Thanks for all the information! I guess I probably will share it and reveal my shortcomings as a team selector, hah! I once joined a fantasy US Football league my cousin was running when I know nothing about that sport. So I picked my players more or less at random and wound up coming in second in the league! Won a hundred and twenty bucks! Maybe my luck will hold!
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Thanks!
Just under 3 hours until publication deadline and I have to go offline to travel as mentioned in my post last night... I have tried to catch up to all PM's up to this point, but again if something comes in just under the wire I'll get to it in the morning my time (early evening CET). Sad to miss the midnight reveal, it's like cycling christmas! But hopefully people will still have an appetite to discuss about 24 hours from now. Good luck guys!
You're doing a great job, buddy! I'm looking forward to seeing your team and hearing your thoughts about it.
Can't wait for the reveal! Had a hard time deciding on 33 riders this season. After my second place last year I hope I can at least get a top 10 but it won't be easy!
1000+: 0
700-999: 4
400-699: 0
200-399: 9
100-199: 9
0-99: 11
I have a bit of an odd point distribution compared to what I usually have. Much more top heavy this time around.
At a quick glance, I have 13 nationalities including 7 riders from France. 24 riders in WT teams, 8 in from PCT and 1 in CT.
700-999: 4
400-699: 0
200-399: 9
100-199: 9
0-99: 11
I have a bit of an odd point distribution compared to what I usually have. Much more top heavy this time around.
At a quick glance, I have 13 nationalities including 7 riders from France. 24 riders in WT teams, 8 in from PCT and 1 in CT.
Time to see some teams indeed. I can start out with my team with a few thoughts on the riders:
33 riders at 7498 points
PINOT Thibaut 861 – Huge potential to improve if he avoids bad luck in the TDF and also with Olympics, Worlds and fall classics. Should double his points
BARDET Romain 734 – The new Giro-Olympics-Worlds -Vuelta schedule should be really good for him to get back to his best and double his points
YATES Simon 668 – The Yates are always difficult to predict, but could well be back to his best and have a new season like 2018.
KWIATKOWSKI Michal 645 – The most uncertain of my expensive picks and I was very tempted to go with riders like Mas, Sosa, D. Martinez or G. Bennett instead, but sounds confident to get back to his best and still huge potential to score points in so many races that I was too afraid not to pick him, and him starting TDU and likely getting many easy points there made the choise easier.
MOSCON Gianni 424 – Horrible season last year but seemed back towards his best in the end so I expect he will be back close to the normal level again the whole next year
KELDERMAN Wilco 402 – Can almost only improve if he avoids bad luck. Giro leadership should also pay of well.
LATOUR Pierre 352 – Like Kelderman, certain pick missing so much of last season
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc 350 – Getting more leadershiproles next year and seemed to step up a level in the Vuelta, made him a certain pick.
DUMOULIN Tom 341 – obvious
VAN POPPEL Danny 334 – Just the kind of rider that are suited to get many points on his new team.
BOUHANNI Nacer 276 – Could not resists at the price. Wont be back to his old level but should improve a lot on a team not treating him horribly all the time and where he is clearly number one and also getting some dedicated leadoutassistance.
ANDERSEN Søren Kragh 268 – Most of the season spoiled by illness and backinjury. Huge potential to improve a lot next year. Certain pick.
DE LA CRUZ MELGAREJO David 252 – One of the last to make my team after his ambitious thought on 2020. Should clearly improve even if he dissapoints.
FELLINE Fabio 199 – Also one of the most uncertain picks, and maybe a bit with the heart also as one of my old favourites. But also sounding ambitious and recovered fully and huge potential if back, even more with Astana not having many fast riders meaning he might sprint more again.
ARU Fabio 194 – Obvious
OOMEN Sam 179 – Obvious
HERMANS Quinten 162 – Will focus more on the road next year so even if he is no Van Aert and Van Der Poel he could be a bit of a revelation
HAAS Nathan 118 – Very unstabile guy, but potential for many points in many races next year
GROVES Kaden 106 – Big versatile sprintertalent that should get many opportunities with Mitchelton. Ought to be a good pick.
DRUCKER Jempy 103 – Missed most of the season last year so should clearly improve and may even some more sprintchances also with Sam Bennett gone and him perhaps the nr 3 sprinter now on the team (even if it ought to be Baska) .
FROOME Chris 77 – Obvious even with risk of no points
GENIEZ Alexandre 68 – The most unstabile rider in the peloton, might get zero points but could easily get 500 and be a great pick.
MODOLO Sacha 67 – Should be over his troubles and should have plenty of chances to score points on his new team.
POWER Robert 56 – A bit of a filler on the team, and awful 2019, but with him supposed "to get more leadership next year" and with his past as supertalent he seemed pretty obvious to pick.
RUBIO REYES Einer Augusto 52 – A bit of a joker, but seemes like a very solid talent and has done quite well in many races. I suppose a rider like Minali at the same price might well score more next year, but he is the kind of rider that could surprice and has a lot higher ceiling so had to go with him. Still one of my last pick and very close to miss out with the final pick being between him and De La Cruz or Timo Roosen (that I really wanted to pick) and boring but solid pick Jonas Rickaert .
MÄDER Gino 50 – Huge talent with a lot of bad luck in 2019, huge potential to improve a lot.
CULLAIGH Gabriel 50 – Seems like a mediocre talent, but him not becomming the nr. 1 sprinter on Movistar, and also being quite solid, ought to make him score well enough to be a good pick.
ARDILA ORDOÑEZ Andres Camilo 44 – A bit of a joker again but seems like a huge talent that I was afraid not to pick.
VICHOT Arthur 28 – Missing most of 2019 but should be back to take revenche now, making him a obvious pick.
CAVENDISH Mark 25 – I guess he cant be written off completely yet so he gets a final chance
KANTER Max 8 – Obvious after missing most of 2019
DE BIE Sean 5 – Another rider missing most of 2019, with huge potential to improve a lot. A very safe pick.
SIMMONS Quinn 0 – I expect many to pick him after Evenepoels last season, so better safe than sorry and picking him, though I dont expect too much.
33 riders at 7498 points
PINOT Thibaut 861 – Huge potential to improve if he avoids bad luck in the TDF and also with Olympics, Worlds and fall classics. Should double his points
BARDET Romain 734 – The new Giro-Olympics-Worlds -Vuelta schedule should be really good for him to get back to his best and double his points
YATES Simon 668 – The Yates are always difficult to predict, but could well be back to his best and have a new season like 2018.
KWIATKOWSKI Michal 645 – The most uncertain of my expensive picks and I was very tempted to go with riders like Mas, Sosa, D. Martinez or G. Bennett instead, but sounds confident to get back to his best and still huge potential to score points in so many races that I was too afraid not to pick him, and him starting TDU and likely getting many easy points there made the choise easier.
MOSCON Gianni 424 – Horrible season last year but seemed back towards his best in the end so I expect he will be back close to the normal level again the whole next year
KELDERMAN Wilco 402 – Can almost only improve if he avoids bad luck. Giro leadership should also pay of well.
LATOUR Pierre 352 – Like Kelderman, certain pick missing so much of last season
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc 350 – Getting more leadershiproles next year and seemed to step up a level in the Vuelta, made him a certain pick.
DUMOULIN Tom 341 – obvious
VAN POPPEL Danny 334 – Just the kind of rider that are suited to get many points on his new team.
BOUHANNI Nacer 276 – Could not resists at the price. Wont be back to his old level but should improve a lot on a team not treating him horribly all the time and where he is clearly number one and also getting some dedicated leadoutassistance.
ANDERSEN Søren Kragh 268 – Most of the season spoiled by illness and backinjury. Huge potential to improve a lot next year. Certain pick.
DE LA CRUZ MELGAREJO David 252 – One of the last to make my team after his ambitious thought on 2020. Should clearly improve even if he dissapoints.
FELLINE Fabio 199 – Also one of the most uncertain picks, and maybe a bit with the heart also as one of my old favourites. But also sounding ambitious and recovered fully and huge potential if back, even more with Astana not having many fast riders meaning he might sprint more again.
ARU Fabio 194 – Obvious
OOMEN Sam 179 – Obvious
HERMANS Quinten 162 – Will focus more on the road next year so even if he is no Van Aert and Van Der Poel he could be a bit of a revelation
HAAS Nathan 118 – Very unstabile guy, but potential for many points in many races next year
GROVES Kaden 106 – Big versatile sprintertalent that should get many opportunities with Mitchelton. Ought to be a good pick.
DRUCKER Jempy 103 – Missed most of the season last year so should clearly improve and may even some more sprintchances also with Sam Bennett gone and him perhaps the nr 3 sprinter now on the team (even if it ought to be Baska) .
FROOME Chris 77 – Obvious even with risk of no points
GENIEZ Alexandre 68 – The most unstabile rider in the peloton, might get zero points but could easily get 500 and be a great pick.
MODOLO Sacha 67 – Should be over his troubles and should have plenty of chances to score points on his new team.
POWER Robert 56 – A bit of a filler on the team, and awful 2019, but with him supposed "to get more leadership next year" and with his past as supertalent he seemed pretty obvious to pick.
RUBIO REYES Einer Augusto 52 – A bit of a joker, but seemes like a very solid talent and has done quite well in many races. I suppose a rider like Minali at the same price might well score more next year, but he is the kind of rider that could surprice and has a lot higher ceiling so had to go with him. Still one of my last pick and very close to miss out with the final pick being between him and De La Cruz or Timo Roosen (that I really wanted to pick) and boring but solid pick Jonas Rickaert .
MÄDER Gino 50 – Huge talent with a lot of bad luck in 2019, huge potential to improve a lot.
CULLAIGH Gabriel 50 – Seems like a mediocre talent, but him not becomming the nr. 1 sprinter on Movistar, and also being quite solid, ought to make him score well enough to be a good pick.
ARDILA ORDOÑEZ Andres Camilo 44 – A bit of a joker again but seems like a huge talent that I was afraid not to pick.
VICHOT Arthur 28 – Missing most of 2019 but should be back to take revenche now, making him a obvious pick.
CAVENDISH Mark 25 – I guess he cant be written off completely yet so he gets a final chance
KANTER Max 8 – Obvious after missing most of 2019
DE BIE Sean 5 – Another rider missing most of 2019, with huge potential to improve a lot. A very safe pick.
SIMMONS Quinn 0 – I expect many to pick him after Evenepoels last season, so better safe than sorry and picking him, though I dont expect too much.
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PINOT Thibaut | 861 |
YATES Simon | 668 |
KWIATKOWSKI Michal | 645 |
VALGREN ANDERSEN Michael | 565 |
MOSCON Gianni | 424 |
GALLOPIN Tony | 379 |
LATOUR Pierre | 352 |
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc | 350 |
DUMOULIN Tom | 341 |
VAN POPPEL Danny | 334 |
BOUHANNI Nacer | 276 |
STEIMLE Jannik | 228 |
PADUN Mark | 209 |
FELLINE Fabio | 199 |
ARU Fabio | 194 |
VANENDERT Jelle | 181 |
OOMEN Sam | 179 |
RESTREPO VALENCIA Jhonatan | 167 |
CHERNETSKIY Sergey | 126 |
NARVAEZ PRADO Jhonatan Manuel | 98 |
FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR Ruben | 83 |
FROOME Chris | 77 |
MODOLO Sacha | 67 |
STRAKHOV Dmitry | 58 |
OSORIO CARVAJAL Alejandro | 51 |
MÄDER Gino | 50 |
VAN LERBERGHE Bert | 42 |
HÄNNINEN Jaakko | 41 |
VERMAERKE Kevin | 40 |
CEPEDA ORTIZ Jefferson Alexander | 36 |
DE BIE Sean | 5 |
HAYTER Ethan | 0 |
SIMMONS Quinn | 0 |
Long day, so just a few quick comments. Fairly pleased with this team. I'm probably too biased towards classics riders and against sprinters in general, and that is even more pronounced this year! Lots more young riders than usual. I think I'll probably have more PCT riders than most. That could be a weakness in a year when there were a lot of good value WT riders and neo-pros.
