Added a part to the preview, quite essential but I had forgotten. The points system for the National Event Series.



Also, post below or pm me if you think (one of) your rider(s) applies for this competition. We're looking for riders who aren't competing for the victory in the big races and also young riders looking to develop. 20 spots are open. I will fill them up myself when the season starts.

This moment, I'm thinking riders like Visconti, some of the new lads, maybe. Power, Faizullah, Alinejad, Pierre Lipawsky...
Of course, they'll probably miss two Superprestige races, so can the race leaders afford to miss a domestique? That's up to you.

2 really really interesting riders from both Avin and roturn! - the latter for the potential damage he could create in the cx world, the first one for its backstory. Looks like most of the peloton does get on very badly with alcohol

I was just taking a look at the calendar - seems like there will be even more hilly races as last year, unless this is just my feeling.

Looks a bit sad to see that Gormley won't join Mapei, although I guess this is because Dippo is no longer active around here and Shay couldn't have his say on his future...

On the other hand, if I'm not mistaken, the scoring system has changed a lot since last edition, will be nice to see this new event series as well, so that even the riders we know less about can have their chance

I'm getting excited for the season to start, can't wait, really, hopefully tomorrow or friday I'll find time to write out something decent

Matt should probably start looking for a team mate, can never hurt to have one
Points system didn't change all that much, though. Except that UCI Ranking wasn't at the start of the first season.

Looking forward to that post

Alright, hoping it will be used at some point

Great to see Avin and roturn sign up. Two very nice characters as well. Hehe, yeah I really talked only praise about CX in that bar.

Name: Estifanos Mutahi
Nationality (region): Kenyan
Date of Birth: 22/04/1994
Height: 183cm
Weight: 83kg
Specialty: Powerhouse - great on the cobbles and flat
Weakness: Impulsive rider - can attack too early or at the wrong moment due to inexperience
Biography:
Born in Kenya, Estifanos was always different to many of his heroes in Kenya. He always wanted to be a runner because of this but he was never able to keep up with his friends. Rather than having high stamina, he always found he was more powerful in short bursts.

Upon moving to Belgium aged 18 to attend university in Europe he discovered that he was a talented bike rider, especially on the cobbles. One day he was invited to an amateur cyclo-cross competition, and he realised that he could compete at the front end of the field. Since then he he has only got better, and now he wants to take the step into the professional ranks.

Stats:
Bike Handling (technical): medium
Sand: low
Uphill: medium
Cobblestones: very high
Sprinting: high
Explosiveness: medium
Flat (TT/riding hard): high
Power: very high
Running: low
Snow/Ice: very low
Jumping: low

Hope I've done everything ok. This looks like a nice game, I'd really like to be involved.

Adrian van Niek

Thanks for the nice words guys, i love the game already. I also started digging through the old thread.

Yes, it's perfect. Welcome to the game, Estifanos has been accepted, though I'll probably end up misspelling his name more than often

Looks great. One thing, maybe... His parents are going to be pissed off when they find out he went there to go to college but ended up a crosser

@Avin: enjoy digging through the old thread. The Game Thread is an amazing place, I think. Only so many pages (arguably), but 99% valuable and amazing posts. Seaosn 2 will resume probably around 4th of May so there's time to catch up if you want to

I think the hardest part for me will be to keep the game on a break so long. I'm addicted and want to write the first race report right now already

Whaaat, who is guilty of ruining the 100% for us?! I demand we tar and feather him!!!

I'm not sure but I think I remember a strange post being made full of anger
He who finds it, shall receive at least 5 victories this season!

Some more nice posts today, introducing new characters, showing Bakari's strange move and another anti-UCI post

Also, about the sign-ups. If the U23 guys that are up for grabs aren't taken, I'll put them back in the U23 database for next season. However, I will post a final reminder somewhere next week or by the weekend, so that someone like matt17br (for Mazzarelli) can request for example the Italian rider to join the professional ranks in his team, without having to role-play him.


Additionally, I'm still expecting 2 sign-ups from you, Shonak

Yeah, they'll come around one of those days.

Great! I have a question though - how should I say my preference to which team I want to join? I see there's a Namibian team which would be ideal for Mutahi I guess.

Well, I think you just did.
He'll be added to the (development) team!

Thanks, I wasn't sure if I should have done so somewhere else

Well, this is always the safest way, indeed
If you (or anyone) had any questions, you can always ask them here or by pm.
You also could've done it in the Game Thread with a role-playing post about him looking for a team, for example, but this way is safer

UPDATE: I'm entering all new riders automatically into the NES competition. It's a good way to gain experience and perhaps ride a nice result early on. If you really don't want him participating, let me know.
Also adding Guido Visconti, Mustafa Moli, Alinejad, Vermeulen and Faizullah.

Glad to see some support for Geraardsbergen, Shonak. Although you keep misspelling it

Oh really? I'd really like to see Lorenzi or Vieto or even both joining Mapei, while only focusing on Mazzarelli's role playing.

Well, if we're short on riders, I could have Guido or Hakinnen continuing.

Lorenzi will make the leap to the pros and ride for Team Mapei next season.
So you know what he's about:

Lorenzi, 178 cm but only 65 kg, comes close to being a pocket climber. His strong points are his uphill riding, but also his ability to go through a wall, especially in the first half of the race.
He is not the best bike handler, neither goes well through the sand. His biggest disadvantage at the moment, though, is his stamina. With the U23, races are shorter and he manages. But it is expected that (at least in the first half of the season) he'll fade away towards the final 2 laps of the race.

Provisional list of riders for next season, based on their (new) UCI number.



Mazzarelli is now officially number 4 For new players, important to know: Mazzarelli is basically the Rojas of cyclo-cross! Well, okay, he's not that bad


Let me know if you spot a mistake. Already noticed Konva who's from Slovakia, not Slovenia also Van Fleming moved to Lotto-Fidea. That's been adjusted.