Honestly, I'm not going to come up with anything better than what Jandal suggested, you could give me now until Christmas 2020 and I wouldn't come up with better ideas for my own family.
Goodbyes are never easy. Alex Vogel and I helped Sabrina Stultiens move out this weekend after she signed with lower-tier Delta Cycling in the Continental Tour. It was a mutual departure as Stultiens wanted to be more than a bottle carrier and the SEG Racing Academy didn't think she was cut out for the Pro Tour circuit.
Delta Cycling is based in Rotterdam as well, so we will certainly still see her around. The team, however, wouldn't let her live with us anymore which is understandable. But now we had an open room in our three bedroom apartment.
"I could move in. I mean, I'm here all the time anyways," Grace said.
Looks like our relationship is going to the next level. Grace is moving in.
The Captains
Complete 2023 Squad
My Thoughts
First season in the Pro Tour, so I honestly don't know what to expect.
The Yates brothers give us some major firepower for the Grand Tours, but is there enough support there to actually win a major race? There are four climbers all under 24 years old looking to become the next big thing, hopefully a couple of them have a big breakout season this year.
The hills without Lizzie Deignan will be interesting. Jhonatan Narvaez is back and fellow Brit Adam Hartley looks like a solid addition. I can also ride the speed bumps if needed.
However, the team will be relying on me the most to lead the cobbles unit. I won't have much support around me with aging Dutch cyclists Ramon Sinkeldam and Jesper Asselman as my primary helpers.
From no depth to an abundance, SEG has a stable of sprinters who are looking to take the Pro Tour by storm with Patrick van der Duin, Niklas Markl, Lucy van der Haar, Tebiro Pienaar and wildcard lead-out Alex Vogel.
The youngest cyclist on the team is timid 18-year-old Julia McGregor from Leeds. The oldest is Tom Leezer at 37 years old, who has already said this is his last season. Rob Ruijgh has also decided to retire at the end of the year.
Marcus Diamond's 2023 Race Schedule
*Pending invitation*
Date
Race
Top 3 Recent Results
Jan. 16-21
Santos Tour Down Under (S6)
--
Feb. 24
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
21st (2022)
Feb. 27
Le Samyn
30th (2022)
Mar. 4
Dwars door West-Vlaanderen
--
Mar. 10
Ronde van Drenthe
13th (2022), 22nd (2020)
Mar. 14
Danilith Nokere Koerse
13th (2022), 6th (2020)
Mar. 21
Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde
--
Mar. 23
Record Bank E3-Harelbeke
--
Mar. 25
Gent-Wevelgem
--
Mar. 28
Dwars door Vlaanderen
15th (2022)
Apr. 1
Ronde van Vlaanderen
--
Apr. 8
Paris-Roubaix
--
Apr. 11
Brabantse Pijl
9th (2022)
Apr. 15
Amstel Gold Race
--
Apr. 22
Liege-Bastogne-Liege
--
May 3-6
Tour de Yorkshire (S4)
2nd ('22), 5th ('21), 6th ('20)
May 27
Boucles de I'Aulne
--
June 19
Halle-Ingoolgem
--
June 28
GB ITT Championships*
33rd ('22), 23rd ('21), 31st ('19)
July 1
GB RR Championships*
8th ('22), 18th ('21), DQ ('19)
July 25
Grand Prix Cerami
1st (2022)
July 31
RideLondon-Surrey Classic
16th (2020)
Aug. 11
KOGA Slag om Norg
--
Aug. 22
Arnhem-Veenendaal Classic
4th (2022)
Late Aug.
Vuelta a Espana (S21)
--
Sept. 21
Omloop van de Westhoek
--
Sept. 30
World RR Championship*
17th ('22), 47th ('21), 48th ('20)
Oct. 13
Il Lombardia
--
Evaluation
Offseason Training Ride *Community Growth Development*
Upgraded Training Facilities Boost:+1 Point Per Member
Spoiler
- Each member gets 4.0 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
Stat Lock (Resolved): Time trial has been locked.
New Equipment: With promotion to the Pro Tour, SEG Racing Academy has invested in better training bikes and gear for the team.
The Perfect Gift? (Resolved): The specialty designed Caitlin Fielder cycling shoes, as suggested by jandal7, for Grace's Christmas present went over really well. She loved them. Marcus Diamond went with a Great Britain design with the Union Jack. Diamond repays jandal7 with a x2 multiplier on his recent football stat upgrades.
