Another edition of one of the most prestigious events in the sporting world is taking place in little under 2 days. It is of course the Tour de France, having an earlier than usual start in late June due to the Olympics. Last year was a momentous occasion for us Aussies as Cadel Evans became the first Australian ever to win the Tour and this year there is a new Aussie-registered team, Orica-GreeneEdge who have been having a lot of success early on in their inaugural season.
All this combined has led to more interest in cycling than ever, and at TS is no different. Due to the response to the thread I created in the forum and the kindness of Walesy, I have the privilege of writing an article on the Tour de France and the fantasy games involved, in which will hopefully track the progress of the race as well as ours in the games!
More over the break.
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Firstly, this will be a long post, so I suggest having a good cuppa by your side whilst you read. What I will do is go over the basics of the Tour de France and then the fantasy games involved, so everyone is on the same page.
[span style="text-decoration: underline">The Race
The Tour de France is the biggest race on the cycling calendar and the pinnacle of the sport. Listed as one of the 3 Grand Tours of cycling it sits pretty comfortably above the other two races, the Giro d’Italia (raced in May) and the Vuelta a Espana (reached in September). This year the riders will cover a whopping 3,500kms in a little over 3 weeks, in 21 stages, on their way to Paris and will have to navigate all sorts of terrain from the flat but windy plains of Normandy, to the peaks of some of the greatest mountain climbs in the Pyrenees and Alps, and the final “parade” stage on the old cobbles at the foot of the Champs-Élysées.
From the Tour website <a href="http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2012/us/">here[/url] view all the information you could ever want about the Tour de France, especially all the stage details. There will several flat stages for the sprinters, 3 time trials (one will be a short prologue), 5 mountain stages which includes 2 mountain top finishes (the best stages of any race) as well as plenty of undulating stages perfectly set up for breakaways to survive or the lucky attacker to spring from the peloton and win.
The race will start in Belgium of all places, in the city of Liege for short prologue (opening stage, like a starter meal at a restaurant). The next day (St1) will see them ride around the undulating terrain of Wallonia and the finish is an uphill sprint, perfectly suited to local hero, Philippe Gilbert. Next stage (St2) will be the third and final stage in Belgium and this time is one for the pure sprinters so with a fully healthy peloton expect a strong battle in the closing kilometres.
Once in France, they start (St3) with another bumpy stage that should see all the power sprinters gone before the finish line but will still end in a sprint from a select bunch. After that the next three stages (St4,5,6) will be sprint finishes with only the chance of high winds causing any difficulties. Stage 7 will be the first big test for those with overall ambitions with a medium mountain top finish but so early in the Grand Tour, there won’t be any big punches thrown but those pretending will be caught out.
Stage 8 is a typical hilly “puncheur” profile and after the efforts of the last stage and one eye on the time trial tomorrow, a breakaway has a strong chance of surviving but if not it will be someone sprint for the win from a reduced peloton. Stage 9 is the first of the big time trials and it is here that those who may be weaker in the mountains coming up will look to putting a lot of time into their rivals. The top 10 will change dramatically this day.
After the first rest day Stages 10 and 11 will be the first of the major mountain stages as they look to tackle the Alps. Anyone not feeling good as the road rises will lose a lot of time, especially on the mountain top finish of stage 11, which despite its short distance has a lot of climbing squeezed in. After that, the next four stages (St12-15) will be ones for the break to stay away and survive but as chances for a Points competition start becoming slim expect some teams to ride hard to make it a sprint finish on stages 12, 13 and 15.
Now they are into the last week of the Tour and these will be the defining stages, those wanting to win will have to make their move now and try to put time into the current leader and get the jersey themselves. So after the rest day they are in the heart of the Pyrenees, and on stage 16 will have to crest 4 mountain tops to get to the finish only for the next day (St17) to have to finish on top of another mountain! These are the last chances for the climbers who want to win to get time on the others so they are going to be the best stages to watch.
Stage 18 yells break so loud that only a resolved sprinting team who have a rider close to the lead in the Green, will pull them back. Stage 19 is going to be the most important time trial of those few still close to the win and it will be 51kms of “the race of truth” to decide who will win the Tour. After that, the winner will be known and the only thing left is the final stage in Paris and the inevitable sprint finish on the Champs-Élysées!
