The 2014 CQ Ranking Manager Thread

[karlboss]

You need to do better than make a profit on your riders to make them worthwhile, I'd argue a reasonable aim would be double their 2013 points and score at least 100 points. So Gaimon, Haas, and Cummings are the only riders there thus far, but many on this list are looking good given it is only Feb.
The best possible teams in the past score roughly 21000 points.

Looking at the results so far it's hard to say who is going to be better great and horrible picks, but I'd run with Hepburn as a great pick and Goss as horrible. BMC looks like a team on the improve. March will be telling as we move into events that riders actually care about winning.

 

[HelgeBlendet]

Le Tour de Langkawi
CHAVES RUBIO Johan Esteban

I guess he's just testing his legs. GC points would be nice though.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
BOONEN Tom
TRENTIN Matteo
JANSE VAN RENSBURG Reinardt
BOASSON HAGEN Edvald

Last year, my cobble-team was ridiculous good. This year, I have Boonen...

Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia
COPPEL Jerome
QUINTANA ROJAS Dayer Uberney

A maybe and a prospect... meh

Classic Sud Ardèche
GILBERT Philippe
HOOGERLAND Johnny

Johnny in a breakaway! Gilbert to start his domination.... maybe....

Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne
BOONEN Tom
TRENTIN Matteo
BOASSON HAGEN Edvald
ZABEL Rick
JANSE VAN RENSBURG Reinardt

Only marginally better than Omloop. Zabel to Top10 would be fun.

Clasica de Almeria
COPPEL Jerome

Venga! Venga Jerome!

G.P. Città di Lugano
FORMOLO Davide
YATES Adam
YATES Simon
DOCKER Mitchell
TEKLEHAYMANOT Daniel

Yates is/are always fun.

La Drôme Classic
GILBERT Philippe
HOOGERLAND Johnny


Let the season begin!

 

[skidmark]

Alright, big weekend! Let's go; in gambling parlance, daddy needs a new pair of shoes.

Langkawi

Chaves
Howson

I guess I hope Chaves is up there for the overall; they say they're going for Weening, though. Howson - I mean, he could win a stage from a break but I don't expect anything.

Murcia

Coppel
Bennett
LL Sanchez

This is Sanchez's type of race. Coppel can climb but I've never seen him do anything in a one-day. Bennett can get over bumps, but not murcia climbs.

Sud Ardeche

Craddock

Unless I get real lucky, nothing.

Het Volk

Boonen
Phinney
Le Bon
Boasson Hagen

Any of these guys can do something; Le Bon's my most unique pick so of course I'm hoping for him to get a result, but based on Oman/Qatar I wouldn't hold my breath.

Almeria

Coppel
Sanchez
Bennett

Same as Murcia, except reversed: here's where I'm hoping Bennett scores a top 5 as he's capable of. Example of the unfairness of CQ sometimes - if he went to KBK he'd be swamped by top-tier sprinters in a 1.1, but here he has a shot in a 1.HC.

Lugano

Formolo
Battaglin
Teklehaimanot
Gerdemann

Formolo showed some stuff so far, if he gets lucky with a late break he's a contender for anything. This is Battaglin's type of race, and his top 10 on that stage in Oman was at least a bit hopeful. Dunno about the other two, but they're good competitors.

Drome

nobody.

KBK

Boonen
Boasson Hagen
Le Bon

I think that guy Boonen's done okay here before... but of course, that's more preventative points than anything, since everyone has him.

 

[mutschi]

Can't believe these lazy Astana riders didn't bother to chase down the breakaway for my sprinter Andrea Guardini. 3 Points instead of a possible 20 + race lead. They are lucky I am not their DS......

 

[skidmark]

Can't believe these lazy Astana riders didn't bother to chase down the breakaway for my sprinter Andrea Guardini. 3 Points instead of a possible 20 + race lead. They are lucky I am not their DS......

Haha, yeah I know. It's funny to check the race results and the first thing I think is 'yesss, the break got it so no popular riders get easy points plus leaders jersey'. I love good racing, but this game adds an element of cheering that I love, healthy or not.

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

Sinkeldam with his big engine is tailored for this as well. I especially look forward to seeing him in Roubaix again. (He is even a unique pick).

Sinkeldam was impressive last year in Roubaix when he followed then countered Cancellara's first attack (well for Cancellara it was more stretching his legs but still a very good ride from Sinkeldam). I just found him a little bit expensive for someone who didn't do much the rest of the year but he is an interesting pick on the cobbles for sure.

 

[Jakob747]

Sinkeldam was impressive last year in Roubaix when he followed then countered Cancellara's first attack (well for Cancellara it was more stretching his legs but still a very good ride from Sinkeldam). I just found him a little bit expensive for someone who didn't do much the rest of the year but he is an interesting pick on the cobbles for sure.