Oh, and Grace got Marcus an assortment of practice cycling kits and framed his Cristiano Ronaldo jersey from the World Cup. Both were thinking along the same lines. So, time to hit the road for a training ride.
Really exciting times at SEG, I've said it a lot but so happy that Marcus (and Alex and Grace) could take the step up to the WT with this project. The Yates bring star power and the young climbing squad and flat power look promising, with Narvaez and Diamond perhaps as more mavericks but still with good potential, I am really looking forward to this season and beyond. Liking Marcus' schedule with classics galore, monument debuts (though they might have missed a trick not including him in MSR, but it helps with the classics focus I guess) and the first GT in La Vuelta. Just a very very cool time
Glad Grace liked the shoes, and nice gifts in return too. The Union Jack design should be quite striking, maybe she can show them off in some breakaways Moving in is a nice step though a shame to see Sabrina go. Hope she does well with Delta and nice they can still see her in Rotterdam Also nice to see the training equipment upgraded
+4 MO to celebrate the unlock. Time Trial is a bit of a relief, of course it is always helpful to have it GC-wise and not nice to see one go, but it is one of the least useful stats given Marcus' current trajectory I think.
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
I want to try and improve his kick at the end as some of those classics could end up with him in a small group.
Good to see his schedule getting announced, I'm a little surprised he is going to La Vuelta over the Giro, I'd have thought the May GT would have been on the end of his Classics form peak and maybe given him a stage chance in the first week.
Guess he won't get to defend his TOB win, so really glad he went and secured it last season, if he's lucky he will get a free role to get in plenty of breaks in Spain and maybe snag a few days in the mountains jersey early on. I'm also surprised this is his GT as it rules him out of the fall classics and BinckBank Tour, maybe that's something for him and the team to consider in future seasons.
Great to see him ride all those beautiful races in Belgium. However, I'm with sammy to regret he won't ride ToB this time. Well, he can rock Yorkshire then
Personally unhappy about TT being locked, as that will probably rule him out for many stage races. He'll have to even more specialize on the classics, then.
So let's at least try to make him a premium cobbler:
The January transfer window is always a fun time for the fans. For the players, it's stressful. Last season I was caught up in the whirlwind and landed here at Feyenoord. Maybe another move is on the cards, but I doubt it.
I kind of have faded out of the headlines after my World Cup performance wore off. So, I haven't seen my name in any of the recent transfer rumors. Then again, are those worth looking into at all? It's all a guessing game.
Friendly at Sparta
January 7, 2023
Warm-up game to get the legs moving again after the holiday break.
Spoiler
Feyenoord 1, Sparta 1
Summary: All the action happens in the first 10 minutes. Even though it's a friendly, Feyenoord won't be pleased drawing to an inter-city rival playing in the Jupiler League.
Rating: 7.3 - Surprisingly played a full 90 minutes. I was keeping the ball moving and creating offense, so I got to stay on the pitch.
Player of Game: Rodolfo Pizarro, Feyenoord (7.7)
Match Day #20 at AZ (6-6-7)
January 22, 2023
As expected, back on the bench to start this one.
Spoiler
Feyenoord 3, AZ 2
Summary: Down 2-0, no problem. Feyenoord scores three unanswered goals in a stunner at AFAS Stadium. Nick Foss notched a brace in the second half to complete the comeback.
Rating: 8.1 - Rodolfo Pizarro sprained an ankle in the 13th minute and I was called into action. Despite having no time to warmup, I put in a solid shift and got the ball where it needed to be. Pizarro is going to be out for 3-5 weeks, so I'm going to get more chances to prove my worth.
Player of Game: Levi Garcia, AZ (9.0)
KNVB Beker Cup vs. NAC
January 25, 2023
Quarterfinals: 15 goals in three games so far in this cup run.
Spoiler
Feyenoord 4, NAC 0
Summary: Feyenoord takes care of this one in the first half. Marcus Diamond gets the party started with an opening goal in the 13th minute. Three more goals were found from the 31st minute to the 39th minute.
Rating: 8.5 - Always continue your run, you never know when the ball might find you. Was subbed off late to save some energy.
Player of Game: Otavio, Feyenoord (9.5)
Match Day #21 vs. NAC (6-10-4)
January 29, 2023
The rematch from the cup tie just four days ago.