[span style="text-decoration: underline">The Teams
There are 22 teams participating in the race and they will each consist of 9 riders. 18 of these teams are from the WorldTour, teams which race all the big races year round and have some of the best riders in their ranks. The 4 other teams are from the division lower, called Professional Continental (or “ProConti”), and they are given what are called Wild Cards to participate in the race. These are often given to the French teams but also to strong teams outside the WorldTour who may have 1-2 riders that will help light up the race and make it an exciting spectacle to watch (for example Argos-Shimano have Kittel, a very fast sprinter). The teams are as follows (with jerseys to help you recognise them):
World Tour
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ag2r.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ag2r.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Ag2r-La Mondiale [FRA]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/astana.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/astana.png" height="90" />[/url]Astana Pro Team [KAZ]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/bmc.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/bmc.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]BMC Racing Team [USA]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/euskaltel.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/euskaltel.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Euskaltel-Euskadi [ESP]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/fdj.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/fdj.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]FDJ-BigMat [FRA]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/garmin.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/garmin.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Garmin-Sharp [USA]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/katusha.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/katusha.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Katusha Team [RUS]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/lampre.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/lampre.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Lampre- ISD [ITA]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/liquigas.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/liquigas.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Liquigas-Cannondale [ITA]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/lotto.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/lotto.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Lotto-Belisol [BEL]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/movistar.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/movistar.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Movistar Team [ESP]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/quickstep.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/quickstep.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Omega Pharma-Quick Step [BEL]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/greenedge.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/greenedge.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Orica-GreenEDGE [AUS]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rabobank.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rabobank.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Rabobank Cycling Team [NED]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/radioshack.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/radioshack.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]RadioShack-Nissan [LUX]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/sky"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/sky.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Sky Procycling [GBR]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/saxo.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/saxo.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank [DEN]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/vacansoleil.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/vacansoleil.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team [NED]
Wildcards
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/argos.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/argos.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Argos-Shimano [NED]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/cofidis.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/cofidis.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Cofidis [FRA]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/saur.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/saur.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Saur-Sojasun [FRA]
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/europcar.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6590" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/europcar.png" alt="" height="90" />[/url]Team Europcar [FRA]
Now, cycling is a very unique sport. It is a team sport and an individual sport all rolled into one. It requires individual skill to excel at their preferred discipline but rider will never get anywhere without team-mates to help them out or even sometimes, like in a breakaway, other riders from other teams. So ever rider will have a different role on each team, and that role won’t necessarily be the same for all riders, across all teams, as the goals and ambitions will differ, as each team try to play to their own advantage.
So for example, Cadel Evans’ BMC Team is solely focused on his ambitions and helping him, whether that be on the flat roads or in the mountains, so they have brought a lot of strong, experienced men like George Hincapie and Marcus Burghadt. He also has riders who can help him in the mountains such as Teejay Van Garderen and Manuel Quinziato. Orica-Greenedge on the other hand, have a squad set up mostly to help Matt Goss win sprints and goes for the Green Jersey, so most riders are fast guys who can deliver a strong leadout train. Other riders who work in the leadout train will also get a chance on other stages to try and get into the breakaway.
So there are always a lot of different ambitions and machinations going on in each team and trying to understand all, or some of them is part of the fun of watching cycling.
[span style="text-decoration: underline">Classifications and Jerseys
There are 4 main jerseys that riders will try to compete for in the Tour de France:
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/yellow.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6615" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/yellow.png" alt="" width="111" height="108" />[/url]Yellow, the colour of the jersey for the leader of the General Classification (GC) and the main prize, it is for the rider who finishes the tour with the best time over the 3 weeks.
Main Contenders: Cadel Evans, Bradley Wiggins, Vincenzo Nibali, Robert Gesink, Frank Schleck
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/green.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6615" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/green.png" alt="" width="111" height="108" />[/url]Green, the colour of Points jersey, for the rider who collects the most points from stage finishes or intermediate sprints, often goes to the best sprinter at the Tour.
Main Contenders: Matt Goss, Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan, Marcel Kittel, Andre Griepel
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/polkadots.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6615" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/polkadots.png" alt="" width="111" height="108" />[/url]Polka Dots, the design of the King of the Mountains jersey, for the rider with the most points accumulated from the top of the climbs littered across the Tour, often won by a breakaway specialist or a good climber down on the GC.
Main Contenders: Samuel Sanchez, Dan Martin, Thomas Voeckler, Johnny Hoogerland
<a href="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/white.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6615" src="http://tooserious.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/white.png" alt="" width="111" height="108" />[/url]White, the colour of the jersey, for the Best Young Rider on GC. Riders have to be 25 years or younger at start of the year to be eligible.
Main Contenders: Rein Taaramae, Steven Kruijswijk, Teejay Van Garderen, Wout Poels.
Also after every stage a “panel” (mostly from French media) vote a rider as most combative (usually a French rider from the break of the day) on the previous stage and he gets to wear a red number bib.
The team with the best combined times across the stages is allowed to wear yellow numbered bibs.
[span style="text-decoration: underline">The Fantasy Competitions
I hope that was a good introduction to the Tour, now onto the “fun stuff“.
