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Continental Career
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| ABridgeTooFar |
Posted on 12-10-2007 15:35
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Domestique
Posts: 463
Joined: 17-09-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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I am starting a new career with my first Continental team -- Team Slipstream. Any advice? |
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| rodda |
Posted on 12-10-2007 15:36
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2276
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well use pate in the tour of california, i got onto the podium with him in that, otherwise just try and take chances when they come get in all the breaks etc.
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| KurtinSC |
Posted on 12-10-2007 16:16
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Breakaway Specialist
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Do not overlook the fact you can sign riders the first 10 days of January.
With most continental teams (except the big ones like Barloworld) you can get a lot of riders that might be better than anyone you currently have on your team. (especially in the PCM Spain database). If you're using the standard database there aren't as many, but you should look at guys like Bridge (a pretty solid classics rider) and Ravaoli (good sprinter). There are a LOT more in PCM Spain, as well as some young riders you'll want to sign because of their potentials.
I look at building a team toward 2008 when running my continental teams. I don't run any pro tour races, but you can rack up the points in the continental tour to move up to the pro tour in 2008, so you need to work on developing guys that can compete in the grand tours the next year.
You'd also probably want to look at riders you might be able to entice from another team to lead yours in 2008 and sound them out to see if they might have some interest. |
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| ABridgeTooFar |
Posted on 13-10-2007 15:56
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Domestique
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Good advice. I signed some good young talent (phinney and Ulissi) and some veterans (Medici & Nicacio) who will be GC leaders. I tried some better riders but they did not want to ride for me. Pate got in a break on the TofCalifornia on stage 2 and won. He held onto his lead throughout that tour. Oh, I am playing with the PCM Spain.
I am hoping to move up in 2008 so I am doing my best to score points. I got accepted to Paris-Nice. I want to run a few Pro Tour races so that I can make some more money.
How are finances with Continental teams? I know that they are tight. How many scouts/trainers do you get? How much can I expect my budget to increase if I get accepted on the Pro Tour? |
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| KurtinSC |
Posted on 15-10-2007 13:34
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Breakaway Specialist
Posts: 997
Joined: 20-09-2007
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What's Slipstream's budget like? |
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| ABridgeTooFar |
Posted on 15-10-2007 15:13
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Domestique
Posts: 463
Joined: 17-09-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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$2 million a year |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 26-12-2024 17:37
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| KurtinSC |
Posted on 15-10-2007 15:32
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Breakaway Specialist
Posts: 997
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Well I don't know if I'm the best to reccomend a money strategy... but I'd probably go with 1 mythical scout and drop your non-mythical ones (I simply trust what a mythical scout says while I doubt any other scout... hit as many high star areas as you can and offer excellent potential guys).
I'd go with 2 mythical trainers, and keep the two they give you automatically. I would train the guys with the most to gain (best % prior to using any trainers) with your mythical guys, and only put as many on each trainer as they can handle before their effectiveness decreases. You may have to leave guys without trainers... which shouldn't be a problem as the older guys often get little benefit anyway.
If you have a mythical doctor as one of the automatic guys... restart. Waste of money for a cash strapped team and it costs a lot to fire a guy.
I THINK you can make it through with this, but you'll have to do well in races. Put guys in almost every break and try to take all the intermediate sprint and mountain sprints... (they have cash rewards). Win races. Get some sponsors. I'd go ahead and offer all the sponsors and hope you get 3 offers. Take the 3 best $ amounts (though I'd take a 12 month deal over a 24 monther if you have the same money). |
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 15-10-2007 15:43
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Team Manager
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2 Mythical trainers is overkill for a Cotninental team. Even 4 is too many.
You only need a trainer for the riders who have any sort of % on their stat increase thingy. Anyone on 0% will always be 0%, even if you use a mythical trainer.
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| KurtinSC |
Posted on 15-10-2007 15:56
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Breakaway Specialist
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SportingNonsense wrote:
2 Mythical trainers is overkill for a Cotninental team. Even 4 is too many.
You only need a trainer for the riders who have any sort of % on their stat increase thingy. Anyone on 0% will always be 0%, even if you use a mythical trainer.
Not true. Many of them will, but some will go up (I've seen some go over 30%).
When you're running a continental team, you're really racing for 2008. I favor overspending on youth development at that stage (if you have enough talent you want to keep for the future, if not go with 1) |
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| ABridgeTooFar |
Posted on 15-10-2007 19:33
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Domestique
Posts: 463
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PCM$: 200.00
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Good advice. I am definitely been using the trainers correctly. When do you see the biggest jump in the rider's attributes? Is it more when you reach Level 4 experience? A few of my riders have gone from 1 to 2 or 2 to 3 in experience but I did not notice more than a 1 or 2 point jump in their attributes. |
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| KurtinSC |
Posted on 15-10-2007 20:12
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Breakaway Specialist
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I don't know if there's any real difference with attribute jumps from going up an experience level (others might know).
