The 2025 CQ Ranking Manager Thread

[RedheadDane]

My scorers this week.

Skjelmose: 143 points (2nd in GC, a stage win, and a day in yellow in Luxembourg)
Salby: 26 points (a stage win, and a day in yellow in Huangshan)
Johansen: 12 points (15th in Super 8)
Kragh and Bevort: 5 points each (top-50 in Luxembourg)

*Knock on wood that Skjelmose will make it safely through the World Championships next week.*

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

I'll actually close the gap pretty significantly to @Earns1985 in this update and I'll add another 30 points from Söderqvist today so maybe it's not as crazy as I thought.

 

[hayneplane]

Behrens gets points that aren't for finishing, is the world ending?

Brennan above 1000 points. Pretty crazy that he was still racing .2 level in march.

Got that Visma rider choice so badly wrong thinking Brennan would not get many leadership chances in the sprints and that Behrens could do some damage in the classics 😳

 

[Earns1985]

I'll actually close the gap pretty significantly to @Earns1985 in this update and I'll add another 30 points from Söderqvist today so maybe it's not as crazy as I thought.

Yeah, my rarer picks once again didn´t deliver. Demare again a disappointment (I think I will never again pick a sprinter, who is older than 30 years) and Geoghehan Hart also not delivering in Luxemburg. Graat the only one who scored a few points..
This week will also not be good for me as my line-up for the Worlds is anything but promising.
Your Rondel pick in the end could make the difference..

 

[skidmark]

Update #35: Salvarani's Stranglehold Tightens

The late season races were sprinkled all over the place this week, from 1.1 and 1.PS races in Italy/France/Belgium to 2.PS and 2.1 races in Luxembourg and Slovakia, to the opening of the Worlds in Rwanda. And even with all these varied locations, some familiar faces were near the top of the rankings.

This Week's Top Scorers

Rank	Team	Points this week
1	JumboVismaFan	757
2	Object	724
3	DJ Sprtsch	681
4	Salvarani	677
5	SafeBet	625

After winning weeks 30 and 31, JumboVismaFan is back on top in week 35. And, like those weeks, leading the way is unique pick Arnaud De Lie, who is really recovering after a brutal first half of the season, adding another 260 points this week. CQ game goldmines Matthew Brennan (126, 33) and Paul Magnier (104, 37) provide some solid backup, as does Mathys Rondel (78, 9). Former winner Object lands in 2nd as a Brennan holder, but also with big Worlds results from Jay Vine (150, 11) and Ilan Van Wilder (130, 7). DJ Sprtsch edges out Salvarani for 3rd on the week thanks to Vine and Brennan, with solid contributions from Tom Gloag (71, 62) and Luke Plapp (70, 20).

This Week's High Movers

Rank	Team	Up/down
1	JumboVismaFan	(+11)
2	DJ Sprtsch	(+8)
3	Object	(+7)
4	adamski101	(+5)
4	Sneekes	(+5)
4	karaev	(+5)

We've got the same podium in this ranking, with DJ Sprtsch and Object switching places, but JVF still on top.

Green Jersey Competition

Rank	Team	Total
1	Salvarani	400
2	Squire	332.7
3	Pantani4ever	316
4	SafeBet	253
5	Devils_Elbow	242

Unfortunately for everyone else, Salvarani scores another 26 points this week to crack 400. Squire finishes in the points as well, getting 12 of them, and so is the closest team a little less than 70 points back. SafeBet scores 22 for 5th place on the week, leaping into the top 5 of the points ranking.

Top 10 Overall

Rank	Up/down	Team	Points
1	(-)	Salvarani	15441
2	(-)	Squire	14492
3	(-)	SafeBet	14284
4	(-)	Devils_Elbow	14025
5	(-)	Earns1985	13742
6	(+1)	EvansIsTheBest	13628
7	(-1)	postmanhat	13553
8	(-)	Berflamand	13526
9	(-)	triley36	13440
10	(-)	Qazaqstan	13276

Aside from EvansIsTheBest and postmanhat swapping spots, there's no movement in the top 10 as many gaps are pretty wide and all the teams were within a couple hundred points of each other. Salvarani gained 113 on 2nd place Squire, which means their team is now leading by nearly 1000 points. Squire and SafeBet were both in the top 15 on the week too, so they've consolidated their spots on the podium as well.

This week will be a little quieter, with the schedule mostly cleared for the Worlds, with just two 1.1 races on the docket beside the Elite and U23 Worlds.

spreadsheet link

 

[Qazaqstan]

Unfortunately, my team is crushed by the Vingegaard teams (and Del Toro/Almeida ones). Vingegaard proves to be a better pick than Van Aert with like 1000 points above his value. Additionally, Gee, who could have taken a few hundred points, has left the team)

Almost all my picks were okay this season, but okay is not good enough. I'll fight for my top 10

 

[Netserk]

While Van Aert was ill before the Giro, I don't think he'd have scored a lot more without that. His lackluster performances have been down to his injuries last season and how that affected his winter, plus the mental aspect. And his schedule was also known before the game began, and it has been bad for points with the level he has had. So I was surprised how many picked him.

I think fewer will pick him next year (also because of the role that Brennan is expected to play), but while he may not be a great pick I do think he is more likely to be a good pick next year than this year.

I am uncertain of how much an extended cx season will matter for this game. When was the last time he rode as much as he is expected to do this winter?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

While Van Aert was ill before the Giro, I don't think he'd have scored a lot more without that.

To be fair, he was also ill before the Tour (which was worse because it meant he didn't do the NC) and the emergence of Brennan, which could not have been foreseen to this extent, hurt his scoring in Germany and the Super 8. Almost certainly wouldn't have been an above average pick regardless, but it's not true that the illness before the Giro was the only piece of bad luck for him/the people who picked him.

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

Didn't even realize Christen was doing the mixed TT. That's a nice surprise and a couple extra points.