The 2025 CQ Ranking Manager Thread

[hayneplane]

Del Toro has been a fabulous pick this year but even as one of my favourite riders there is no way I could consider picking him again next year.

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

Piganzoli into profit. Finally. Should get some decent points from Vingegaard and Riccitello tomorrow too.

 

[RedheadDane]

Vuelta:
All my riders made it to... almost-Madrid, and got 15 points each (Kragh into profit)

Canada:
Skjelmose 4th (Q) and 19th (M) - 115 points
Charmig 7th (Q) and 26th (M) - 76 points, and into profit
Honoré 22nd (M) and finishing points for Q - 19 points
Kamp 9th (M) and finishing points for Q - 14 points, and into profit
Levy, Norsgaard, Øxenberg, Hellemose, and Lund each get 5 points for finishing Q (Norsgaard continuing his strange tactic of only scoring points by finishing WT races..)

Fourmies:
Nielsen 24th - 5 points

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

There's probably not enough time left to reel @Salvarani back in but Del Toro and Magnier sure are giving it a good go.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

There's probably not enough time left to reel @Salvarani back in but Del Toro and Magnier sure are giving it a good go.

I am nowhere near ruling out SafeBet pulling it off. Don't think the last month of the season will be one of the better ones for Salvarani.

I am near/at the point of ruling myself out, though. Needed Van Aert and Nys to do something post-Tour and/or two of Almeida, Hindley, Riccitello and Gall doing a lot worse at the Vuelta to have a shot.

 

[Earns1985]

Wow, that was a really high scoring week! Nearly 2000 points in one week from @Squire.
Personally I am regarding this game very glad, that Riccitello could finish the race and bring his GC points home. It would have been a great shame for this game, if he would have to leave early, considering his good form. So I am also back in the Top5, but I think this will be the highest one, I will have for the rest of the season, as I cannot expect much more points from Vingegaard, van Aert and Gall for the rest of the season.
Only rarer expensive picks of me, which perhaps could score still a bit, are Lipowitz and Demare, although both had been pretty dissapointing this weekend.

For the game, I think @Squire gap to @Salvarani is now 800 points and the one from @SafeBet is more than 1000 points. I would say SafeBet´s team is the best out of these three for the rest of the season, but 1000 points to close is of course a big challenge..

 

[Earns1985]

Btw.: Aside from Salvarani, the overall changed quite a lot compared to a few month ago. Now we have 4 Vingegaard teams in the current Top5. In the beginning of june (Update before the Dauphine) the best placed Vingegaard owner had been on place 16. (@Anderis)

 

[Squire]

Wow, that was a really high scoring week! Nearly 2000 points in one week from @Squire.
Personally I am regarding this game very glad, that Riccitello could finish the race and bring his GC points home. It would have been a great shame for this game, if he would have to leave early, considering his good form. So I am also back in the Top5, but I think this will be the highest one, I will have for the rest of the season, as I cannot expect much more points from Vingegaard, van Aert and Gall for the rest of the season.
Only rarer expensive picks of me, which perhaps could score still a bit, are Lipowitz and Demare, although both had been pretty dissapointing this weekend.

For the game, I think @Squire gap to @Salvarani is now 800 points and the one from @SafeBet is more than 1000 points. I would say SafeBet´s team is the best out of these three for the rest of the season, but 1000 points to close is of course a big challenge..

Though I was expecting to win the week as the only team with 1-2 in the Vuelta, I do prefer to get my CQ game news from skidmark's updates. But I guess I can't demand that people don't 'spoil' the results beforehand.

 

[Netserk]

Btw.: Aside from Salvarani, the overall changed quite a lot compared to a few month ago. Now we have 4 Vingegaard teams in the current Top5. In the beginning of june (Update before the Dauphine) the best placed Vingegaard owner had been on place 16. (@Anderis)

Despite the 400-800 missing points from the spring, he has been as solid a pick as expected. Which reminds me (after the season of both riders is nearly over) of my pre-season bet (when it's only for bragging rights I don't mind bringing it up prematurely again):

Hmm, interesting... I don't necessarily disagree with your reasoning, but a bet is a fun enough idea. I wouldn't bet on just h2h CQ score, I actually think I'd favour Vingegaard 60-40 on that one (I would have taken Vingegaard if they cost the same, for sure). In terms of profit, I'd lean WvA on that; in terms of % points gained, I'd take WvA for sure. Since I've never had or cared about an avatar, let's just bet for bragging rights that WvA will improve his raw CQ point total more than Vingegaard in 2025 (vice versa for you).