Overall, I think there'll be a lot more variation than last year. Looking forward to seeing the other teams!
Very nice team and quite close to my own, with me also being tempted by many of your other picks.
But Ethan Hayter made 148 points last year, so that must be a mistake either in the points or is it Leo Hayter instead?
Thanks. And you are correct of course! skidmark messaged me to say my team was over the limit and I couldn't work out why. An error in my spreadsheet, but mostly in my brain
Already have one bad pick before the season starts Its that time of the year again! Good luck to everybody with their teams in this year's edition!
Here is my 2020 CQ squad with a little writing to explain my choices.
Tadej Pogacar - Pogacar is a special, special phenomenon. Besides his incredible physiology, mentality wise he is on another level. Insane work ethic combined with an ambitious, tough, intelligent persona, makes him my most expensive choice in this year's CQ edition.
Remco Evenepoel - I would most definitely describe young Evenepoel as a 'talent of the century'. Never in my life have I seen such a prodigy. If he can avoid obstacles like injury or burning out early as other monstrous prospects have done before him, he could easily become one of the all-time greats!
Sergio Higuita - Everyone at EF Education, right from their team-principal to their coaches seems to believe Higuita is the "next/new Valverde". Lightning-fast accelerations uphill. An incredible surge towards the line in decimated group sprints + capabilities to hold his form forever makes him just about the perfect fit for the CQ Ranking scoring system. I don't expect anything GC wise in the GTs this year, but in one-week stage races + in the hilly one-day events he should be an absolute animal!
Simon Yates - Yates was on an absolute rampage in 2018, beast-mode times x10. It's not that he was poor in 2019, he just didn't manage to string his performances together into something super stellar worthy of his caliber. This year he will ride the Australian summer schedule with the aim to peak towards the Giro D'Italia. I sincerely expect the Punchy Englishman to be back firing on all cylinders in 2020.
Tom Dumoulin - He practically didn't race in 2019 due to injury. 27 race days is nothing in the grand scheme of things and I expect a rejuvenated Dumoulin in 2020. Everyone will have him on their squads anyway, but I genuinely wish to see Dumoulin back at his absolute best level again!
Søren Kragh Andersen - Injury-plagued last year, but on his best days, he is a classy, classy bike-rider. He has always been focused and extremely hard working and I know he has it within him to reach the top of the sport. He moved to Monaco to train with Fuglsang and Valgren and if he avoids illness I expect him to follow the best of the best in the spring classics.
Gregor Mühlberger - This year I wanted to go CQ shopping for a young promising climber on the way up, within a reasonable "price" to fit my remaining budget. Mühlberger ticked most of the boxes and I frankly couldn't find any serious alternatives in that price range. Mühlberger, in my opinion, is equally or more talented than Konrad and Großschartner. Formolo has swapped teams so there should be opportunities for the young Austrian in a calendar year full of racing. Even if he should be Buchmann's personal servant, there should still be enough potential points up for grabs with the level he showed in the mountains in the last week of the Tour.
Jannik Steimle - Everyone who joins the Wolfpack seems to grow 10% percent in additional strength as soon as they pull on their new kit. Steimle impressed me highly in 2019. He has insane watts, courage and a lethal sprint after a hard ridden race. His victory in Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen was impressive on its own, however, the workload he took on in l'Eurométropole was some next level s*** altogether. Of course, when he followed Mathieu van der Poels attack in Sparkassen Munsterland I was sold and since then he has not been out of my short-list once.
Mark Padun - 2019 would have been a disastrous year had it not been for his overall victory in Adriatica Ionica. Practically didn't race for the first 6 months of the year, but on Tre Cime di Lavaredo he showed why I continue to have a lot of faith in his abilities. On his days a splendid climber who actually packs a good finish towards the line (uphill). Injury-free I expect him to take another leap in 2020 and consolidate himself as one of the best prospects from the class of 96.
Alberto Dainese - As I already stated last year, my faith in Dainese is almost unlimited. His speed was practically unmatched in the U23 ranks and his move to Sunweb - a squad with a flatter hierarchy in 2020 - only strengthens my belief in him as a great pick for this year's CQ edition. Dainese with a lead-out/train is a dangerous, dangerous combo and I am convinced he will have an excellent 2020 campaign.
Kevin Geniets - This kid is a real powerhouse. When he attacked with Cosnefroy in Paris-Camembert it looked like he was about to break his frame with each pedal stroke. He was also super impressive at the U23 race in Yorkshire where he was the only rider to bride across to the big front group from the main peloton. In 2 or 3 years he will be a player in the big Northern classics I'm convinced and until then he can be a serious active in all the races within the Coupe de France.
Quinten Hermans - Obviously best known for all his accomplishments within cycle-cross. However, I think he also has a very good future ahead of him on the road as well. Hilaire Van der Schueren sounds very optimistic when he talks about Hermans road ambitions and the plan supposedly is to have him peak around the Ardennes classics. I think he will prove to be an excellent choice in this year's game!
Matteo Moschetti - An ok debut within the world-tour last year - as Davide Casanni mentioned he did some excellent sprints here and there - which bods well for the future. Not just a one-dimensional rocket as proven on Hatta Dam and if he avoids mishaps (unlike this year) he could be a very solid and sensible choice.
Lennard Kamna - Finally showed glimpses of the potential and talent we all knew he had in him. He really blossomed during this year's Tour de France and certainly excided my expectations as he completed his first-ever GT. He was excellent in the mountains. Next year is all about continued progression and if he stays driven and motivated Bora has a real diamond on their hands.
Norman Vahtra - Last year in an article in sport.delfi.ee - Jaan Kirsipuu mentioned that Vahtra based on tests was the most gifted athlete among the young Estonians but that he had trouble realizing his abilities. Kirsipuu went on - Vahtra could be a world-class sprinter in the future if he was more skinny and brighter in the head. At this point, it looks like he could become a very good very last man on an organized sprint train. In addition to his speed, he has solid TT abilities. He is not world-class, yet a very good rider in the cross-winds. He should learn the finishing skills of Martin Laas. In terms of capacity, Vahtra is even faster, but he is not so disciplined and lean!
So basically I hope he gets his shi* together in 2020. because based on his 2019 results he is indeed very fast. 134 points is somewhat of a risky gamble but I thought why not? Anyway at Israel Start-Up Nation what kind of sprint train have their every produced? The entire team is practically a bunch of semi-sprinters mixed with an aging Andre Greipel. In all honesty, there is a big chance Vahtra will be a huge flop yet he is the most exciting sprinter (as of now) on their entire roster with the highest potential ceiling.
Simone Ravanelli - Maybe not a "champione" but still with the potential to become a very good and respectable rider. He was about to throw in the towel last year as it seemed like he would never go pro despite some very solid results - he among other followed Pogacar y Einer Rubio on Matajur - however G. Savio gave him a call after dell'Appennino where he was the only rider to follow Cattaneo and Masnada on Passo della Boccchetta. He dreams of becoming a GC rider in the Tour de France and why not?
Dries Van Gastel - In the U23 ranks he was best knows as the trusted bodyguard of Laurens de Plus. However, Van Gastel has untapped potential while seeking his own ambitions as well. He crashed pretty hard in Tour of Britain and honestly, I haven't been able to find anything on his recovery, so I basically added him to my squad solely based on his accomplishments in 2018 and in last year's Tour of Flanders where a 13th place speaks volumes (the best placing of a Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise rider ever). Niki Terpstra to mentor him during the cobbles campaign I'm sure!
Cyril Barthe - As a rider, he is basically tailored to all the races within the Coupe de France and I read Jerome Pineau mention him as an exciting prospect to follow in the coming years. Barthe can climb a bit, he can sprint a bit, but in culturesport.net he mentions he never targeted any specialization towards (Sprint/punch) in his training passes, and it's only something he will discover in the years to come. Good prospect who should continue his growth in the next 12 months.
Louis Mentijes - Jokes aside, Mentijes actually had a lot of back luck in 2019. He was sidelined a few times for a month or so each time, which never allowed him to get into the form of such you need to ride around France for 3 weeks without being noticed by a camera even once. I swear to god that if he doesn't get into profit this year, I will never in my life consider him again for any virtual game what so ever.
Kaden Groves - Matt White said - He’s still pretty green, but he’s very fast. He actually reminds me a bit of Michael Matthews, maybe a bit bigger and stronger, not quite as good on the climbs. But he’s certainly not a one-dimensional sprinter, definitely a young guy to watch.”
Anyway, everything mentioned by M. White above is clearly supported by Groves's U23 results. He previously raced motorbikes and switched to cycling after fracturing his knee while racing aborad. A versatile sprinter with a bit of daredevil in him is a perfect fit to join the ranks of my CQ squad this year.
Attilio Viviani - Little-brother Viviani is basically a poor man's Paolo Bettini. He is fast, yet not boulevard blistering fast like big-brother Elia. At 62 kgs he gets over the rolling terrain better than Elia and I am convinced he will have a career of his own. He can win on harder days of racing where he can maneuver himself around the circuit and sprint to the line. How good is he? the jury is still out but you all gotta admit the victory in Schaal Sels was pretty impressive craftsmanship.
Chris Froome - Did he really leave training camp early? Is everything going according to plan? The stories are many yet within the context of this game a 7 time GT winner priced 77 is just a must-have pick.
Nils Eekhoff - Geez I don't know how many times I have misspelled his name recently. A strong young prospect who has future classic contender written all over him. One of the things which impresses me the most in his skill-set is his ability to sprint after a long hard race. In 2020 he should get at least the chance to shine is one or two .1 one day events justifying his cheep price-tag.
Einer Rubio. One of the first graduates from Fundacion Chaves together with Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain) and super mega-talent Daniel Mendez (Kern Pharma). Rubio is a small pocket climber who naturally excels in the high mountains. It might be a year or two too early to add him, but at this price-tag and with the limited grimpeur options disposable at Movistar he found his place anyway.
Alejandro Osorio - Potentially as a climber, Jhojan Garcia would maybe have been the better choice. I always have (although I am started to doubt slightly) had an insane amount of faith in Jhojan who dominated all the climbing races in Colombia especially as a junior.
So why Osorio? Because he is frankly more all-round. just because Jhojan has an insane level in the high mountains (at least in Colombia) it doesn't mean that Osorio is a bad climber at any count. Because he defends himself better on the flats, in theory, he arrives fresher at the start of the mountains and should be able to perform handily. Osorio is my man anyway for 2020.
Luca Mozzato - He beat Dainese once, as a junior. Because Dainese celebrated too early. True story! Anyway, Mozzato is actually a pretty decent prospect who has a solid run in 2019 with Dimension Data for Qhubeka. He is fast without having the pure speed of a top-international sprinter in my opinion but on his day he can shine in reduced sprint finishes. Another dude who can shine in the Coupe de France series.
Andres Camilo Ardila - Exceptional climber who put in an hors category performance at the Baby-Giro winning the whole event by more than 4-minutes to the runner-up all the while suffering from severe knee-pains. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he goes straight into the world-tour matching some of the more seasoned pros already from the get-go. Sensational potential.
