Here it goes! My team for the 2023 edition of the CQ Ranking Manager Game!
Thomas Pidcock, 599 points
He was picked by many managers last year, including me, but did not live up to everyones expectations. He has the potential to score points in many races and it would be frustrating to not pick him if he does, so I will give him another chance like many others it seems like.
Iván García Cortina, 584 points
This one is a bit of a gamble, but hear me out. He is an all-round rider that is strong and fast, at least in a reduced bunch. He is a rider that should be in his prime years and could be on the verge of a big season. He ended last season with finishing 5th in Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, 11th in the WC RR, 5th in Coppa Bernocchi and he won Gran Piemonte. He has also ridden well on the cobbles in the past couple of seasons and finished 16th in E3 and 8th in Gent-Wevelgem last year. It is a daring pick but could be a game changer, if it pays out.
Pavel Sivakov, 536 points
He has been very unlucky with crashes and injuries, but is a rider that should be capable of more. He didn't have many results to speak of in the first half of the season but then finished 2nd in San Sebastian. He followed that up with winning the Vuelta Burgos and was in a decent position to finish in the top 10 in the Vuelta, halfwaythrough, but tested positive for covid and had to leave the race. His season was pretty much over after that. I think he is one of the most talented GC-riders of his generation and that he still has time to show it. Just need to find some momentum and confidence, but most importantly stay on his bike.
Andrea Piccolo, 509 points
He missed the first half of the season after Gazprom was ousted. Signed with Androni where he immediately started performing well in almost every race he started, which earned him a contract with EF. He continued to be good in races towards the end of the season and it will be interesting to see what he could do in a full year.
Julian Alaphilippe, 489 points
He had a pretty terrible season, where nothing really worked for him last year. Ala is not getting any younger, but he should have a good chance at bouncing back this year if he is in better form and with some better luck.
Lucas Plapp, 441 points
He had a good season in his first year as a pro and might develop even further in his second year. He will start his season early with the nationals and the TDU, where he could be off to a decent start if all goes well. He is a rider to follow more closely in his second year.
Wilco Kelderman, 364 points
He has always been very talented, but not quite had the career as one would expect. He has now gone full circle and signed with JV. Maybe it is not too late for him to win a big race yet.
Andrea Bagioli, 321 points
He has so far been quite unlucky as a pro, with crashes and injuries, but shown he is really good when fit. He won a stage last year in Catalunya but also finished 3rd behind Pog and Van Aert in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. It says something about his potential and he is a rider that is due a breakthrough, if he can find some consistency.
Mikkel Frølich Honore, 320 points
He was very successful in 2021 where he was on the podium in a few one-day races, most notably in San Sebastian and Bretagne. He struggled in the first half of the season last year, like many other riders on QS, but found better form towards the end of the season where he was good again. He has now moved on from QS to race with EF for the next three years, where he will probably have a prominent role and be a leader for many races.
Giovanni Aleotti, 317 points
He has won the Sibiu Tour two years in a row, but other than that there have been very few results to speak of. However, he did finish 7th in some good company in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal last season and that shows a bit what he could be capable of. He is a rider that could have a breakthrough soon, if he starts performing consistently.
Ben Tulett, 316 points
I think he had a pretty decent first season with Ineos. He won a stage in Coppi e Bartali and finished 2nd overall. In the Giro he finished 5th in both the ITTs and later in the season finished 5th overall in the Tour de Pologne, mainly because of a strong performance in the ITT where he finished 6th. He also finished 14th in the WC RR. He is still a very young rider that could develop into a great one in the future.
Kasper Asgreen, 267 points
He ended his season, due to fatigue, when he abandoned the Tour in the middle of the race. Hopefully he will be back in better shape this year.
Cian Uijtdebroeks, 253 points
I think they managed him really well towards his biggest target of the season last year, the Tour de l'Avenir, in which he won. He is a great talent and it will be interesting to follow his further development.
Quinn Simmons, 243 points
He has so far been spending a lot of energy in breakaways and maybe lacked a bit tactically, but that is something that will hopefully improve with more experience and maturing. He is still very young and could be due a breakthrough soon.
Ilan Van Wilder, 232 points
He has had a bit of bad luck so far in his pro career, but showed he has the potential to be a good rider. Should have some opportunities to race for himself this season.