 

[Earns1985]

Though I was expecting to win the week as the only team with 1-2 in the Vuelta, I do prefer to get my CQ game news from skidmark's updates. But I guess I can't demand that people don't 'spoil' the results beforehand.

Sorry, didn´t know, that a few of you still don´t use the website of shakes that much. The data is available every new day, so I'm definitely too impatient to wait for the weekly update every week. But if the mayority just don´t want to talk about it, until the weekly update is out, than I can of course also be silent, but given the fact, that it takes sometimes a lot of days until it´s out, it would limit some discussions here..

 

[Kazistuta]

I like the weekly updates as well, as it's been an integral part of the game for many years now.

 

[Squire]

Sorry, didn´t know, that a few of you still don´t use the website of shakes that much. The data is available every new day, so I'm definitely too impatient to wait for the weekly update every week. But if the mayority just don´t want to talk about it, until the weekly update is out, than I can of course also be silent, but given the fact, that it takes sometimes a lot of days until it´s out, it would limit some discussions here..

Not trying to silence you, as I can see why people would appreciate the website too. But maybe just don't mention too much about my positions and scores in the future if you can help it. Not that I am completely oblivious to how I'm doing until skidmark's update happens, of course (my weekly win this week was never in much doubt, and I had a rough idea about the ballpark for the score as well), but it's just a nice way of getting the news 'confirmed' I think. Call me old-fashioned.

 

[Earns1985]

Not trying to silence you, as I can see why people would appreciate the website too. But maybe just don't mention too much about my positions and scores in the future if you can help it. Not that I am completely oblivious to how I'm doing until skidmark's update happens, of course (my weekly win this week was never in much doubt, and I had a rough idea about the ballpark for the score as well), but it's just a nice way of getting the news 'confirmed' I think. Call me old-fashioned.

To be honest, don't really understand the logic behind this, but I will follow your advice and will not mention you in my posts anymore...

 

[ingsve]

I started to have a look at riders results this year ahead of next years game an even though the season is not done I will predict that next years game will be completely insane.

There are just sooo many riders that have underperformed this year so that you could probably build 2 completely separate teams and both could probably have an equal chance of doing well.

It will be all come down to what riders will actually regain past glory and how many of those will you have in your team. And on top of that you have the very hyped 2006 generation that are moving into the WT next year.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I started to have a look at riders results this year ahead of next years game an even though the season is not done I will predict that next years game will be completely insane.

There are just sooo many riders that have underperformed this year so that you could probably build 2 completely separate teams and both could probably have an equal chance of doing well.

It will be all come down to what riders will actually regain past glory and how many of those will you have in your team. And on top of that you have the very hyped 2006 generation that are moving into the WT next year.

The two best 2006 riders are already pro, though, so I don't actually think next year's crop of neopros looks particularly interesting compared to the norm of recent years. In that sense, 2026 should look more similar to the 2010s than the past few years did, with a comparatively greater emphasis on riders bouncing back as opposed to young talents going through exponential CQ score progression.

 

[Squire]

The two best 2006 riders are already pro, though, so I don't actually think next year's crop of neopros looks particularly interesting compared to the norm of recent years. In that sense, 2026 should look more similar to the 2010s than the past few years did, with a comparatively greater emphasis on riders bouncing back as opposed to young talents going through exponential CQ score progression.

Agree with this, but I also very much agree with Ingsve's general point. Next year might indeed be a bit of throwback to earlier CQ games, which could be a lot of fun, even though I've been trying to move away from washed-up riders in recent years.

But there are still quite a few races left, and although I haven't started looking at next year at all yet, I expect some of the current attractive-looking picks to make themselves more unattractive in the remaining month or so of the season.

 

[hayneplane]

Agree with this, but I also very much agree with Ingsve's general point. Next year might indeed be a bit of throwback to earlier CQ games, which could be a lot of fun, even though I've been trying to move away from washed-up riders in recent years.

But there are still quite a few races left, and although I haven't started looking at next year at all yet, I expect some of the current attractive-looking picks to make themselves more unattractive in the remaining month or so of the season.

Yeah still time for riders to have an unexpected strong result in the Worlds or points farm in Japan Cup and Guanxi.

