TheManxMissile wrote:
So there's not sign-ups proper yet, we're just declaring interest?
I think there are sign-ups (could be wrong), just none have happened yet!
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
Name: Daniel Clark
Nationality: USA
Specialization: Classics
Favourite Team: BMC Racing Team
Career Goal: Historic Mini or Grand Slam (4 or 5 of the monuments won in a career)
Height: 182cm
Weight: 68kg
Daniel Clark didn't start out wishing to be a bicycle racer. His love was for football (the real kind, not the American version). His childhood in Michigan was spent chasing a ball rather than riding a bike. However, a series of concussions cut short his ability to play football...and he was soon on his bike looking to expend the excess energy of youth in a less dangerous way.
The first amateur clubs wanted to help Clark become a great climber, seeing his light frame ideally suited him to that role. However, Clark had no interest in a style of racing he called 'boring'. His heart was set on the purest form of bike racing...the classic. Where savvy and race experience count for just as much as pure physical power.
Clark therefore set about improving his attack and short climbing skills, working on his sprinting, and trying desperately to train for the pain of the cobbles. His environment in Michigan provided plenty of opportunity to work on bumpy terrain...but the gravel roads are no substitute for the pave.
Optimistically looking to the future, Clark hopes his quick acceleration, light frame, and ability to enjoy pain and suffering will serve him well in the professional peloton. The future awaits...and for now, Clark is dreaming big.
Can we please add Caja Rural instead of one of the Italian ones? Or Androni instead of one of the other Italian ones? That would be the favourite team choice.
Early Steps: Jhon was born in a rather small family in Gualacea at the 20th of April 19 years ago. Together with one older brother he was sharing the full attention of his family. Already in his young age he had the privilege of having a TV at home, where he followed the big names of Ecuadorian Sports: Of course Carlos Tenorio was one of his early heroes, as he not only was part of the first Ecuadorian WC team ever in 2002, he also was the main man when the team promoted to the Round of 16 at the WC in Germany in 2006.
But it wasn't all about football. When Jhon was that kid that was all about sports, the big hero of the country was world champion and olympics silver medal winner Jefferson Pérez. While Athletics caught the interest of Jhon more and more, it wasn't really about walking or running. He was more and more attracted to the popular sportsmen from Colombia or Venezuela, when the likes of Rujano, Pena, Serpa and Laverde conquered the world, especially at the Giro. But it would be other shining stars that really brought him into cycling.
Cycling Path: Soon the young gun started to take his own first footsteps. He had a bike pretty early, as distances were quite long and parents were hard working. The downside of this was having to be quite self-serving pretty early in his life, the upside though was that his family could finance him a quite decent bike even for european standards. And he absolutely fell in love with it.
By that time it was pretty sure though that he'd join a cycling club pretty soon. And he did so. Though, as you might have guessed, not everything ran in line with the expected of course. We're not talking about a road bike, we are talking about a proper cool mountainbike. And with that he could step into the paths of his real hero: Emilio Falla.
Soon he was riding competitions, having the full support of his family. And he was damn good. On national level he was quite good at first, but with his determination and a great trainer he became a world apart from the regional and even national competition in his age. Even his role model, Falla, shouted out his name on the nation bmx championships in Quito in 2013, where young Garcia won the U18! competition.
But by that time another shift happened. Falla wasn't as successful as he used to be anymore, the big names from South America were the Brazilian Renato Rezende or the Colombians with Carlos Oquendo and Carlos Ramirez. Even on his young age he was the #3 in Ecuador behind Alfredo Campo and Emilio Falla already.
That was when he got the opportunity to broaden his horizon. A certain Movistar Team had started a developmental program in Ecuador. Colombia hat these youth development structures for long, and with the rise of the youngsters like Rigoberto Uran, Sergio Henao, Carlos Betancur and Fabio Duarte they were lightyears away from the rest. However, also in Ecuador something started to form, and the Team Ecuador was built.
This team, led by Byrom Guama at that point, built some structures to capture talent. While this didn't work out too good in the beginnings, the project had some success over the next months. And one of the first prospects in this project was Jhon. He was offered a development contract with the development team of the project which slowly turned into the Movistar Team Ecuador.
And with it he had the opportunity to ride his first UCI level races. The Vuelta Kolbi or the Vuelta Dominica were one of his first races on the proper road cylcing world. Not forgetting his roots however, as he still appeared to win the junior BMX championships with ease and even got some footsteps into cyclocrossing, which was part of the developmental contract he signed.