Spoiler
Feyenoord 3, NAC 1
Summary: New day, same opponent, same start. Marcus Diamond gets Feyenoord off and running with a goal in the 24th minute. Diamond then heads down an assist to Yassin Ayoub for a rocket of a strike right before halftime. Otavio cleaned up the 3 points with a goal in the 68th minute.
Rating: 7.6 - I feel like I deserved a better rating than that, but it feels great just being able to make a difference in Eredivisie games.
Player of Game: Yassin Ayoub, Feyenoord (8.9)
League Standings (21/34 Games Played)
Four teams separated by a point at the top of the standings. Can it get any more exciting than that? We will play all three teams once more this season, starting with Vitesse in our next game. We are scheduled to play Ajax on March 19 and PSV in the season finale on May 14. Getting into crunch time.
KNVB Beker Cup
Semifinals
We got an extremely luck draw and will face the underdog story of the tournament. FC Oss in the third-tier of Dutch football and has gone on an impressive run to reach the semifinals with wins over OJC Rosmalen (2-0), JVC Cuijk (3-2), Vitesse (2-0), FC Eindhoven (2-0) and Go Ahead Eagles (1-0).
Now they have the chance to slay another giant and reach the cup final for the first time in program history. We can't take them lightly.
Calendar
Club
International
Evaluation
Training Ground *Community Growth Development*
Feyenoord Training Facilities Boost:+1.5 Points Per Member
Spoiler
- Each member gets 6.5 points to spread however they like over the 36 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Only stats that aren't locked can be upgraded.
- 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.
Transfer Window: Marcus Diamond received... no interest during the transfer window. But, he saw his market value rise to 1.6 million pounds.
Around the league, Ajax was the most active by selling its best striker Daniel Velthuizen to Inter for 26 million and they also purchased midfielder Gonzalo Fernandez for 9.5 million from Colon.
Nice to see Marcus getting some good game time under his belt and making the most of it with some goals and assists. Hopefully this little run of games and form will help him continue to get game time when Pizarro is back.
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
Gaining promotion into the Pro Tour was a huge step for the SEG Racing Academy. The morale during team practice rides has been off the charts. We enter the new season with this "us against the world" mentality. We are the feisty newcomers.
I start my season on the other side of the world in Australia. The memories of being here two years ago came flooding back. I wish I could have made some similar memories with Grace. Instead, we got Alex Vogel and her sister Lucy van der Haar to chat with as we scanned the scenery in hopes of finding a kangaroo.
Race Day #1-6 at Santos Tour Down Under
January 16-21, 2023
The Pro Tour is no joke, these are the best cyclists around.
Stage 1:
Spoiler
Summary: A bunch sprint photo finish to start the season.
Result: 9th - Just missed out on making the photo. I'll take a top 10 in my season debut. Probably could have also just saved my energy for later stages, but I wanted to stretch my legs and see what was possible.
1
Stan Dewulf
Quick-Step Floors
3h37'16
2
Dylan Groenewegen
Ziggo
s.t.
3
Rick Zabel
Team Sunweb
s.t.
4
André Looij
Bahrain - Merida
s.t.
5
Jim Arghittu
Amazon
s.t.
Stage 2:
Spoiler
Summary: Three morning breakaway riders, including Alex Vogel.
No chance for them today, as a selective group of 17 cyclists sprint for the stage win and to become the new GC leader of the tour.
Result: 34th, 25th GC - Not in form to keep up. Lost 52 seconds to the front group. Looking like this is going to be a long, tough tour.
1
Magnus Cort Nielsen
Astana Pro Team
3h42'41
2
Christopher Lawless
The Guardian
s.t.
3
Jasper Philipsen
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
s.t.
4
Marianne Vos
UAE Team Emirates
s.t.
5
Odd Christian Eiking
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
General Classification
1
Magnus Cort Nielsen
Astana Pro Team
7h19'47
2
Christopher Lawless
The Guardian
+ 4
3
Dylan Groenewegen
Ziggo
s.t.
4
Jasper Philipsen
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
+ 6
5
Rick Zabel
Team Sunweb
s.t.
6
Marianne Vos
UAE Team Emirates
+ 10
7
André Looij
Bahrain - Merida
s.t.
8
Jim Arghittu
Amazon
s.t.
9
Jasper De Buyst
Lotto Soudal
s.t.
10
Wilmar Paredes
Team Dimension Data
s.t.
