The 2012 CQ Ranking Manager Game

Page 99 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Nov 11, 2010
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CQmanager said:
Chris Horner showed up for my local group ride again this morning and since he is on my team I started complaining about him not scoring any points for me yet :) He was laughing and told me he will win Tirreno for me. He is hoping to win the opening stage TTT and get 20 sec lead and then he can just follow wheels. He also told me that he is not going to Paris-Nice because there is just one MTF and the climb is too short for him and since the schlecks and klodi is going there, he will be the protected rider at Tirreno.

horner.jpg

Who's the Jelly Belly rider?
 
Aug 18, 2009
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The Hitch said:
Just a thought.

A few of us took Nikita Novikov.

Any ideas as to where he will shine?

Cos at the moment he is looking like fail pick of the year.

Yes, even more than offredo.

Hilly day races, minor stage races maybe? To say that a neo pro who cost 172 points is a worse pick than Offredo, just because he hasn't scored in the pre-season, is a bit wild in my view though. I mean he may only have actually raced once this year.
 
My lineups for the next few races:

Driedaagse West-Vlaanderen:

Sergio Luis Henao Montoya
Salvatore Puccio
Arnaud Demare
Tosh Van der Sande
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck

Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia:

Wilco Kelderman
Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojes
Nikita Novikov

Monte Paschi Strade Bianche:

Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez
Enrico Battaglin
Sonny Colbrelli
Filippo Pozzato
Moreno Moser
Angel Madrazo

Paris-Nice:

Igor Anton Hernandez
Sep Vanmarcke
Tom Boonen
Juan Jose Haedo

I don't think I'll score a lot, but I hope that Van der Sande and Van Keirsbulck will do well at DWV - at least show some promise for the rest of the season!

Edit: turns out that Talansky is doing TA instead of PN. I'm looking forward to TA. Last year it was the best one week race, and this year I've got a pretty good lineup:

Battaglin, Pinot, Betancur, Talansky, Landa, Pozzato, Velits, Breschel, Majka, Poels and Madrazo.
 
The big season is starting! I'm ready...

D-WV
Rogers
Henao
Demare

(A good TT and being able to stay with the group on the other stages will win it, so maybe Rogers can show something? Demare's got 2 flat stages to show his stuff)

Murcia
Kelderman
Brandle

(both looked good in Andalucia, but that climb in stage 1 seems big)

Strade Bianche
Kreuziger
Modolo
Battaglin
Pozzato
Moser
Costa

(not really sure what to expect, but young guns Battaglin and Moser have looked good on hilly stuff, and this would be Costa's kind of race if on pavement, but I just don't know about them on the dirt roads)

Paris-Nice
Phinney
Van Garderen
Sicard
Haussler
Talansky
Vanmarcke
Howard
Boonen
LL Sanchez
Porte
Larsson

(big lineup here; TJVG, Talansky, Porte have all looked good enough in Algarve, while Sanchez can't be overlooked in this race... Boonen, Haussler and Howard for the sprints should be good, and maybe Phinney or GE Larsson could do something in the opening TT, that hill doesn't look too bad...)

Tirreno
Kreuziger
Kashechkin
Modolo
Battaglin
Landa
Pozzato
Costa
P. Velits
Breschel

(dunno, if Velits can carry his form then fine, if Kreuziger is good with only a few racing days he can podium, Costa or Battaglin could take a stage with a hilly finish, and I'm crossing my fingers that Modolo can get a result or two)

Should be an interesting week and a half, 26 out of my 33 are riding (where the hell is Allan Davis?)
 
Dec 27, 2010
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Davis rode Qatar and Oman and was on the Paris Nice startlist but seems to have been replaced.
 
I am hoping for Kreuziger t get some points. I think he could have a good showing at T-A, the Ardennes and then the Giro where i expect him to at the very least top 5.

I am getting nervous about Howard ( hopefully he becomes their 2nd sprint rider/ GE get their train/wins together )
 
The Hitch said:
Sucks that fruli was cancelled.

Yeah, this has been a really light week, racing wise. Early Italian races not being raced, etc.
Doing OK with Guardini in Langkawi and of course, Samyn success, but I fear that the 2 big WT stage races will be my downfall.
I only have Nibali for any GC ambition, plus a lot of stage hunters.
VDB 2 not in either???

No idea how guys keep up with where all their riders are performing.
Must have a lot of time on their hands.
 
hrotha said:
Heh, that shows admirable commitment, but I'd say it's a wasted effort this early in the season. :D

Might even be counterproductive.

In some cases it might, you're right. However, one of my names I'm 90% certain will be on my team next year - I probably wouldn't forget him anyway, but whatever :)
 
The Hitch said:
Just a thought.

A few of us took Nikita Novikov.

Any ideas as to where he will shine?

Cos at the moment he is looking like fail pick of the year.

Yes, even more than offredo.
He abandoned in the Ruta del Sol, said he had no power in the legs. They took him to a doctor, but I haven't heard anything since. Could be another mono story, who knows.
 
Aug 18, 2009
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Guardini's clocking up the points now, but not against any strong competition. Could he have been overrated? He's going to the Giro, but look at e.g. Modolo's Giro last year. Could see him striking out there. Basically his best opportunities will be in minor stage races IMHO.
 
Mellow Velo said:
No idea how guys keep up with where all their riders are performing.
Must have a lot of time on their hands.

I feel compelled to defend myself, being one of those who you describe, simply by saying a) it's pretty easy to scroll through startlists on cyclingfever and copy down your riders, and b) some might say you'd have a lot of time on your hands if you had 7000 posts ;)

more seriously though, I've gotten used to going through startlists and detailed results to get a better understanding of how riders are developing in their seasons in the last few years, so it's kind of second nature.
 
Monte Paschi Strade Bianche
PINOTTI Marco
IGLINSKIY Maxim
GASPAROTTO Enrico
BATTAGLIN Enrico
POZZATO Filippo
ASCANI Luca
TALANSKY Andrew
MOSER Moreno

Vuelta a Murcia
KELDERMAN Wilco
VALLS FERRI Rafael
LUDVIGSSON Tobias

Excellent team in Italy, confident in Wilco e Tobias in Spain.