The 2026 CQ Ranking Manager Thread

[Squire]

[T]oday kind of felt like it was meant to drive home the point that this is not going to be a high-scoring year.

A quick update on that; we are a bit ahead of last year's post P-N/T-A update. Leader is 3381 now vs. 2928 then. 10th place is 2802 now vs. 2354 then.

My own team has 400 points more now compared to last year, but I'm in 22nd instead of 15th.

So our low-scoring feeling isn't quite back up by data yet. But I guess 451 rare Almeida points felt better than 412 very common Seixas points this year. And some other contributors like Laporte, LVE and C-Rod are also very popular, so they're maybe overlooked a bit when judging how well one's doing.

Maybe @EvansIsTheBest will have more to say about this soon. They usually have a post-MSR rundown of how we're comparing to previous years, IIRC.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

A quick update on that; we are a bit ahead of last year's post P-N/T-A update. Leader is 3381 now vs. 2928 then. 10th place is 2802 now vs. 2354 then.

My own team has 400 points more now compared to last year, but I'm in 22nd instead of 15th.

So our low-scoring feeling isn't quite back up by data yet. But I guess 451 rare Almeida points felt better than 412 very common Seixas points this year. And some other contributors like Laporte, LVE and C-Rod are also very popular, so they're maybe overlooked a bit when judging how well one's doing.

Maybe @EvansIsTheBest will have more to say about this soon. They usually have a post-MSR rundown of how we're comparing to previous years, IIRC.

This is what I've been saying man. I'm doing my best numbers ever, but the others are just going faster!

 

[Devil's Elbow]

A quick update on that; we are a bit ahead of last year's post P-N/T-A update. Leader is 3381 now vs. 2928 then. 10th place is 2802 now vs. 2354 then.

My own team has 400 points more now compared to last year, but I'm in 22nd instead of 15th.

So our low-scoring feeling isn't quite back up by data yet. But I guess 451 rare Almeida points felt better than 412 very common Seixas points this year. And some other contributors like Laporte, LVE and C-Rod are also very popular, so they're maybe overlooked a bit when judging how well one's doing.

Maybe @EvansIsTheBest will have more to say about this soon. They usually have a post-MSR rundown of how we're comparing to previous years, IIRC.

Last year started extremely slow because both Vingegaard and Van Aert were doing terrible at this point, though.

 

[tobydawq]

Big weeks coming up for the Jakobsen owners. Nokere Koerse, Bredene, Monseré, Brugge, Scheldeprijs. He should be in profit after that.

With my luck, he will have a cramp on the Nokereberg, crash because of it and not return for a few months.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Big weeks coming up for the Jakobsen owners. Nokere Koerse, Bredene, Monseré, Brugge, Scheldeprijs. He should be in profit after that.

With my luck, he will have a cramp on the Nokereberg, crash because of it and not return for a few months.

I certainly don't expect anything from him. However, I have 13 riders who are yet to score points so at least he's done slightly better than them.

 

[tobydawq]

I certainly don't expect anything from him. However, I have 13 riders who are yet to score points so at least he's done slightly better than them.

I don't really expect anything either. But a 13th place in these races would at least give some points, unlike a 13th place of a UAE Tour stage.

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

And he's now going to farm the Tour of Taiwan, which has somehow turned into a durable sprinter's race. It's getting grizzly for those of us who don't have him.

French agriculture is alive and well.

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

A quick update on that; we are a bit ahead of last year's post P-N/T-A update. Leader is 3381 now vs. 2928 then. 10th place is 2802 now vs. 2354 then.

My own team has 400 points more now compared to last year, but I'm in 22nd instead of 15th.

So our low-scoring feeling isn't quite back up by data yet. But I guess 451 rare Almeida points felt better than 412 very common Seixas points this year. And some other contributors like Laporte, LVE and C-Rod are also very popular, so they're maybe overlooked a bit when judging how well one's doing.

Maybe @EvansIsTheBest will have more to say about this soon. They usually have a post-MSR rundown of how we're comparing to previous years, IIRC.

Yup I'll make an update after MSR. I prefer that update because depending on the year PN and Tirreno aren't always included in the same update which can skew results.

2025 had the 4th lowest leading score post MSR out of the 15 completed editions of the game so beating that bar is hardly impressive (slow climber for the record is already there with a week to spare). Shalgo 2024 remains unassailable but 600ish points from slow climber this week would make 2026 the second fastest start ever. 300ish points would put it alongside 2012 and 2016 for 4th/5th fastest start.

Of course 2012 went on to be the best scoring year ever and 2016 one of the lowest scoring one, both won by skidmark coincidentally. Clearly it's too early to draw conclusions (beyond you know picking Boonen the year he sweeps the cobbles classics being a good idea). A few years back, I did a statistical analysis and basically by Liège you have a surprisingly good idea of where a year will end up but before there's just too much noise from people that have crammed a million Aussies or cobbles specialists on their squads.

 

[postmanhat]

Pretty painful week all round for most, so grateful for a bit of good fortune at P-N with Martinez and Steinhauser. I wonder what EF's plans for the latter will be now? They have so few GC riders, that they might send him to the bigger races as a contender, rather than stage-hunter.

