Professional Cycling For the Fans - Velogames Fantasy Vuelta

Hey guys, it's that time! Looks like Velogames is up and running for the Vuelta.

I picked my team already and started a Bike Forums league.

League Code: 14192718


Good luck everyone!!

in! thanks for starting it up! can't wait...

42 points for Contador & Froome. I think I still might do it.

The "Sprinter" field is pretty weak.

42 points for Contador & Froome. I think I still might do it.

The "Sprinter" field is pretty weak.

I had to do the combo too. With 10 uphill finishes (according to what I've heard, still need to look at stage by stage myself), it's going to be necessary to have as many climbers as possible.

I've already been wasting a lot of time coming up with a team at work over the last two weeks. Now to see how much everybody costs...

Ok, just joined and looked around... It's pretty ridiculous how similar all of our teams are so far. Everyone has Froome, Contador, Purito, and Talansky, and all but one have Henao.

At least there will be a lot of GC movement!

Ok, just joined and looked around... It's pretty ridiculous how similar all of our teams are so far. Everyone has Froome, Contador, Purito, and Talansky, and all but one have Henao.

At least there will be a lot of GC movement!

I think this year's Vuelta is pretty obvious who the contenders for GC and stage wins are with all the climbing. Anyone who doesn't choose those guys is foolish! The different in this year's velogames is going to be that one 4 or 6 point guy that ends up surprising everyone (other than Talansky)!

I think this year's Vuelta is pretty obvious who the contenders for GC and stage wins are with all the climbing. Anyone who doesn't choose those guys is foolish! The different in this year's velogames is going to be that one 4 or 6 point guy that ends up surprising everyone (other than Talansky)!

Agreed, for the most part, except with Joaquim Rodriguez. I really don't think the parcours suit him very well. There are a lot of grueling final climbs, as opposed to mountain stages with short, steep cat 3s to the line. People are talking him up because the course lacks time trials, his weak point, not because it's full of insanely steep, long finishing climbs, because that isn't his strong suit either. There are at least a dozen guys who are more consistent, more pure climbers than him in my book.

That said, I still picked him. I think he'll get a lot of points, but I expect him to get dropped badly on at least one tough climb and lose tons of time, because he always does when racing a halfway decent field.

thought we'd get more than 12 vuelta junkies...

Off to a good start with Degenkolb, don't think anyone else in our league knabbed him!

Off to a good start with Degenkolb, don't think anyone else in our league knabbed him!
Nice nab there. When I saw him win I said to myself, "Oh well, no one else has him either lol"

I thought I was picking a dark horse under-dog in Ben Swift, and that everybody would pick Degenkolb. It looks like everybody else may have thought the same thing. We'll see what these early mountain stages do to the sprint legs though; that was my other angle. ;)

I thought I was picking a dark horse under-dog in Ben Swift, and that everybody would pick Degenkolb. It looks like everybody else may have thought the same thing. We'll see what these early mountain stages do to the sprint legs though; that was my other angle. ;)

Yeah I'm a bit worried since it's his first grand tour. But his top 5 in milano-san-remo is giving me hope.

Yeah I'm a bit worried since it's his first grand tour. But his top 5 in milano-san-remo is giving me hope.

No points updated yet, but I guarantee I just solidified a nice big lead. Thanks Degenkolb, keep 'em coming!

I swapped Henao for De Gendt at the last moment, which is looking like a dumb move but made for a fun stage today. Hopefully De Gendt can get in more breakaways and Henao has to kill himself for Froome.

I'm starting to really like this Vuelta so far!

It does look my De Gendt in, Degenkolb out decision was not my best.

P.S. I just want to go on the record that the "Bill" behind Tigerbait is not another me, the "Bill" behind Mamba Point Velo. If I was going to sneak two teams into the league, I'd at least be crafty enough to use a different DS name. And to have Degenkolb on one of them. ;)

Damn you, Degenkolb. I figured you would have crashed or made some kind of youthful mistake by now.

