Online cycling and/or baseball manager type timewasters?

[matt j]

Top form definitely takes some extremely careful monitoring. With a lot of my high level riders begin 'on the edge', I'm constantly trying to make sure they don't trigger when I'm not ready. This means I have to know exactly how many days on race break is too many.

There are definitely advantages to just 'not' doing top form, and holding both DP and RS in the high 90s. This is a good boost to riders as well. But to really win tours, top form is essential above Division 6 I think. And to win classics, probably essential above Division 4.

Happy 5th place for Crumley today. Good money and points.

Edit: Also, injured riders being water carriers. It works really well.

[Sits]

to know exactly how many days on race break is too many

The million dollar question. I imagine there are threads.

[matt j]

Ha, definitely. I'm trying to define my basic rules, and it isn't as easy as I want it to be.

1) DP less than 75: natural max of 5 days is fine
2) DP anything 75-80: 4 days on race break is always safe. 5 days is risky.
3) DP greater than 80: 5 days will always cause 90+. Do 24 hours at a time and no more if saving TF.
4) DP greater than 86: extreme danger zone!

[matt j]

Why is Illingworth so terrible in WT races?

Seriously, he 'just' won a classic in Division 4, and in WT he bombs the place out.

[Sits]

Thanks Matt, that’s a useful TF guide.

[Sits]

matt j please could you do me favour? My homemade race tracker tells me that Treadwell and Neagoe have massive ratings for the Peruvian race (Lima) on Day 1 in Div 4. Both 70%+ which Hunzberger or Niedziela never rate. I wonder if you could double check that on your scraper so I can be sure I’m right? Clearly if I am it will attract all the one-trick pony Incredible climbers anyway.

Thanks.

[matt j]

Certainly looks like to to me, seems like an Unwin special for sure.

Happy Sunday races for Fox River. Ash picked up a 2nd in the U23 sprint race in Switzerland, and Butnaru was able to escape the sprint teams with a breakaway in the Cycling Grand Prix of Voerså (a race that I decided I wasn't quite strong enough to challenge in the normal manner) and finished 1st. 2nd U23 result for Ash this season, and my first BA result this season.

[Sits]

Thanks a lot Matt.

Lovely Div 5 win for Hunzberger at Grandprix Dermatio. The team did their stuff for him I think.

Now a new test, all Div 4 races for a while, nosebleeds.

[delicatemoth]

Ha, definitely. I'm trying to define my basic rules, and it isn't as easy as I want it to be.

1) DP less than 75: natural max of 5 days is fine
2) DP anything 75-80: 4 days on race break is always safe. 5 days is risky.
3) DP greater than 80: 5 days will always cause 90+. Do 24 hours at a time and no more if saving TF.
4) DP greater than 86: extreme danger zone!

Thanks, this is useful. It's the first time I'm doing this so I won't mind if I cock it up a bit. How low does RS have to go again?

As for Illingworth, bloody tell me about it! Maybe he secretly hates the island.

[matt j]

To reset TF, DP has to be 65 or less and RS 75 or less. For me that has meant basically a lot of races to pull DP under 65, then from a 99 RS it has taken exactly 26 days for TF to be 'ready'.

A lot of hemming and hawing in Fox River as to what to do next. Need funds to really train, and a few riders on the books might already be low on the priority list for that training. So we keep spinning our hamster wheels.

There have been some good talents on the free hire list lately, Kriss Skytt (Danish) has lingered for quite a while but looks a potential hilly tour sprint challenger. I keep thinking I might grab him, but just can't pull the lever to do so. Anybody else want a crack (the only downside I see is that none TQ)?

CL: Average
DH: Average
HL: Good
SP: Good
FR: Small
CB: None
TT: Good
TQ: None

[matt j]

delicatemoth weekly reminder for the WT. All 3 at the end of the season.

There is a 89 SP on the hire list right now, age 33 so not too far from retirement and potential trainer.

[matt j]

Woo, Kavanagh came through with a 2nd today in Alkmaar. That's a bonus result and money for sure. Getting close to Division 2 again here at the end of season close-out. 4 wins and 15 results, with 4 races signed-up to go.

[Sits]

Great work!