It didn't take long until he first rode the Vuelta al Ecuador, eventhough the race these days only had an amateur character. Still, Jhon had some success, especially finishing 3rd from a breakaway on one of the late stages. This may have been the last convincing move to become finally part of the Movistar Team Ecuador, just at the age of 17!
Together with the likes of Jefferson Cepeda, Santiago Montenegro and Wilson Haro , all only 1-3 years older, he rode a very nice calendar. Also, he got invited for Nations Cup races with Ecuador for the first time. While he had a nice calendar with Team Ecuador, racing in Guatemala, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, the Dominican Republic and even the USA, racing the nations cup was on another level.
From the whole Ecuadorian squad there was one guy that stood a chance: Jonathan Narvaez. The others, including Jhon, flew off the back so fast you couldn't even tell. Especially on the flat races. Jhon just wasn't used to racing that hard all the time, and not just at the end of the race or a climb. But he tried to adapt the european mentality in a way only Narvaez could do so far.
He heard of many Ecuadorians - well, even more Colombians but also many of his teammates or former ones - that tried to do so in the past. But most of them failed. There was one Ecuadorian that made it over: Richard Carapaz. He achieved the dream of becoming a professional cyclist in road racing. And after the season there were good news for Narvaez too. After signing a contract with Axeon, rumour had him in lines with a potential QuickStep engagement already.
That left Jhon with a certain decision to make: He now was at Team Ecuador, but that wouldn't earn him the money he needs in his life. Should he follow the path? Or was it time to jump over the sea to Europe? Yeah sure, there was also the chance of riding professionally in Colombia. But would they want an Ecuadorian with their number of strong youngsters?
Thinking about being just a 19 year old guy he postponed the decision. After finishing his season with Team Ecuador he turned his attraction a little bit more on BMX riding. He still got it in him, so he gave it a go at U23 races and even starting in the Copa Latinoamericana in Bolivia. Also finishing 2nd at both Sierra Centro and Orient - Amzonico behind Campo and another 6th place in San Jose at the Copa de Naciones Costa Rica made him gain some serious reputation in the BMX world, as that meant that Jhon would climb in the Top 50 of the BMX world standings at the age of 19.
Gaining in confidence step by step made him looking into the future a lot more comfortable. Training for the next season together with Byrom Guama and Jonathan Klever Caicedo determined his preperation. Secretly always waiting for the right phone call - of yourse he wouldn't hire an agent and do it himself - Jhon had planned to ride for Movistar Team Ecuador, eventhough there had been interest from Medellin - Inder, Team Bolivia and EPM-UNE.
Even a Belgian cyclocross-team, we are not allowed to call their name here, invited him to join a young riders program with chances on the Belgian amateuir circuit on the road and on the dirt. But then there was the one option that turned everything around. Austrian equipe MyBike-Stevens had offered a developmental contract, which was similar to the cyclocross one, but actually on UCI level on both ends.
Enthusiasticly Jhon packed his bags to travel to Austria, aiming to finalize the details of what should be a real cycling contract! Or would he? Just as he turned on his phone stepping out of the plane, there was a message left for him. It changed everything...
Personality: Calm, and always well prepared. Jhon is that acribic worker that tries to find the perfect race scenario right before the race already. Has some issues with adapting to surprising race situations. Loves the tropical whether. Loves dirt. Get's bored when a race is too flat for too long. Absolutely open to take planned risks. Sunnyboy on the outside, not so on the inside. Not the best out of rest days. Doesn't like quick changes of flat and mountain stages. Loves difficult profiles, where the race is hard to predict. Trash Talker.
Cycling character: Jhon is a pretty lightweight climber. When the road kicks up, it's the steeper the better. Unrythmic climbs, rough punches, steep ramps. Give him that and you make him feel comfortable. He's never sat on a time trial bike. His acceleration is very quick, though he is yet to have a proper sprint on board. There are a lot of questions raised on his recovery and stamina. But coming from the BMX background he knows how to sustain an effort quite well, especially with changing pace all the time. Also, for a South American he is a straight out awesome descender and technique expert. On the flat roads he has to work on his engine, though the potential should be there.
