	(-2)
21​	Laarsland	126​	(-5)
22​	DevilsElbow	106​	(-2)
23​	Vladimir	105​	(-2)
24​	Shakes	98​	(-2)
25​	Bminchow	65​	(-1)
26​	JonEzeitza	63​	(+1)
27​	Kazistuta	49​	(-2)
28​	Blues_in_the_Bottle	47​	(-2)
29​	Onizuka	32​	(+1)
30​	SamuCuenca	30​	(+1)
31​	LosBrolin	28​	(-3)
	CollectiveWisdom	194​
	SoLastYear	134​
	MainGamePop	218​

Another double header tomorrow, with rather similar fields, but both races are 1.PS, so not as many points available

Sorry for the delay on that: I did it all yesterday evening, but didn't press the post button!

 

[RedheadDane]

Sorry for the delay on that: I did it all yesterday evening, but didn't press the post button!

No problem. Been there, done that (or not... specifically not done it... pressing the button)

So.... who else got a little worried when Laporte was suddenly standing by the road of Andalucia?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Stefan Kung out for the season probably, certainly for the duration of this game, applying a severe handicap on reigning champion Devil's Elbow, and also to Rufs.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

My title defence bid is already dead in the water, margins in this game are way too narrow to overcome such an injury to your most expensive pick. I wasn't expecting to finish crazy high for a third year running, but I at least would have appreciated a fair shot...

 

[del1962]

Did not go for any expensive riders but looks like MVDP and Seixas are good picks already

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I thought more people would have picked Grégoire, but since that wasn't the case, is anyone up for a swap?

Just as well a couple of people went for him, or Drome Classic would have been an embarassingly low points haul.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Yesterday I wondered what the Romains had ever done for me, but I've now regained my faith.

And then Mozzato once again finds his way to a podium finish in Belgium.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Race 3 Drome Classic
Only one of the top ten here

1​	GREGOIRE Romain	130​	2​
11​	BAGIOLI Andrea	20​	1​
12​	OLDANI Stefano	18​	1​
16​	GUALDI Simone	10​	1​
22​	PESCADOR CASTRO Diego	5​	2​

SamuCuenca	148​	Gregoire & Oldani	80​
18Valve	135​	Gregoire & Pescador	50​
JonEzeitza	20​	Bagioli	35​
Onizuka	10​	Gualdi	25​
DJW	5​	Pescador	15​
The rest	0​		​

Green standings
A win and a second in the two French races gives 18 Valve a strong start

1​	18Valve	130​	(+1)
2​	DJW	97.5​	(-1)
3​	SamuCuenca	95​	(+6)
4​	AmisVelo	50​	(-1)
4​	Ingsve	50​	(-1)
6​	JonEzeitza	40​	(+8)
7​	Josedin	35​	(-2)
7​	Onizuka	35​	(+4)
7​	Search	35​	(-2)
10​	Peixotini	25​	(-3)
10​	RedheadDane	25​	(-3)

Standings
Not enough points here to interfere in the top of the table, but certainly lifts Samu clear from the bottom

1​	DJW	416​	(-)
2​	Peixotini	327​	(-)
3​	AmisVelo	322​	(-)
4​	Search	321​	(-)
5​	18Valve	317​	(+9)
6​	Madrazo	308​	(-1)
7​	Leadbelly	291​	(-1)
8​	Triley36	283​	(-1)
9​	EvansIsTheBest	278​	(-1)
10​	Ingsve	267​	(-1)
11​	QueenStagiare	254​	(-1)
12​	Armchair	221​	(-1)
13​	Josedin	195​	(-1)
14​	SlowClimber	192​	(-1)
15​	SamuCuenca	178​	(+15)
16​	Del1962	159​	(-1)
17​	DJSprtsch	148​	(-1)
18​	RedheadDane	142​	(-1)
19​	Mikks	140​	(-1)
20​	HiHope	131​	(-1)
21​	Rufs	127​	(-1)
22​	Laarsland	126​	(-1)
23​	DevilsElbow	106​	(-1)
24​	Vladimir	105​	(-1)
25​	Shakes	98​	(-1)
26​	JonEzeitza	83​	(-)
27​	Bminchow	65​	(-2)
28​	Kazistuta	49​	(-1)
29​	Blues_in_the_Bottle	47​	(-1)
30​	Onizuka	42​	(-1)
31​	LosBrolin	28​	(-)

I've other stuff to do before watching the last 12 km of KBK, so that won't be posted for a while.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Race 4 Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
So we have already had races for cobbled classics, hilly courses and now sprinters too. How is the balance between specialities looking for your team?
At least we have, between us, had the winner of each race.

