Ok, a final note before I head to work for the day - I have seen a number of folks running down their teams and talking about boring picks (either by way of talking about why they don't pick riders or defensively justifying riders they did pick). I guess I have a different perspective on this than most people, as is likely evidenced by my teams year-in and year-out, but I mostly don't get why people think picking someone like Sonny Colbrelli is boring, so I figured I'd at least explain my perspective on this so people could understand the other side.
First, I guess I'll preface by saying that as a cycling fan in general, I love the obvious excellence of someone who makes audacious attacks, but also have always appreciated the guys who solidly show up in so many races for the whole year (which is why doing research for this edition has made me a Bauke Mollema fan). Seeing guys that get solid results but don't get celebrated is, I suppose, a kind of data nerd version of rooting for the underdog. So maybe I have a different starting point from a fan perspective as well. That's why I've always liked Valverde and his 8 WC podiums more than some, and why when audacious attacks and consistent excellence are married in someone like MvdP, I'm totally on board.
But more specifically, from a game perspective, this game gives a different, exciting spin on watching racing. On one level, I'm enjoying the spectacle, and on another level, I'm tracking where my guys are at and what chances they have. 2018 Worlds and 2019 Amstel Gold were two of the times I have been most excited watching a bike race (for different reasons - 2018 Worlds was seeing Valv finally win after all those placings, 2019 AGR speaks for itself), but the cherry on top of both of them was having my CQ guy win as well. So by that metric, this year's CQ season stands to possibly the least boring and most exciting race-watching I've done. If Dwars Door Vlaanderen ends up with a lead group of 10, and I have Kristoff, GvA, Naesen, Colbrelli, Trentin and Vanmarcke in there, it'll be like Christmas. I can't imagine a more exciting year than to have a bunch of guys who can be at the front of a bunch of races that I'm going to watch.
Granted, three things dampen that excitement. One is if I actively don't like the rider (Froome, for example), another is if 'everyone' has him (uh, Froome again). Another is if I don't actually watch the races he's in, which I'm mostly neutral about, but all things equal of course I'd rather have someone I'm watching and cheering on than Timothy Dupont in a non-televised .1 race. But largely, I don't dislike any of the riders I picked, so I feel like it's going to be the opposite of boring for me to have them on my team.
I guess there is the year-long excitement of catching a breakout phenomenon, like whoever had Pogacar last year (or the year before), the few who had Ackermann a couple years back for example, or times when I've managed to get, like, Moreno Moser in 2012. I get the desire for that in constructing a team, and maybe this is where most people are coming from, in wanting a team full of that. But I mostly get excited about seeing my racers with a chance to score big points, so I anticipate this year being fun to follow.
Anyway, that's where I come from on that front.
First, I guess I'll preface by saying that as a cycling fan in general, I love the obvious excellence of someone who makes audacious attacks, but also have always appreciated the guys who solidly show up in so many races for the whole year (which is why doing research for this edition has made me a Bauke Mollema fan). Seeing guys that get solid results but don't get celebrated is, I suppose, a kind of data nerd version of rooting for the underdog. So maybe I have a different starting point from a fan perspective as well. That's why I've always liked Valverde and his 8 WC podiums more than some, and why when audacious attacks and consistent excellence are married in someone like MvdP, I'm totally on board.
But more specifically, from a game perspective, this game gives a different, exciting spin on watching racing. On one level, I'm enjoying the spectacle, and on another level, I'm tracking where my guys are at and what chances they have. 2018 Worlds and 2019 Amstel Gold were two of the times I have been most excited watching a bike race (for different reasons - 2018 Worlds was seeing Valv finally win after all those placings, 2019 AGR speaks for itself), but the cherry on top of both of them was having my CQ guy win as well. So by that metric, this year's CQ season stands to possibly the least boring and most exciting race-watching I've done. If Dwars Door Vlaanderen ends up with a lead group of 10, and I have Kristoff, GvA, Naesen, Colbrelli, Trentin and Vanmarcke in there, it'll be like Christmas. I can't imagine a more exciting year than to have a bunch of guys who can be at the front of a bunch of races that I'm going to watch.
Granted, three things dampen that excitement. One is if I actively don't like the rider (Froome, for example), another is if 'everyone' has him (uh, Froome again). Another is if I don't actually watch the races he's in, which I'm mostly neutral about, but all things equal of course I'd rather have someone I'm watching and cheering on than Timothy Dupont in a non-televised .1 race. But largely, I don't dislike any of the riders I picked, so I feel like it's going to be the opposite of boring for me to have them on my team.
I guess there is the year-long excitement of catching a breakout phenomenon, like whoever had Pogacar last year (or the year before), the few who had Ackermann a couple years back for example, or times when I've managed to get, like, Moreno Moser in 2012. I get the desire for that in constructing a team, and maybe this is where most people are coming from, in wanting a team full of that. But I mostly get excited about seeing my racers with a chance to score big points, so I anticipate this year being fun to follow.
Anyway, that's where I come from on that front.