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.

 

[Earns1985]

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

Does it compensate your frustration about Rondel´s withdrawl from the startlist of Langkawi?

 

[escartin]

my unique pick Antonio Pedrero has suddenly lost all his points this week, presumably due to some kind of name change in the database. it does not make much difference, my team is still trash, but it would at least take me closer to...67th place!

to indicate how bad my team has been, ,WvA has been by far the best of my 4 most expensive picks.. I can see a good few of my picks being very popular next season due to how bad they have been this season.

 

[Qazaqstan]

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?

He was injured before reaching his main objectives in 2024 season.
In 2025, with his abilities, he could have achieved so much more. He tends to give up if he doesn't have a decent chance to win. Afraid to lose it looks like. That started in Jaen this season, where he suddenly led the peloton to support Tulett's 9th place. He could have reached the top 5 there easily. This mentality has continued the whole season.

His disappointing performance in Omloop, E3, absence in Gent-Wevelgem, and beautiful defeat in DdVlaanderen , his absence in various autumn classics and European Championships and his role as helper in 2 Grand Tours (42 race days) is not that self-evident for a rider with his abilities.

But what is certain is that it is well-spotted to pick Del Toro and Almeida instead. I didn't think about picking Vingegaard, since in 2024 he got the maximum result in the TdF and won all of the other small tours. I'll think already about who to pick for 2026!

 

[Eyeballs Out]

So Dinham is back in Europe a very small chance he might race again this year now

He's on the final startlist for Langkawi. It's been a long road back so good luck to him.

 

[SafeBet]

He's on the final startlist for Langkawi. It's been a long road back so good luck to him.

What was his issue again?

 

[Eyeballs Out]

What was his issue again?

Complicated foot problem

 

[postmanhat]

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

We're on a very similar trajectory, having been in the top three for most of the season until the Vuelta. For me, Ayuso keeps finding different ways of being a bad pick, while Ciccone rode the worst possible race in terms of this game. Like you, just hoping for a top ten now.

Worlds:

Ayuso
Ciccone
Simmons
Plapp
Engelhardt
Uitdebroeks
Sexias
Vermeersch


No idea how the first two will come out of the Vuelta, though I expect Ayuso is a lot more focussed/prepared. Simmons is in the rare position of being able to ride for himself. And Plapp's had time to acclimatise, so might be able to hang on for a decent result.

 

[RedheadDane]

My scorers this week:

Skjelmose: 180 points (4th in Worlds)
Honoré: 54 points (12th in Worlds)
Søjberg: 36 points (4th in Paris-Chauny)
Bévort: 24 points (7th in Houtland)
Lund: 10 points (11th in Paris-Chauny)

Next week I'll have some riders in various places, mostly the Euros and Münsterland. No Salby in Langkawi - understandbly, since Li Ning Star aren't riding - but Dalby is riding, and that rhymes with Salby.

 

[Earns1985]

We're on a very similar trajectory, having been in the top three for most of the season until the Vuelta. For me, Ayuso keeps finding different ways of being a bad pick, while Ciccone rode the worst possible race in terms of this game. Like you, just hoping for a top ten now.

Worlds:

Ayuso
Ciccone
Simmons
Plapp
Engelhardt
Uitdebroeks
Sexias
Vermeersch


No idea how the first two will come out of the Vuelta, though I expect Ayuso is a lot more focussed/prepared. Simmons is in the rare position of being able to ride for himself. And Plapp's had time to acclimatise, so might be able to hang on for a decent result.

Although the best of your riders came in with more than 6 minutes behind, it was still enough to pass me in the overall ranking with nearly 100 points advantage for you. Good for me, that Magnier already started to eat into that gap today..

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

Although the best of your riders came in with more than 6 minutes behind, it was still enough to pass me in the overall ranking with nearly 100 points advantage for you. Good for me, that Magnier already started to eat into that gap today..

Magnier going all hungry hungry hippo with those late season points is really carrying my team at the moment.

 

[skidmark]

my unique pick Antonio Pedrero has suddenly lost all his points this week, presumably due to some kind of name change in the database. it does not make much difference, my team is still trash, but it would at least take me closer to...67th place!

to indicate how bad my team has been, ,WvA has been by far the best of my 4 most expensive picks.. I can see a good few of my picks being very popular next season due to how bad they have been this season.

Thanks for pointing it out - they added a LOPEZ back in. I've adjusted it on the spreadsheet.

 

[skidmark]

Update #36: Lortnoc takes a late season win

With the biggest 1-day points of the year on offer with the Worlds, the top 2 spots were taken by the 2 most expensive 2024 riders, meaning there weren't many teams to benefit from the absolute top points. With the weeks running out, time is running out for anyone to challenge Salvarani, so the overall is also worth keeping an eye on.