Maximilian Schachmann, 187 points
He ended his season early due to fatigue. Hopefully a longer break has been just what he needed and that he will be back close to his former level this year.
Madis Mihkels, 173 points
The impression I have gotten is that he could be a great talent, but will he have a breakthrough already this year? I think it could be worth it to find out, because he might not be as cheap to pick as this again.
Jonathan Milan, 160 points
He was out for a few months, but finished the season very strong. It will be interesting to see if he can build on that and have a good season.
Casper Van Uden, 160 points
He is a talented young sprinter who won stages in the Tour de Normandie, Tour de Bretagne and Tour de l'Avenir last season. He also finished 4th in Scheldeprijs and 8th in Sparkassen Münsterland Giro against some of the best sprinters. He is a rider that I think could score many points in his first pro season, if given a good schedule.
Lenny Martinez, 121 points
He comes from a cycling family where his father won a gold medal in MTB in the 2000 Olympic Games and who also raced as a pro in the early 2000s. His grandfather has won two stages in the Tour and won the KOM jersey in 1978. Lenny, following in his family members footsteps, is a good climber who finished 3rd overall in baby-Giro and won Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta - Mont Blanc last season. He also finished 14th overall in Tour of the Alps and 8th in Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes, which is a tough one-day race. He is a great talent who will now go pro with FDJ - Groupama, after going through their whole system. It will be interesting to see how he develops further in his first pro season.
Romain Gregoire, 108 points
Like Martinez, he will step up to the first team of FDJ - Groupama this year. He was very good last spring, where he won four consecutive one-day races in the U23s. He also won stages in the baby-Giro and the Tour de l'Avenir. He is a rider that could be good immediately in his first pro season, even though you can never know for sure.
Marco Brenner, 105 points
He skipped the U23s and went straight to the pros. It has been a couple of anonymous seasons so far, but he started to show some progress towards the end of last season. He was 12th overall in the Tour de Pologne and he finished 5th on a MTF in the Vuelta. He will be going into his third season as a pro at only 20 years old.
Arne Marit, 103 points
He is a sprinter that will be racing with Intermarche for the next two years. He was really good at the end of 2021, where he won GP du Morbihan and finished 7th in Paris - Tours. Last season he struggled with crashes and injuries. He should have a good chance to score more points, if he has a better season.
Thibau Nys, 102 points
He is a young rider with great potential that could be scoring points in some smaller one-day races and semi-classics this season.
Mattia Cattaneo, 101 points
He struggled last year after being very good in 2021, where he had his best year yet in his career points wise. He is a good time trialist that could climb a little bit and if he can be as good as in 2021 he should score more points.
Leo Hayter, 98 points
Signed with Ineos, of course, with his brother being there and they seem to know how to get their neo-pros up to speed immediately. He could be another one that hits the ground running.
Aimé De Gendt, 82 points
He didn't have his best season and will be looking to bounce back this year. He could be a rider that can score points in smaller one-day races and in the semi-classics. Last rider to be selected for my team.
Thomas Gloag, 80 points
He could be a good signing for JV and he has a lot of potential. Hopefully he is given a schedule where he can develop further and at the same time score some points.
Gianni Moscon, 61 points
It was a year to write-off completely for him. He suffered from bronchitis and covid early in the season. His classics season was subsequently ruined. He raced the Tour de Suisse but had to abandon the Tour quite early, still suffering from long post-covid effects. Showed some sort of life again towards the very end of the season finishing 12th in Coppa Bernocchi - GP BPM and 16th in Gran Piemonte. He is available for a cheap price this year.
Finn Fisher-Black, 37 points
He was out with injuries and didn't get to race much last season. Hopefully won't be a problem this year and he is a rider with great potential, if he can get going.
Ben Hermans, 20 points
He had a horrible 2022. It had much to do with covid and feeling the aftereffects for a long time. He is a rider who at age 35 had his second best performance point wise, 718 points, in 2021. He should have a good chance of scoring more points, if he can bounce back, but it is not a given considering his age and recent problems.
Egan Bernal, 5 points
He was probably one of the first names on everyone's team for this year. It would be great to see him get back close to his former level again, if it is possible. Rooting for him after what he has gone through.
David Dekker, 3 points
He is now with Arkea, which will hopefully be a fresh start for him. He is a sprinter who could get some points here and there in minor races.
The best of luck to everyone playing!