ALAPHILIPPE Julian (1011):
For the first time ever (as far as I recall) have I picked a rider above 1000 point. Alaphilippe reeks of class, and he has the potential to double his score. He has a skill set like Valverde, might still improve his climbing, and which cycling fan doesn’t like his racing prowess? If I ever was to risk a thousand-pointer, “Balaphilippe” is a good choice.
LOPEZ MORENO Miguel Angel (629):
Okay, Superman Lopez might not be the perfect nickname considering his tendency to crash and injure himself, but his talent is undeniable. If he puts together a complete season, he has the potential to reach 1500.
VANMARCKE Sep (602):
I needed an outsider for my favorite races, the cobbled ones. Was injured some of the spring last year, is strong as an ox and has a fast finish as well. Is competitive in a variety of races all year. His potential lies around 1000 point.
CHAVES RUBIO Jhoan Esteban (505):
Missed a lot of his major goals last year and like his countryman Lopez will be my GT go-to-guys. It seems like they’ll line up in the same Grand Tours, but also Chavez has the potential to reach 1500 if everything aligns.
LATOUR Pierre (453):
This pick was a hard one to make. Latour looks very promising, but might need a couple more years to fully reach his potential. Is likely to be the undisputed leader in many races and his time trial skills will give him more options than Bardet. Potential around 700, but I’ll gladly take a 1000 point season this soon.
HAIG Jack (395):
Again a choice made with “cycling fan blindfold” on. Haig looked impressive on several occasions last year, but I’m not sure if there’s too many GC riders on Mitchelton-Scott to allow him enough personal wiggle room. His class will prevail, though. Potential 700 points.
VENTURINI Clément (356):
A bit of a wild card. Venturini is still new to the road scene, but he should be the fastest guy on Ag2r and will no doubt fare even better on the cobbles in 2018. Exciting prospect with unknown potential, my guess is in the 800 area.
GAUDU David (352):
Count me in on the Gaudu hype train! What an entrance to the pro scene, and already he established himself as one of the leaders on FDJ. Opportunistic and young, the arrow only points upwards. Might not get a buttload of points this season, but 500 should be easily done.
VAN POPPEL Danny (287):
Way better than his results on Sky tells. Now he’s back in native settings and will play second fiddle to Groenewegen, but will get plenty of chances for himself. Potential is 800-ish.
MAS NICOLAU Enric (285):
Yet another impressive youngster from last year. Maybe I’ve gone overboard this year with guys that need a little more time to shine properly? Regardless, Mas is already showing why Contador speaks so highly of him, and QuickStep isn’t particularly loaded with mountain talents, so will get enough opportunities. Potential 600+ points.
CAVENDISH Mark (257):
An absolute no-brainer. Cavendish should be on every team except where he was forgotten. Very unlucky 2017, potential easily 1000 points.
DE PLUS Laurens (239):
A beast of a powerhouse. De Plus impressed me with massive power outputs several times in 2017. When that translates to results, it’s gonna make a splash. Hopefully in 2018. Like with Mas he should have plenty of opportunities on QuickStep. Potential 500+ points.
VERMOTE Julien (226):
My last pick and a real curveball. I wanted to rearrange to fit Moser and had to remove Reichenbach. Initially I looked at Cummings and Roelandts to replace him, but decided both has some risk involved (age and role). Vermote switched teams with a desire to try his own luck, which he’ll get, and we all know his engine. A boring pick which hopefully won’t come back to haunt me. (Hopeful) Potential 500 points.
COQUARD Bryan (220):
Another quality sprinter with a lost 2017? Check! Let’s see if they get a tour wild card, but there’s enough “easy” French 1.1 races to give him a 1000 point season to smack in the face of Bernaudeau.
FORMOLO Davide (217):
His actual potential is actually higher than his all-time CQ scores indicate – at least I think so. Have had some bad luck on the brink of breaking through, so why not let 2018 be the year? Potential 700 points.
BRAMBILLA Gianluca (195):
When I come to think of it, it seems I have a lot of riders competing against eachother on the roads of Italy in May. I really didn’t pay attention to Brambillas statements about going for the GC, since I rate him higher as a single stage racer. Should be able to easily outscore his 2017 score. Potential 600 points.
WÜRTZ SCHMIDT Mads (160):
My sole countryman got some decent results last year and hopes to race the Giro and reap the benefits of a completed grand tour the rest of the season. He’s fast and has got the time trial skills to top5 in minor stage races without climbing involved. Potential 400 points.
