New Ranking System (Opta)

[Anonymous]

Had this in my inbox today from the guys at IG Markets.

IG Markets launch Pro Cycling Index


Roubaix, France - IG Markets, the international market-maker in financial derivatives and Official Partner of Team Sky, today announced the launch of the IG Markets Pro Cycling Index.

IG Markets has teamed up with leading sports statistics provider, Opta to produce a new pro cycling global ranking system to identify the world’s best cyclists - the IG Markets Pro Cycling Index.

Using IG Markets’ understanding of how markets work, combined with Opta’s knowledge of sports data, the Index aims to provide cycling fans, the media and stakeholder groups with a new groundbreaking way of ranking the world’s best.

The IG Markets Pro Cycling Index sources results from the top international road races across the season and uses more inputs than other systems. Primarily, it is designed to reward moments of brilliance alongside months of consistency. Races are ranked on their prestige and their importance to cycling fans with wins rewarded far more than placings. Bonuses are rewarded for winning with panache or repeat victories.

Olly Stevens, Head of Marketing, IG Markets commented: “We are really excited about this new offering and believe it will give cycling fans a new way to understand who is the best cyclist in the world. At IG Markets we pride ourselves in understanding how markets and indices work so it is a natural extension of our exciting sponsorship of Team Sky. We hope everyone likes it and look forward to people’s views”

Dave Brailsford, Team Principle, Team Sky said: “it is great to see our new partner IG Markets developing their sponsorship and investing in the sport. I’m sure fans will be intrigued to see a new way of ranking the world’s best cyclists.”

http://www.igmarkets.com/cycling/procyclingindex

The Index will go live before this year’s Tour de France and will run on a rolling 12 month basis. It will be available to view on , and will be updated regularly during the Grands Tours, major stage races and one-day races. Users will be able to view the exact breakdown of how races are tiered and how points are earned. Regular editorial comments will give further insight into the reasoning behind the number of points rewarded to a specific rider.

Its not launched yet, but the one thing that intrests me about it is the involvement of OPTA who many will know from providing endless Football statistics.

With this and CQ it really could make the official UCI rankings even more pointless.

IG as well seem to be getting involved big time, sponsoring sky, sponsoring TOB, and Nocturne series and now this.

 

[The Hitch]

Good news.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Not convinced.

CQ does a perfectly good job, don't see how proliferation helps when you're trying to find an agreed benchmark, and I'm happier it being done as a labour of love, rather than a firm setting it up with the intention of selling access once they establish a reputation.

 

[L'arriviste]

IG Markets IG Markets IG Markets IG Markets IG Markets IG Markets IG Markets IG Markets IG Markets IG Markets ...

I could go on...

 

[Anonymous]

I could go on...

Half of me agrees with that, half of me looks at the involvement of opta and the insane amounts of stats they produce and thinks this could be really interesting. Whats interesting is how the media use opta figures, and they are a regular part of tv broadcasts and media reports.

A similar system where race broadcasters use these rankings as a basis for their stats etc could really spell the end for the official rankings.

 

[taiwan]

Not convinced.

CQ does a perfectly good job, don't see how proliferation helps when you're trying to find an agreed benchmark, and I'm happier it being done as a labour of love, rather than a firm setting it up with the intention of selling access once they establish a reputation.

Yup, CQ rules. I would be interested to see how they think they'll improve on it.

 

[luckyboy]

Yeah this should be interesting. Looking forward to seeing what happens.

 

[hrotha]

Yup, CQ rules. I would be interested to see how they think they'll improve on it.

By finally valuing something other than placing.

 

[Anonymous]

Whats interesting for me is the involvement of Opta.

I dont know much about IG apart from the fact they are loaded with cash, but Opta have long been accepted as "The" ranking in football/soccer.

They dont mess about and if they are getting involved there is a reason. The fact its a rolling ranking is interesting as well.

Interesting also, that with all this talk of teams breaking away from the UCI, we now have a ranking being created by a leader in the field, that is independant of the UCI.

Hunch tells me that this is all part of the plan. Sky and other media organisations involved, teams already talking of breaking away, and now Opta involved.

 

[taiwan]

By finally valuing something other than placing.

Actually, accounting for quality of field is one potential advance.

