The 2012 CQ Ranking Manager Game

[Hugo Koblet]

Bad news for the 48 teams, including mine, that have Majka:

http://c-cycling.blogspot.com/2012/04/bjarne-riis-giro-sensation-up-in-smoke.html

Honestly, I had lost some faith in him as he's show nothing at all this season so I didn't expect him to earn a lot of points in Giro d'Italia anyway. Of course it's a loss, but it's not that bad.

 

[greenedge]

I am upset about that, he could have at least featured in the first week of the Giro. Possible return at the Vuelta ( probably riding for Contador )- could it happen or not???

 

[CQmanager]

Majka is out huh? Oh well. This game will be decided by expensive picks. I truly think those expensive riders will be the deal breakers and one name that I have in mind is Nibali. If he does well and score 2000 points you may win this game ... if you have Boonen and all those obvious picks too.

At the same time, any rider over 1000 points is extremely risky pick and should be avoided. Yes, the gamble may pay off but just look at Cancellara, Levi or Tony Martin or any other rider who is out due to injury ... if you have one of those and the injury is season ending the game is over for you too.

 

[Eric8-A]

I am upset about that, he could have at least featured in the first week of the Giro. Possible return at the Vuelta ( probably riding for Contador )- could it happen or not???

He'll have the support of his team because Contador is going to be riding for Movistar because Riis can't get Contador's favorite donuts

 

[TeoSheva]

Lulu starts to show something...good week for me until now

 

[jsem94]

The expensive riders for me have definitely not delivered so far. Except for Boonen.

Shoulda picked Nibali too, such an obvious pick in hindsight.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Did you know that 40 CQ points is a career high score for Guardini?

I based half my team upon the idea of picking up lots of points from placings in anonymous midweek races.
No Haedo for me, but the other two.
Demare looks as if he could end up as one of the deals of the season.
Out through injury since De Panne and 5th, first race back.
Shows his condition is still good.
Depends where they send him after Tro Bro, since there's a bit of a pause coming up in the French calendar.
Luckily, the Italian racing scene is about to pick up impetus, with a number of these one day wonders.
Cue Mr Guardini, Battaglin and co.

I didn't even realise that - he's improving then
Actually, I think he could turn out to be an OK pick. He's not gonna earn like 600+ but if he does well in the Giro it could turn out pretty nice.

I'm glad we're approaching some Italian races now. After all, this is where the main focus of a lot of my riders is, like Battaglin, Moser, Ratto, Felline, Betancur etc.

Looking at the upcoming races I've got Felline, Moser, Betancur and Battaglin in Giro dell'Appennino so I have some expectations for that race.
In Amstel Gold Race I've got Bardet, Madrazo, Henao, Puccio and Poels. I fully expect Henao to win here of course, so I'll be satisfied with at least one more on the podium
Demare is my only starter in Tro-Bro Léon, while Kreuziger, Betancur, Felline and Battaglin hopefully picks up some points in Giro del Trentino.
My Flèche Wallonne team consists of Bardet, Anton, Moser, Ratto, Madrazo, Kelderman, Henao and Puccio.

So all in all, while my AGR and FW teams aren't that strong, I hope I can limit my losses with some points in Italy. I'm dissapointed that it doesn't seem as though Poels will be doing FW. That should be the Ardennes race that suits him the best I think.

 

[Popchu]

I think I will pay the price for my northern classics team in the rest of the season. It isn't my best week, nothing scored so far! Also Amstel don't give me good prospects. Maybe Rujano tomorrow in Appeninno? Luckily I have Anton, Kreuziger and Uran for the Ardennes classics next week, and Rujano in Trentino, so it should be better than this week.

I hope my fall in the ranking stays limited until the Giro, where I will have Rujano (top favorite in my opinion), Kreuziger (top 5 is possible) and Uran (top 5 is possible, but I'm afraid Henao will be better).

Oh, excuse me for my English. I have to work on it.

 

[Panda Claws]

I am looking forward to the Ardennes.


Amstel Gold Race


Matti Breschel
Jens Debusschere
Maxim Iglinskiy
Michal Kwiatkowski
Cédric Pineau
Jurgen Van Den Broeck
Jelle Vanendert

 

[TeoSheva]

I think I will pay the price for my northern classics team in the rest of the season. It isn't my best week, nothing scored so far! Also Amstel don't give me good prospects. Maybe Rujano tomorrow in Appeninno? Luckily I have Anton, Kreuziger and Uran for the Ardennes classics next week, and Rujano in Trentino, so it should be better than this week.

I hope my fall in the ranking stays limited until the Giro, where I will have Rujano (top favorite in my opinion), Kreuziger (top 5 is possible) and Uran (top 5 is possible, but I'm afraid Henao will be better).

Oh, excuse me for my English. I have to work on it.

