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Diamonds in the Rough
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| Tamijo |
Posted on 19-09-2018 21:40
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Team Leader
Posts: 7406
Joined: 14-07-2015
PCM$: 599.00
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Stamina +3
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 19-09-2018 23:21
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World Champion
Posts: 11395
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1020.00
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Yay it's back  Sucks to be blocked in the sprint but 19th is a great first race back, glad to see Marcus recovering! Hmm why don't we all just go for 1 to 1.5 points so Marcus doesn't go too hard?
+1 Baroudeur
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT]  Xero Racing
5x  x5
2x  x2
2x  x2 |
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| bowler |
Posted on 20-09-2018 07:42
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Amateur
Posts: 13
Joined: 18-05-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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Great to see Marcus back in the saddle!
+1 stamina
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| Tamijo |
Posted on 20-09-2018 12:50
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Team Leader
Posts: 7406
Joined: 14-07-2015
PCM$: 599.00
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Yay it's back Grin Sucks to be blocked in the sprint but 19th is a great first race back, glad to see Marcus recovering! Hmm why don't we all just go for 1 to 1.5 points so Marcus doesn't go too hard?
+1 Baroudeur
To late for me 
Edited by Tamijo on 21-09-2018 06:29
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| jseadog1 |
Posted on 20-09-2018 14:27
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 9595
Joined: 18-07-2010
PCM$: 13552.00
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Nice way to write off the story if you were trying to take a break for a month 
PCM.Daily Survivor Season 2 Fan Favorite Winner
PCM.Daily NFL Fantasy Football Champion: 2012
PCM.Daily NHL Prediction Game Champion: 2013
PCM.Daily NFL Prediction Game Champion: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 20-09-2018 20:14
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8059
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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jseadog1 wrote:
Nice way to write off the story if you were trying to take a break for a month
Spoiler I didn't plan to take a break, but my IRL work schedule always gets a little stressful and time consuming this time of year, and it's hard to sit down and write some more when I do so much of that at work. So, this kind of just worked out and I worked it into the story.
I can't promise frequent updates from now on, but I do still enjoy making process on this story and I want to see how Diamond's career unfolds just as much as you do. The possibilities are endless, which makes this fun for me. There are just some weeks I can't convince myself to sit in front of computer for another hour or two to write up a report.
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| Jord Vorenholt |
Posted on 20-09-2018 20:57
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Junior Rider
Posts: 34
Joined: 30-07-2018
PCM$: 200.00
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+1 Stamina
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 21-09-2018 06:51
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8059
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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Let's cut straight to it, not a fun month. Nor do I remember most of it.
I played in one game before suffering a concussion and missing the rest of our matches. I missed 3 matches in total. Not great with the season coming to a close and us still being in the promotion hunt. But, maybe the team had my back?
Match Day #28 at Harrow (15-3-10) Fewest losses this season, but we plastered them 6-0 earlier this season. Spoiler Witham 3, Harrow 3
 Another six-goal affair. This one split down the middle, 3-3. Witham saves a draw with two goals from Ryan Charles in the final minutes. A critical through ball by Marcus Diamond set up the tying goal five minutes into stoppage time.
Rating: 7.0 - Looking back at the replay, I can't take too much credit for my assist. Charles did most of the work and just bailed us out. I do remember buying him a couple drinks after the game.
Player of Game: Gregg Smith, Harrow (8.8)
My injury against Bedford followed on February 9th in Match Day #29. We won that game 2-1 with my replacement Craig Waters scoring the game-winning goal in the 88th minute.
The boys then traveled to Grays for Match Day #30 and couldn't find the back of the net, getting shutout 2-0. It was the ninth time this season we have been blanked in a contest.
Looking to bounce back against Brentwood in Match Day #31, Witham went off the rails with two red cards in the second half. Matt McFarlane and Macauley King both got sent off in a scoreless game. Then, out of nothing, Elliot Ronto snuck behind Brentwood's back line to give us a 1-0 lead in the 79th minute!
However, that excitement was short-lived as Tony Stokes found the equalizer five minutes later to end the match in a thrilling 1-1 draw. Given that we were down to nine men, it's a respectable result. But, we were so close to doing the unthinkable and stealing a win. Hurts a little. Hopefully those lost points don't haunt us.