Favourite Teams/Riders/Races: Movistar Team Ecuador. Several riders that determined his youth, f.e. the likes of Uran and Henao. Androni-Giocattoli with all there young south Americans. Narvaez, Klever, Carapaz. Joaquin Rodriguez. Jose Rujano. The Giro is the big race for him. Otherwise it's about the Vuelta of course. But a huge priority are the home races in South America. His dream is having a GT finishing in Ecuador, either a new South American one or even the Giro/Vuelta. Zdenek Stybar. Emilio Falla. The BMX Worldcupraces in South America. Caja Rural.
Rivals/No Gos: Young Colombians. The arrogant Belgian cyclocross youth. Time Trials. Echolons. Wout van Aert. The overrate borefest which is the Tour de France. Vegans. Former Dopers. People that do high-altitude training camps in Ecuador but can't ride a bike properly. Elbows. The rotten apples.
Set-up your rider with the following details:
• Name
Hector César Ernesto FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ
• Nationality Colombia (Cali)
• Specialization
Classics (with a Puncheur focus)
• Favourite Team (from the ones in the game)
Team Dimension Data
• Career Goal
Win 3 monuments, a GT and the Cyclocross WC or Olympic Medal MTB
1m65
• Weight
57kg
Hector César Ernesto FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ was born in Cali, Colombia on 14 may 1998. He was seen as a gifted cyclist early on, doing tricks on his bike that few adults could match. His parents pushed him to become a professional cyclist, and Hector liked cycling so he didn't mind.
At first, it was hard for him to specialise, he won all local races whether they were flat, uphill or even offroad. The only thing he didn't like were time trials, as he couldn't motivate himself to ride without competition. He loved cyclocross and mountainbike, but his parents wanted his to pursue a road career, as he would get more money that way. They also discouraged him from riding on the cobbles, as no sane person would ever organise a race on cobblestones.
With parts of his passion repressed, he joined his first junior team. They turned him into a puncheur as he could ride the bike uphill fast and had a good acceleration. And of course because all of Colombia was mountains and hills. Having won even more races, Hector was offered many professional contracts, but he had one team that stood out.
Learning from another allrounder Boasson Hagen, becoming a part of the legendary Mark Cavedish' sprint train, and most importantly, no real puncheur leader. He had a chance to grow in the ranks and maybe one day realise the secret dream no one but him knew about: becoming the first Colombian to win Paris-Roubaix.
Edited by Ollfardh on 04-06-2018 09:57
Name:
Mattia Tornello Nationality: (South Tyrol region) Specialization:
Stage races Favourite Team:
BMC Career goal:
Win the Giro d'Italia Height/Weight:
1,82m, 65Kg
Born in Corvara, in the Alta Badia region of South Tyrol, Mattia had since he was little a bug for cycling. In 2010 for the first time he saw the whole Giro on TV, and as he witnessed Ivan Basso win after three caothic weeks he gained a big passion for bike racing. Shortly after he got his first bike, a cheap mountain bike wich he used to go to school and as a way of having fun and distracting himself from the stresses in life. His family couldn't afford much and he learned to be responsible for it and took great care of all his cycling gear.
He never was a very social kid, he valued his alone time more than hanging out with his friends, and so riding his bike was something he increasingly valued more over time. Some years later his dad got a bike too, much to the request of Mattia, as he wanted to explore the local roads, that included some of the mythical Giro passes, including the Valparola, Gardena and Campalongo.
Over the years he withnessed on the road some iconic moments of the Giro, something he worshiped by then, the Purito win in Cortina d'Ampezzo, 2012, Nibali winning atop Tre Cime di Lavaredo, 2013, and so when he finally could ride far from home, he made sure he trained hard so in May he could always ride to see the pros in action.
When he was 15 he got his first road bike, and soon enough he joined a cycling club, which although was far from home, it would allow him to participate in some races of his categorie on the weekend. Usually long trips were involved, with very few races in the Alps he had to go near the Adriatic sea, where all races were flat or hilly.
He evidently struggled in them, always hanging out the back, but he always fought for the best result he could. He even tried Mountain bike but his results weren't motivating at all, wich was starting to take a psychological toll on his will of racing.
In 2016, after a brutal stage of the Giro, that finished right in his home town of Corvara, he saw Chaves take the win and Kruiswijk moving into pink. And just days after, after some years watching it on the road, he decided to sign for the Maratona dles Dolomites, a mythical Grandfondo that takes place in the Dolomites and has several of the Giro's most famous climbs. And that race was something that changed his life..