Jaakko Hanninen - Rewatched the video on Youtube from last year's Worlds in Innsbruck a few times by now and each time I get more and more expressed with Hanninen's performance. Great climbing prospect in all honesty. In Tour de Doubs when David Gaudu attacked on one of the last small hills Hanninen was right in his wheel showing he certainly is capable of a quick transition into the big-leagues. One of my bets for a revelation season in 2020.
Alexander Cepeda - One of Gianni Savio's new South American jewels. Climber deluxe with a hell of a lot of grinta as the Italians say! I expect around 300 points from him this season, he is in my book defiantly a bigger talent than say Daniel Muñoz and together with Kevin Rivera (who I think will confirm his class) the two of them will hopefully form a frighting climbing duo in the mountains. Hopefully a trio with S. Ravanelli.
Arthur Vichot - Was hampered all year long by some kind of strange virus - which ruined his entire season. It was one DNF followed by another. At 28 points he was a must-have - because in case he has recovered to the full of his powers, he is actually a very gifted bike-rider.
Erlend Blikra - My big, big secret weapon. Just kidding! Actually, Blikra was a beast from a young age, really really good in the youth categories. But he has suffered from a lot of sicknesses - among other mononucleosis in 2018 which he seems to have recovered well from and now slowly getting back to his regular level. This year he won 3 straight stage-wins in Dookola Mazowsza among other beating Stanisław Aniołkowski in straight-up sprint duels. So he got some serious speed in his legs, actually, for 20 something points, I think he is a really good choice as he will ride a calender which suits him, in what I imagine will be a relatively free role.
Mark Cavendish - 30 Tour de France stage wins. That's why he is here. Will he ever show glimpse of past strength? Probably not, but George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer at age 45, so anything is possible. It's free to dream!
Quinn Simmons - I don't see him as an Evenepoel-esque kind of talent. But I will be happy to be proven wrong. When I add him anyway it's because of his profile, it's more 1-day related and anything can happen when you have a huge engine which Simmons certainly does seem to have. There will be a lot of hype and commotion around him this year, so I actually think he will aim to come out gun blazing, to manifest he indeed is a special kind of talent. that's my cheep theory anyway.
Here is my 2020 CQ squad with a little writing to explain my choices.
Tadej Pogacar - Pogacar is a special, special phenomenon. Besides his incredible physiology, mentality wise he is on another level. Insane work ethic combined with an ambitious, tough, intelligent persona, makes him my most expensive choice in this year's CQ edition.
Remco Evenepoel - I would most definitely describe young Evenepoel as a 'talent of the century'. Never in my life have I seen such a prodigy. If he can avoid obstacles like injury or burning out early as other monstrous prospects have done before him, he could easily become one of the all-time greats!
Sergio Higuita - Everyone at EF Education, right from their team-principal to their coaches seems to believe Higuita is the "next/new Valverde". Lightning-fast accelerations uphill. An incredible surge towards the line in decimated group sprints + capabilities to hold his form forever makes him just about the perfect fit for the CQ Ranking scoring system. I don't expect anything GC wise in the GTs this year, but in one-week stage races + in the hilly one-day events he should be an absolute animal!
Simon Yates - Yates was on an absolute rampage in 2018, beast-mode times x10. It's not that he was poor in 2019, he just didn't manage to string his performances together into something super stellar worthy of his caliber. This year he will ride the Australian summer schedule with the aim to peak towards the Giro D'Italia. I sincerely expect the Punchy Englishman to be back firing on all cylinders in 2020.
Tom Dumoulin - He practically didn't race in 2019 due to injury. 27 race days is nothing in the grand scheme of things and I expect a rejuvenated Dumoulin in 2020. Everyone will have him on their squads anyway, but I genuinely wish to see Dumoulin back at his absolute best level again!
Søren Kragh Andersen - Injury-plagued last year, but on his best days, he is a classy, classy bike-rider. He has always been focused and extremely hard working and I know he has it within him to reach the top of the sport. He moved to Monaco to train with Fuglsang and Valgren and if he avoids illness I expect him to follow the best of the best in the spring classics.
Gregor Mühlberger - This year I wanted to go CQ shopping for a young promising climber on the way up, within a reasonable "price" to fit my remaining budget. Mühlberger ticked most of the boxes and I frankly couldn't find any serious alternatives in that price range. Mühlberger, in my opinion, is equally or more talented than Konrad and Großschartner. Formolo has swapped teams so there should be opportunities for the young Austrian in a calendar year full of racing. Even if he should be Buchmann's personal servant, there should still be enough potential points up for grabs with the level he showed in the mountains in the last week of the Tour.
Jannik Steimle - Everyone who joins the Wolfpack seems to grow 10% percent in additional strength as soon as they pull on their new kit. Steimle impressed me highly in 2019. He has insane watts, courage and a lethal sprint after a hard ridden race. His victory in Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen was impressive on its own, however, the workload he took on in l'Eurométropole was some next level s*** altogether. Of course, when he followed Mathieu van der Poels attack in Sparkassen Munsterland I was sold and since then he has not been out of my short-list once.
Mark Padun - 2019 would have been a disastrous year had it not been for his overall victory in Adriatica Ionica. Practically didn't race for the first 6 months of the year, but on Tre Cime di Lavaredo he showed why I continue to have a lot of faith in his abilities. On his days a splendid climber who actually packs a good finish towards the line (uphill). Injury-free I expect him to take another leap in 2020 and consolidate himself as one of the best prospects from the class of 96.
Alberto Dainese - As I already stated last year, my faith in Dainese is almost unlimited. His speed was practically unmatched in the U23 ranks and his move to Sunweb - a squad with a flatter hierarchy in 2020 - only strengthens my belief in him as a great pick for this year's CQ edition. Dainese with a lead-out/train is a dangerous, dangerous combo and I am convinced he will have an excellent 2020 campaign.
Kevin Geniets - This kid is a real powerhouse. When he attacked with Cosnefroy in Paris-Camembert it looked like he was about to break his frame with each pedal stroke. He was also super impressive at the U23 race in Yorkshire where he was the only rider to bride across to the big front group from the main peloton. In 2 or 3 years he will be a player in the big Northern classics I'm convinced and until then he can be a serious active in all the races within the Coupe de France.
Quinten Hermans - Obviously best known for all his accomplishments within cycle-cross. However, I think he also has a very good future ahead of him on the road as well. Hilaire Van der Schueren sounds very optimistic when he talks about Hermans road ambitions and the plan supposedly is to have him peak around the Ardennes classics. I think he will prove to be an excellent choice in this year's game!
Matteo Moschetti - An ok debut within the world-tour last year - as Davide Casanni mentioned he did some excellent sprints here and there - which bods well for the future. Not just a one-dimensional rocket as proven on Hatta Dam and if he avoids mishaps (unlike this year) he could be a very solid and sensible choice.
Lennard Kamna - Finally showed glimpses of the potential and talent we all knew he had in him. He really blossomed during this year's Tour de France and certainly excided my expectations as he completed his first-ever GT. He was excellent in the mountains. Next year is all about continued progression and if he stays driven and motivated Bora has a real diamond on their hands.
Norman Vahtra - Last year in an article in sport.delfi.ee - Jaan Kirsipuu mentioned that Vahtra based on tests was the most gifted athlete among the young Estonians but that he had trouble realizing his abilities. Kirsipuu went on - Vahtra could be a world-class sprinter in the future if he was more skinny and brighter in the head. At this point, it looks like he could become a very good very last man on an organized sprint train. In addition to his speed, he has solid TT abilities. He is not world-class, yet a very good rider in the cross-winds. He should learn the finishing skills of Martin Laas. In terms of capacity, Vahtra is even faster, but he is not so disciplined and lean!
So basically I hope he gets his shi* together in 2020. because based on his 2019 results he is indeed very fast. 134 points is somewhat of a risky gamble but I thought why not? Anyway at Israel Start-Up Nation what kind of sprint train have their every produced? The entire team is practically a bunch of semi-sprinters mixed with an aging Andre Greipel. In all honesty, there is a big chance Vahtra will be a huge flop yet he is the most exciting sprinter (as of now) on their entire roster with the highest potential ceiling.
Simone Ravanelli - Maybe not a "champione" but still with the potential to become a very good and respectable rider. He was about to throw in the towel last year as it seemed like he would never go pro despite some very solid results - he among other followed Pogacar y Einer Rubio on Matajur - however G. Savio gave him a call after dell'Appennino where he was the only rider to follow Cattaneo and Masnada on Passo della Boccchetta. He dreams of becoming a GC rider in the Tour de France and why not?
Dries Van Gastel - In the U23 ranks he was best knows as the trusted bodyguard of Laurens de Plus. However, Van Gastel has untapped potential while seeking his own ambitions as well. He crashed pretty hard in Tour of Britain and honestly, I haven't been able to find anything on his recovery, so I basically added him to my squad solely based on his accomplishments in 2018 and in last year's Tour of Flanders where a 13th place speaks volumes (the best placing of a Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise rider ever). Niki Terpstra to mentor him during the cobbles campaign I'm sure!
Cyril Barthe - As a rider, he is basically tailored to all the races within the Coupe de France and I read Jerome Pineau mention him as an exciting prospect to follow in the coming years. Barthe can climb a bit, he can sprint a bit, but in culturesport.net he mentions he never targeted any specialization towards (Sprint/punch) in his training passes, and it's only something he will discover in the years to come. Good prospect who should continue his growth in the next 12 months.
Louis Mentijes - Jokes aside, Mentijes actually had a lot of back luck in 2019. He was sidelined a few times for a month or so each time, which never allowed him to get into the form of such you need to ride around France for 3 weeks without being noticed by a camera even once. I swear to god that if he doesn't get into profit this year, I will never in my life consider him again for any virtual game what so ever.
Kaden Groves - Matt White said - He’s still pretty green, but he’s very fast. He actually reminds me a bit of Michael Matthews, maybe a bit bigger and stronger, not quite as good on the climbs. But he’s certainly not a one-dimensional sprinter, definitely a young guy to watch.”
Anyway, everything mentioned by M. White above is clearly supported by Groves's U23 results. He previously raced motorbikes and switched to cycling after fracturing his knee while racing aborad. A versatile sprinter with a bit of daredevil in him is a perfect fit to join the ranks of my CQ squad this year.
Attilio Viviani - Little-brother Viviani is basically a poor man's Paolo Bettini. He is fast, yet not boulevard blistering fast like big-brother Elia. At 62 kgs he gets over the rolling terrain better than Elia and I am convinced he will have a career of his own. He can win on harder days of racing where he can maneuver himself around the circuit and sprint to the line. How good is he? the jury is still out but you all gotta admit the victory in Schaal Sels was pretty impressive craftsmanship.
Chris Froome - Did he really leave training camp early? Is everything going according to plan? The stories are many yet within the context of this game a 7 time GT winner priced 77 is just a must-have pick.
Nils Eekhoff - Geez I don't know how many times I have misspelled his name recently. A strong young prospect who has future classic contender written all over him. One of the things which impresses me the most in his skill-set is his ability to sprint after a long hard race. In 2020 he should get at least the chance to shine is one or two .1 one day events justifying his cheep price-tag.
Einer Rubio. One of the first graduates from Fundacion Chaves together with Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain) and super mega-talent Daniel Mendez (Kern Pharma). Rubio is a small pocket climber who naturally excels in the high mountains. It might be a year or two too early to add him, but at this price-tag and with the limited grimpeur options disposable at Movistar he found his place anyway.
Alejandro Osorio - Potentially as a climber, Jhojan Garcia would maybe have been the better choice. I always have (although I am started to doubt slightly) had an insane amount of faith in Jhojan who dominated all the climbing races in Colombia especially as a junior.
