I just knew the report would come today, you always update early Good to see the West Coast solidifying it's place on the calendar, doesn't look like SF is gonna lose the race as quickly as New York

Gnah what an amateur-ish way of losing the race for Vague, seems like he just can't take his eyes off Cook tho. Great report!

Very well done.
I loved this report as it was thrilling until the very end. Nicely written and obviously Dao is slowly being a big danger for many other riders.

@TMM: I think SF is here to stay Yeah, well, I always try to set a deadline and prefer to deliver rather earlier than later!

@Shonak: Shows that despite Vague overwhelming talent, he still makes some "junior" mistakes and he still has things left to learn. Today, it's a hard lesson, though great game post btw!

@roturn: Glad you enjoyed it! Can't wait to hear Baris' side of it!

Mixed feelings on this, nice to see Lachy attacking and then doing whatever he did in the middle of it. Can't wait to get my best rider back racing after Perth.

Also as Ian said Shonak great piece there, very well-written and personally I love it whenever Vague gets his comeuppance

EDIT: Just realised Seattle and Portland are exactly the same. Even the finishing straight is 200m

You are quite right, jandal. 2 pretty equal stats for races Though two different races without a doubt.

Will also be happy to see Milan back in the bunch for this next race

About that, here's the Portland preview! Will Cook defend his World Cup lead?

That wasn't me but the UCI

My Sunday evening gift to you all: Portland!

Thanks Ian, great report as always. Good comeback win for Vague there after his loss in San Francisco.

Thanks I quite agree!

Also, your post reminds me of something:

A Question for the new players (since season 2): Maybe now, after 9 races, it's a good time to ask you how you are finding the game? And also, are you a bit familiar with the fantasy world it takes place in? Is there anything I can do to bring this closer to you or are you already familiar with the protagonists and their abilities etc...?

Also general feedback or comments are always appreciated. Either post them below or send them through pm. I'm always open for feedback and discussion!

I'll take an aggressive performance, 6th place, moving up to 8th in World Cup and nearing the top 10 overall for Milan

The game's great. I'm no expert on CX, but I'm familiar with all the top riders and some of their specialities in the fantasy 'world'. Still could be a bit more up to date with some of the subtop riders but I guess I will get that with more time.

Same here. Really like the game. Not too hard with my recent success to be honest.
Love your reports as they are very detailled and thought through.

Still need to find out, who is best in all terrains. Obviously there are some, who are always great like Vague, Cook etc. but I need to find those, that only do well on specific terrains.

MG organisation phase almost over so nearly able to properly catch up. But had to make sure I got that Bakari plot point out there in time!

Nice to see Pepsi back after their brief appearence at the Stuisbaai replacement event

@FroomeDog and roturn: Yeah I knew next to nothing about real CX (top 15 riders, the kiwis and watched highlights), after this I know a lot more, especially about specialization. Have fun figuring out all the sub-toppers, they're at least as interesting as Vague and Cook as many of them are specialized but some are all rounders as well. I'd say the come to the fore more later on, with the almost completely hilly, cobbled, icy, sand or technical races.

And great to see Pepsi back, was almost surprised it wasn't the Pepsi NES.

Yay, surprise reports are always welcome. That ride was clearly Van der Poel-style by Vague, getting away early and keeping the lead in a race that suited him very well. (This makes me already look forward to the really cold races against the Odfjell guys)

Bit busy this weekend unfortunately but I'm sure I'll get out a post before the next race.

lol Bakari, one of a kind.

Cheers for the feedback, guys Glad you're all enjoying this game!
Have fun learning the subtoppers along the way. Actually, some of you have already reached subtopper status, I reckon

Here's the Seattle preview. Don't really know when I'll actually do the race but I hope in 3 or 4 days. After 2 fast paced reports, I want to leave a few days now.
Though with the MG off-season nearing its end, I'm happy to see people back here again!

So, ready for the 10th cross this season!

Ian Butler if I didn't know you better I'd say that's a sly dig at Lachy and Ronnie's forever alone in between status which I took a while to earn

Nice to see you changed the course.

I'm gonna leave that in the middle

Yeah, the course was 4 technical and 4 climbing last season. Making the calendar I decided 4 and 2 would be enough. But now I thought a bit more climbing will make it more interesting and also avoid this having the same outcome as yesterday's race