 

[Earns1985]

Looking at the startlists of the races in the upcoming 2 weeks, the World Championships will surely be the one, that will have the biggest impact to this game. A lot of popular riders in the top ranks (J. Christen, Plapp, Morgado, Vine, Ciccone, Schmid, Ayuso, del Toro, Hindley, Healy, Pellizzari, Arensman, Seixas, Bagioli, Vermeersch, Uijtdebroeks) are scheduled to race..

 

[skidmark]

Update #34: Squire makes it three in a row

Big points on offer this week with the Vuelta and the Canadian races as we end the last Grand Tour of the season and enter the final month.

This Week's Top Scorers

Rank	Team	Points this week
1	Squire	1995
2	Salvarani	1673
3	firefly3323	1661
4	Amis_Velo	1560
5	PandaClaws	1487

Squire has won the last two weeks, and with the top two overall in the Vuelta, was always likely to win this third in a row. Squire's team finishes only 5 points shy of 2000, getting big points from Jonas Vingegaard (757 points, 33 teams), Joao Almeida (460 points, 4 teams), Matthew Riccitello (254. 17), Jay Vine (161, 11), and Paul Magnier (115, 37). Don't look now but Salvarani has yet another good week despite not having Vingegaard - their team was powered by Almeida + Riccitello + Vine as well as Jai Hindley (319, 16) and Felix Gall (170, 22). Just behind in third is firefly3323 thanks to Vingegaard, Riccitello and Sepp Kuss (232, 7) as well as Canadian points from Quinn Simmons (117, 14) and Neilson Powless (107, 5).

This Week's High Movers

Rank	Team	Up/down
1	firefly3323	(+16)
2	PandaClaws	(+15)
3	letstalkcycling	(+13)
4	Amis_Velo	(+11)
5	ingsve	(+10)

This late in the season, even if 35 teams clear 1000 points on the week, only 5 of them will move up double digit places in the standings. Of course since 1st and 2nd on the week occupy some of the top spots of the overall, firefly3233 manages to jump to the top spot in this ranking. PandaClaws (Vingegaard, Hindley, Gall) moves up 15 for second place , while letstalkcycling lands in third with Vingegaard/Gall/Simmons as well as Torstein Traeen (153, 2) and Mattias Skjelmose (115, 2).

Green Jersey Competition

Rank	Team	Total
1	Salvarani	374
2	Squire	320.7
3	Pantani4ever	316
4	Devils_Elbow	242
5	Rufs	239

Squire's three-week maximizing 135 points has propelled their team into 2nd in this competition, but there is just one problem for them and every other team - Salvarani got another 35 points to keep a comfortable lead. Even a fourth weekly win for Squire and zero points for Salvarani wouldn't see that change. Pantani4ever is the only other feasible challenger, but the weeks are running out.

Top 10 Overall

Rank	Up/down	Team	Points
1	(-)	Salvarani	14764
2	(+4)	Squire	13928
3	(-1)	SafeBet	13659
4	(-1)	Devils_Elbow	13510
5	(+2)	Earns1985	13284
6	(-1)	postmanhat	13106
7	(+4)	EvansIsTheBest	13073
8	(+2)	Berflamand	13006
9	(-1)	triley36	12897
10	(-6)	Qazaqstan	12693

More stratification in the top of the rankings, with Squire the only one gaining any points on Salvarani, but still over 800 behind. SafeBet is nearly another 300 back, and only 3rd-8th are within 1000 points of 2nd. It's not over, and the lower places are still in play, but it'll take a lot to make a change at the top. EvansIsTheBest enters the top 10 at the expense of Popchu, who falls out.

This week, there are a few stage races in Luxembourg and Slovakia, a handful of one-day races, and the World Championship Time Trial.

spreadsheet link

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

Up to 7th after being 40th in mid June is pretty wild to be honest. Not sure there's room for too much additional upwards mobility, with the gaps at the top begin huge and my heaviest hitters close to done (Vingegaard, Van Aert) or slaving away for Del Toro (Christen). Still, Rondel doing Luxembourg + Langkawi + Japan Cup is the kind of late season point farming I approve of.

Postmanhat doesn't have Magnier so that's doable. Earns is like 200 points in front which isn't insurmontable even at this point of the season but considering how much our teams overlap, it's basically Piganzoli + Christen that have to outscore Gall + Lipowitz by that amount before the end of the year. That seems highly unlikely. The rest are so far away that it's not even worth discussing.