Riding a cheap aluminium Merida, he found himself in the end of 140Km in the high mountains finishing in the Top50, winning in his category. That came as an absolute shock and regional cycling teams soon found themselves contacting him quickly.
He was signed by a local team, which, from July to October, allowed him to show in his newly-discovered talent, alongside providing him with the right gear for professional racing. In that period of time, he raced 3 one-day races in the mountains, where he came in Top5 in all, a 3-day stage race, where after a strong time-trial and ride in the mountains, a crash on the final day derailed his chances of finishing in the podium, and 2 Grandfondos in the Alps, where he came 4th in one of them.
After this amazing display of talent, he has been contacted by some pro teams, and during the off-season he will decide where he will race in 2017. He is a diamond in the rough, nobody knows what potential he may have. He says it himself, he will win the Giro one day, but while many take it as a kid's dream, some see it as a possibility and are willing to take a risk. With so much yet to learn and master, like positioning in the pack, recovery methods, the right nutrition, TT-position work, etc, there is no telling how far Mattia can go, his Italian cycling blood will be an indication of what he is willing to do.
A natural stage-racer, his recovery abilities haven’t yet been shown, but he’s a very strong rider in long climbs, and is at ease with multiple mountain-stages. A good time-trialist too, but struggles a bit more on prologues. He is clearly a very consistent rider, capable of flying through mountains again and again, but when it comes to explosive and unpredictable racing he still neads to learn a lot. He’s also a good descender which adds to his set of skills to take on week-long races and Grand Tours.
Name: Bradley Nettle
Nationality: USA
Specialization: Stage Races
Favorite Team: BMC Racing Team
Career Goal: GT Podium Finish
Height: 5ft 10inches
Weight: 150 IBS
Brad was born in Pennsylvania where he spent a majority of his time growing up running and playing basketball. One day at the post office he saw an ad about Lance Armstrong, and started to slowly gain interest in cycling. He grew up watching Lance Armstrong compete day in and day out, and it gave Brad the hope that one day he could be a famous USA cyclist.
Since Brad only ever watched the GT's (that was all that was on TV), that was the only style that he knew of. He wanted to be a stage racer that could excel on the climbs. He registered into a local race called the "Tour de Toona" and was the youngest competitor to ever make the podium.
Shortly after the race he was finally signed to an amateur club in PA where he began training. His squad saw the potential he had with climbing, as he had been a runner for years and had developed very strong legs. He definitely did not have the speed to win any serious flat stages or TT's, but that never bothered him. Halfway into his first season, he finally won his first ever stage race. A 5 stage race in PA & OH that saw stages 3 & 4 focused on mountains, but surely nothing near what he hoped was coming one day overseas.
Brad is ready to move on from his amateur squad, and with the help of his team and possible connections, has been contacted by a few teams that could give him the potential to accomplish his life long goals that all started from a post office banner.
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
• Favourite Team (from the ones in the game)
BMC Racing Team
• Career Goal
Beat Lance Armstrongs records
• Height
12'9
• Weight
4kg
• Background
Autumn was born and raised in small town Texas, not too far outside Austin. A hardcore football town, like most small Texan towns are, she had little options for sport. Either she watched Football or became a cheerleader. Neither of those appealed and sport, it seemed would just pass her by.
Then one fateful day round a friends house Autumn caught sight of some cycling on the TV, highlights from an early 2000's Tour de France. This looked epic! Huge athletc efforts, jaw dropping scenery and thousands upon thousands of cheering fans!
That was it, cycling was going to be the future!
Cheap fourth hand road bike in hand Autumn set about joining any local ride she could get to. Car park races came before her, and everyone else left with tails between their legs. The escape from rural football obsession and stagnation was found. When she was invited to State Championships, that escape was confirmed.
A rapid rise through the ranks drew ever more eyes and attention. By 17 she'd earned Cat. 2 status and was regularly beating everyone in Texas in the U-18's events, and was on par with the best U23 riders even if they were 5 years older than she was.
Junior Nationals beckoned and Road Race, ITT and Individual Pursuit titles flooded in. Just turning 19 Autumn had amassed a palmares to top almost anyone in North America who hadn't turned pro, especially as she outclassed any male competition who'd dare take her on.
So the next step? Turn pro! She was going to emulate her hero, and nothing was going to get in the way.
• Traits
Determination above all else. Dedication above all else. An unmatched work ethic and drive to achieve more and more from herself!
