The 2024 CQ Ranking Manager Thread

[EvansIsTheBest]

Some statistics:

Blatantly patrionistic; one redhead.
Average age of just over 25, though in one case I went by the age a rider will turn in two days, rather than his current age.
One rider over 1700 points.
One rider at exactly 0 points.

Finally our first Pogacar team in a while.

 

[Squire]

I submitted my team but doesn't feel very comfortable or optimistic with it. I picked a lot of riders I believe in but am not yet convinced they are worth my trust. It feels like last year there were more obvious picks. There are a lot of riders coming out of an disappointing year but not sure a lot of them will be able to bounce back.

A lot of the obvious picks last year ended up being pretty bad though. I'm not convinced that all my riders will have great seasons, but my team is way more exciting than it has perhaps ever been. It can be bang average or it can really pop off. Definitely not the safest 15000+ year, but I think there's a high ceiling too.

It was surprisingly easy to complete, not many of "I would also really like to have this guy in my team but I'm out of budget/space" situations I often get in these games.

As I think I mentioned in a previous post, it was easy enough getting to around 28-30 riders that I feel pretty good about. But contrary to you, I have quite a few guys I would also like to fit in. The problem is that they're mostly too cheap. To use a sensible amount of the budget (i.e. all of it) I need to go with some more pricey ones that I'm not completely confident in.

Felt I needed to make a rather drastic change to my team as a result of some recent news as well, but I'm reasonably happy with the alternative I came up with.

 

[Salvarani]

I'm not convinced that all my riders will have great seasons, but my team is way more exciting than it has perhaps ever been.

Same, without divulging too much.

 

[tobydawq]

Well, with about 3000 riders scoring points, one could say 1:3000, but if we are let's say 80% confident that they would both score between 50 and 600 (reasonable upper and lower bounds of expectation for them) then we can be about three times more confident.

Of course, if CQ listed riders on the same score alphabetically, the odds would be much less: about 1:687.
(/failure to recognise rhetorical question mode)

Okay, Sheldon.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BUq-MIbFLo&pp=ygUhc2hlbGRvbiB3aGF0IGFyZSB0aGUgb2RkcyBvZiB0aGF0

 

[Armchair cyclist]

If you have finished picking your team for this, don't remove your selectors' hats yet: the 2024-26 Emerging Riders game is now officially launched and the Women's CQ game also awaits.

 

[bminchow]

If you have finished picking your team for this, don't remove your selectors' hats yet: the 2024-26 Emerging Riders game is now officially launched and the Women's CQ game also awaits.

Woohoo! I thought the women's already launched. Either way, fun stuff. Great for a 4 day weekend

 

[pman]

My team is set. I had two requirements for riders on my team- 1) I think they'll improve over last year and 2) I could see myself rooting for them if they're in a breakaway, etc.

I am super excited because my wife is also doing it. Her formula is very different than mine- basically she's picking her favorite riders and filling in her team with young/ low point guys from teams and countries she roots for. We watch a ton of races together so it'll be fun to notice guys from our teams competing which I guess is part of the point of this. We watch a ton of races and they're often won by guys we've never heard of so this should give us more of an interest in diverse races. It'll also be a game within a game for us. Super fun, thanks for organizing this!

 

[Kazistuta]

Glad to have you in this year. You are probably in the same boat as many of us. And this boat will stay afloat. I find myself hanging on to riders that are getting a little older. But i know their names and what they have done and they cant all be Sagan of the last 3 years.

I'm just happy Sagan retired, so I won't be "forced" to pick him again.

 

[Squire]

I'm just happy Sagan retired, so I won't be "forced" to pick him again.

Ehm...

CQ Ranking - Team not found

CQ Ranking is the world's leading cycling ranking and extensive results database. Also known as Cycling Quotient.

cqranking.com

 

[Kazistuta]

Ehm...

CQ Ranking - Team not found

CQ Ranking is the world's leading cycling ranking and extensive results database. Also known as Cycling Quotient.

cqranking.com

Retired from the "real" part of cycling, no offense intended. But yes, Sagan and Baguettes seems fitting atm.