Stage 3:
Spoiler
Summary: Drama! Massive crash with 8.5kms to go. It happened right at the front of the peloton as the sprinters were gearing up for a fast finish. A slick turn and all of that goes to the wayside. It appears 16 cyclists have avoided the crash and have unintentionally got a gap.
Seven of those cyclists up front start looking around and can't find their team leader, so they drop back in disgust as Marcus Diamond has decided to push the tempo in this front group. It's surely controversial, but not against the (written) rules.
Diamond is using all of his energy to increase this gap. The favourites back in the peloton are livid that this group is taking advantage of a crash like this. Diamond isn't making any friends today, but is making up time.
Stan Dewulf uses Diamond's effort to claim the stage. Diamond's teammate Lennard Hofstede takes second and Tim Wellens finishes third to become the new GC leader.
The scraped up and angry peloton crosses the line 1'38" later.
Result: 7th, 6th GC, 1st Youth - Not here to make friends. Here to win.
1
Stan Dewulf
Quick-Step Floors
3h23'38
2
Lennard Hofstede
SEG Racing Academy
s.t.
3
Tim Wellens
Lotto Soudal
s.t.
4
Odd Christian Eiking
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
5
Wilmar Paredes
Team Dimension Data
s.t.
General Classification
1
Tim Wellens
Lotto Soudal
10h43'31
2
Wilmar Paredes
Team Dimension Data
+ 4
3
Odd Christian Eiking
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
4
Stan Dewulf
Quick-Step Floors
+ 22
5
Lennard Hofstede
SEG Racing Academy
+ 50
6
Marcus Diamond
SEG Racing Academy
+ 56
7
Michael Valgren
Quick-Step Floors
s.t.
8
Holstad Ludvik
Quick-Step Floors
s.t.
9
Magnus Cort Nielsen
Astana Pro Team
+ 1'32
10
Dylan Groenewegen
Ziggo
+ 1'36
Stage 4:
Spoiler
Summary: Surprisingly, no attacks on the final climb. So, we head into a very fast, twisty downhill finish with a large selection of cyclists. But it's none other than Marcus Diamond sticking his nose out front again.
The backlash after yesterday's stage was harsh on the 23-year-old, but here he is again stirring the pot. While he might not be the fastest guy, he is certainly willing to take the most risks.
Clipping corners and nearly the barrier, Diamond has found his way to the front of the peloton in the final meters. Rubbing shoulders to get the inside lane, Diamond takes the lead.
Some might say reckless, others would say tenacious.
Astana's Magnus Cort Nielsen, who expressed the most displeasure to the media after losing the GC lead yesterday, is doing everything in his power to put Diamond back in his place and teach the Pro Tour rookie a lesson.
To no avail. Marcus Diamond with a remarkable stage win. The first Pro Tour win for him and the SEG Racing Academy. He put his body on the line in those last 3kms and it paid off brilliantly.
Result: 1st, 5th GC, 1st Youth - Like I said, here to win. Woooooo!!!
But, not everybody was happy with the result. Magnus Cort Nielsen came to our team bus and had some choice words for me after the race.
"Hey, race like that again and you aren't going to see the finish. It's one thing to attack right after a crash, but it's a whole different thing to race like an idiot and nearly crash us all. You got a lot to learn kid. Next time I'm not letting up to give you any room. You can't race like that."
1
Marcus Diamond
SEG Racing Academy
3h21'00
2
Magnus Cort Nielsen
Astana Pro Team
s.t.
3
Marianne Vos
UAE Team Emirates
s.t.
4
Felix Gall
Movistar Team
s.t.
5
Odd Christian Eiking
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
General Classification
1
Tim Wellens
Lotto Soudal
14h04'31
2
Odd Christian Eiking
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 4
3
Wilmar Paredes
Team Dimension Data
s.t.
4
Stan Dewulf
Quick-Step Floors
+ 22
5
Marcus Diamond
SEG Racing Academy
+ 46
6
Lennard Hofstede
SEG Racing Academy
+ 50
7
Michael Valgren
Quick-Step Floors
+ 56
8
Holstad Ludvik
Quick-Step Floors
s.t.
9
Magnus Cort Nielsen
Astana Pro Team
+ 1'26
10
Dylan Groenewegen
Ziggo
+ 1'36
Stage 5:
Spoiler
Summary: Despite pressure from the press to punish Marcus Diamond for his deceptively aggressive riding in Stage 4, the race organizers have come out and said there wasn't enough video evidence to make a ruling.