Fairly disappointing line-up for the next three days. Selected Brennan and Berckmoes with this type of race in mind, but they're currently on a WT schedule. Gee-West has been added to Milan-Torino tomorrow.

Danilith Nokere Koerse	JAKOBSEN Fabio
2026-03-18	Milano - Torino	CARR Simon
2026-03-18		COSNEFROY Benoît
2026-03-19	Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut	HAGENES Per Strand
2026-03-19		ZINGLE Axel
2026-03-20	Bredene Koksijde Classic	JAKOBSEN Fabio
2026-03-20		KRIJNSEN Jelte

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Selected Brennan with this type of race in mind

Visma haven't raced Nokere or Bredene in forever, and Brennan was already announced for Sanremo prior to the deadline which made a return to Denain unlikely.

 

[YellowSocks]

Clearly it's too early to draw conclusions

Voilà.

 

[bminchow]

Finally had a good week thanks to Danny and George. I had actually forgotten that I had picked Steinhouser. Not very many of guys racing the sprints this week. Maybe it is time for Albert Withen to show what his sprint looks like at the .Pro level.... but probably not. It's Tibor time!
CQ Ranking

Danilith Nokere Koerse	JAKOBSEN Fabio	WITHEN PHILIPSEN Albert
3/18/2026​	Milano - Torino	CARR Simon
3/18/2026​		UIJTDEBROEKS Cian
3/19/2026​	Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut	HAGENES Per Strand
3/19/2026​		ZINGLE Axel
3/19/2026​		Barry Ashlin
3/19/2026​		DEL GROSSO Tibor
3/19/2026​		WITHEN PHILIPSEN Albert
3/20/2026​	Bredene Koksijde Classic	JAKOBSEN Fabio
3/20/2026​		WITHEN PHILIPSEN Albert

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I certainly don't expect anything from him. However, I have 13 riders who are yet to score points so at least he's done slightly better than them.

@Leadbelly still has the majority of his team waiting to score.

I believe the leader in that regard is @Laurens147 , who only has 2 riders still to get off the mark.

 

[Panda Claws]

MATTHEW FOOOOOOOOOOOOX

 

[the asian]

Wow !. Glad to climb in to the Top 10, after a long time. Steinhauser turning out to be a surprisingly good pick.

 

[Squire]

Other than Cosnefroy, who is on almost every team, I have one rider in Milano-Torino. There has been one abandon so far. Guess who? This season is such a meme.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Other than Cosnefroy, who is on almost every team, I have one rider in Milano-Torino. There has been one abandon so far. Guess who? This season is such a meme.

Mate how do I go to a race like Milano torino with gee, double and cosnefroy and come away with nobody in the top 25. Biggest indicator yet that I am destined to finish bottom 10

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Mate how do I go to a race like Milano torino with gee, double and cosnefroy and come away with nobody in the top 25. Biggest indicator yet that I am destined to finish bottom 10

I came away with nothing, so even if you Doubled that it would still be less than Dognel's 5 points.

 

[RedheadDane]

Well, Nokere Koerse was less a disaster than it could have been;
Changizi finishing just outside the top-10, and Breiner just about squeezing into the points.

 

[armchairclimber]

Pellizzari becomes my top scorer (just) and Cian gets of the mark. Dongel disappointed with just the cinq points.
Seems Pellizzari's tendon can't be too bad.

 

[tobydawq]

Fabio Jakobsen beat Sam Bennett today.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Fabio Jakobsen beat Sam Bennett today.

We still know who the king of thieves is then.

 

[slow_climber]

Yup I'll make an update after MSR. I prefer that update because depending on the year PN and Tirreno aren't always included in the same update which can skew results.

2025 had the 4th lowest leading score post MSR out of the 15 completed editions of the game so beating that bar is hardly impressive (slow climber for the record is already there with a week to spare). Shalgo 2024 remains unassailable but 600ish points from slow climber this week would make 2026 the second fastest start ever. 300ish points would put it alongside 2012 and 2016 for 4th/5th fastest start.

Of course 2012 went on to be the best scoring year ever and 2016 one of the lowest scoring one, both won by skidmark coincidentally. Clearly it's too early to draw conclusions (beyond you know picking Boonen the year he sweeps the cobbles classics being a good idea). A few years back, I did a statistical analysis and basically by Liège you have a surprisingly good idea of where a year will end up but before there's just too much noise from people that have crammed a million Aussies or cobbles specialists on their squads.

Don't think I'll make 600 points this week, but can't be unhappy about the start of the season. I did look to get a quick start, picking some guys who looked like they would race a lot early in the year, but they are doing much better than I imagined - thanks Georg and Dani in particular!

Not sure how I will do in the big races as I think I have team of hard workers rather than winners - but as long as they keep getting those top 10s (even Uijdebroeks scored yesterday so it keeps going well!)

 

[tobydawq]

The past week was absolutely dire for me. My top scorer of the last 7 days is Kevin Vermaerke who has amassed a whopping 34 points due to 20th place in Tirreno and 14th in Milano-Torino (which, satisfyingly gave him 20 and 14 points, respectively - too bad he didn't place much worse if his points always just equal his placings). How is that even possible in a week with PN and TA?

 

[search]

I was starting to get a bit worried about Carstensen's lack of speed so far, but he finally turned things around today. Just needs to find some totally flat races for GC points now.