 

[Squire]

Retired from the "real" part of cycling, no offense intended. But yes, Sagan and Baguettes seems fitting atm.

If he wins the four Slovenian races he's announced that he's doing in March, he'll be almost halfway to making a profit. Just sayin'

 

[Salvarani]

If he wins the four Slovenian races he's announced that he's doing in March, he'll be almost halfway to making a profit. Just sayin'

You are gonna make someone relapse.

 

[ingsve]

If he wins the four Slovenian races he's announced that he's doing in March, he'll be almost halfway to making a profit. Just sayin'

I looked at him and what he's said and based on that he's only doing those races as training for MTB so I didn't end up gambling on him. Then again he could end up being like when Marko Kump went back to Adria Mobil after an unsuccessful stint in the World Tour.

 

[RedheadDane]

I looked at him and what he's said and based on that he's only doing those races as training for MTB so I didn't end up gambling on him. Then again he could end up being like when Marko Kump went back to Adria Mobil after an unsuccessful stint in the World Tour.

I wouldn't call Sagan's stint in the World Tour unsuccessful...

 

[Anderis]

Ehm...

CQ Ranking - Team not found

CQ Ranking is the world's leading cycling ranking and extensive results database. Also known as Cycling Quotient.

cqranking.com

Pierre Baguette! That sounds like if someone tried to come up with the most stereotypical French name possible!

 

[Panda Claws]

This year is really hard imo.

 

[skidmark]

I wouldn't call Sagan's stint in the World Tour unsuccessful...

Indeed it was when he left the World Tour two years ago that his scores tanked, which was agonizing for CQ managers that figured that even if he'd lost a step to the ascendant cyclo-crossers, he'd feast on the small French one-days he'd surely do... whoops. TotalEnergies would have had over 4600 points between Sagan and EBH, if it were 2016.

 

[skidmark]

We've got 21 teams submitted so far everyone! Thanks to those who have sent in so far. A reminder to expect the year-end CQ update on December 31st, and there are sometimes minor tweaks. I will do my best to upload the final update to the 'create your team' spreadsheet as early as possible on the 31st so you can double check.

 

[ingsve]

I wouldn't call Sagan's stint in the World Tour unsuccessful...

No, Marko Kumps was. And Sagans last couple seasons haven't been great so if he was going back to help out his local continental team and focusing on the road with them he could have had a similar boost in success like Kump had but by the looks of it he won't focus on the road at all other than training.

 

[RedheadDane]

No, Marko Kumps was. And Sagans last couple seasons haven't been great so if he was going back to help out his local continental team and focusing on the road with them he could have had a similar boost in success like Kump had but by the looks of it he won't focus on the road at all other than training.

Aaah, so Sagan's situation is similar to Kump's, except it's different?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Aaah, so Sagan's situation is similar to Kump's, except it's different?

Let's end this stupid split of hairs by changing the phrase "unsuccessful stint in the World Tour" to "unsuccessful stint in the World Tour and/or on a ProTeam".

 

[ingsve]

Aaah, so Sagan's situation is similar to Kump's, except it's different?

It could have been similar if his motivation for riding for RRK Group - Pierre Baguette - Benzinol would have been to ride the full calender with them similar to how Kump went back and rode a full calender of 2.2 and 1.2 races with Adria Mobil but alas, Sagans motivation is merely to train for MTB which makes the situation different.

 

[RedheadDane]

Let's end this stupid split of hairs by changing the phrase "unsuccessful stint in the World Tour" to "unsuccessful stint in the World Tour and/or on a ProTeam".

I'd say Sagan's first stint far outweighs his last.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I'd say Sagan's first stint far outweighs his last.

Please stop.

 

[RedheadDane]

Please stop.

Just thought it was funny to read "Sagan" and "unsuccessful stint at the World Tour" in the same sentence.

But, anyway; 21 seems like an absolutely perfect number of players; coz then I might have a change to sneak into the top-20!
Though, I suspect/hope that my national-themed team will be slightly more successful than Samu's national-themed team, even though he didn't actually stick to the theme.