Regardless, Diamond is on a short leash for the rest of the tour.
Oh no. Even more drama, the race leader Tim Wellens has suffered a puncture at the top of Willunga Hill. Lucky for him, it's only the peloton's first time up the famous climb so he will have 20kms to catch back up.
Lotto Soudal puts in the work and gets Wellens back into the front group with 8kms to go. A strong team effort. But, can Wellens get back up to the favourites before we reach the start of second time up Willunga Hill?
Attacks from both sides of the road as we start the climb. Magnus Cort Nielsen up close and Marianne Vos in the background.
Cort Nielsen cracked. It's Felix Gall taking up the lead with 1.7kms left.
David Gaudu to the lead over the summit.
Gaudu with the win over Gall and Wilmar Paredes. And there is Wellens in the distance. He comes in with Diamond's group 30 seconds back. So, Paredes takes over as the new race leader by four seconds.
Result: 13th, 5th GC, 1st Youth - Paced myself and (for once) stayed out of trouble. Also, props to teammate Lennard Hofstede for staying with me and finishing 14th on the stage and keeping 6th in GC.
1
David Gaudu
Groupama - FDJ
3h49'37
2
Felix Gall
Movistar Team
s.t.
3
Wilmar Paredes
Team Dimension Data
s.t.
4
Odd Christian Eiking
AG2R La Mondiale
s.t.
5
Anna van der Breggen
Ziggo
+ 13
General Classification
1
Wilmar Paredes
Team Dimension Data
17h54'08
2
Odd Christian Eiking
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 4
3
Tim Wellens
Lotto Soudal
+ 30
4
Michael Valgren
Quick-Step Floors
+ 1'09
5
Marcus Diamond
SEG Racing Academy
+ 1'16
6
Lennard Hofstede
SEG Racing Academy
+ 1'20
7
David Gaudu
Groupama - FDJ
+ 1'32
8
Felix Gall
Movistar Team
+ 1'36
9
Marianne Vos
UAE Team Emirates
+ 1'51
10
Magnus Cort Nielsen
Astana Pro Team
+ 1'56
Stage 6:
Spoiler
Summary: After all the craziness to kick off the 2023 Pro Tour season here in Australia, the cyclists deserved a straightforward sprint finish to wrap up the Santos Tour Down Under. The circuit through Adelaide was won convincingly by Jasper Philipsen.
Result: 34th, 5th GC, 1st Youth - Might have made some enemies in my first Pro Tour stage race, but a top 5 finish proves I'm here to stay.
1
Jasper Philipsen
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits
1h50'53
2
Marc Sarreau
Team Dimension Data
s.t.
3
Marianne Vos
UAE Team Emirates
s.t.
4
Dylan Groenewegen
Ziggo
s.t.
5
Carlos Barbero
Movistar Team
s.t.
General Classification
1
Wilmar Paredes
Team Dimension Data
19h45'01
2
Odd Christian Eiking
AG2R La Mondiale
+ 4
3
Tim Wellens
Lotto Soudal
+ 30
4
Michael Valgren
Quick-Step Floors
+ 1'09
5
Marcus Diamond
SEG Racing Academy
+ 1'16
6
Lennard Hofstede
SEG Racing Academy
+ 1'20
7
David Gaudu
Groupama - FDJ
+ 1'32
8
Felix Gall
Movistar Team
+ 1'36
9
Marianne Vos
UAE Team Emirates
+ 1'47
10
Magnus Cort Nielsen
Astana Pro Team
+ 1'56
Calendar
Spoiler
Date
Race
Winner
5-Jan
Australian championships (ITT)
Sebastian Eaddy
5-Jan
New Zealand Championships (ITT)
James Judd
7-Jan
Australian Championships
Michael Matthews
7-Jan
New Zealand Championships
George Bennett
15-Jan
La Tropicale Amissa Bongo
Rui Costa
16-Jan
Santos Tour Down Under
Wilmar Paredes
21-Jan
Vuelta a San Juan
Romain Bardet
24-Jan
Sharjah Tour
Daniel Martin
25-Jan
Vuelta Ciclista a Mallorca
Wout Poels
27-Jan
Gravel and Tar
Barnabas Peak
28-Jan
Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Bryan Alaphilippe
28-Jan
Grand Prix la Marseillaise
Alexandre Geniez
31-Jan
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
31-Jan
Étoile de Bessèges
31-Jan
Herald Sun Tour
2-Feb
Colombian Championships (ITT)
4-Feb
Colombian Championships
6-Feb
Colombia Oro y Paz
6-Feb
Dubai Tour
7-Feb
South African Championships (ITT)
8-Feb
Tour La Provence
10-Feb
VCR de Murcia Costa Calida
10-Feb
South African Championships