Spot on in regards to Roubaix! The fact he might end up serving as a lead-out or train conductor at the sprinting loaded Giant, made me stay away from him this season.

I guess you are more excited about F. Senechal this spring!

+ Following M. Kudus tomorrow on Genting.

 

[karlboss]

March will be telling, the start of the classics, and the really early season form indicators of Paris Nice and Tirreno Adriatico.
We'll see some big moves for sure and I'm tipping wizard of Oz will lose his early season lead, unless Gerrans pulls a Rebellin, Gilbert...and we all know how likely that is.
I think I'm going to see at least one of my big name riders EBH fail, his early season form just looks off.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (1.HC)
STYBAR Zdenek
BOONEN Tom
JANSE VAN RENSBURG Reinardt
ZORDAN Andrea

Okay that was horrible

 

[zlev11]

i had EBH, Vanmarcke, and Langeveld, wooo!

 

[the asian]

Eddy Boss and Theo Bos delivering !

 

[Hugo87]

Hagen 3rd on Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Di Gregorio 5th on Classic Sud Ardèche wasn't bad for me.

 

[LaFlorecita]

I need to score big tomorrow, don't want another 10 point week!

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

I always had confidence in EBH. Always.

I've just realised that my team is incredibly light on riders for the cobbles. I've only got Boonen (who everybody else has anyway) and uh, EBH...

 

[adamski101]

been a decent day. Stannard, Phinney, Langeveld and Stybar in Omloop and Guardini in Langkawi.

 

[Hugo87]

been a decent day. Stannard, Phinney, Langeveld and Stybar in Omloop and Guardini in Langkawi.

That's very good! Gratz!

 

[ingsve]

Think it will be good for people with Stannard this year.

At least I had EBH, Vanmarcke, Phinney in Omloop plus Gilbert in Sud Ardeche so decent day.

 

[skidmark]

3rd and 7th in Het Volk, not terrible. EBH and Phinney are fairly popular. More encouraging was the constant aggression of Johan Le Bon, looking great on the cobbles (I assume after all those attacks he was on the front chasing for Demare a bit, so he finished down and only got 9 points). Keep going like that and you'll get in the right break and win something, for sure. The other two races I got nothing.

 

[Jancouver]

Just a few points from Phinney and Bos/Guardini

Five races tomorrow but I don think I have that many starters

2/03 1.HC Esp Clasica de Almeria
2/03 2.HCs Mas Tour de Langkawi, Stage 4 : Subang - Genting Highlands
2/03 1.1 Fra Valence Drôme Classic
2/03 1.1 Bel Kuurne - Brussel - Kuurne
2/03 1.1 Sui GP di Lugano

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Doesn't it feel awful when a rider who you like a lot and who you firmly believe has a great carreer ahead of him, but for some reason didn't pick, performs quite well.

Merhawi Kudus was on all my shortlists, I've been following him since last year's Tropicale Amisso Bongo and I really believe he is a huge talent. But right in the end of making my team, when I still had to swap some rider's to stay under the 7500 point limit, I thought, you know what, this guy is only from 1994, he probably needs a year or two before really making some decent points and I swapped him out. Poor call by me I guess, seeing his 2nd place in Langkawi now.

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

Spot on in regards to Roubaix! The fact he might end up serving as a lead-out or train conductor at the sprinting loaded Giant, made me stay away from him this season.

I guess you are more excited about F. Senechal this spring!

+ Following M. Kudus tomorrow on Genting.

Kudus went better than I expected today, I'm really pleased with the result especially since I haven't scored much this week. Hopefully he will ride Turkey and take another bunch of cheap points.

 

[skidmark]

Almeria

Coppel
Sanchez
Bennett

Same as Murcia, except reversed: here's where I'm hoping Bennett scores a top 5 as he's capable of. Example of the unfairness of CQ sometimes - if he went to KBK he'd be swamped by top-tier sprinters in a 1.1, but here he has a shot in a 1.HC.

Well, I was right about Bennett! Did not expect him to win, this augurs well for the rest of the year. However, I didn't realize they had changed Almeria to a 1.1 this year, which although fair, was a bit of a bummer to find out I didn't have 60 more points!

Ah well, he wins, Boonen wins, Chaves gets a surprising fourth (I agree about the regret re: Kudus, didn't think he had it at 19 so good for him), Formolo picked up some first points of the season... it's an okay day, decent week. Bring on Paris-Nice!

 

[LaFlorecita]

95 points for me of which 80 from Boonen

 

[lenissart]

Not a bad week for me !

Guardini, Chaves, Colbrelli, Cunego, EBH, Boonen, Phiney, Coppel, Rosa had scored this week !

Hope I can conserve my top10, and why not returning to top5 ?

 

[del1962]

Bennett (80), Boonen (80) and Barguil (20 + 5), Rueben Fernandez (28) and Basso finaly scoring with 8

That I think is all this week, not exactly great,