SBS Fantasy: Tour de France
This year, like the previous one, SBS and Silentworld (the company who makes the game) combine to create their own fantasy game of the Tour. The link can be found <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/home/fantasy">here[/url].
To join the TooSerious league:
League Name: TooSerious
Password: supercoach
There are a fair few prizes involved, mainly bike and clothing packages donated by Avanti but of course the true prize is bragging rights over your TS mates!
What you have to do is pick 9 riders and a team under the €65m budget as well as a bonus stage where all points will be doubled.
The game is scored fairly simple, points are scored based on the top 20 results on each stage (top 5 results for team) and whoever holds the yellow or green jersey at the end but the challenge of the game lies in the transfers. After the start of the game where everyone has unlimited transfers the game will give you a total of 24transfers....but you can only use a certain number of them at a time. Best way to describe when you can use your transfers is to quote their rules:
01.59 AEST Saturday 30 June = 7 Transfers (after lockout, before the prologue)
23.59 AEST Friday 6 July = 7 Transfers (after stage 6, before stage 7)
23.59 AEST Friday 13 July = 7 Transfers (after stage 12, before stage 13)
23.59 AEST Friday 20 July = 3 Transfers (after stage 18, before stage 19)
This gives us the chance to make 1 trade once every day if we wish, or we could use them as soon as we get them to bring in a super team, the strategies here are endless. The main idea though is to bring in riders who you think will do well for those stages coming up so there is no point having Cadel in your side if the next 5 stages are all sprints, likewise Cavendish will not score points in the mountains unless the world really is coming to an end, so it is worth it to study the profiles of the upcoming stages.
So that’s the game, have a play around and if there’s any questions just feel free to ask in the comments. I suggest anyone wanting to sign up do so today as the game lockouts at 2am on Saturday. Also note that when entering the TS mini-league your team won’t be automatically entered. This just means I have to give admin approval and for the request to go through. This will have no effect on your score or your ranking in the league.
Velogames Fantasy Cycling 2012
Velogames has been a staple of the fantasy cycling diet for a couple of years now and this is where the TS community with a penchant for the bike first started their fantasy forays. The site can be found <a href="http://velogames.com/">here[/url] and once you log in the league code is 22112913.
What makes this game so addictive and fun (not to mention a good compliment to the SBS game) is that is a set and forget game, so once you pick your 9 riders, you just sit back and track their scores and progress for the rest of the Tour, so all the effort is in picking who you will think will do well over the entire TDF.
Riders are divided up into categories: All-rounders, Climbers, Sprints, Unclassified and a Wildcard. You have to select a certain amount of riders for each category and get to choose one extra from anywhere as your wildcard. The best riders cost a lot and you only have a budget of 100 points so you have to make decisions on who you rate and who you think will score better.
The scoring system is pretty complex, so worth a read through but each rider basically scores points for stage finishes, daily classification position as well as extra points for being in the front on climbs or intermediate sprints or being on the winning team. Finding that rough diamond for cheap who will score a lot of points (someone high up in the GC for the entire Tour will accrue a lot of points) can make all the difference to how your side goes so it is always worth the research to see how well you do.
Resources
I will help you all on your way to picking your perfect team. Knowing who is who and who is best at what may be a bit daunting but it is fairly straightforward once you know the basics around the teams. If you need any help just yell in the comments section, you can even utilise the thumbs up/thumbs down feature if you’re tossing up between two riders, there’s plenty of people here who follow cycling and would be happy to help out.
A few sites:
<a href="http://www.cyclingfever.com/startlist.html">CyclingFever [/url]– a great website with the startlist for the Tour. Make sure any rider you are bringing in is starting the race – this means no Hushovd!.
<a href="http://www.cyclingnews.com/">CyclingNews [/url]– most popular English-language news site for anything cycling. Was first started by an Aussie bloke and has now has a very large online and offline presence in the cycling world.
<a href="http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/start.asp">CyclingQuotient[/url] – a wonderful and powerful website which lists every UCI-sanctioned race and rates every rider based on their own special scoring method. Very useful site for checking out what a rider has down and where they are good or if they are in form etc.
<a href="http://www.steephill.tv/tour-de-france/">Steephill [/url]– a very informative site that will have everything from news links, startlists, stage info and profiles as well as online coverage if you need a stream to watch the stages.
<a href="http://www.letour.fr/indexTDF_us.html">Letour.fr[/url] – the official website, has everything on there from the results, the stage previews and anything else you may want.
For the future, I plan on doing a couple more posts during the Tour which will contain a brief recap of completed stages, how well we are all faring in the competitions as well as a look at the stages ahead. Good luck to all and I hope you enjoy the cycling!
~Port
Tour de France ~ Grand Départ
Discussion in 'Blog' started by RazorLee, Jun 28, 2012.
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Discussion in 'Blog' started by RazorLee, Jun 28, 2012.