11-Feb
Clasica de Almeria
11-Feb
Trofeo Laigueglia
13-Feb
Tour of Oman
14-Feb
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta
14-Feb
Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta del Sol
17-Feb
Tour Int. du Haut Var Matin
18-Feb
GP Laguna Porec
21-Feb
Abu Dhabi Tour
22-Feb
Tour of Antalya
24-Feb
Classique de l'Ardêche
24-Feb
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Marcus Diamond In
25-Feb
GP Izola
25-Feb
Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne
25-Feb
Royal Bernard Drôme Classic
27-Feb
Le Samyn
Marcus Diamond In
28-Feb
Trofej Umag - Umag Trophy
Season Rankings
Pro Tour Points
Team
Individual
1
Dimension Data
811
Wilmar Paredes
Dimension Data
520
2
Lotto Soudal
647
Odd Christian Eiking
AG2R La Mondiale
400
3
Quick-Step Floors
562
Tim Wellens
Lotto Soudal
355
4
Astana
532
Bryan Alaphilippe
Astana
300
5
AG2R La Mondiale
526
Christopher Lawless
The Guardian
285
6
SEG
498
Marcus Diamond
SEG
285
7
The Guardian
377
Michael Valgren
Quick-Step Floors
275
8
Groupama - FDJ
285
Jasper De Buyst
Lotto Soudal
220
9
Amazon
267
David Gaudu
Groupama - FDJ
210
10
Team Sunweb
232
Lennard Hofstede
SEG
200
Individual Wins
Cyclist
Nation
Team
Wins
1
Luca Pacioni
Italy
Saeco
3
2
Romain Bardet
France
AG2R La Mondiale
2
3
Rui Costa
Portugal
Efapel
2
4
Stan Dewulf
Belgium
Quick-Step Floors
2
5
Caleb Ewan
Australia
Lotto Soudal
2
6
Daniel Martin
Ireland
UAE Team Emirates
2
7
Wout Poels
Netherlands
Nationale-Nederlanden
2
8
Pascal Ackermann
Germany
Quick-Step Floors
1
9
Bryan Alaphilippe
France
Astana
1
10
Marcus Diamond
United Kingdom
SEG
1
Evaluation
Training Ride *Community Growth Development*
Training Facilities Boost:+1 Point Per Member
Spoiler
- Each member gets 4.0 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
Stat Unlock or Cool Down?: While Marcus Diamond deserves a stat unlocked based on his results this month, he also created a lot of controversy and made some enemies in the process.
Diamond can keep the stat unlock if he is willing to embrace this media-generated villainous persona for the upcoming spring classics.
(Option A) Stat unlock (and name which one) because I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to ruffle some feathers and win races.
(Option B) No stat unlock. Take a step back and re-evaluate.
I would like Flat back one day as it's such a handy stat, but I don't feel strongly enough about any of the current locked stats to want to make Marcus a villain to the press and, more importantly, the rest of the peloton. Option B.
Though actually I don't mind his racing in the Tour Down Under, since to me (don't know how pros would feel) 8.5km in a fast finish is pretty close to be waiting up for crashed riders, and then if he wants to take the downhill his way that's fine, Cort didn't have to follow though I understand his view if not his reaction too. Great racing regardless from Marcus, and fantastic to get a first WT level stage win and a top 5 on GC plus youth.
+1 HIL
+1 COB
+2 STA, let's take the spring classics on
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
Option B for me. If he just was there for a stage result, pushing on after the crash would have been OK for me, but he was clearly attacking for the GC. The statement "Not here to make friends" is a bit shortsighted, given that he's going to meet these guys over and over again for the next few years.
Attacking on the DH is absolutely fine, of course, as long as the only guy endangered is himself. Endangering other riders is not really appreciated in the peloton.
Of course, starting the season with a result like this - including the first PT win - is absolutely great! But he should learn that there's more than "just" winning. Being hated by the peloton for the next 10 years or so isn't the greatest perspective, imho.
