The 2019 CQ Ranking Manager Thread

[skidmark]

A little less than 48 hours until the submission deadline (and, a reminder, a further 24 hours after that before the publication deadline), and I'm getting excited for teams to be revealed, people to start talking and debating about riders, and of course for the racing to start. We're up to 40 entries - last year with 2 days to go we had about a dozen more, so I don't know if that's a trend for fewer teams or perhaps it means that people just got them in earlier last year as the deadline was the end of the 2nd so folks wanted to get them in before new years. At any rate, keep 'em coming, the more the merrier! If you haven't played and you're considering it, throw together a team and see how fun it is to follow this year, and then it'll be even more fun if you spend more time on it next year!

 

[Sestriere]

Submitted my team, I'm in for the first time this year. I'll be impressed if I have more points in the end than I have now.

 

[adamski101]

Team submitted. I echo some of the comments already made in that it was quite tricky this year to come up with a team. There are so many would be "must have picks" but with a lot of them there are question marks over the riders concerned, be it recovering from illness or injury. Not gone for any really high value picks this year as they have never really worked out too well for me in the past. My selection has ended up more with heart ruling over head on some of the selections. No high expectations, just looking forward to the big reveal and the season geeting under way.

 

[Falze]

Team Entered

Missed last years game

Expecting really good things from my team

Reality will be normal mid-table rhubarb

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Team sent in. Not really happy about it so I don't expect much this year though. Average age 23.6, 17 teams, 13 nationalities. Good luck to everyone.

 

[Squire]

Re:

Team sent in. Not really happy about it so I don't expect much this year though. Average age 23.6, 17 teams, 13 nationalities. Good luck to everyone.

The bolded part makes me really curious to see your team. If there ever was a year where picking lots of old farts made sense, it would be this one, right? Has there ever been as few neo-pros in the World Tour as this year?

 

[barmaher]

I really struggled with my team this year. But maybe that is a good thing as I seem to remember being pretty pleased with myself last year and I only came around 30th.

My main problem was in deciding whether to include expensive bounce back legends or a team full of middle-of-the-road picks.

I eventually decided to pick a good few expensive guys, and ended up scrambling in the bargain basement to complete my team.

The average age of my team is just below 26. My oldest rider is 38, the youngest is 20.
Thirteen different nationalities are represented, but Italians, Brits and Aussies make up nearly half my team.
I have four riders above 600 (including one rider well over 1000) and all my other riders (bar 1) are below 300. So just one in the 300-600 range. That is not to say that I couldn't see value there. There are some great picks. I just really wanted to crowbar some of the expensive picks in.

I would say I have a high chance of crashing and burning. Last year I did a great job of picking young riders, so I am hoping my bargain hunting is fruitful again.

 

[Salvarani]

Re:

Team sent in. Not really happy about it so I don't expect much this year though. Average age 23.6, 17 teams, 13 nationalities. Good luck to everyone.

Average age on my team is 24

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

Team sent in. Not really happy about it so I don't expect much this year though. Average age 23.6, 17 teams, 13 nationalities. Good luck to everyone.

The bolded part makes me really curious to see your team. If there ever was a year where picking lots of old farts made sense, it would be this one, right? Has there ever been as few neo-pros in the World Tour as this year?

Can't speak for Hugo but while I don't have too many 1st year neo pros I have many 2nd year neos. I found it quite easy to find many exciting young prospects. Of course, no guarantee they'll deliver (yet).

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Re: Re:

Team sent in. Not really happy about it so I don't expect much this year though. Average age 23.6, 17 teams, 13 nationalities. Good luck to everyone.

The bolded part makes me really curious to see your team. If there ever was a year where picking lots of old farts made sense, it would be this one, right? Has there ever been as few neo-pros in the World Tour as this year?

You might be right, and I certainly left out many (if not most) of the obvious "old farts" picks mainly because I was really frustrated with my team this year and didn't have enough time to put together a team I was happy with, so in the end just decided to go with a bunch of kids instead of the obvious ones. However, I do think a lot of the "old farts" will turn out not to be very good picks.

That said, I have no expectations for a high finish this year.

 

[Nathanptz]

Team submitted, hoping for a top 10 this year. Not as much preparation as last year but more gut and I reckon that could be the way to go. I like my team a lot.

 

[bminchow]

i have submitted my line up twice now and am still second guessing myself. i should always do this on the last day, and maybe with a couple of beers as well. Apologies to Skid, who will likely see a third line up. I don't feel like a person can win this thing by mostly taking neo-pros. It is fun to follow them that's for sure, but can you really win that way? Isn't winning the whole point of this game? (Okay, heck No. The point is having riders to cheer for while we are watching the event on our second monitor while trying to write protocols and reports).