This Week's Top Scorers

Rank	Team	Points this week
1	Lortnoc	525
2	DJW	510
3	adamski101	486
4	Jakob747	466
5	18-Valve. (pithy)	455

With no teams spending the 5332 it cost to get Pogacar and one team spending the 2843 it cost to get Evenepoel (lone holder Bicycle Boy was 8th on the week), the 12 teams who spent 637 on Ben Healy continue to be happy with his performance after he hauled in another 210 for a podium finish at the Worlds. Lortnoc was one of those 12 teams, and had the best mix of other riders, seeing points pour in thanks to wunderkind Paul Seixas (84, 66), Luke Plapp (62, 20), and Jan Christen (43, 14) among others. DJW finishes only 15 points back in 2nd, without Healy but with the pick of the season Isaac Del Toro taking in 128 more points, and has-been-23-year-old Juan Ayuso showing there's still life in the old dog, pulling in 112 points for his 11 owners, as well as Seixas and Lorenzo Finn (72, 8). adamski101 rounds out the podium with 486 (Healy/Ayuso/Seixas).

This Week's High Movers

Rank	Team	Up/down
1	DJW	(+8)
2	Yellow Knight	(+5)
2	greenedge	(+5)
2	Eyeballs Out	(+5)
5	Lortnoc	(+4)

DJW moves up to the top spot on this ranking, improving a good-for-end-of-season 8 spots in the overall. There's a three way tie for 2nd between Yellow Knight, greenedge, and Eyeballs Out, all of them Healy owners.

Green Jersey Competition

Rank	Team	Total
1	Salvarani	412
2	Squire	332.7
3	Pantani4ever	316
4	SafeBet	253
5	Devils_Elbow	242

Depressingly for anyone who's not Salvarani, their team was the only one in the top 5 to score this week, adding another 12 points to a now 80-point buffer over 2nd place. Squire would have to win 2 of the very few remaining weeks with Salvarani scoring fewer than 10 points for there to be a change at the top here.

Top 10 Overall

Rank	Up/down	Team	Points
1	(-)	Salvarani	15873
2	(-)	Squire	14796
3	(-)	SafeBet	14557
4	(-)	Devils_Elbow	14314
5	(+2)	postmanhat	13986
6	(-1)	Earns1985	13887
7	(-1)	EvansIsTheBest	13846
8	(+1)	triley36	13739
9	(-1)	Berflamand	13691
10	(-)	Qazaqstan	13570

Salvarani becomes more inevitable by gaining another 128 points on Squire, who in turn gains 31 on SafeBet, making the podium a bit more clear. Things are spread out all the way through the top 5 before being grouped a bit closer in the bottom half of the top 10, but no new teams coming in or out of the top 10 overall.

This week sees a familiar set of late-season races, with the 2.PS Tour de Langkawi and the 2.1 CRO Race covering the stage race side, and the 1.PS Munsterland Giro in Germany and 1.PS Giro Dell'Emilia kicking off the brace of late-season Italian 1-days. And a bit of whiplash with the European Championships taking place mere days after the Worlds.

spreadsheet link

 

[Earns1985]

Horrible startlist for me for the upcoming italian classics. Lipowitz not scheduled anymore, but therefore riders like del Toro, Vine, Powless, Ciccone, Arensman, Pellizzari, Hindley, Piganzoli all about to race...
Until next sunday pure damage limitation for me...

 

[postmanhat]

Although the best of your riders came in with more than 6 minutes behind, it was still enough to pass me in the overall ranking with nearly 100 points advantage for you. Good for me, that Magnier already started to eat into that gap today..

Not having Del Torro or Magnier has been pretty painful over the last few weeks, and that's likely to continue in my quest for a top ten finish. Currently have a 400 point buffer over 18-Valve in 11th so it will likely be decided by how well the following riders perform.

Me
Ciccone
Powless
Ganna
Ayuso
Brennan
Tullet
Plapp?
Riccitello?

18-Valve
Vingo
Del Torro
Magnier
Christen
Milan
Bagioli
Bisiaux
Hayter

Always have an eye on the Italian Fall races when picking my teams, as it's one of my favourite parts of the season, so hoping they repay my faith

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Ciccone has fallen ill at an extremely inopportune time, I thought there was no shot of me moving out of fourth but now I need to look over my shoulder...

 

[RedheadDane]

My scorers this week:

Skjelmose: 42 points (7th in Euros)
Withen: 24 points (10th in Emilia)
Dalby 14 points (18th in Langkawi GC)
Honoré, Bévort, and Blume 5 points each.