League Standings (31/44 Games Played)
A slight slip-up and we find ourselves down in 5th place. Coggeshall is trying to pull away with 2nd through 6th place separated by just five points. This is what makes football great. Although, seeing Canvey Islands jump into the final promotion spot with a six-game winning streak makes me a little sick.
Training Ground
*Community Growth Development* Spoiler - Each member gets 5.0 points to spread however they like over the 36 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 1.0.
- Stats are bumped up in FM when they hit that number, ex. 2.9 = 2 in-game, and 13.4 = 13 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 20. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery and is different from the cycling progression scale.
-Comment below to provide stat upgrades. Pace Yourself (Part 2): Returning from a delicate concussion injury, Marcus Diamond doesn't want to overexert himself in training this month. The more training points Marcus receives, the higher the chance his training session results will be ineffective. There is a fine line between pushing yourself and going too hard.
A successful cycling training session earlier this month has upped Diamond's pain tolerance for this football training session. Although, he is still not 100 percent and needs to be careful in his recovery process.
Edited by Mresuperstar on 21-09-2018 07:27
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 17:32
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| bowler |
Posted on 21-09-2018 08:04
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Amateur
Posts: 13
Joined: 18-05-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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Sad to see Canvey Island jumping ahead of Witham! Hopefully Witham will pull off a 4-win-streak in March with a quite easy program against 4 teams from the lower part of the table. And with Marcus back on field I believe in them!
I'll start out easy with Marcus soccer training as well.
+3 off the ball
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 21-09-2018 08:27
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World Champion
Posts: 11395
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1020.00
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Good to hear we didn't overdo Marcus in cycling. Let's go 2 or 3 methinks for footie.
+2 Balance
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
5x x5
2x x2
2x x2 |
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| Jord Vorenholt |
Posted on 21-09-2018 15:43
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Junior Rider
Posts: 34
Joined: 30-07-2018
PCM$: 200.00
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+1 Determination
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| Aquarius97 |
Posted on 21-09-2018 15:46
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4191
Joined: 13-09-2015
PCM$: 300.00
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+2 Penalty Taking
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| MothBones |
Posted on 24-09-2018 04:59
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Junior Rider
Posts: 42
Joined: 26-07-2014
PCM$: 200.00
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Nicely thought out story, thanks for sharing it.
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 26-09-2018 23:30
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8059
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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Only two one-day races this month, but I'm gearing up for a busy summer. I'm looking to build off a 19th place in my first race this season.
Race Day #2 at  Ster van Zwolle I took ninth here last season, let's improve on that. Spoiler
Summary: Boring race, as expected. Everyone bunches up for the sprint to take all the glory after hours of friendly chit chat.
There were a few sprinters who were clearly better than everyone else. But, they launched too early and allowed everyone a crack at the victory.
Result: 10th. I held my own, although it's clear I'm still not on par with the pure sprinters. I need more chaos to be able to steal a sprint victory. I did beat my JLT Condor teammates Robbie Hucker (11th) and August Jensen (12th) to the line, so I'll gladly take those bragging rights for the next couple of days.
| 1 | André Looij | Monkey Town CT Team | 4h07'11 | | 2 | Jeroen Meijers | Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | s.t. | | 3 | Arnaud Voss | AGO - Aqua Service | s.t. | | 4 | Anders Skaarseth | Uno-X Norwegian Dev. Team | s.t. | | 5 | Raymond Kreder | Team UKYO | s.t. |
Race Day #3 at  Classica Aldeias do Xisto A mountain race? This is unfamiliar territory. Spoiler
Summary: Multiple breakaway attempts are shut down immediately. A fast pace all afternoon leads to the peloton imploding in the final climbs. Carnage of fatigued bodies everywhere.
Many decided to quit. Only the strongest pushed on.
Result: 15th. I finished nearly five minutes behind the winner, but I was proud I survived and getting 15th was a nice bonus. I'm not a climber, but maybe I could be. This was a promising result.
| 1 | Hermann Pernsteiner | Team Felbermayr | 3h56'10 | | 2 | Edgar Pinto | LA.Aluminios | + 1'41 | | 3 | André Cardoso | Radio Popular - Boavista | s.t. | | 4 | José Israel Jornet | Burgos - BH | + 3'00 | | 5 | Cristian Rodriguez | Efapel | + 3'10 |
Training Ride
*Community Growth Development* Spoiler - Each member gets 3.0 points to spread however they like over the 13 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 55.0.