So why Osorio? Because he is frankly more all-round. just because Jhojan has an insane level in the high mountains (at least in Colombia) it doesn't mean that Osorio is a bad climber at any count. Because he defends himself better on the flats, in theory, he arrives fresher at the start of the mountains and should be able to perform handily. Osorio is my man anyway for 2020.
Luca Mozzato - He beat Dainese once, as a junior. Because Dainese celebrated too early. True story! Anyway, Mozzato is actually a pretty decent prospect who has a solid run in 2019 with Dimension Data for Qhubeka. He is fast without having the pure speed of a top-international sprinter in my opinion but on his day he can shine in reduced sprint finishes. Another dude who can shine in the Coupe de France series.
Andres Camilo Ardila - Exceptional climber who put in an hors category performance at the Baby-Giro winning the whole event by more than 4-minutes to the runner-up all the while suffering from severe knee-pains. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he goes straight into the world-tour matching some of the more seasoned pros already from the get-go. Sensational potential.
Jaakko Hanninen - Rewatched the video on Youtube from last year's Worlds in Innsbruck a few times by now and each time I get more and more expressed with Hanninen's performance. Great climbing prospect in all honesty. In Tour de Doubs when David Gaudu attacked on one of the last small hills Hanninen was right in his wheel showing he certainly is capable of a quick transition into the big-leagues. One of my bets for a revelation season in 2020.
Alexander Cepeda - One of Gianni Savio's new South American jewels. Climber deluxe with a hell of a lot of grinta as the Italians say! I expect around 300 points from him this season, he is in my book defiantly a bigger talent than say Daniel Muñoz and together with Kevin Rivera (who I think will confirm his class) the two of them will hopefully form a frighting climbing duo in the mountains. Hopefully a trio with S. Ravanelli.
Arthur Vichot - Was hampered all year long by some kind of strange virus - which ruined his entire season. It was one DNF followed by another. At 28 points he was a must-have - because in case he has recovered to the full of his powers, he is actually a very gifted bike-rider.
Erlend Blikra - My big, big secret weapon. Just kidding! Actually, Blikra was a beast from a young age, really really good in the youth categories. But he has suffered from a lot of sicknesses - among other mononucleosis in 2018 which he seems to have recovered well from and now slowly getting back to his regular level. This year he won 3 straight stage-wins in Dookola Mazowsza among other beating Stanisław Aniołkowski in straight-up sprint duels. So he got some serious speed in his legs, actually, for 20 something points, I think he is a really good choice as he will ride a calender which suits him, in what I imagine will be a relatively free role.
Mark Cavendish - 30 Tour de France stage wins. That's why he is here. Will he ever show glimpse of past strength? Probably not, but George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer at age 45, so anything is possible. It's free to dream!
Quinn Simmons - I don't see him as an Evenepoel-esque kind of talent. But I will be happy to be proven wrong. When I add him anyway it's because of his profile, it's more 1-day related and anything can happen when you have a huge engine which Simmons certainly does seem to have. There will be a lot of hype and commotion around him this year, so I actually think he will aim to come out gun blazing, to manifest he indeed is a special kind of talent. that's my cheep theory anyway.
Cavendish and Hermans seem to mine so far, in terms of missing them completely.
Andersen, Vichot and Kelderman I noted mentally, then forgot completely
Here's my team:
VALVERDE BELMONTE Alejandro (2315) -- It's me, and I have to put him on my team. If we get the typical Valverde we're used to for the spring he'll beat last year's points.
PINOT Thibaut (861) -- If can finish a GT he could improve his points, plus he missed the fall Italian classics
MAS NICOLAU Enri (811) -- He's being given leadership opportunities at Movistar with a team to support him. He has the potential to take advantage of that.
TERPSTRA Niki (559) -- He can still have a very good classics campaign
MARTINEZ POVED Daneil Felipe (526) -- he had some injuries that cost him several races he otherwise would have been racing
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc (350) -- Like Mas, he has a huge opportunity with being given leadership at Movistar and a team to support him. Now to take advantage of that.
DUMOULIN Tom (341) -- obvious (I think)
CHAVES RUBIO Jhoan Estaban (322) -- can he stay healthy and actually do something
CORT NIELSEN Magnas (227) -- I think he can do well at EF
ARU Fabio (194) -- obvious (I think)
VERONA QUINTANILLA Carlos (184) -- hoping and needed another rider in that point area for the team
EG Niklas (183) -- have some hope for a nice season
SEPULVEDA Eduerdo (182) -- see explanation for Verona
ALMEIDA Joao Pedro Concalves (112) -- Young Quickstep rider, so hoping he has some good results
CULLAIGH Gabriel (50) -- Movistar's youth movement. As he's a sprinter on a team that doesn't really have sprinters, he'll get some opportunities
REIJNEN Kiel (50) -- he's capable of scoring more points than that
VILLALOBOS HERNANDEZ Luis Ricardo -- Young Mexican rider that did well with EF after signing a trainee contract this past season
KIRYIENKA Vasil (36) -- missed much of last season with illness/injury
COTE pier-Andre (33) -- Pro Conti rider that should have some opportunities
MOLLY Kenny (32) -- needed someone in this point range
JORGENSON Matteo (25) -- was putting him on my team the moment he signed with Movistar.
CANELLAS SANCHEZ Xavier (14) -- He can score more points and I had him on my team last year.
PENALVER ANIORTE Manuel (10) -- needed low points and figured a young Pro Conti rider had a chance to score more points
PETRUCCI Mattia (8) -- on FDJ's developmental team
HOLLMANN Juri (7) - part of Movistar's youth movement
ELOSEGUI MOMENE Inigo (5) part of Movistar's youth movement
BALLESTEROS VANOVAS Miguel Angel (5) - Caja Rural's developmental team. Also know him a little and this is more of a fingers crossed for him pick as I want to see him get his dream of racing as a pro.
BEVILACQUA Matria (4) -- needed low points scorers and really am not losing anything
QUARTERMANN Charlie (1) -- Young rider and don't have much to lose
SIMMONS Quinn (0) -- Do not expect him to do what Evenpoel did last year, but hoping he does well. Plus nothing to lose.
ARANBURU ARRUTI Jokin (0) -- nothing to lose
BENOIST Antoine (0) -- nothing to lose
CORTJEN Ryan (0) -- nothing to lose
This is my team and I have a bunch of young kids on the team and several I have some real hope for.
VALVERDE BELMONTE Alejandro (2315) -- It's me, and I have to put him on my team. If we get the typical Valverde we're used to for the spring he'll beat last year's points.
PINOT Thibaut (861) -- If can finish a GT he could improve his points, plus he missed the fall Italian classics
MAS NICOLAU Enri (811) -- He's being given leadership opportunities at Movistar with a team to support him. He has the potential to take advantage of that.
TERPSTRA Niki (559) -- He can still have a very good classics campaign
MARTINEZ POVED Daneil Felipe (526) -- he had some injuries that cost him several races he otherwise would have been racing
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc (350) -- Like Mas, he has a huge opportunity with being given leadership at Movistar and a team to support him. Now to take advantage of that.
DUMOULIN Tom (341) -- obvious (I think)
CHAVES RUBIO Jhoan Estaban (322) -- can he stay healthy and actually do something
CORT NIELSEN Magnas (227) -- I think he can do well at EF
ARU Fabio (194) -- obvious (I think)
VERONA QUINTANILLA Carlos (184) -- hoping and needed another rider in that point area for the team
EG Niklas (183) -- have some hope for a nice season
SEPULVEDA Eduerdo (182) -- see explanation for Verona
ALMEIDA Joao Pedro Concalves (112) -- Young Quickstep rider, so hoping he has some good results
CULLAIGH Gabriel (50) -- Movistar's youth movement. As he's a sprinter on a team that doesn't really have sprinters, he'll get some opportunities
REIJNEN Kiel (50) -- he's capable of scoring more points than that
VILLALOBOS HERNANDEZ Luis Ricardo -- Young Mexican rider that did well with EF after signing a trainee contract this past season
KIRYIENKA Vasil (36) -- missed much of last season with illness/injury
COTE pier-Andre (33) -- Pro Conti rider that should have some opportunities
MOLLY Kenny (32) -- needed someone in this point range
JORGENSON Matteo (25) -- was putting him on my team the moment he signed with Movistar.
CANELLAS SANCHEZ Xavier (14) -- He can score more points and I had him on my team last year.
PENALVER ANIORTE Manuel (10) -- needed low points and figured a young Pro Conti rider had a chance to score more points
PETRUCCI Mattia (8) -- on FDJ's developmental team
HOLLMANN Juri (7) - part of Movistar's youth movement
ELOSEGUI MOMENE Inigo (5) part of Movistar's youth movement
BALLESTEROS VANOVAS Miguel Angel (5) - Caja Rural's developmental team. Also know him a little and this is more of a fingers crossed for him pick as I want to see him get his dream of racing as a pro.
BEVILACQUA Matria (4) -- needed low points scorers and really am not losing anything
QUARTERMANN Charlie (1) -- Young rider and don't have much to lose
SIMMONS Quinn (0) -- Do not expect him to do what Evenpoel did last year, but hoping he does well. Plus nothing to lose.
ARANBURU ARRUTI Jokin (0) -- nothing to lose
BENOIST Antoine (0) -- nothing to lose
CORTJEN Ryan (0) -- nothing to lose
This is my team and I have a bunch of young kids on the team and several I have some real hope for.
Written last night before seeing anyone else's updates:
My team:
HIGUITA GARCIA Sergio Andres 914
My big, big gamble is my most expensive rider. The Higuita Monster looks like he could become a new Valverde. Consistent throughout the season, high placings in all his races, a very fast sprint compared to his peers. I hope his first full season on the WorldTour will result in even more points, especially in the spring, and then maybe there could be lots and lots and lots of points for him in the Vuelta, if I should be so lucky that he is sent there. If he really breaks through, I think he could be good for close to 2000 points.
PINOT Thibaut 861
If everything works for him, he could end in the top 3 of the CQ Ranking. A must have if you ask me.
YATES Simon 668
Another must have. If he can find his 2018 level and consistency, he can approach 2500 points.
KWIATKOWSKI Michal 645
His last season was so bland that I almost forgot him but from interviews it sounds like he (yet again) over-exerted himself in 2018 with his insane schedule and burnt out. So after a break in the fall he should be ready and hungry. Hard not to choose.
HIRSCHI Marc 540
A gamble. He flew a bit under the radar due to Gaudu and Pogacar last year but by normal standards, his 2019 season was mightily impressive for a rider his age. He's a bit pricey because of that but his consistency last year was pretty amazing. As well as his versatility. If he continues his rocket-like entrance on the pro scene, he could go four digits.
URAN URAN Rigoberto 458
Quite a conservative pick but if he recovers well, he should be good for a lot of points. Especially because the autumn is rich on points for his rider type with a hilly Olympics and Worlds.
LATOUR Pierre 352
A lot of injury last year means it would be hard for him not to improve significantly this year.
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc 350
He should be set more free next year. He has a good TT and seemed to improve massively in the mountains in the second half of 2019. That means lots of possible GC points.
DUMOULIN Tom 341
Because I'm not stupid.
ANDERSEN Søren Kragh 268
I picked him unsuccessfully last year and can now get him for half the price. I'll take that bargain. Please stay away from sickness and back problems, and you'll finally show the world your true self, mr. Kragh.
BALLERINI Davide 252
Cheap cobbles specialist who goes to Deceuninck? Enough said.
STEIMLE Jannik 228
Well, he could already win 1.1 races days after going to the WorldTour, and he's also with Deceuninck so another no-brainer for me.
PADUN Mark 209
Well, it's the second time in a row I try him. Last year he was out with injury until June and then immediately won Adriatica upon his return and then faded completely in the Vuelta. Maybe a bit of a lottery ticket but he should be a good pick. Maybe.