I'd like to point out the same guy complaining that Marcus pushed on with 8.5km to go after a crash, attacked himself with 8 km to go when wellens, the race leader was only just making contact.
Feels to me like Cort is being a hypocrite here.
therefore I'm going to vote Option A and unlock Flat as he can't have it both ways.
While finishing up some extra reps on the training ground, I saw Grace rolling up to the facility on her KOGA Colmaro bike. It was a little strange because she never rides over here unless it's a game day. Maybe something was wrong?
But she was smiling as she walked over to the pitch. I lined up one more free kick in hopes of showing off and impressing her. Aiming for the top corner, I smashed the shot high over the bar and into the parking lot. Whoops.
"No wonder the team doesn't let you start," Grace said with a laugh.
"Hey, I'm working on it. What are you doing here?"
"We haven't hung out much lately, so I just thought I'd surprise you."
Grace and I kicked the ball around until we were kicked off 45 minutes later when the youth team needed the field. Grace is forcing me to admit that I lost in a penalty shootout to her. In fairness, I had to keep my eyes shut when shooting.
Match Day #22 at Vitesse (12-3-6)
February 5, 2023
Marquee matchup against another team fighting to win the league title.
Spoiler
Feyenoord 4, Vitesse 1
Summary: Two quick yellow cards to Ronald Kuijpers to match his jersey color puts Vitesse at a huge disadvantage on home turf. Feyenoord jumps on the opportunity with a not 100% Rodolfo Pizarro scoring on the free kick that followed after the red card. Otavio doubled up two minutes later. Nick Foss and Sven van Beek put the contest away with two more goals in the second half.
Rating: 7.1 - I have proved my worth to get a starting spot with Octavio, Pizarro and Abdulkadir Omur. Those three get the more attacking midfield roles while I control the action behind them and in front of the defense. I'd like to play more up the field, but I guess this will do for now. It's better than the bench.
Player of Game: Yassin Ayoub, Feyenoord (9.1)
Match Day #23 vs. sc Heerenveen (8-6-8)
February 12, 2023
Again I find myself starting as a deep midfielder, almost a CDM.
Spoiler
Feyenoord 3, sc Heerenveen 0
Summary: Feyenoord dusting opponents off with ease right now. A brace for Dylan Klok puts him back the conversation for most goals in the Eredivisie this season. Rumors are Inter nearly made a sizable offer for him at the deadline, but backed out at the last minute.
Rating: 7.1 - Subbed off in the 73rd minute. Average showing.
Player of Game: Dylan Klok, Feyenoord (9.2)
Match Day #24 vs. FC Utrecht (11-7-5)
February 19, 2023
Safe to say the team has found our stride here late in the season.
Spoiler
Feyenoord 3, FC Utrecht 0
Summary: The utter domination to try and defend the league title continues. Feyenoord starts hot with three goals in the first 35 minutes and coasts to its sixth straight win since the holiday break.
Rating: 7.0 - As long as we are winning that's all that matters.
Player of Game: Abdulkadir Omur, Feyenoord (9.0)
Match Day #25 at Roda JC (3-10-11)
February 5, 2023
Roda FC has only won one game since the end of August.
Spoiler
Feyenoord 1, Roda JC 0
Summary: Roda JC tried to play spoiler with a park the bus mentality in a mini hail storm, but a sloppy rebound off the post for Abdulkadir Omur got the goal Feyenoord needed.
Rating: 6.9 - Like I said, a win is a win.
Player of Game: Abdulkadir Omur, Feyenoord (7.0)
League Standings (25/34 Games Played)
KNVB Beker Cup
Semifinals
Calendar
Club
International
Evaluation
Training Ground *Community Growth Development*
Feyenoord Training Facilities Boost:+1.5 Points Per Member
Spoiler
- Each member gets 6.5 points to spread however they like over the 36 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Only stats that aren't locked can be upgraded.
- 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.
Stat Lock: While the team keeps winning, Marcus Diamond's ratings aren't where they need to be to avoid the stat lock. One stat will be locked. Any attribute that doesn't receive at least 4.0 points is at-risk.
An attacking midfielder who tries killer balls often needs the vision to spot those subtle runs made by attackers. I feel like reaching 16 vision would really move Marcus up a notch in the eyes of foreign scouts.
Keeping both of these unlocked and trying to raise them even further will only benefit the tries killer balls PPM and turn him into an even more unpredictable playmaker.
Also nice to see the training equipment upgraded 