Damn you, Degenkolb. I figured you would have crashed or made some kind of youthful mistake by now.

Who wants to go T.P. Ben Swift's house with me?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/swift-looking-for-first-grand-tour-stage-victory-at-vuelta

I bought this hook, line, and sinker.

Let he who is without sin cast the first roll of TP.

While I may not understand what the #$%^@! I was thinking at the time, I am accountable for my egregious misdeeds. Fortunately, years of disappointment with Tyler Farrar not putting points on the board despite Versus' and VeloNews' endorsements of his prowess somehow immunized me to the buoyant optimism for home country boy Ben Swift in that UK site. Unfortunately, it opened me up to the idea of a conserving a few points by picking el Duque and investing them into De Gendt. Missed it by this <>...........> much.

I think I'm going to TP my own house tonight.

I almost bought into that cyclingnews article for Ben Swift. But then I remember Milano-San-Remo and Degenkolb right up there at the front. And Paris-Nice last year. And the long break he has had because of not going to the TdF. It's worked out good. :)

I almost bought into that cyclingnews article for Ben Swift. But then I remember Milano-San-Remo and Degenkolb right up there at the front. And Paris-Nice last year. And the long break he has had because of not going to the TdF. It's worked out good. :)

Alexandre Geniez was my Thibaut Pinot/Pierre Roland young, hyped, darkhorse climber, set to be dropped by Argos-Shimano, so I expect(ed) him to try to show himself to get a contract for next year. Dude's a bust. Was also expecting my Andalucia guy to at least pick up some breakaway points...

Daniel Moreno may be my saving grace though. Surprised nobody else (I think?) picked him up considering he won Vuelta a Burgos right before the Vuelta started, beating Henao, Igor Anton, and some other Vuelta guys.

Valverde wasn't a popular choice, but he's looking good at 14 points. I thought he'd crack on a big climb and was therefore overpriced, but I was way off. Then I spent 12 points on De Gendt. Great move!

Valverde would have been the better pick over Froome it seems. I wonder what Henao, Moreno, and Quintana could have done if they were riding for themselves.

Valverde wasn't a popular choice, but he's looking good at 14 points. I thought he'd crack on a big climb and was therefore overpriced, but I was way off. Then I spent 12 points on De Gendt. Great move!
Hey! Who invited you to my pity party? That's my schtick! :notamused: :p :lol: :cry:

I think that's the most emoticons I've thrown into a string but the pretty well waltz through my stages of grief.

Creatre looking strong at the top of the board. If anyone else makes a big move today, we can be pretty certain they've hacked the Velogames system and are e-juicing.

I can't remember the last time I rooted so hard for the breakaway to make it to the finish.

Froome cracking is starting to narrow my lead. Praying I can hold it out til the end!

Froome is killing me at Rouleur Derby. I figured he was a lock to make the podium and I put a pretty big bet on that.

Last night I made a huge bet on Rodriguez to win. The odds were terrible, but I want to win something. Now watch Contador come back on Bola del Mundo.

Froome cracking is starting to narrow my lead. Praying I can hold it out til the end!

The only way I see the people anywhere near you catching up (me, SkyWalkerz, Scansorial) is if Anton, Moreno, and/or De Gendt win some stages for us, to make up for the Degenkolb points, because we all have Froome too. So unless that happens, I think you're pretty safe, at least in the BF league. Henao has really been a disappointment for most of us too though.

Last night I made a huge bet on Rodriguez to win. The odds were terrible, but I want to win something.

I'd like to offer Rodriguez a public apology for my actions.

I'd like to offer Rodriguez a public apology for my actions.

Ouch!

Lots of temptation in the biggest little city in the world. Who are you picking for Worlds?

I'd like to offer Rodriguez a public apology for my actions.

Hahaha.

Swifty/Bennati finish today could narrow my league! Going to be close going into the final days I bet!

Swifty/Bennati finish today could narrow my league! Going to be close going into the final days I bet!