- Stats are bumped up in PCM when they hit that number, ex. 55.9 = 55 in-game, and 61.4 = 61 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 85. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery.
- Comment below to provide stat upgrades
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| Aquarius97 |
Posted on 26-09-2018 23:34
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4191
Joined: 13-09-2015
PCM$: 300.00
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+3 Prologue
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 27-09-2018 01:31
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World Champion
Posts: 11395
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1020.00
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A solid month for Marcus, let's hope some form builds into the busier weeks and months ahead.
+3 Baroudeur
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
5x x5
2x x2
2x x2 |
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| Jord Vorenholt |
Posted on 27-09-2018 02:02
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Junior Rider
Posts: 34
Joined: 30-07-2018
PCM$: 200.00
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+1 Flat
+1 Mountain
+1 Hills
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 27-09-2018 19:00
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8059
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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Right in the thick of the promotion hunt, this is a critical month. While promotion can't be earned this month, it surely could be lost if Witham don't perform.
Match Day #32 at Dereham (3-18-9) Worst team in the league, if we don't win here... Spoiler Witham 3, Dereham 0
Summary: Goals No. 7 and No. 8 on the season for Aussie Elliot Ronto carry us to a 3-0 win. Irish attacker Chinedu Osadebe also popped up with a goal, his second of the season. Goalkeeper Morgan Bacon doesn't even have to make a save to pick up his ninth shutout of the season.
Rating: 7.6 - Still getting back to full fitness after my concussion, this was a solid outing. I did my job controlling the midfield.
Player of Game: Elliot Ronto, Witham (8.8) Match Day #33 vs. Potters Bar (7-15-9) A team fighting not to relegate, if we don't win here... Spoiler Witham 3, Potters Bar 1
Summary: Ryan Charles and Luke Mallett put Witham up 2-0. Max Fletcher makes things interesting with a 83rd minute goal to pull Potters Bar within a goal, but an own goal off a Marcus Diamond free kick seals a 3-1 Witham win. The win came at a cost, however, as defensive midfielder Jack Cresswell twisted his ankle and will miss 2-3 weeks.
Rating: 7.0 - Just a face on the pitch.
Player of Game: Chinedu Osadebe, Witham (8.3) Match Day #34 at Cheshunt (5-19-8) Another team fighting not to relegate, if we don't win here... Spoiler Cheshunt 3, Witham 2
Summary: Ryan Charles did everything in his power, but he didn't get any help. Cheshunt took 5 shots, put 5 shots on target and scored 3 goals. This could go down as the game that prevented Witham from promoting.
Rating: 7.3 - Seven key passes doesn't matter in a defeat.
Player of Game: Ryan Charles, Witham (8.8) Match Day #35 vs. VCD (9-14-12) We've had two weeks off to stir on our last outing. Spoiler Witham 2, VCD 0
Summary: What a surprise! Before the match, striker Daniel Akindayini was cleared medically to play. He had been out for four months with a fractured skull and even contemplated retirement. He didn't look like himself on the field (6.3), but we were just happy to see him playing with us again.
As for the match, Chinedu Osadebe kept his strong month going with another goal and 17-year-old striker Liam Bowman scored his first career league goal for the club.
However, another injury spoiled the 2-0 win. This time Luke Mallett went to the dressing room early with a strained groin. The league leader in assists with 20 is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. A terrible time for him to get injured.
Rating: 7.3 - Another average performance. With Mallett injured, I'll have to step up my game like Osadebe next month.
Player of Game: Chinedu Osadebe, Witham (8.6) League Standings (35/44 Games Played)
Tied for fourth place, six points back of second. It's still possible.
Our next four opponents are all either 10th or worst in the league standings. We have to take advantage. The highest team in the standings that we still have to face for a second time is FC Romania (6th) and we play them in the regular season finale on June 1st.
Training Ground
*Community Growth Development* Spoiler - Each member gets 5.0 points to spread however they like over the 36 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 1.0.
- Stats are bumped up in FM when they hit that number, ex. 2.9 = 2 in-game, and 13.4 = 13 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 20. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery and is different from the cycling progression scale.