[delicatemoth]

A disappointing end to the season for the Isle of Man as Bradley Hammontree finished 16th in the all 3s race. Man are now 32nd in the rolling WT table.

I feel like we're under achieving a bit, that there is a good depth of talent on the Manx scene nowadays. But when I look closely at riders like Hammontree, Paulus and Parriott they are high quality generalists rather than being really good at one thing. Illingworth is a serial failure. I've hopes for Dean Prochnow the climber, but Man's only WT win remains the one Carder got about three seasons ago. I don't really know how best to put these good riders into teams.

[matt j]

WT seems to be so much about just landing luck, and sometimes catching riders when they are on top form. IoM is always at a disadvantage against the 'big' national teams (Holland, Belgium, England) and the one-nation teams who also act as WT managers (Namibia to some degree). Considering all that, staying in WT-B and occasionally touching the edges of CoN seems pretty damn good (imo).

Illingworth's no-shows for the NT are just irritating.

Two races for Fox River today, Okereke gets a 5th to pick up just enough points for us to sit at the bottom of Division 2. Kavanagh doesn't do enough in the Division 2.1 race, and only managed 14th.

Easily best income from winnings I've had so far (>200k) and my points total at the moment is almost certainly the highest I've had at season's end. Pontien can trigger TF again, Kavanagh can trigger TF. Crumley, Mohler, Mosbah all still have theirs.

Unfortunately, my hopes of developing a strong U23 side have taken a big shellacking over the last few weeks as more of the big money teams are clearly throwing money at developing their own. Definitely the increase of U23 races will bring more focus on the youngsters, and may completely change some teams approaches. The hire list has really dried up on 20-year-olds too,

I've got 4 'full' trainees to go in my squad (and one that should be sold). The current 20-year-old I have is probably just going to remain a jobber, though does have GD SP, so if I get desperate and have the money could at least make him somewhat useful.

At any rate, bring on the next season!

[Sits]

Obviously finishing in D4 makes this the Locknuts’ best season, and some of that was definitely aided by the TS boost. But finally taking advice and thinking about the coming races, doing some planning rather than scattergun has also helped.

The flip side is that D4 is already exposing the squad’s limitations, the money has dried up and it’ll be a while before I can finish training Werheijen and Ambrose.

[Sits]

A 4th for Treadwell in Lima which is our first placing in Div4. It’s plain these are going to be rare.

[matt j]

Nice position there. 4ths and 5ths consistently are good money.

I started my season off today with a crash and out of the top 9. Dropped me back to Division 3 for a moment before the rest of the results came in and now I'm still in Division 2. It's impossible to plan TF at the moment without knowing which division I'll be in.

[Sits]

I’ve almost given up looking at TF. After spending a third of a season resetting, about four have now gone again at the wrong times.

[matt j]

Flying start to the season through three races: crash, unsuccessful BA, off day.

Yet still linger in Division 2. If I get any coverage points on day 6 or day 8 (I lose 68 from last season), I'll be set up to try a run at the SC in the Portugal tour in Division 2 with either Kavanagh or Pontien on TF. A complete change of plans, but a definite option. Taking Kavanagh on top form would be very, very interesting, not sure I could win it, but I might be in the hunt.

[Sits]

A 7th for Niedziela but even that yields $4k. I’m looking way ahead to Criterium La Grasse, Div 4’s first classic on Day 39. Both Niedziela and Hunzberger rate 66.6% by my reckoning and my points are quite back-ended in the season so I think I will still be in the division then.

But in the meantime I must finish training Werheijen, who is now 24, and Ambrose.

[Sits]

Just noticed one of the new tours pop up on the Div 4 calendar, the first ever running of the Rundfahrt der Schlösser der Alpen.

A fair bit of climbing so we’ll have some fun if nothing else. This bold text started when I pasted the name.

[delicatemoth]

I see.

[matt j]

It's a cool tour. I can see Lindfield getting some top 9s, though it's a really tough field of teams.

[Sits]

I have no expectations but will try and get the five of my signed up group who are ready, into TF.

After that, I’m not losing sleep over TF again.

In other news, Wim Verheijen is nearing the end of his training and is now 205 for climbing and yet to max.