Stamina and power beyond her years, giving a strong flat power and time trial basis. Proper training and cultivation from profesionals will see her climbing ability flourish in no time at all.
• Weaknesses
Tactical knowledge, due to a lack of experience at a pro level. And due to her determind, almost agressive nature, a tendency to not think smart and just power her way to results. Will need some guidance to learn greater tactical knowledge and execution.
Not many will take her seriously, despite her ability to hand an ass whooping to those she faces off against.
I checked the opening post, it doesn't say the rider can't be female! Everything there is perfectly ok inside what the stated rules and instructions were
I checked the opening post, it doesn't say the rider can't be female! Everything there is perfectly ok inside what the stated rules and instructions were
The rules also state that I have the final say
Don't care about the rider being female, those long flowing locks can't be programmed in PCM anyway! Please put in a height and weight that is realistic.
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
jseadog1 wrote:
Just realized that TMM was doing a "spinoff" of his former story!
95% of my characters are repeats or spinoffs. There's roughly 1400 Hammarlings at this point, of which several have alternate reality versions of each other. There's a few Keselowskis. My CX:AND guys briefly span off. Multiple versions of other story game characters like Hinault or Hanzen. etc.etc.etc.
I'd suggest 5'7 and 135 ibs
EDIT - 5'11!? Taller than most
Becuase it only makes a minor difference to the rider model in 3D racing i've not given it a second's worth of thought
AbhishekLFC wrote:
While I'd prefer for riders not to be female, I'd missed that in the rules and so everyone's riders are approved so far
Actually, I think I won't allow a female rider. As the rules say, it's my call. Sorry TMM but you have to change it to get in. Everyone else is approved.
• Favourite Team (from the ones in the game)
AG2R La Mondiale
• Career Goal
Win Tour de France
• Height
6'0
• Weight
65kg
• Background
Thomas grew up in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Part of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques deparment, for Thomas and his family they identify more as Basque, with Saint-Jean-de-Luz also falling in the Labourd Basque area.
Every summer for as long as he can remember, Thomas and his family would head inland in July to watch as the Tour assulted the Pyrenees. And then in late August/early September they would head across to Spain for the Vuelta. His father was a bicycle mechanic, owning his own shop in town, whilst his mother would sell bikes and parts from the same shop. Safe to say, he never had much career choice!
Cycling was deep in his DNA and by the time he was 10 rides out into the mountains were common, and he'd already clocked up serious miles in the foothills at the north of the range, plus he'd tackled the route of San Sebastian several times.
This passion grew and grew, the rides becoming long and harder. By 15 he'd go on multi-day raids into the heart of the mountains with local clubs, and he could comfortably say he'd ridden all the major Pyreneean climbs 7 or 8 times.
At 16, with his major exams done for the year, he went on a trip with club mates all the way from Saint-Jean-de-Luz to Perpignan via Andorra. This was a massive ride tackling a dozen major climbs over three or four days. Tracking his trip on Instagram and Strava something wonderful happened.
His times and endeavour was noted by some coaches and he finished the summer with offers of support to start bike racing.
Needless to say, if the race went uphill, Thomas would be at the sharp end! Now turning 19 he's taking the step to the pro ranks. It could have happened sooner, but smartly Thomas waited to complete his schooling first. Very few, if any, neo-pros will have as much climbing experience or distance in them when they sign on the dotted line.
The question facing Thomas now is this, can he turn the passion and experience into results? Can he become the next French Tour winner?
• Strengths
Climbing! When you've been up the Tourmalet 15 or 20 times before you're 19, climbing is just normal to you.
Descending! What goes up, must come down... and insansely fast!
Handling! Lots of downhill hairpins give you a smart and natural bike control!
Breaking away! When you're regular ride is 200km long over multiple climbs, you get used to going alone and from distance!
• Weaknesses
Time Trial! It's just not something Thomas does at all!
Cobbles! There's a few streets around with cobbles sure, but they don't compare at all the the classics!
AbhishekLFC wrote:
@Shonak: Is a working 2018 DB available for PCM 16? I can try to get it ready in that case as long as it can be accessed by either fast editor or excel editor. Don't have one myself else I'd prefer it too. Maybe will slow things down by 4-5 days but not much of a problem.
Ecuador (Gualacea)
Colombia (Cali)
(South Tyrol region)
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
