@scorchio: Take your time

REMINDER: After the sign-ups close next Wednesday, there will come a detailed preview of the upcoming season, taking a look at the top contenders and analysing every team. So if you don't have the time to catch up on big parts of last season, you will learn a lot from the (sub)top riders and the (new) teams there! I can't expect new players to catch up on the entire first season. That preview will allow you to catch up on the big gist. Also reading the role-playing posts of these last few days are definitely helpful

@trekbmc: hope your computer won't give you too much trouble

@Avin: Okay, great to hear. So don't worry about changing his first name, If you want, I could even go back to the WC U23 report and change his first name there.
Catch up on his U23 World Title here. Especially since his first mention in CX U23 is earlier the same season! (see the last paragraph). So you should take that into account, though. He's quite new as he was an unknown at this start of the season. At least internationally.

So if it would not be a big problem for you Ian, i would like to change his firstname to "Jan", usual czech name (and similar to your nick).

It will be easier to remember and it sound better and more realistic that way.

Heh, did you realise that some of the U23 names you took from my race were names that I took from rejected Season 1 candidates? Amir Khan and Kurmanbek Nazarov were both initially suggested by Dippo, but were from Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan - rather than India and Russia as you've made them.

@Avin: no problem. Jan Soucek is is, then. (You can write with the strange 'c', but the program that I use to calculate the points & time won't recognize this so I'll be writing it as Soucek.)

@SN: I had no idea

Thanks Ian, i see that the name is changed already in those report, perfect!

So now i should sign him up like he was a new rider? I will of course take his past year in this game into an account.

Edit: Btw, i suppose Soucek was originally that "rider created for me", when i was insure about my part in this lovely game? Funny that i will really "control" him in the end.

Yeah, he was destined for you So it's nice that you end up with him, too
Yes, sign him up as a new rider, that's fine! All you have to take into account is:

- He rode U23 last year so he can't be 30 years
- He's U23 WC (matters little, though)
- The WC profile was quite hilly. But that shouldn't matter much. Still, some hill stat would be helpful to justify his result
- He was relatively unknown at the start of last season on the international scene. So he couldn't have been a (big) rider at the Juniors or whatever.

Hope that's no problem

Name: Jan Sou�ek (Soucek)
Nationality (region): Czech Republic/South Bohemia
Date of Birth: 31.1.1993
Height: 168
Weight: 60
Specialty: Fast start/One hit wonder
Weakness: Inconsistent/Bad weather amateur
Biography: Jan Sou�ek was born in city of České Budějovice, capital of South Bohemia to the couple of passionate cycling fans. Since his first steps, whole family were annual visitors of various cycling races in Czech Republic,mainly The Peace race. Jan soon followed in the steps of his parents and listened to the father's stories about Olaf Ludwig or Uwe Ampler, the former stars of the race, with growing passion for cycling. Steffen Wesemann became his idol.

It was only logical step, that Jan was soon registred to a cycling club in Tábor, the city where the whole family moved to. Tábor is the city of cyclocross, so even when young Jan thought he will ride on the tarmac, he was forced to ride on a muddy track. But doesnt boys like mud? They do, so soon Jan fell in love with off road racing, but not so much the fan of a mud.

He was not the best of the boys there, he was not the best junior there later, but he was becoming famous for his rocket uphill acceleration and his unique ability of bunny hoping the obstacles. That also earned him the nickname "The Rabbit". But as good he was in these things, even worse he was in the other sides of the sport.

Cobbles, no please. Sand? Even worse. It is raining? Hell, he would gladly throw the bike into the mud. One of his growing patterns was strating a race with mad tempo, not looking back. He win some national races with this style, but he lost many more because of it. When the ground was hard or frozen without snowing, he was fine. When there was a bad weather, he was imaginating himself near a fireplace, with a cup of hot chocolate.

Still, his smiling face and showhmanship hooping abilities earned him a spot in fans hearts and place in czech national U23 team for year 2014/2015. Team surely had more of a tactical riders, but it could also use the wildcards and Jan was one of them.

First race - storming into the lead, but fall in the second round.
Next race - broken pedal right at the start
Gieten race (combined with elite) - surprise! Jan ended third from U23 riders, just behind well known talents Lorenzi and Nazarov, few reporters started talking about thi unknown rider from centre of Europe.

This was followed by several races without any success, while biggest race of the year for U23s was just behind the door.

World Championships in Valkenburg, U23 race, mighty, legendary Cauberg, that is the place where the history was made several times. And it was there also that memorial day for czech cyclocross, as you all know, Jan Sou�ek attacked there and after parrying the attacks of lowlander Van Dyck, he became sensational U23 world champion! Reporters, fans, sponsors, they all barely knew his name and this win was described as the fluke by many of them.

But was it a fluke? We will see i guess...


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

Sorry Shonak, but Vague is such an egoistic bastard.

Why?

Ian calls it professional.

Some more great posts I have a feeling this season is going to be even better than last season! Interesting observations made by Eldfjallsson in particular and once again Vague forcing me to take drastic measures to try and keep him in cyclo-cross...



Are you catching up on the previous season or is that based on his last post?
I also wonder why, actually? Care to elaborate?

Wow how many new riders!!! I see so many trusted names joining in for the 2nd season - Avin, Atlantius, FroomeDog, Roturn and Scorchio (hope I didn't forget anyone) are all great members that can surely bring even more action to our favourite CycloCross world! And there are still 7 days left until sign-ups close so I hope many others will join in!


Why would he need to elaborate?


Hey! How dare you compare the best ever 4th place finisher and JJ Rojas

Maybe it's because of the many bikes Francis owns and he doesn't share them with Jan.

Nice name choice for the rider by the way Avin Wargunnson.

@matt: I definitely agree. Though I'd rather have few sign-ups that actually stay and contribute than many new sign-ups but no-one to stick. Have a good feeling with these new names, though
And also, it was wrong of me to compare Rojas to the almighty 4-Matt

@Shonak: Quite possibly And, hey, what was wrong with Nosek? Whatever that means

Iban Etxeberdea, the new rider, is still looking for a team.
Atlantius: any preference for him? Or will you wait it out a bit, see what comes next?

Jan's quite the pocket rocket up the hills, good over ice too. As matt said, great to see these sign-ups flowing, as Ian said, this is going to be even better than last, and as Avin said, Vague is an

Not really any big preferences. Not many Basque cyclo-crossers to team up with for him

For now we'll keep him teamless, then.
Shonak once had a Basque rider written up but wasn't added to the game finally after having too many riders. Though Shonak has got plenty riders now, too

Let's see how the sign-ups continue and then I'm sure we'll find a good spot for him.

Anybody remember Page 15 (+16) of the game thread, with the double interview and the conversations beforehand.

You see, at least you know i am really catching up with the old thread.

No elaboration though, Vague is just a bit "self-confident".
But sport need these sorts of athletes in modern times, lets hope he will stay mainly off road.

@Ian: There is nothing particullary funny about name Nosek,just that i dont know single person name that way, as the first name. It is rather a surname, but not very common.

Shonak was pointing out the name Jan just because he knows me in person and...hmm...guess what is my real name?