FELLINE Fabio 199
Another return to my team. This is the last chance I give him. He changes teams to Astana and not many riders don't perform well there. I hope he can return to his versatile best from a few years ago.
ARU Fabio 194
Too cheap and risky not to pick. Again.
OOMEN Sam 179
He practically didn't ride last year because of a similar arterial problem to Aru. Can he find his true level, he should be an obvious pick.
MOSCHETTI Matteo 160
He got last season ruined but showed glimpses of his potential. It can only get better this year.
KÄMNA Lennard 155
I wasn't sure about him but with the level he showed in the Tour, he should be good for a breakthrough. I'm not certain that that will include loads of CQ points, though, and it can be a little crowded at Bora. If Formolo had stayed there, I probably wouldn't have picked him but he should get some freedom.
EDMONDSON Alexander 87
I hope he will give me the lead on Sunday. With Trentin gone, there isn't better sprinters on the team than him (maybe Groves but I don't know him very well) and he finally showed some shape late last season.
FROOME Chris 77
Well, the last few days have been turbulent but it's still a no-brainer.
GENIEZ Alexandre 68
Not the most reliable of riders but 68 points was a remarkably small amount so I had to pick him.
MODOLO Sacha 67
He will step down to the pro conti scene which should assure him riding smaller races where he should be able to score tons of points. Especially because they need as many points as possible in order to ascertain a Tour spot for 2021.
CULLAIGH Gabriel 50
Movistar's new British sprinter. In Le Samyn (I think it was) he was the only one able to follow Niki Terpstra when he opened up on the cobbles. He should definitely be able to score much more than 200 points.
ARDILA ORDOÑEZ Andres Camilo 44
You have to have the new Bernal.
BAUGNIES Jérôme 40
He steps down to Continental level and wants to ride more for himself. His team seems like a team that will get invites to the races in which he usually excels, and I thought him likely to be a rare pick. He is only 32 so he shouldn't be past it yet.
VICHOT Arthur 28
I had almost forgot about him, but definitely another no-brainer.
JORGENSON Matteo 25
Movistar don't have an impressive roster this year, so he shouldn't be too suffocated.
CAVENDISH Mark 25
Maybe a bit strange to pick a rider who I have sworn will never win a professional bike race, but he seemed to be going decently on the track and now he is SO cheap that it was harder to forgo him than last year where I didn't pick him.
KANTER Max 8
He didn't race until Guangxi last year and Sunweb don't have much faster sprinters than him. So impossible not to pick.
DE BIE Sean 5
He is almost at the level of Stybar in the cross races currently and a hundred and sixty times as cheap here. He seems optimistic for the coming season and wants to get his career back on track. Hard to see him not improve...
GAZE Samuel 0
Very much a gamble - but a free gamble. Known as a MTB star he will now ride for Alpecin and also do road races. Just a few points and he'll be a sensible pick. That should be possible.
WILLIAMS Stephen 0
He got the whole of last season ruined due to injury but should be ready now, and he should have quite a potential.
SIMMONS Quinn 0
I laughed at people for not picking Evenepoel last year and am not going to make the same mistake myself.
Riders I fear were stupid not to pick:
Mathieu van der Poel (1365) - but he really has to win more than half his classics to be a good pick as it's unlikely he'll race much on the road after Flèche Wallonne due to his MTB goals. And I didn't want to take that risk. On the other hand, he might be asked to race more on the road because they need the points to finish as best ProConti team.
Wout Van Aert (898) - I wanted him but opted against him because I was unsure of what level he would be able to get back to. And the WCRR is not for him + he will probably domestique a bit too much in the Tour. He could still go berzerk in the classics and make me regret not picking him. Picking Higuita over Van Aert might seem a bit brave.
Enric Mas (811) - A popular rider on this board but I am generally a little hesitant about him. I definitely would have picked him if he didn't go and win Guangxi to boost his price in the last race of the season. The same goes for his two podium companions, Dani Martínez and Diego Rosa who also became a little too expensive for my taste with that addition to their tallies.
Geraint Thomas (795) - Actually I don't really fear him that much. He might seem like an obvious pick, but he isn't scoring many points outside the Tour, which he won't win either.
Valentin Madouas (540) - At exactly the same price as Hirschi it was mano-a-mano between those two, but I chose against Madouas because I was a bit surprised over his very lacklustre second half of 2019 and feared a little too many race days would go to being a domestique for Pinot. Same reason I didn't even consider Gaudu.
Gianni Moscon (424) - He was almost too cheap to not choose but I really didn't want him. At 424 points, I'm a bit scared, though. He has been very inconsistent and out-right bad the last few springs, and I hope that trend will continue.
Tony Gallopin (379) - I had him in my first few drafts but in the end picked an Urán option instead.
And then I had toyed with the idea of choosing Sagan but at 1582 that seemed a bit too expensive in a year with a WCRR where he can't score points and where he generally has chosen a schedule that is a bit questionable, points wise. Too many good sprinters will rob him of points in the Giro, and he will skip a few of the cobbled classics (not the big ones of course), so even if he regained his top level, I don't see him scoring on the plus side of 3000 points, and usually I pick riders in the hope that they will at least double their score.
I also became very fond of Benoît Cosnefroy (683) last season but chose not to pick him because there were other riders in his price range (Yates and Kwiatkowski) that I didn't dare not to pick. But he could really explode this year, I think. I would be surprise if he is a popular pick, though.
My team:
HIGUITA GARCIA Sergio Andres 914
My big, big gamble is my most expensive rider. The Higuita Monster looks like he could become a new Valverde. Consistent throughout the season, high placings in all his races, a very fast sprint compared to his peers. I hope his first full season on the WorldTour will result in even more points, especially in the spring, and then maybe there could be lots and lots and lots of points for him in the Vuelta, if I should be so lucky that he is sent there. If he really breaks through, I think he could be good for close to 2000 points.
PINOT Thibaut 861
If everything works for him, he could end in the top 3 of the CQ Ranking. A must have if you ask me.
YATES Simon 668
Another must have. If he can find his 2018 level and consistency, he can approach 2500 points.
KWIATKOWSKI Michal 645
His last season was so bland that I almost forgot him but from interviews it sounds like he (yet again) over-exerted himself in 2018 with his insane schedule and burnt out. So after a break in the fall he should be ready and hungry. Hard not to choose.
HIRSCHI Marc 540
A gamble. He flew a bit under the radar due to Gaudu and Pogacar last year but by normal standards, his 2019 season was mightily impressive for a rider his age. He's a bit pricey because of that but his consistency last year was pretty amazing. As well as his versatility. If he continues his rocket-like entrance on the pro scene, he could go four digits.
URAN URAN Rigoberto 458
Quite a conservative pick but if he recovers well, he should be good for a lot of points. Especially because the autumn is rich on points for his rider type with a hilly Olympics and Worlds.
LATOUR Pierre 352
A lot of injury last year means it would be hard for him not to improve significantly this year.
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc 350
He should be set more free next year. He has a good TT and seemed to improve massively in the mountains in the second half of 2019. That means lots of possible GC points.
DUMOULIN Tom 341
Because I'm not stupid.
ANDERSEN Søren Kragh 268
I picked him unsuccessfully last year and can now get him for half the price. I'll take that bargain. Please stay away from sickness and back problems, and you'll finally show the world your true self, mr. Kragh.
BALLERINI Davide 252
Cheap cobbles specialist who goes to Deceuninck? Enough said.
STEIMLE Jannik 228
Well, he could already win 1.1 races days after going to the WorldTour, and he's also with Deceuninck so another no-brainer for me.
PADUN Mark 209
Well, it's the second time in a row I try him. Last year he was out with injury until June and then immediately won Adriatica upon his return and then faded completely in the Vuelta. Maybe a bit of a lottery ticket but he should be a good pick. Maybe.
FELLINE Fabio 199
Another return to my team. This is the last chance I give him. He changes teams to Astana and not many riders don't perform well there. I hope he can return to his versatile best from a few years ago.
ARU Fabio 194
Too cheap and risky not to pick. Again.
OOMEN Sam 179
He practically didn't ride last year because of a similar arterial problem to Aru. Can he find his true level, he should be an obvious pick.
MOSCHETTI Matteo 160
He got last season ruined but showed glimpses of his potential. It can only get better this year.
KÄMNA Lennard 155
I wasn't sure about him but with the level he showed in the Tour, he should be good for a breakthrough. I'm not certain that that will include loads of CQ points, though, and it can be a little crowded at Bora. If Formolo had stayed there, I probably wouldn't have picked him but he should get some freedom.
EDMONDSON Alexander 87
I hope he will give me the lead on Sunday. With Trentin gone, there isn't better sprinters on the team than him (maybe Groves but I don't know him very well) and he finally showed some shape late last season.
FROOME Chris 77
Well, the last few days have been turbulent but it's still a no-brainer.
GENIEZ Alexandre 68
Not the most reliable of riders but 68 points was a remarkably small amount so I had to pick him.
MODOLO Sacha 67
He will step down to the pro conti scene which should assure him riding smaller races where he should be able to score tons of points. Especially because they need as many points as possible in order to ascertain a Tour spot for 2021.
CULLAIGH Gabriel 50
Movistar's new British sprinter. In Le Samyn (I think it was) he was the only one able to follow Niki Terpstra when he opened up on the cobbles. He should definitely be able to score much more than 200 points.
ARDILA ORDOÑEZ Andres Camilo 44
You have to have the new Bernal.
BAUGNIES Jérôme 40
He steps down to Continental level and wants to ride more for himself. His team seems like a team that will get invites to the races in which he usually excels, and I thought him likely to be a rare pick. He is only 32 so he shouldn't be past it yet.
VICHOT Arthur 28
I had almost forgot about him, but definitely another no-brainer.
JORGENSON Matteo 25
Movistar don't have an impressive roster this year, so he shouldn't be too suffocated.
CAVENDISH Mark 25
Maybe a bit strange to pick a rider who I have sworn will never win a professional bike race, but he seemed to be going decently on the track and now he is SO cheap that it was harder to forgo him than last year where I didn't pick him.
KANTER Max 8
He didn't race until Guangxi last year and Sunweb don't have much faster sprinters than him. So impossible not to pick.
DE BIE Sean 5
He is almost at the level of Stybar in the cross races currently and a hundred and sixty times as cheap here. He seems optimistic for the coming season and wants to get his career back on track. Hard to see him not improve...
GAZE Samuel 0
Very much a gamble - but a free gamble. Known as a MTB star he will now ride for Alpecin and also do road races. Just a few points and he'll be a sensible pick. That should be possible.
WILLIAMS Stephen 0
He got the whole of last season ruined due to injury but should be ready now, and he should have quite a potential.
SIMMONS Quinn 0
I laughed at people for not picking Evenepoel last year and am not going to make the same mistake myself.
Riders I fear were stupid not to pick:
Mathieu van der Poel (1365) - but he really has to win more than half his classics to be a good pick as it's unlikely he'll race much on the road after Flèche Wallonne due to his MTB goals. And I didn't want to take that risk. On the other hand, he might be asked to race more on the road because they need the points to finish as best ProConti team.
Wout Van Aert (898) - I wanted him but opted against him because I was unsure of what level he would be able to get back to. And the WCRR is not for him + he will probably domestique a bit too much in the Tour. He could still go berzerk in the classics and make me regret not picking him. Picking Higuita over Van Aert might seem a bit brave.
Enric Mas (811) - A popular rider on this board but I am generally a little hesitant about him. I definitely would have picked him if he didn't go and win Guangxi to boost his price in the last race of the season. The same goes for his two podium companions, Dani Martínez and Diego Rosa who also became a little too expensive for my taste with that addition to their tallies.