 

[roundabout]

Does Andy Schleck riding around in the grupetto improve field quality?

 

[taiwan]

Does Andy Schleck riding around in the grupetto improve field quality?

Fair point. Comes down to how you assess quality of field though. What other factors are there apart from placing?

 

[auscyclefan94]

CQ is not perfect, PT is not perfect. No Points system will be perfect.

 

[taiwan]

CQ does kick ayass though, to reiterate.

 

[lancaster]

begin brain dump


kms in the wind, kms "tete de la course", kms in favourites group, wins of team leader (useful for sprint teams or gc gt teams). the truth us we have little idea of what stats are useful until someone collects them. maybe no of people shelled when on the front of a group

 

[The Hitch]

By finally valuing something other than placing.

Also giving more points for kom and points jerseys (currently worth as much as a stage win in gts and pt races, and nothing in other races).

Also give more points for races like Volta and Vuelta Colombia. Sure its not european fields but their the top races in their respective scenes. Should be at least 240 points for Vuelta Colombia (as much as Eneco or Romandie).

 

[meandmygitane]

Googling rider names to figure out how much the results are worth in media exposure?

Makes sense for sponsors..

 

[auscyclefan94]

CQ does kick ayass though, to reiterate.

CQ still follows UCI race rakings. Tour down Under is on par with paris Nice or Tour de Suisse. I think that proves the point that it is far from perfect and doesn't kick ***. I could use other comparisons but that is the best one.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

There's already a 'coming soon' page
http://www.igmarkets.com/cycling/procyclingindex

 

[L'arriviste]

Half of me agrees with that, half of me looks at the involvement of opta and the insane amounts of stats they produce and thinks this could be really interesting. Whats interesting is how the media use opta figures, and they are a regular part of tv broadcasts and media reports.

A similar system where race broadcasters use these rankings as a basis for their stats etc could really spell the end for the official rankings.

No, don't get me wrong, I think it's great if they've got an angle on it. I was just joking about the press release. IG Markets. IG Markets. IG Markets.

I work with press releases all the time - they write them a certain way to minimise the risk of misquotes but the results are unreadable until journos spin them into stories.

lancaster above is right though. It needs to include a lot of detail to be worthwhile. Hopefully they'll publish something of their methodology. Hard to imagine a bunch of applied maths labcoats sitting around and watching the Giro to "figure out the differentials of the sport".

 

[Eyeballs Out]

The great thing about CQ ratings is that they are free to access for Joe Public

As far as I know, Opta ratings (for other sports at least) are not. Their clients are sports teams, bookmakers and the media. So will we ever get to see what they're doing ?

 

[taiwan]

CQ still follows UCI race rakings. Tour down Under is on par with paris Nice or Tour de Suisse. I think that proves the point that it is far from perfect and doesn't kick ***. I could use other comparisons but that is the best one.

I have to give it a pass on that because it`s so convenient, prompt and wide ranging. It's the best.

 

[Anonymous]

The great thing about CQ ratings is that they are free to access for Joe Public

As far as I know, Opta ratings (for other sports at least) are not. Their clients are sports teams, bookmakers and the media. So will we ever get to see what they're doing ?

its my understanding (there was some other stuff with the press release) that the aim is making them available to fans. Maybe fans get the basic stats and media companies can buy the full stats. Maybe they will be free for a few years till they are established and then paid for. The difference between football stats that are just provided by opta and companies pay a subsription to see them, is the cycling stats will have a paid sponsor getting advertising. hence the IG Markets cycling index. So looks very much like initially being an advertising funded model rather than a subscription model.

 

[Andy99]

Very interesting. With no offence to cq - who's system I admire - it will be great to see what a big player like opta can come up with with ig's financial backing.

Perhaps they are trying to develop something that the uci might adopt and do away with the current farce..?

 

[Andy99]

Had this in my inbox today from the guys at IG Markets.



Its not launched yet, but the one thing that intrests me about it is the involvement of OPTA who many will know from providing endless Football statistics.

With this and CQ it really could make the official UCI rankings even more pointless.

IG as well seem to be getting involved big time, sponsoring sky, sponsoring TOB, and Nocturne series and now this.

Seem to recall they also sponsored the sprints jersey or something at the Tour of Adelaide this year?