BETANCUR GOMEZ Carlos Alberto (159):
Okay, I don’t know what is up with me and my Betancur mancrush. I just can’t seem to let him go. At least this year he looks slimmer and according to himself he’s aiming to be the fourth leader on Movistar. I saw enough of the old Bananito in 2017 to get in on the high-risk-high-reward Colombian. Potential 700 points.
HALVORSEN Kristoffer (151):
Usually I steer clear of Neo-pros on Sky, but Halvorsen will be their primary sprinter for so many races that his actual point potential is the greatest of any Neo this year. Will he be able to cope without a real lead-out train, that’s the big question? Potential 500 points.
KENNAUGH Peter (137):
Well, this is my second-most boring pick. Kennaugh really doesn’t rock my boat, but if his own words are to be taken seriously, he will compete for top5-10 placings in weeklong stage races along the year, making him a safe, but indeed boring pick. Potential 400 points.
VERVAEKE Louis (119):
A great young Belgian climber with a surprising team switch. Maybe he’s stuck doing domestique work in the service of Major Tom, but the potential is there without a doubt. Potential 300+ points.
FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR Ruben (115):
It’s a Movistar mess – which of the solid, mountain doms will get their “easy“ wins in the smaller Spanish races? Fernandez had a bad 2017, so hopefully he’s back on track this year. Potential 400 points.
JONES Brenton (96):
A well-known secret to success in CQ yearly games is getting a sprinter for the French one-day races. I couldn’t find one last year, so I compensated by choosing four this year. Coquard will be chosen by a majority of teams, but hopefully Brenton Jones will be a much rarer pick. He will be Delkos lead sprinter, and it would serve him right to kick of the year in style in Gabon. Potential 500 points.
NAVARDAUSKAS Ramunas (77):
Was hampered by a serious injury for the majority of 2017 and is now back. Will be competitive in a variety of races all year. Potential 500 points.
NIZZOLO Giacomo (66):
Oh, there was another one of those? If people scan CQ rankings decently before picking their team, Nizzolo should be the top pick of 2018. Potential 1000 points.
KANGERT Tanel (58):
A nasty crash destroyed most of his season, but he is as steady as they come. With no Aru there should be more room for Kangerts personal ambitions, and he usually is ready to take over, when the chance is there. Potential 400 points.
WELTEN Bram (56):
My third “French team sprinter” choice. Not as flashy as Halvorsen, Jakobsen and Philipsen, but Neo-pro Welten might have the best racing calendar of those four CQ point wise. Both Welten and fellow Neo Carbel should get their chances this year. Potential 300 points.
CAPIOT Amaury (32):
I don’t really recall if it was injury or sickness that sidelined Capiot most of the year, but regardless he’s a big “bounce-back” candidate. And yes, he is the mandatory Sport Vlaanderen rider! Potential 500 points.
MOSER Moreno (25):
As stated earlier, I suddenly in the last minute decided to make room for the ever-so-green Moser, replacing Franklin Six, nephew of the late Frank Vandenbroucke. To be honest I’ve given up on him, but after reading a statement from Astana hoping to revive his career I dug a bit deeper. For instance I hadn’t heard that Moser was hampered by a virus for quite some time. I still remember the Moser from Strade Bianchi 2013, and if he’s ever to get back, I’d like to be on board. Potential 400 points.
KÖNIG Leopold (10):
After knee issues destroyed his first season at Bora, König should now be ready to pay back their trust in him. If people haven’t forgotten about him, he should be on almost every team like Cavendish and Nizzolo. Potential 700 points.
BARBIER Pierre (6):
A rare pick likely and kind of a left field decision. A Neo-pro, sprinter, younger brother of Rudy Barbier, who gathered quite some points in the French races. I’m hoping Pierre is picking up the slack quickly, but might need a year or two more. Potential 100+ points.
INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGA Beñat (0):
Oh my, didn’t know Mono could strike that bad. Now he finally should be back for real, and even though it might be primarily for dom work, it’s easy to see him reach 200 points taking that role.
ENGER Sondre Holst (0):
The lost Norwegian talent was off my radar until late December, and if the language barrier was the main problem for Sondre, he should thrive at the English-speaking ICA team. How well that translates into CQ points remains to be seen, but like with Intxausti there’s easily room for a 200+ season.
Always interesting to see if there's any riders I missed, aiming for another top10 placing. Good luck to everyone this season (just a tad less luck than me, of course
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