Geraint Thomas (795) - Actually I don't really fear him that much. He might seem like an obvious pick, but he isn't scoring many points outside the Tour, which he won't win either.
Valentin Madouas (540) - At exactly the same price as Hirschi it was mano-a-mano between those two, but I chose against Madouas because I was a bit surprised over his very lacklustre second half of 2019 and feared a little too many race days would go to being a domestique for Pinot. Same reason I didn't even consider Gaudu.
Gianni Moscon (424) - He was almost too cheap to not choose but I really didn't want him. At 424 points, I'm a bit scared, though. He has been very inconsistent and out-right bad the last few springs, and I hope that trend will continue.
Tony Gallopin (379) - I had him in my first few drafts but in the end picked an Urán option instead.
And then I had toyed with the idea of choosing Sagan but at 1582 that seemed a bit too expensive in a year with a WCRR where he can't score points and where he generally has chosen a schedule that is a bit questionable, points wise. Too many good sprinters will rob him of points in the Giro, and he will skip a few of the cobbled classics (not the big ones of course), so even if he regained his top level, I don't see him scoring on the plus side of 3000 points, and usually I pick riders in the hope that they will at least double their score.
I also became very fond of Benoît Cosnefroy (683) last season but chose not to pick him because there were other riders in his price range (Yates and Kwiatkowski) that I didn't dare not to pick. But he could really explode this year, I think. I would be surprise if he is a popular pick, though.
| EVENEPOEL Remco |
| BARDET Romain |
| GAVIRIA RENDON Fernando |
| YATES Simon |
| SOSA CUERVO Ivan Ramiro |
| LATOUR Pierre |
| SOLER GIMENEZ Marc |
| DUMOULIN Tom |
| BOUHANNI Nacer |
| CORT NIELSEN Magnus |
| PADUN Mark |
| DAINESE Alberto |
| FICARA Pierpaolo |
| MCCARTHY Jay |
| ARU Fabio |
| OOMEN Sam |
| MOSCHETTI Matteo |
| KÄMNA Lennard |
| VAKOC Petr |
| LOBATO DEL VALLE Juan Jose |
| CELANO Danilo |
| FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR Ruben |
| FROOME Chris |
| WEEMAES Sasha |
| MINALI Riccardo |
| MÄDER Gino |
| ARDILA ORDOÑEZ Andres Camilo |
| VICHOT Arthur |
| CAVENDISH Mark |
| KANTER Max |
| DE BIE Sean |
| SIMMONS Quinn |
| GAZE Samuel |
Looks like I could be dominating the Asian circuit this year with Celano and Ficara!
Did not make the team: Powless, Rubio, Pidcock, Hanninen, Narvaez,...
Hoping for Gaviria to shine again now he is partnered with Richeze.
I picked Sosa over Kwiatkowski. If Froome does not recover this year, Sosa may be leader or co-leader in the Vuelta.
Gaze is a dark horse, but could have a high ceiling if he does road races.
I toyed with Latour, and of who I'm seeing on teams, he's definitely the big omission on my team.
I think your biggest omission is to have forgotten to put a certain someone off your team, but each to their own, I guess
FROOME Chris
DUMOULIN Tom
VAN POPPEL Danny
PINOT Thibaut
JAKOBSEN Fabio
BARDET Romain
LATOUR Pierre
ARU Fabio
KÄMNA Lennard
VAKOC Petr
POWLESS Neilson
MEINTJES Louis
DILLIER Silvan
POWER Robert
VAN DER HOORN Taco
FOSS Tobias Svendsen
MOSCON Gianni
RIVERA VARGAS Brandon Smith
VICHOT Arthur
CAVENDISH Mark
SAMITIER SAMITIER Sergio
BAGIOLI Andrea
DE PLUS Jasper
ALBA BOLIVAR Juan Diego
MAS NICOLAU Enric
ARDILA ORDOÑEZ Andres Camilo
BUITRAGO SANCHEZ Santiago
BJERG Mikkel
DONOVAN Mark
DAINESE Alberto
KWIATKOWSKI Michal
KANTER Max
GENIEZ Alexandre
DUMOULIN Tom
VAN POPPEL Danny
PINOT Thibaut
JAKOBSEN Fabio
BARDET Romain
LATOUR Pierre
ARU Fabio
KÄMNA Lennard
VAKOC Petr
POWLESS Neilson
MEINTJES Louis
DILLIER Silvan
POWER Robert
VAN DER HOORN Taco
FOSS Tobias Svendsen
MOSCON Gianni
RIVERA VARGAS Brandon Smith
VICHOT Arthur
CAVENDISH Mark
SAMITIER SAMITIER Sergio
BAGIOLI Andrea
DE PLUS Jasper
ALBA BOLIVAR Juan Diego
MAS NICOLAU Enric
ARDILA ORDOÑEZ Andres Camilo
BUITRAGO SANCHEZ Santiago
BJERG Mikkel
DONOVAN Mark
DAINESE Alberto
KWIATKOWSKI Michal
KANTER Max
GENIEZ Alexandre
My first try in this game. I surely made some big mistakes but it's a try to learn from it. My team:
EVENEPOEL Remco 952 (don't know if there is so much upside in 2020 but he is so talented that I didn't want to miss him. Maybe he will do a lot more, maybe he will show less)
BENNETT George 465 (think he has some freedom at smaller races and the giro. Not much upside but I don't see him earning less points)
HAILU Biniam Girmay 55 (great talent with more chances at PCT-Level)
FROOME Chris 77 (not much to lose...)
YATES Simon 668 (very bad last year. If he can get back to 2018 shape, a thousand more points are possible)
KWIATKOWSKI Michal 645 (overtrained/overraced last year. With the right conclusions he can maybe come back)
URAN URAN Rigoberto 458 (not much races last year. Hope he will ride a bit more and then he will score more points. Very solid rider)
BATTISTELLA Samuele 132 (strong talent, new on WT-Level)
DUMOULIN Tom 341 (a lot of upside if healthy)
FOSS Tobias Svendsen 127 (wasn't sure to pick him because of his team-role but didn't want to miss him)
MCNULTY Brandon 267 (hope he will fight back after a bad last year in which he had problems in the mountains and only rode time trials well in the last months)
ARU Fabio 194 (a lot of upside if healthy)
OOMEN Sam 179(a lot of upside if healthy, a lot of freedom since Dumoulin is gone)
KÄMNA Lennard 155 (hope that Bora will make him better. Very talented but showed it not often enough)
KRON Andreas Lorentz 160 (actually don't know why I picked him. Same team, can be a bit better but don't see much upside this year. Would have been more interesting 1 or 2 years later)
ARDILA ORDOÑEZ Andres Camilo 44 (very impressive Babygiro and a great team with UAE where talents showed their skills last year)
CEPEDA ORTIZ Jefferson Alexander 36 (great talent, new at PCT-Level, nut much to lose)
CAVENDISH Mark 25 (can't be much worse but high upside. Hopefully his new team will give him a new spirit)
GUERREIRO Ruben Antonio Almeida 367 (expensive pick, 25 years old but I see a possibility that he will have a breakthrough season at his new team)
TEJADA CANACUE Harold Alfonso 36 (great talent, new at WT-Level. Hope he will score a few more points)
CHAMPOUSSIN Clément 170 (puh, wasn't sure here. I see him very talented but wasn't sure because he only turns pro in april. Maybe he will do it like Higuita last year)
HERMANS Quinten 162 ( a lot of upside if more concentrated on the road)
CHIRICO Luca 0 (was looking for someone with zero points. Maybe he can score a hundred...)
HOLMES Matthew 102 (new on WT-Level with 26. Rode not much last year, so a lot of potential. )
LATOUR Pierre 352 (very inconsistent but can score a lot more points if healthy from february to june)
RUBIO REYES Einer Augusto 52 (new at WT-level, 2nd of the babygiro. A lot of upside)
JORGENSON Matteo 25 (another young talent which is new at WT-level. I know, not very creative...)
GARRISON Michael 0 (pretty sure I will not lose points with him. Heard he is talented and maybe he can score a few points at Axeon)
ZUKOWSKY Nickolas 143 (same team but up to PCT-level. Very impressive results last year. Don't know him really but hope he has some to give. Think I am the only one who picked him)
SIMMONS Quinn 0 (nothing to lose, big talent)
BOUHANNI Nacer 276 (maybe his best years are behind him but don't think he will lose much more. So it can only get better)
ANDERSEN Søren Kragh 268 (very disappointing season 2019. Now a cornerstone at Sunweb, hope he will show a lot more)
VALGREN ANDERSEN Michael 565 (started the last season in august, not really but pointswise, maybe he will perform all year. Then a lot more points are possible)
EVENEPOEL Remco 952 (don't know if there is so much upside in 2020 but he is so talented that I didn't want to miss him. Maybe he will do a lot more, maybe he will show less)
BENNETT George 465 (think he has some freedom at smaller races and the giro. Not much upside but I don't see him earning less points)
HAILU Biniam Girmay 55 (great talent with more chances at PCT-Level)
FROOME Chris 77 (not much to lose...)
YATES Simon 668 (very bad last year. If he can get back to 2018 shape, a thousand more points are possible)
KWIATKOWSKI Michal 645 (overtrained/overraced last year. With the right conclusions he can maybe come back)
URAN URAN Rigoberto 458 (not much races last year. Hope he will ride a bit more and then he will score more points. Very solid rider)
BATTISTELLA Samuele 132 (strong talent, new on WT-Level)
DUMOULIN Tom 341 (a lot of upside if healthy)
FOSS Tobias Svendsen 127 (wasn't sure to pick him because of his team-role but didn't want to miss him)
MCNULTY Brandon 267 (hope he will fight back after a bad last year in which he had problems in the mountains and only rode time trials well in the last months)
ARU Fabio 194 (a lot of upside if healthy)
OOMEN Sam 179(a lot of upside if healthy, a lot of freedom since Dumoulin is gone)
KÄMNA Lennard 155 (hope that Bora will make him better. Very talented but showed it not often enough)
KRON Andreas Lorentz 160 (actually don't know why I picked him.
Same team, can be a bit better but don't see much upside this year. Would have been more interesting 1 or 2 years later)ARDILA ORDOÑEZ Andres Camilo 44 (very impressive Babygiro and a great team with UAE where talents showed their skills last year)
CEPEDA ORTIZ Jefferson Alexander 36 (great talent, new at PCT-Level, nut much to lose)
CAVENDISH Mark 25 (can't be much worse but high upside. Hopefully his new team will give him a new spirit)
GUERREIRO Ruben Antonio Almeida 367 (expensive pick, 25 years old but I see a possibility that he will have a breakthrough season at his new team)
TEJADA CANACUE Harold Alfonso 36 (great talent, new at WT-Level. Hope he will score a few more points)
CHAMPOUSSIN Clément 170 (puh, wasn't sure here. I see him very talented but wasn't sure because he only turns pro in april. Maybe he will do it like Higuita last year)
HERMANS Quinten 162 ( a lot of upside if more concentrated on the road)
CHIRICO Luca 0 (was looking for someone with zero points. Maybe he can score a hundred...)
HOLMES Matthew 102 (new on WT-Level with 26. Rode not much last year, so a lot of potential. )
LATOUR Pierre 352 (very inconsistent but can score a lot more points if healthy from february to june)
RUBIO REYES Einer Augusto 52 (new at WT-level, 2nd of the babygiro. A lot of upside)
JORGENSON Matteo 25 (another young talent which is new at WT-level. I know, not very creative...)