Another request, can we put managers country with their name? I like to see who I'm playing with (and against).

 

[Salvarani]

i have submitted my line up twice now and am still second guessing myself. i should always do this on the last day, and maybe with a couple of beers as well. Apologies to Skid, who will likely see a third line up. I don't feel like a person can win this thing by mostly taking neo-pros. It is fun to follow them that's for sure, but can you really win that way? Isn't winning the whole point of this game? (Okay, heck No. The point is having riders to cheer for while we are watching the event on our second monitor while trying to write protocols and reports).

Another request, can we put managers country with their name? I like to see who I'm playing with (and against).

I think picking riders that are young and might be on the verge of a breakthrough and really is establishing themselves is a way to pick riders that will hopefully increase their point tally over the season. You still gotta make the right picks though. Easier said than done, because everybody wont pan out.

Picking an established rider thats been riding for a few years and is a star/leader they would have to have had a poor or mediocre season the year before, for it to makes sense picking them.

Basically do you widen the spread or do you play the big risk/big reward type tactic? Or maybe a mix between the two tactics?

I wasnt good last year, but hopefully I learned something. Oh well

 

[manafana]

im in team in, 2018 i flirted with the top 5 for a bit

 

[Tonton]

For you guys who go for the win, good luck . I saw and passed on some riders who under performed in '18 and with no doubt will bounce back. Promising talents? I have a few. But more importantly, I like my team, soon to be unveiled when the deadline expires. Still: 7500 ain't enough . But all in all, I should fare OK. If my gambles come through and true, I shall destroy you all!!! Muhahahahahahaaaaa...

PS: see my signature: he's in my team .

 

[SafeBet]

My team is in.
I did a lot more research compared to 2018 and 2017 (both beacuse I was on holiday for the past couple of weeks and because it was nearly impossible being completely satisfied with a roster this year).

As a result my roster is more diversified than ever. There's a 16 year difference between my oldest and my youngest rider. Average age is 25,96.
23 teams are represented, with riders from all 3 pro levels.
Belgium is the most represented country with 6 riders. Overall 16 different nationalities are represented.

This looks to me as the best team I've ever assembled, but I guess luck will play a bigger role in 2019, so I wouldn't be surprised to finish outside the top50.

Good luck to everyone.

 

[Squire]

Submitted my team.
I'm testing a couple of theories this year which might bring my team pretty far down the popularity rankings. We'll see how it goes.

11 nationalities, 22 teams, 16 WT riders, average age 26,7 at the 1st of January.

 

[Tigerion]

Well my tactic of going top heavy failed spectacularly last year so going back to my tried and try possible to end up mid pack tactic
A bit of a different team this year and no idea if it will be good or bad but should be interesting
As people said above, it isn't always about winning but adding a bit of extra spice to the races that makes the game

 

[Simurgh]

Team submitted. Almost a third of the riders are Italian! First time playing, and it can be seen on my team, where I have picked a lot of "safe" bets, mixed with a couple of wild cards, and some young prospects, I hope/guess can break through this year. A recipe for disaster? Time will tell…

 

[Crevaison]

Wasn't so hard this year to find a line up that I could sympathize with. Some pretty middle of the road choices though, so I don't expect much more than mid-pack. Handfull of Belgians and Italians but a pretty even spread of nationalities.. No riders over 1000 points and an average age of 27. I like the team but I don't expect it to be particularly original this year.

 

[ingsve]

After missing the last two years I've now back and have submitted my team.

 

[HelgeBlendet]

Submitted!

Haven't really kept up with cycling the last year and I really couldn't decide who to keep of the more "expensive" riders, who to trust of the old farts to come back and which young guy would be worth a punt. I think I've never had a team with so many riders I don't really know anything about other than they are young and got some vague praise and did fit into the remaining budget. Add to this the usual "I-know-it-doesn't-make-much-sense-but-I-want-him" and the "yeah-he-could-be-a-good-pick-but-I-don't-want-him" and you end up with a team that leaves me completely clueless as what to expect.

 

[fauniera]

Re:

I'm testing a couple of theories this year which might bring my team pretty far down the popularity rankings. We'll see how it goes.

Looking forward to hear more about these theories.

Meanwhile i can't decide about the final three or four places on my team. Still a few hours to go...

 

[the asian]

Team Submitted.

No hope at all this time.

 

[Squire]

Re:

After missing the last two years I've now back and have submitted my team.

Yay!

Any bold predictions this time?