Race Pos'n		Pts	Teams
1​	BRENNAN Matthew	130​	1 (Los Brolin)​
2​	MOZZATO Luca	78​	3​
6​	REX Laurenz	46​	1 (Laarsland)​
7​	LUND ANDRESEN Tobias	40​	1 (Josedin)​
9​	LAMPERTI Luke	28​	2​
13​	VAN DIJKE Tim	16​	2​
18​	PHILIPSEN Jasper	8​	1​
27​	MOHORIC Matej	5​	13​
30​	LAPORTE Christophe	5​	22​

LosBrolin	130​	Brennan	80 green pts​
DJSprtsch	88​	Mozzato, Mohoric, Laporte	50​
RedheadDane	83​	Mozzato, Laporte	35​
SamuCuenca	78​	Mozzato	25​
Laarsland	56​	Rex, Mohoric, Laporte	15​
Josedin	40​		10​
Del1962	38​		5​
Armchair	33​		3​
DJW	21​		1.5​
QueenStagiare	21​		1.5​
DevilsElbow	10​
EvansIsTheBest	10​
HiHope	10​
Leadbelly	10​
Madrazo	10​
Mikks	10​
Rufs	10​
Search	10​
SlowClimber	10​
Onizuka	8​
18Valve	5​
AmisVelo	5​
Ingsve	5​
Peixotini	5​
Shakes	5​
Triley36	5​
Vladimir	5​
Blues_in_the_Bottle	0​

Green standings

DJW has been in the top ten, and therefore scored points, in all four races so far, just not enough of them to top the table.

1​	18Valve	130​	(-)
2​	SamuCuenca	120​	(+1)
3​	DJW	99​	(-1)
4​	LosBrolin	80​	(+15)
5​	RedheadDane	60​	(+5)
6​	AmisVelo	50​	(-2)
6​	DJSprtsch	50​	(+13)
6​	Ingsve	50​	(-2)
9​	Josedin	45​	(-2)
10​	JonEzeitza	40​	(-4)

Standings
Omloop still accounts for 3/4 of the points won so far, so still the biggest determinant of how most of us are doing. Especially DJW.

1​	DJW	437​	(-)
2​	Peixotini	332​	(-)
3​	Search	331​	(+1)
4​	AmisVelo	327​	(-1)
5​	18Valve	322​	(-)
6​	Madrazo	318​	(-)
7​	Leadbelly	301​	(-)
8​	EvansIsTheBest	288​	(+1)
8​	Triley36	288​	(-)
10​	QueenStagiare	275​	(+1)
11​	Ingsve	272​	(-1)
12​	SamuCuenca	256​	(+3)
13​	Armchair	254​	(-1)
14​	DJSprtsch	236​	(+3)
15​	Josedin	235​	(-2)
16​	RedheadDane	225​	(+2)
17​	SlowClimber	202​	(-3)
18​	Del1962	197​	(-2)
19​	Laarsland	182​	(+3)
20​	LosBrolin	158​	(+11)
21​	Mikks	150​	(-2)
22​	HiHope	141​	(-2)
23​	Rufs	137​	(-2)
24​	DevilsElbow	116​	(-1)
25​	Vladimir	110​	(-1)
26​	Shakes	103​	(-1)
27​	JonEzeitza	83​	(-1)
28​	Bminchow	65​	(-1)
29​	Onizuka	50​	(+1)
30​	Kazistuta	49​	(-2)
31​	Blues_in_the_Bottle	47​	(-2)
	CollectiveWisdom	204​
	SoLastYear	167​
	MainGamePop	223​

Laigueglia during the week. I bet not many of us gave much priority to that in picking our teams.

 

[Shakes]

I picked Van Aert over Brennan. Hopefully van Aert will finally win Flanders and Roubaix. Add on Samyn for good measure.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Samyn, unfortunately, is a 1.1 race, so not part of the game. I'd like it to be, but decided some years ago to keep clear criteria of race status rather than "races I like".

I'd encourage everyone to petition the UCI for it to be upgraded, and I'll be more than happy to include it next year.

 

[bminchow]

Samyn, unfortunately, is a 1.1 race, so not part of the game. I'd like it to be, but decided some years ago to keep clear criteria of race status rather than "races I like".

I'd encourage everyone to petition the UCI for it to be upgraded, and I'll be more than happy to include it next year.

Ouch

 

[Shakes]

Ouch

Indeed

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Just a well Le Samyn isn't in the game: it would have blown our run of having the winner in every race selected.