GARRISON Michael 0 (pretty sure I will not lose points with him. Heard he is talented and maybe he can score a few points at Axeon)
ZUKOWSKY Nickolas 143 (same team but up to PCT-level. Very impressive results last year. Don't know him really but hope he has some to give. Think I am the only one who picked him
)SIMMONS Quinn 0 (nothing to lose, big talent)
BOUHANNI Nacer 276 (maybe his best years are behind him but don't think he will lose much more. So it can only get better)
ANDERSEN Søren Kragh 268 (very disappointing season 2019. Now a cornerstone at Sunweb, hope he will show a lot more)
VALGREN ANDERSEN Michael 565 (started the last season in august, not really but pointswise, maybe he will perform all year. Then a lot more points are possible)
My team:
PINOT Thibaut
BARDET Romain
GAVIRIA RENDON Fernando
YATES Simon
KWIATKOWSKI Michal
MOSCON Gianni
LATOUR Pierre
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc
DUMOULIN Tom
BOUHANNI Nacer
CORT NIELSEN Magnus
FELLINE Fabio
ARU Fabio
OOMEN Sam
KÄMNA Lennard
VAKOC Petr
HAAS Nathan
DRUCKER Jempy
DILLIER Silvan
BAGIOLI Andrea
FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR Ruben
FROOME Chris
GENIEZ Alexandre
MODOLO Sacha
STRAKHOV Dmitry
MINALI Riccardo
RUBIO REYES Einer Augusto
OSORIO CARVAJAL Alejandro
ARDILA ORDOÑEZ Andres Camilo
VICHOT Arthur
CAVENDISH Mark
DE BIE Sean
SIMMONS Quinn
The rider I'm most concerned about not having is Kragh Andersen. He was in my team at first, but in the end I couldn't fit him in anymore...
PINOT Thibaut
BARDET Romain
GAVIRIA RENDON Fernando
YATES Simon
KWIATKOWSKI Michal
MOSCON Gianni
LATOUR Pierre
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc
DUMOULIN Tom
BOUHANNI Nacer
CORT NIELSEN Magnus
FELLINE Fabio
ARU Fabio
OOMEN Sam
KÄMNA Lennard
VAKOC Petr
HAAS Nathan
DRUCKER Jempy
DILLIER Silvan
BAGIOLI Andrea
FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR Ruben
FROOME Chris
GENIEZ Alexandre
MODOLO Sacha
STRAKHOV Dmitry
MINALI Riccardo
RUBIO REYES Einer Augusto
OSORIO CARVAJAL Alejandro
ARDILA ORDOÑEZ Andres Camilo
VICHOT Arthur
CAVENDISH Mark
DE BIE Sean
SIMMONS Quinn
The rider I'm most concerned about not having is Kragh Andersen. He was in my team at first, but in the end I couldn't fit him in anymore...
MAS NICOLAU Enric, 811p
Maybe a bit overhyped after the podium in the Vuelta in 2018 and had a bit of a disappointing season in 2019 considering that. Still managed to almost score the same, pointwise, as in 2018. Mainly thanks to an overall win in Tour of Guangxi to end the season. Now at Movistar, as their biggest hope for GC. Mas could be a bit of a risky pick but I hope it works. Since he will be more supported and says himself he feels more at home and comfortable in the Spanish team. At least it will be someone to cheer for a little bit extra. Hoping he hasn’t been picked by that many others.
BARDET Romain, 734p
I was thinking about whether to go with Pinot or Bardet, or both, as my more expensive picks. I ended up choosing Bardet and Mas. Pinot will be going all out for a Tour attempt. Of course, I understand that after what happened. He wants revenge there. But because of that… I like Bardet program a lot better, especially with this game in mind.
YATES Simon, 668p
Definitely room for improvement here. A no-brainer. Should be on every team.
PEDERSEN Mads, 583p
Was not good last season. Up until the end of the season, when he won the WC!!! Which was an incredible end to his season. With a better spring campaign this year he should be able to score a lot more than last season.
VALGREN ANDERSEN Michael, 565p
Let’s keep it Danish! He is a lot better than last season, in which he ended on a good note. Should be up there in the classics and other one-day races. I hope he has been overlooked. Maybe I will regret not picking Kwiatkowski here, but then so be it. Moscon could also have been a cheaper option. But then I would have Moscon on my team.
LATOUR Pierre, 352p
He was injured for a large part of last season. Came back at the end of it and looked good in the last few races in Italy, after finishing the Vuelta. Should be able to score more points and have a good season.
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc, 350p
I wasn’t too pleased to learn he will be going to the Tour… with Mas and Valverde. I hope it is at one-week races he might shine next season in a leadership role. Since that is where his best results also have been. Hope he can be up there in a few of them.
DUMOULIN Tom, 341p
A must-have.
BOUHANNI Nacer, 276p
Maybe a change of teams will mean some more points? More motivated at a new team? Putting past frustration behind him. Should be able to score more points than last season in his sleep. Only 40 race days last season, for a guy that normally races 60-70 days. But maybe he is lost or has lost it. A bit of a gamble in that sense. Not that high of a risk really with this price either, and has a high reward situation going on if he just gets even a little bit better again.
ANDERSEN Søren Kragh, 268p
Started pretty good in Algarve last year. Got sick. And then was pretty much nowhere to be seen last season. He can do better. Hope he has been forgotten by others, even though I don’t think that will be the case.
KUSS Sepp, 233p
Started last season pretty slow. Thought he should have gotten on a bit more. Maybe he will not get a lot of own chances but should be up there in some races, and should be able to score similar to what a rider like Jack Haig has done in my opinion. Same type of role in his team and qualities as a rider. At least that is what I am hoping. 500-600 points this season would be a good return for him.
CORT NIELSEN Magnus, 227p
Another Dane on my team. But seriously. He should be able to improve his score from last season. Previous 3 seasons all over 500+ points. Now at EF. They, as a team, were really good last season.
TOUZE, Damien 221p
I had him last year also. He pretty much broke even then. But that was in his first year as a pro. Where he had 72 race days, and finished almost all of them. Some good placings in a few races. Now one year older. He has potential in a lot of the one-day races on the French calendar and he has a good sprint. He is a dark-horse on my team, that probably have not been picked by that many others. Could probably make me look like a genius, or fail miserably.
ARU Fabio, 194p
I hope he has a good season. Even a mediocre season should mean more points. He sounds motivated. Question is if he can get back to competing with the best. I expect him to be on a lot teams.
OOMEN Sam, 179p
Struggled a lot last year. But the guy has a lot of potential to be great. Hopefully bounces back. I expect him to be on many teams.
KÄMNA Lennard, 155p
Could have a break-out year I think. One of the first names on my team tbh. Hoping he has not been picked by many others, of course.
VAKOC Petr, 145p
Last year was his first year back after his injury. Went from 0 to 145p then. Now stepping down a level to PCT. If he can continue to progress after his injury, he could be a very good pick since he will be racing a lot of one-day races in Belgium and France. Should mean opportunities to score some points. At least I hope so.
FOSS Tobias Svendsen, 127p
Don’t know how many chances he will have but he is at a good team and winning Tour de l'Avenir last season should mean something, right? He is no Pogacar, but more than 127p he will hopefully score. Hope they make a program for him where he can get results. If I can trust the program listed on PCS. It looks promising.
VAN DER HOORN Taco, 121p
Last year wasn’t as good as the two previous years. He has potential for the classics and other one-day races. Predominantly those in Belgium, where he has 3 wins. If he can find the form he had in the fall of 2018, he will be a threat in races. A few good days and he should be scoring a few points better. You never know.
STANNARD Robert, 114p
Second year as a pro. Had an okay first year without making much noise. Maybe he will get going this year a bit more. He gets a spot on my team.
DILLIER Silvan, 101p
Considering he scored almost 500 and 600 points in the seasons before the last one. I’m hoping for a good return. One more guy with potential in the classics is always good to have.
NARVAEZ PRADO Jhonatan Manuel, 98p
Had a quiet first year at Ineos. Maybe it was a learning curve for a young guy at a new team. He is talented, like he showcased at DQS the year before. Achieving more than 98p isn’t setting the bar too high.
SAMITIER SAMITIER Sergio, 93p
I’m not too crazy about this pick. He was probably one of the last riders I picked just to fit the puzzle. Like the pick before 93p, isn’t setting the bar too high though.
FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR Ruben, 83p
Stepping down a level to PCT. He will be racing a lot on the Spanish calendar and I hope that will translate in more points. Getting opportunities to ride for himself.
BAGIOLI Andrea, 83p
A young rider with a lot of potential. He is at a great team to develop at. He could be good if they send him to the right races and he performs. If it is one year too early or not we will see at this level. Didn’t like other riders in the price range. I picked him after I made a change, where I decided to take out Froome. We will see if that was a wise decision or not.
GENIEZ Alexandre, 68p
I don’t know why last season was so bad. Only 37 race days. In the 4 seasons prior to the last one he has scored more than 300 points. If he can do that it will be a good return.
MODOLO Sacha, 67p
Experienced rider and he is not getting any younger. Now at Alpecin-Fenix. I’m hoping the drop off wasn’t that huge in his performance, that he won’t be able to be better than last year. Should get opportunities for some good placings with this team and stepping down a level from WT to PCT. Even though he will most likely be in a domestic role for VdP in some of the classics, there should be plenty of chances for him to make some own results during the season.
GARCIA SOSA Jhojan Orlando, 64p
A bit of a wild card. Has showed some talent. Next season at Caja Rural. Could be good. Hoping he could be a next Higuita in this game.
RUBIO REYES Einer Augusto 52p
The next Quintana at Movistar? Seems like a talented rider. You never know with these first-year pros though. Could be hit or could be miss.
MÄDER Gino, 50p
I had him on last year’s team also, after he had showed great potential, but he had a horrible last season. Mainly due to injuries. Hopefully bounces back in his second year at WT-level.
HÄNNINEN Jaakko, 41p
At this point, any of these picks in this price range are hit and miss and probably not much return anyway. But hopefully someone turns up. Maybe this guy. Who has shown he has talent.
CEPEDA ORTIZ Jefferson Alexander 36p
I saw the last stage of Tour de l'Avenir in which he won. He is at Androni now and I like that. Good team to develop at.
SIMMONS Quinn, 0p
He is very young and I don’t know much about the guy more than that he has dominated, as far as I can see. He will be racing for Trek next season. From what I read, he seems to have great ambition and wants to race. If he comes even close to what Remco did last season, he will be an amazing pick. My hopes or expectations are nowhere near that high though. For 0p. He is a very low risk pick, with great potential and the last guy on my team.
Ending thoughts:
Opted not to pick some riders, that might be considered obvious, because of too many questionsmarks surrouning them in favor for other riders. Some I will admit I missed also. Hope the riders I picked instead can perform equally (hopefully better), than those obivous ones. Have not had time to check or read too much about the other teams yet posted, but this was my contribution and solution this year. Which is the third year I am playing and I have done better each so far, so I am hoping to do the same this year.
Maybe a bit overhyped after the podium in the Vuelta in 2018 and had a bit of a disappointing season in 2019 considering that. Still managed to almost score the same, pointwise, as in 2018. Mainly thanks to an overall win in Tour of Guangxi to end the season. Now at Movistar, as their biggest hope for GC. Mas could be a bit of a risky pick but I hope it works. Since he will be more supported and says himself he feels more at home and comfortable in the Spanish team. At least it will be someone to cheer for a little bit extra. Hoping he hasn’t been picked by that many others.
BARDET Romain, 734p
I was thinking about whether to go with Pinot or Bardet, or both, as my more expensive picks. I ended up choosing Bardet and Mas. Pinot will be going all out for a Tour attempt. Of course, I understand that after what happened. He wants revenge there. But because of that… I like Bardet program a lot better, especially with this game in mind.