Woooooah, you were more correct than I thought you'd be. Only 85 points separating the top three. Moreno's 260 points for fifth place may put me over the top? As a numbers nerd, I'll calculate the best possible team once this is over, because it's always fun to make yourself feel stupid in hindsight.

Super nervous for final results postings! I think with Degenkolb winning again I should be OK though!

Super nervous for final results postings! I think with Degenkolb winning again I should be OK though!

GAH! You going 1-2 with Degenkolb and Viviani well outscored my 5th place Moreno points. Congrats!

Racing is pretty much over now after the Worlds, just in time to hear everyone babble on and on about American football. Time to go ride base in the basement...

Close one guys, but These Guys Eat Oreos pulled it off again. Back to back Vuelta wins! Had two weeklings in Boom and Ballan, but Degenkolb and Viviani separated me from most of the rest of the group. See you guys for the Giro next year!

That was the closest race of the year for the BF league. I'll settle for 3rd place after a terrible showing at the TDF. It wasn't a bad year overall- 1st in the Giro and 3rd in the Vuelta.

Congrats, Creatre. I think you take the title of the overall BF fantasy champ of 2012.

As mentioned, numbers nerd... I don't remember which category each rider was placed in, so I don't know if this team would be legal, but this would be the highest scoring team possible assuming I got the "unclassified" guys correctly classified as "unclassified". ;)

All-Rounder 1: Contador
All-Rounder 2: Valverde
Climber 1: Purito
Climber 2: Moreno
Sprinter: Degenkolb
Unclassified 1: Intxausti
Unclassified 2: Clarke
Unclassified 3: Ten Dam
Wild Card: Bennati

Those guys scored 11,694 points. The best team I could come up with including Froome only gets you to 11,560. Either team would have won VeloGames outright by over 500 points.

FUN FACTS.

Intxausti and Ten Dam were class'd as climbers, so back to the drawing board. I'm still tinkering a bit myself and haven't nailed it yet.

Who'd a thunk that Valverde would score more points than a victorious Contador? Or, perhaps even more surprising, that Gesink would not have been a pick full of disappointment, yet again.

This is a legal team with the high scorers in each of the categories and Bennati filling in as the wild card, best of the rest within the salary cap. I'm not sure if it would be possible to skimp somwhere to grab the 2 or 4 points more needed to upgrade Bennati to Gesink or Froome and net out better. They scored better than him but cost too much without cutting elsewhere.



Contador
24
2052


Valverde
14
2344







Rodriguez
18
2359


Moreno
8
1107







Degenholb
8
1066







Clarke
4
659


Talansky
6
617


Viviani
4
507







Bennati
12
720








98
11431

Replace Intxausti (score 732, cost 6) for Bennati in the wild card of the team above. Scores 11443 for a team costing 92 points. I think that's the best possible.

The highest scorers not on that team, due to salary cap, are Gesink (881) and Froome (1389). It looks like you you would lose more points downgrading Moreno, Degenkolb, or Talansky to the next best cheaper guy(s) (2 or 4 velobuck$ needed, respectively) than you would gain from the upgrade to the better wildcard.

Replace Intxausti (score 732, cost 6) for Bennati in the wild card of the team above. Scores 11443 for a team costing 92 points. I think that's the best possible.

The highest scorers not on that team, due to salary cap, are Gesink (881) and Froome (1389). It looks like you you would lose more points downgrading Moreno, Degenkolb, or Talansky to the next best cheaper guy(s) (2 or 4 velobuck$ needed, respectively) than you would gain from the upgrade to the better wildcard.

Thanks for doing that. It's always interesting in hindsight. Also kind of crazy that a 92 point team is better than any possible 100 point team...

OK, I think I've got this out of my system now. Here's a slightly better combo. 15 seconds of fame for Tomasz Marczynski.



Contador
24
2052


Valverde
14
2344







Rodriguez
18
2359


Intxausti
6
732







Degenkolb

8
1066







Clarke
4
659


Marczynski
4
411


Viviani
4
507







Froome
18
1389








100
11519