I really like your team, and at the giro you will be one of the best!
only few picks are not good enough IMO: mainly VAN KEIRSBULCK, than Martens and maybe Uran...

 

[TeoSheva]

Amstel Gold Race
GASPAROTTO Enrico
IGLINSKIY Maxim
VANENDERT Jelle
KWIATKOWSKI Michael
BRESCHEL Matti
HORNER Christopher
CARRARA Matteo
LINDEMAN Bertjan


Giro dell'Appenino
Moreno Moser
Enrico Battaglin

Tro-Bro Léon
DEMARE Arnaud

good team for the Amstel, few names for the minor races, but they can do well

 

[Popchu]

I really like your team, and at the giro you will be one of the best!
only few picks are not good enough IMO: mainly VAN KEIRSBULCK, than Martens and maybe Uran...

Agree. But Van Keirsbulck could score some points in the end of the season. Martens had I expected this week, but his form doesn't look good. But I have a lot confidence for Uran! I expect him wednesday and sunday, and in the Giro he's on paper the leader of Sky. So he could score a lot of points.

But I regret not having Velits, Henao and Demare.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I really like your team, and at the giro you will be one of the best!
only few picks are not good enough IMO: mainly VAN KEIRSBULCK, than Martens and maybe Uran...

Since I've got Van Keirsbulck in my team I feel like I have to defend him a little. He got very unlucky in Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen with a flat 5 km's before the finish line on the last stage, otherwise he would have finished 3rd or 5th (I don't remember exactly) earning him an additional 50 points at least.
I don't really know what happened in Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde but he was very strong there as well.

That said, you're partly right in my opinion. He was never gonna be a game breaker but I definitely expected him to break even.

 

[greenedge]

I really like your team, and at the giro you will be one of the best!
only few picks are not good enough IMO: mainly VAN KEIRSBULCK, than Martens and maybe Uran...

Uran is an ok pick. He shall probably lead at the Ardennes ( Henao might by the time LBL comes but Uran can improve from last year ). He had 239 points by this time last year and this year he has 259. Also if he goes to the Giro he will get a chance to ride well. He could also at the TDF support Wiggins and finish high enough to get the white jersey ( i know it does not count but the position in the GC does ). He could also go well at the WC and GDL.

GVK would have been a good pick if he did not have to ride for OPQS- with a multitude of leaders/ he could go ok later in the season ( still young ).
The Martens pick was probably influenced by the amount of hyping he receives on this forum.

As you say Rujano will probably offset those losses- though i hope Basso can win the Giro

 

[Eric8-A]

Amstel Gold Race

Robert Kiserlovski
Jurgen Van Den Broeck
Matti Breschel
Thomas Lofkvsit
Karsten Kroon

Giro dell'Appennino

Danilo Di Luca

 

[Popchu]

GVK would have been a good pick if he did not have to ride for OPQS- with a multitude of leaders/ he could go ok later in the season ( still young ).
The Martens pick was probably influenced by the amount of hyping he receives on this forum.

I think I became an active reader of this CN forum just before the deadline for this CQ Ranking Manager game. So I'm not influenced by hypes on this forum. He wasn't good in Brabantse Pijl, but maybe AGR will be better!


"Just spinned the legs on the normal pre-race amstel loop...wednesday is forgotten...self-confidence is back for tomorrow!!!"

 

[TeoSheva]

Amstel Gold Race
GASPAROTTO Enrico
IGLINSKIY Maxim
VANENDERT Jelle
KWIATKOWSKI Michael
BRESCHEL Matti
HORNER Christopher
CARRARA Matteo
LINDEMAN Bertjan

this is definitely my week

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Congratulations! I had a winner in Felline today as well

 

[LaFlorecita]

Hey what a pleasant surprise. Fabio Felline wins an Italian 1.1 race and scores 80 points.

Still a fail week for me though.

 

[will10]

Dang, I had Gasparotto a year too early.

 

[the_fool_on_the_hill]

I may be at the bottom, but I now have a unique rider with a 1900% improvement.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I may be at the bottom, but I now have a unique rider with a 1900% improvement.

Who?............

 

[skidmark]

hmm, not my week. Some decent minor placings from Brandle and Kelderman and Demare in the 1.1 races, a win by Felline, and a stage win by LL Sanchez, but totally dry in Brabantse Pijl and no one at least in the top 8 of AGR. That's where the big points are, and I'm not getting any. Plus a few guys I passed over because I thought they couldn't score that many points, Vanendert and Gasparotto, prove me wrong. Bye bye top 10, methinks.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Oh my, I scored 17 points for Costa, 11 for Bardet and 7 for Kiserlovski at AGR...

What a score.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Oh my, I scored 17 points for Costa, 11 for Bardet and 7 for Kiserlovski at AGR...

What a score.

That's the same as me! Except I don't have Costa or Kiserlovski (I do have Henao, though).