YATES Simon, 668p
Definitely room for improvement here. A no-brainer. Should be on every team.
PEDERSEN Mads, 583p
Was not good last season. Up until the end of the season, when he won the WC!!! Which was an incredible end to his season. With a better spring campaign this year he should be able to score a lot more than last season.
VALGREN ANDERSEN Michael, 565p
Let’s keep it Danish! He is a lot better than last season, in which he ended on a good note. Should be up there in the classics and other one-day races. I hope he has been overlooked. Maybe I will regret not picking Kwiatkowski here, but then so be it. Moscon could also have been a cheaper option. But then I would have Moscon on my team.
LATOUR Pierre, 352p
He was injured for a large part of last season. Came back at the end of it and looked good in the last few races in Italy, after finishing the Vuelta. Should be able to score more points and have a good season.
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc, 350p
I wasn’t too pleased to learn he will be going to the Tour… with Mas and Valverde. I hope it is at one-week races he might shine next season in a leadership role. Since that is where his best results also have been. Hope he can be up there in a few of them.
DUMOULIN Tom, 341p
A must-have.
BOUHANNI Nacer, 276p
Maybe a change of teams will mean some more points? More motivated at a new team? Putting past frustration behind him. Should be able to score more points than last season in his sleep. Only 40 race days last season, for a guy that normally races 60-70 days. But maybe he is lost or has lost it. A bit of a gamble in that sense. Not that high of a risk really with this price either, and has a high reward situation going on if he just gets even a little bit better again.
ANDERSEN Søren Kragh, 268p
Started pretty good in Algarve last year. Got sick. And then was pretty much nowhere to be seen last season. He can do better. Hope he has been forgotten by others, even though I don’t think that will be the case.
KUSS Sepp, 233p
Started last season pretty slow. Thought he should have gotten on a bit more. Maybe he will not get a lot of own chances but should be up there in some races, and should be able to score similar to what a rider like Jack Haig has done in my opinion. Same type of role in his team and qualities as a rider. At least that is what I am hoping. 500-600 points this season would be a good return for him.
CORT NIELSEN Magnus, 227p
Another Dane on my team. But seriously. He should be able to improve his score from last season. Previous 3 seasons all over 500+ points. Now at EF. They, as a team, were really good last season.
TOUZE, Damien 221p
I had him last year also. He pretty much broke even then. But that was in his first year as a pro. Where he had 72 race days, and finished almost all of them. Some good placings in a few races. Now one year older. He has potential in a lot of the one-day races on the French calendar and he has a good sprint. He is a dark-horse on my team, that probably have not been picked by that many others. Could probably make me look like a genius, or fail miserably.
ARU Fabio, 194p
I hope he has a good season. Even a mediocre season should mean more points. He sounds motivated. Question is if he can get back to competing with the best. I expect him to be on a lot teams.
OOMEN Sam, 179p
Struggled a lot last year. But the guy has a lot of potential to be great. Hopefully bounces back. I expect him to be on many teams.
KÄMNA Lennard, 155p
Could have a break-out year I think. One of the first names on my team tbh. Hoping he has not been picked by many others, of course.
VAKOC Petr, 145p
Last year was his first year back after his injury. Went from 0 to 145p then. Now stepping down a level to PCT. If he can continue to progress after his injury, he could be a very good pick since he will be racing a lot of one-day races in Belgium and France. Should mean opportunities to score some points. At least I hope so.
FOSS Tobias Svendsen, 127p
Don’t know how many chances he will have but he is at a good team and winning Tour de l'Avenir last season should mean something, right? He is no Pogacar, but more than 127p he will hopefully score. Hope they make a program for him where he can get results. If I can trust the program listed on PCS. It looks promising.
VAN DER HOORN Taco, 121p
Last year wasn’t as good as the two previous years. He has potential for the classics and other one-day races. Predominantly those in Belgium, where he has 3 wins. If he can find the form he had in the fall of 2018, he will be a threat in races. A few good days and he should be scoring a few points better. You never know.
STANNARD Robert, 114p
Second year as a pro. Had an okay first year without making much noise. Maybe he will get going this year a bit more. He gets a spot on my team.
DILLIER Silvan, 101p
Considering he scored almost 500 and 600 points in the seasons before the last one. I’m hoping for a good return. One more guy with potential in the classics is always good to have.
NARVAEZ PRADO Jhonatan Manuel, 98p
Had a quiet first year at Ineos. Maybe it was a learning curve for a young guy at a new team. He is talented, like he showcased at DQS the year before. Achieving more than 98p isn’t setting the bar too high.
SAMITIER SAMITIER Sergio, 93p
I’m not too crazy about this pick. He was probably one of the last riders I picked just to fit the puzzle. Like the pick before 93p, isn’t setting the bar too high though.
FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR Ruben, 83p
Stepping down a level to PCT. He will be racing a lot on the Spanish calendar and I hope that will translate in more points. Getting opportunities to ride for himself.
BAGIOLI Andrea, 83p
A young rider with a lot of potential. He is at a great team to develop at. He could be good if they send him to the right races and he performs. If it is one year too early or not we will see at this level. Didn’t like other riders in the price range. I picked him after I made a change, where I decided to take out Froome. We will see if that was a wise decision or not.
GENIEZ Alexandre, 68p
I don’t know why last season was so bad. Only 37 race days. In the 4 seasons prior to the last one he has scored more than 300 points. If he can do that it will be a good return.
MODOLO Sacha, 67p
Experienced rider and he is not getting any younger. Now at Alpecin-Fenix. I’m hoping the drop off wasn’t that huge in his performance, that he won’t be able to be better than last year. Should get opportunities for some good placings with this team and stepping down a level from WT to PCT. Even though he will most likely be in a domestic role for VdP in some of the classics, there should be plenty of chances for him to make some own results during the season.
GARCIA SOSA Jhojan Orlando, 64p
A bit of a wild card. Has showed some talent. Next season at Caja Rural. Could be good. Hoping he could be a next Higuita in this game.
RUBIO REYES Einer Augusto 52p
The next Quintana at Movistar? Seems like a talented rider. You never know with these first-year pros though. Could be hit or could be miss.
MÄDER Gino, 50p
I had him on last year’s team also, after he had showed great potential, but he had a horrible last season. Mainly due to injuries. Hopefully bounces back in his second year at WT-level.
HÄNNINEN Jaakko, 41p
At this point, any of these picks in this price range are hit and miss and probably not much return anyway. But hopefully someone turns up. Maybe this guy. Who has shown he has talent.
CEPEDA ORTIZ Jefferson Alexander 36p
I saw the last stage of Tour de l'Avenir in which he won. He is at Androni now and I like that. Good team to develop at.
SIMMONS Quinn, 0p
He is very young and I don’t know much about the guy more than that he has dominated, as far as I can see. He will be racing for Trek next season. From what I read, he seems to have great ambition and wants to race. If he comes even close to what Remco did last season, he will be an amazing pick. My hopes or expectations are nowhere near that high though. For 0p. He is a very low risk pick, with great potential and the last guy on my team.
Ending thoughts:
Opted not to pick some riders, that might be considered obvious, because of too many questionsmarks surrouning them in favor for other riders. Some I will admit I missed also. Hope the riders I picked instead can perform equally (hopefully better), than those obivous ones. Have not had time to check or read too much about the other teams yet posted, but this was my contribution and solution this year. Which is the third year I am playing and I have done better each so far, so I am hoping to do the same this year.
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I see, so far, nobody has had the balls to take Sagan. I feel like I'm so gonna regret picking him.
Surprised btw so many people see Yates as a no-brainer. Tbf he was the hardest Rider to leave out but really if you look at his last season, points wise it doesn't really look like that much of an outlier to his previous years, with the exception of 2018 of course, but that was a huge outlier in itself. I don't really fear he'll reach that level again, I think that was a freak season comparable to stuff like Gilbert's 2011 freak season that also never got repeated. Also it's not like his season was a complete failure. His giro was perfectly in line with everything he has done before 2018 and he even won two tour stages. Sure he also had a lot of spots to improve massively but I'm not 100% confident he'll do so.
Edit: Really the one thing that worries me is him racing in Australia which I completely missed. That's always a great recipe for a bucket load of point completely unrepresentative for how good someone actually is
Surprised btw so many people see Yates as a no-brainer. Tbf he was the hardest Rider to leave out but really if you look at his last season, points wise it doesn't really look like that much of an outlier to his previous years, with the exception of 2018 of course, but that was a huge outlier in itself. I don't really fear he'll reach that level again, I think that was a freak season comparable to stuff like Gilbert's 2011 freak season that also never got repeated. Also it's not like his season was a complete failure. His giro was perfectly in line with everything he has done before 2018 and he even won two tour stages. Sure he also had a lot of spots to improve massively but I'm not 100% confident he'll do so.
Edit: Really the one thing that worries me is him racing in Australia which I completely missed. That's always a great recipe for a bucket load of point completely unrepresentative for how good someone actually is
My team
SAGAN Peter 1582
BENNETT Sam 1227
YATES Simon 668
URAN URAN Rigoberto 458
MOSCON Gianni 424
KELDERMAN Wilco 402
LATOUR Pierre 352
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc 350
DUMOULIN Tom 341
VAN POPPEL Danny 334
CARUSO Damiano 295
VAKOC Petr 145
MEINTJES Louis 107
EDMONDSON Alexander 87
FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR Ruben 83
FROOME Chris 77
GENIEZ Alexandre 68
WEEMAES Sasha 66
GARCIA SOSA Jhojan Orlando 64
VERVAEKE Louis 59
POWER Robert 56
HAILU Biniam Girmay 55
RUBIO REYES Einer Augusto 52
CABOT Jérémy 46
BURGAUDEAU Mathieu 28
ALBANESE Vincenzo 17
EVANS Alexander 13
CASTRIQUE Jonas 13
PLOWRIGHT Jensen 11
ALAPHILIPPE Bryan 10
DOMONT Axel 5
LEVASSEUR Jordan 4
SIMMONS Quinn 0
The guys I'm a bit upset not to have taken is De Bie and Kanter
But I'm quite happy to see that neither Sagan, neither Bennett are big picks until now
I expect a good season for both of them and see Sam Bennett getting all the benefits of the Wolfpack train
SAGAN Peter 1582
BENNETT Sam 1227
YATES Simon 668
URAN URAN Rigoberto 458
MOSCON Gianni 424
KELDERMAN Wilco 402
LATOUR Pierre 352
SOLER GIMENEZ Marc 350
DUMOULIN Tom 341
VAN POPPEL Danny 334
CARUSO Damiano 295
VAKOC Petr 145
MEINTJES Louis 107
EDMONDSON Alexander 87
FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR Ruben 83
FROOME Chris 77
GENIEZ Alexandre 68
WEEMAES Sasha 66
GARCIA SOSA Jhojan Orlando 64
VERVAEKE Louis 59
POWER Robert 56
HAILU Biniam Girmay 55
RUBIO REYES Einer Augusto 52
CABOT Jérémy 46
BURGAUDEAU Mathieu 28
ALBANESE Vincenzo 17
EVANS Alexander 13
CASTRIQUE Jonas 13
PLOWRIGHT Jensen 11
ALAPHILIPPE Bryan 10
DOMONT Axel 5
LEVASSEUR Jordan 4
SIMMONS Quinn 0
The guys I'm a bit upset not to have taken is De Bie and Kanter
But I'm quite happy to see that neither Sagan, neither Bennett are big picks until now
I expect a good season for both of them and see Sam Bennett getting all the benefits of the Wolfpack train
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