-Comment below to provide stat upgrades. Pick It Up: Looks like Marcus went too soft on his training last month and showed no signs of process. His coaches are starting to nag him to try harder and become a leader.
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| jseadog1 |
Posted on 27-09-2018 19:45
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 9595
Joined: 18-07-2010
PCM$: 13552.00
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+3 Bravery
+2 Composure
PCM.Daily Survivor Season 2 Fan Favorite Winner
PCM.Daily NFL Fantasy Football Champion: 2012
PCM.Daily NHL Prediction Game Champion: 2013
PCM.Daily NFL Prediction Game Champion: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 01-10-2018 07:02
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8059
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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Back-to-back races here in April. The first stop is a hilly circuit in the Czech Republic before getting to fly back home to England for the cobbled Rutland-Melton Cicle Classic — a race I missed last year because of a gashed leg.
Race Day #4 at  Visegrad V4 Race No longer a nobody, first time I've made the pre-race favourites list.  Spoiler
Summary: A fast paced race gets blown to bits in the final 15kms. A lead group of five gets a gap but everyone is still pushing behind to catch up.
Now, with 5kms to go, attacks off the front.
What looked to be the decisive moves are not. The attackers on the final climb are all brought back into a group of about 15 cyclists to start the descent to the finish line.
The attacks aren't done! Marcus Diamond catches everyone off guard putting in one final dig to create a small gap. Is this the winning move?
The remaining cyclists work together to get back on Diamond's wheel.
Under the 1km to go banner, Diamond still holds the lead with two Czech cyclists behind him trying to win on home soil in Frantisek Sisr and Jan Barta. The Brit is trying to play the spoiler.
One of these three is going to win. 350 meters to go!
Result: 2nd. Frantisek Sisr delights the home crowd...
Agonizing heartbreak for Diamond, who was looking to win his first professional race.
"I heard him coming," Diamond said after the race. "I didn't want to look over my shoulder and just kept pedaling. I saw the line, I thought I had it. Then, I looked up and saw the crowd cheering for Frantisek. That hurts. But, I know that first win will come in time. Wasn't meant to be."
| 1 | Frantisek Sisr | W52 FC Porto | 3h02'30 | | 2 | Marcus Diamond | JLT Condor | s.t. | | 3 | Jan Barta | Elkov - Author | s.t. | | 4 | Pier-André Cote | Heizomat - Rad-Net.de | s.t. | | 5 | Fabio Duarte | Adria Mobil | s.t. |
Race Day #5 at  Rutland-Melton Cicle Classic Showdown with fellow 19-year-old Brit Thomas Pidcock.  Spoiler
Summary: A perfect sunny day to ride through the heart of England.
This quickly becomes the Marcus Diamond vs. Everyone else show. JLT Condor is forced to chase the 12-man breakaway with no help and once Diamond runs out of teammates, he is left to attack for himself with 35kms to go.
The remaining peloton chases down every attack, but doesn't put forth the effort to reel in the breakaway. This creates a frustrating cycle of Diamond trying to get away, getting caught and going again. It didn't matter how many times he attack, he wasn't going to get away.
Exhausted and frustrated, Diamond had nothing left in the tank with 10kms to go.
Result: 36th. A win for the breakaway, 3'20" in front of the peloton because nobody carried to bring them back since they were too worried about Diamond escaping.
"Cowards. Every single one of them," Diamond said after the race. "They wanted me to carry them to the win. All of them should be ashamed with how this race played out. I don't know what else to say. I tried and raced to win. They raced not to lose."
| 1 | Karol Domagalski | ONE Pro Cycling | 5h11'19 | | 2 | Christoffer Lisson | Riwal CeramicSpeed | s.t. | | 3 | Morten Øllegaard | Team ColoQuick | s.t. | | 4 | Leon Rohde | Heizomat - Rad-Net.de | s.t. | | 5 | Kristoffer Skjerping | Joker Icopal | s.t. |
Training Ride
*Community Growth Development* Spoiler - Each member gets 3.0 points to spread however they like over the 13 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 55.0.
- Stats are bumped up in PCM when they hit that number, ex. 55.9 = 55 in-game, and 61.4 = 61 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 85. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery.
- Comment below to provide stat upgrades Podium: One member, at random, will have their stat upgrades doubled this month as a reward for Diamond finishing second.
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