Those who selected L Rex (Laarsland), Grisel (Josedin) and Senechal (Armchair, Del, Peixotini) have grounds to feel aggrieved.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Just a well Le Samyn isn't in the game: it would have blown our run of having the winner in every race selected.

Not that the record lasted anyway:

Race 5/24 Trofeo Laigueglia
Point scorers relevant to the game:

Race Pos'n		Pts	Teams
2​	GREGOIRE Romain	78​	2​
7​	MORGADO Antonio Tomas	40​	1​
8​	GUALDI Simone	34​	1​
10​	VANSEVENANT Mauri	24​	3​
22​	OLDANI Stefano	5​	1​

Points this race

SamuCuenca	83 (Gregoire & Oldani)​	80 green pts​
18Valve	78 (Gregoire)​	50​
Onizuka	74 (Morgado & Gualdi)​	35​
HiHope, Ingsve, Mikks	24 (Vansevenant)​	16.67 each​

Green standings
In the 5 races so far, Samu Cuenca, defending this classification's crown, has been top twice, fourth and fifth: 18Valve has a top and two seconds.

1​	SamuCuenca	200​	(+1)
2​	18Valve	180​	(-1)
3​	DJW	99​	(-)
4​	LosBrolin	80​	(-)
5​	Onizuka	70​	(+6)
6​	Ingsve	66.67​	(-)
7​	RedheadDane	60​	(-2)
8​	AmisVelo	50​	(-2)
8​	DJSprtsch	50​	(-2)
10​	Josedin	45​	(-1)

Standings

1​	DJW	437​	(-)
2​	18Valve	400​	(+3)
3​	SamuCuenca	339​	(+9)
4​	Peixotini	332​	(-2)
5​	Search	331​	(-2)
6​	AmisVelo	327​	(-2)
7​	Madrazo	318​	(-1)
8​	Leadbelly	301​	(-1)
9​	Ingsve	296​	(+2)
10​	EvansIsTheBest	288​	(-2)
10​	Triley36	288​	(-2)
12​	QueenStagiare	275​	(-2)
13​	Armchair	254​	(-)
14​	DJSprtsch	236​	(-)
15​	Josedin	235​	(-)
16​	RedheadDane	225​	(-)
17​	SlowClimber	202​	(-)
18​	Del1962	197​	(-)
19​	Laarsland	182​	(-)
20​	Mikks	174​	(+1)
21​	HiHope	165​	(+1)
22​	LosBrolin	158​	(-2)
23​	Rufs	137​	(-)
24​	Onizuka	124​	(+5)
25​	DevilsElbow	116​	(-1)
26​	Vladimir	110​	(-1)
27​	Shakes	103​	(-1)
28​	JonEzeitza	83​	(-1)
29​	Bminchow	65​	(-1)
30​	Kazistuta	49​	(-)
31​	Blues_in_the_Bottle	47​	(-)
	CollectiveWisdom	204​
	SoLastYear	167​
	MainGamePop	223​

Strade Bianche on Saturday will be round six.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Just realised I hadn't posted the link to the spreadsheet: Here it is
In case, I don't know, you're not in the top ten of the green points and want to know just where you are, or which others have the same 5 pointers as you.

 

[Shakes]

Painful.

 

[slow_climber]

My sneaky Michael Matthew’s pick not looking so great. Very sorry for him after he looked good at the start of the season. Giro game next?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

My sneaky Michael Matthew’s pick not looking so great. Very sorry for him after he looked good at the start of the season. Giro game next?

That's certainly the intention. But to be honest, I wouldn't recommend Matthews for that one either.

@mikks is similarly affected by Matthews's accident, which is a rough start for a newcomer to the game.

 

[slow_climber]

That's certainly the intention. But to be honest, I wouldn't recommend Matthews for that one either.

@mikks is similarly affected by Matthews's accident, which is a rough start for a newcomer to the game.

I suspect that is the end of my Matthews-picking for any games. Almost all his points from last year came in spring, so thought he might be good value and a good risky pick for a good finish in the Classics game. I also like supporting him in the races - but all for nothing.

Not much fun being out of the running so early in one of the games. However, if anyone wants to go and look at the standings for the season long game.........

 

[mikks]

That's certainly the intention. But to be honest, I wouldn't recommend Matthews for that one either.

@mikks is similarly affected by Matthews's accident, which is a rough start for a newcomer to the game.

It’s just a game. I do feel sorry for Matthews though — games are games, but injuries are real. And by the way, my thought process when picking him was very similar to slow_climber.

