My team. It's mostly riders I cheer for combined with a few guys I think will do well. I've deliberately left out some riders that will probably turn out to be crucial and included some fanboy picks.
GILBERT Philippe: 1086
I actually think that Gilbert is the best pick in the game this season. Perhaps Andy is better, but a rider costing 1086 and has proved that he can tripple that amount probably won't ever be available in this game again. He's a nobrainer pick.
QUINTANA ROJAS Nairo Alexander: 707
This is probably a slight fanboy pick as his schedule isn't that good for scoring a lot of points. However, Quintana is so good that he'll score a lot of points anyway. I don't really expect him to end up as a super pick but I can see him scoring 1000 points if everything goes right.
TIERNAN-LOCKE Jonathan: 591
One of the most hyped riders last season now with a chance to show himself off at the highest level. It will be very interesting to follow his progress this season and although he might not turn out to be that good of a pick, he will be fun to follow.
PINOT Thibaut: 442
One of the most talented riders out there and leader of the team. He can definitely score big this season.
GUARDINI Andrea: 404
Well, I'm a big fan of Guardini and of course he's gonna destroy everyone this year!
TAARAMÄE Rein: 384
He was quite unlucky with his illness last year, but despite of this he impressed me in the Tour. I think he can score a lot of points if everything runs smoothly.
FELLINE Fabio: 366
Another one of my Italian heros. He's quite expensive, but I hope and think that he can dominate the Italian scene this year. He's got the potential to do so, but he might end up as one of those "fanboy, not that profitable" picks.
CHAVES RUBIO Johan Esteban: 314
If Colombia gets invited to the Giro, I'm sure Chaves will prove a good pick and even if they don't he's such a huge talent that he's bound to score a lot of points. The only issue is of course which races he's gonna do.
REBELLIN Davide: 276
Rebellin is just cool and of course he's in my team. I do think that he can score a lot of points though. He showed last year that even though he's 41 years old, he still got it!
DENNIS Rohan: 271
Dennis is definitely one of the biggest talents in the peloton and he's got the skills to score a lot of points. I have a feeling he'll have a Sagan like first season. He's my favorite to be the highest ranked neo-pro when the season is over. Any takers for an avatar bet?
BARDET Romain: 250
I knew of Bardets talent, but he really impressed me in Tour of Turkey on that gruesome stage 4 where he was constantly attacking. And of course in Amstel Gold Race as well. I think he'll have a very good season, continuing his progress.
LUTSENKO Alexey: 249
"The beast from East" (or does someone else already have this cliché of a nickname?). Can't help but pick Lutsenko even if he might not turn out to be that profitable of a pick. He'll be very fun to follow.
JUNGELS Bob: 233
Another big talent and I'm sure that Jungels will score a lot of points because of his great time trialing skills. A bit expensive, though.
DOMBROWSKI Joseph Lloyd: 194
Most know of Dombrowski's abilities, but I still think he's gonna surprise a few. He's gonna fight against a lot of great riders on Sky though, which might hinder his point scoring a bit.
THOMAS Geraint: 181
Thomas is clearly a talented rider and he can do well in both classics and time trials I think he'll be one of the revelations this year, even if many expect him to be.
ARU Fabio: 162
One of the most talented climbers out there. I hope he will get some freedom at Astana and if he do, I think he'll have a very good first season, especially doing well in the Italian fall races.
PELUCCHI Matteo: 159
Matto is one of my favorite riders. Unfortunately, Europcar didn't really appreciate his talent but hopefully IAM will. He could easily be one this seasons big surprises if he's given the freedom, and at IAM there's only one guy to battle against: Haussler.
BATTAGLIN Enrico: 152
Another young, talented Italian. Enrico didn't have the best of seasons last year, but it was his first in the pro peloton and he did show some promise here and there. I hope Bardiani recognize his talent in one day races and don't try and turn him into a GC rider.
PUCCIO Salvatore: 136
Yet another Italian. Puccio didn't get very good results last season, but being at Sky makes that harder. He's a very talented young guy and he almost can't avoid scoring bigger this year.
BARGUIL Warren: 120
To be honest, I don't know much about Barguil other than he's a promising climber. I suspect he'll get a lot of freedom at Argos, you know being the only one on that team that can climb.
VAN KEIRSBULCK Guillaume: 112
I'm a big fan of Van Keirsbulck and I think he was pretty unlucky last season, puncturing in Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen on the final stage when he would have finished 5th overall and having Janorsckhe crash into him in Arenberg in Paris-Roubaix. He's on a strong team but he can score a lot of points in smaller races.
SCHNAIDT Fabian: 103
Schnaidt is a very fast young man and his contract with Champion System will earn him a lot of points in the Chinese races toward the end of the season. I think he will surprise a lot of people this year.
APPOLLONIO Davide: 102
Another young guy and another sprinter. There's no doubt that Appollonio is talented and it's good for him that he left Sky. Ag2r might be a very good choice.
COBO ACEBO Juan Jose: 96
The CQ game legend of all legends. Of course he's gonna win the Vuelta this year.
VAN DER SANDE Tosh: 86
I also had Van Der Sande on my team last season, but he didn't really deliver then. I expect him to progress a lot this year after getting used to the level in the pro peloton last year.
BONGIORNO Francesco Manuel: 79
A lot has already been said about the young Italian, but his talent is still yet to be defined. I have faith in him and I hope that he'll deliver some results already this year.
SBARAGLI Kristian: 73
Many probably haven't even heard of Sbaragli, but he's a really promising rider. Very strong and perfectly suited for classics. MTN-Qhubeka is an interesting choice which I think can turn out very well.
WACKERMANN Luca: 59
I don't really know that much about young Wackermann either, but he got a very promising result in Tre Valli Varesine, finishing 5th as a 20-year-old. Besides, he's got an awesome name.
ROSA Diego: 52
Neo-pro at Androni who comes from a mountainbike background and has shown some good climbing skills. Will be very interesting to follow.
COQUARD Bryan: 33
Most know of Coquard. He will have to wok on his stamina but he can definitely have a breakthrough already this season.
SCHLECK Andy: 20
Uhm...
VIENNET Emilien: 0
So close. Hours before the deadline, ansimi sent in a team with Viennet in it, otherwise he would have been my unique pick. Anyway, that doesn't make him a worse pick. Emilien is a very versatile young guy who has done mountainbike and cyclo-cross and has some great results, including the European Junior Championship in cyclo-cross and a second place in the European Junior Time Trialing Championship.
OSPINA HERNANDEZ Argiro Alonso: 0
Word says that Ospina is very talented. Don't know much about him - but hopefully I will after this season.
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