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

The kind of day that makes me regret not going with my initial Grégoire/Jorgenson/Seixas plan. Ah well, guess Van der Poel will just have to sweep MSR/RVV/PR to make it up.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Race 6/24 Strade Bianche
The run of picking the winner would have finished here anyway, with Pogacar being beyond the budget.

Race Pos'n		Pts	Teams
2​	SEIXAS Paul	132​	3​
4​	GREGOIRE Romain	96​	2​
5​	VERMEERSCH Gianni	86​	2​
9​	KRON Andreas Lorentz	52​	15​
10​	VAN AERT Wout	46​	3​
12​	HEALY Ben	35​	1​
13​	VALGREN HUNDAHL Michael	30​	2​
15​	VANSEVENANT Mauri	24​	3​
21​	PESCADOR CASTRO Diego	15​	2​
24​	MOHORIC Matej	12​	13​
29​	GAUTHERAT Pierre	7​	1​
30​	GUALDI Simone	6​	1​

and another 12 fivers

1​	18Valve	307​	Seixas, Gregoire, Kron, Pescador, Mohoric	80​
2​	Ingsve	208​	Seixas, Kron, Vansevenant	50​
3​	SamuCuenca	178​	Gregoire, Kron, Valgren	35​
4​	Josedin	132​	Seixas	25​
5​	HiHope	127​	Vermeersch, Vansevanant, Mohoric	15​
6​	Armchair	103​	Kron, Van Aert	10​
7​	Blues_in_the_Bottle	96​		5​
8​	Bminchow	92​		3​
9​	DJW	72​		2​
10​	EvansIsTheBest	69​		0.2​
10​	Laarsland	69​		0.2​
10​	Leadbelly	69​		0.2​
10​	Rufs	69​		0.2​
10​	SlowClimber	69​		0.2​
15​	DevilsElbow	64​
15​	DJSprtsch	64​
15​	Madrazo	64​
18​	Kazistuta	57​
19​	QueenStagiare	46​
19​	Shakes	46​
21​	Mikks	36​
22​	Vladimir	35​
23​	Search	17​
24​	Del1962	12​
25​	JonEzeitza	10​
26​	LosBrolin	7​
27​	Onizuka	6​
28​	RedheadDane	5​
28​	Triley36	5​
30​	AmisVelo	0​
30​	Peixotini	0​

Green Standings

And now 18Valve, as well as Samu Cuenca, has been top scorer twice. Despite Samu being third today, that's enough for a change in leadership

1​	18Valve	260​	(+1)
2​	SamuCuenca	235​	(-1)
3​	Ingsve	116.67​	(+3)
4​	DJW	101​	(-1)
5​	LosBrolin	80​	(-1)
6​	Josedin	70​	(+4)
6​	Onizuka	70​	(-1)
8​	RedheadDane	60​	(-1)
9​	AmisVelo	50​	(-1)
9​	DJSprtsch	50​	(-1)

Standings
Same top 4, in a slightly different order, as the Green classification.

1​	18Valve	707​	(+1)
2​	SamuCuenca	517​	(+1)
3​	DJW	509​	(-2)
4​	Ingsve	504​	(+5)
5​	Madrazo	382​	(+2)
6​	Leadbelly	370​	(+2)
7​	Josedin	367​	(+8)
8​	Armchair	357​	(+5)
9​	EvansIsTheBest	357​	(+1)
10​	Search	348​	(-5)
11​	Peixotini	332​	(-7)
12​	AmisVelo	327​	(-6)
13​	QueenStagiare	321​	(-1)
14​	DJSprtsch	300​	(-)
15​	Triley36	293​	(-5)
16​	HiHope	292​	(+5)
17​	SlowClimber	271​	(-)
18​	Laarsland	251​	(+1)
19​	RedheadDane	230​	(-3)
20​	Mikks	210​	(-)
21​	Del1962	209​	(-3)
22​	Rufs	206​	(+1)
23​	DevilsElbow	180​	(+2)
24​	LosBrolin	165​	(-2)
25​	Bminchow	157​	(+4)
26​	Shakes	149​	(+1)
27​	Vladimir	145​	(-1)
28​	Blues_in_the_Bottle	143​	(+3)
29​	Onizuka	130​	(-5)
30​	Kazistuta	106​	(-)
31​	JonEzeitza	93​	(-3)
	CollectiveWisdom	268​
	SoLastYear	258​
	MainGamePop	355​

An 11 day break in this game, then a bunch of PS races before Milan San Remo.
Those who take the game seriously will spend the intervening time scowling at any of their riders that are in Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico for daring to use up their energy in events that don't get them any points.