But if you get two points at each jump, that's extremely significant. A rider with 74 MO is a solid helper... but an 80 MO is outstanding. |
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| ABridgeTooFar |
Posted on 16-10-2007 17:07
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Domestique
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Yes, I agree that 74 to 80 is a big difference but many young riders start out with attributes in the 60's. So what effect does the experience level really have then? |
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| rip |
Posted on 17-10-2007 01:35
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Amateur
Posts: 18
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ABridgeTooFar wrote:
Yes, I agree that 74 to 80 is a big difference but many young riders start out with attributes in the 60's. So what effect does the experience level really have then?
Well with young riders, exp levels don't seem to play as big a part as they do for older riders. By young I mean 16-19, older like 22-24.
But lets think about things. Take Brajkovic from Discovery for example. He is 23, and can get to lvl 4 very quickly when you start a career, and when he does, his mtn goes from 74-80 and a few other important stats jump by 2-4 or so, give or take. He goes from a helper, to pretty much a solid contender for any major tour.
Now take Taylor Phinney. You can get him to lvl 3 by the time he's 18 or sooner I'm sure, and no way he will have those kind of stats, it will still take him a few years to get some really high stats. By the time he is 23, I am sure his stats will be comparable to any of the top riders in the game, but I don't know yet I haven't gotten him that far in any of my careers.
I think the exp level comes into play when you deal with riders who are in their early 20's, at least from what I have seen with many multiple careers. It's also possible riders with more potential will progress faster then those that do not have as much potential. I think regardless of what the potential is, and what exp that rider gets, it takes years to get the stats up to the point where you will see someone line phinney being a real GC threat in the major tours.
And from what I have seen with virtually all riders starting at 1 exp, regardless of age, is that the jump from 1-2 is hardly noticeable, from 2-3 is roughly the same, the jump from 3-4 is the big one for most of my riders anyways. |
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| ABridgeTooFar |
Posted on 18-10-2007 18:13
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Domestique
Posts: 463
Joined: 17-09-2007
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Got it. Thanks RIP. That was the kind've insight that I was looking for. |
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| rip |
Posted on 19-10-2007 10:02
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Amateur
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Just thought I would tell ppl a bit about a continental career I started a few days ago, will answer a few questions a few ppl had about finances, and might be of some interest to others. Just a note, I only sim, I don't actually play each race, just sim.
I went with Toyota, no particular reason really, just wanted to try a few things out.
Off the bat I picked up Crawford, Hermans, Keinath, Kocjan, Konovalovas, Malacarne, Manan, Marzoli, Marquez, Nicacio, Nolf, Phinney, Piluschin, Scotto d'Abusco, Steensen, Ulissi, Vanspeybrouck and Zanasca. Had to drop a few riders, can't remember who they were but they weren't good anyways.
Toyota starts with a budget of 2m. My salary tab was 63k over. Only had 2 sponsors, both mediums. No equip bought.
Ended the season (Mid October) with about 500k give or take, finished 1st in the CT, with 2545 pts, got promoted.
My new budget went to 3.5m, from 2m. The transfer funds went from 800k to 1.4m, and the salary cap went from 80k to 140k.
I was able to sign the following riders for my 1st season in the PT...Belkov, Cavendish, Contador (yes lol, Contador), Drucker, Gaudin, Gonzalez, Van Goolen, Vandborg, and Zabriskie.
Not the strongest PT team, but I should do ok, but I am 97k over my salary cap so money will be an issue if I do not perform well.
I have some fantastic young riders whom I made sure I signed 3 yr contracts with. The riders I signed in the off season, are all 2 or 3 yr contracts, so I should be able to keep most even if I don't do well this year, and I'm almost certain I will not be relegated.
Just some insight about the finances. They went up pretty decently, I was thinking of editing my finances to what I thought would be a realistic amount, but then I thought about it, and everything almost doubled, so to me that was actually pretty realistic. Since I sim, I should be done my second season in 5 days or so, so I will let you guys know what my finances are like for my 3rd season, since I am wondering if they will go up at all. I have hefty sponsor goals, which are a bit retarded actually. Top 5 Amstel, Stage wins tdf, top 10 tdf, top 5 Sebastien, GJ for vuelta.
Anyways, just my 43 cents. |
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| Waghlon |
Posted on 19-10-2007 10:48
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Grand Tour Champion
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Thats a quite good CT run there man.
THE THOMAS VOECKLER PROPHET OF PCM DAILY
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| ABridgeTooFar |
Posted on 19-10-2007 15:50
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Domestique
Posts: 463
Joined: 17-09-2007
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That is a big jump for the goals. One of my goals for my 1st year CT team was to finish top 5 in the US ITT. That's pretty easy compared to a top 10 TdF in year #2. |
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| KurtinSC |
Posted on 19-10-2007 16:14
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Breakaway Specialist
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Well with Contador on his team I think a top 10 TDF is somewhat reasonable. I guess Cavendish in the Vuelta will give him a decent GJ shot, and if he peaks Zabriskie for the Tour he could probably get a TT stage win too.
Tough, but not impossible. |
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| mdd31 |
Posted on 19-10-2007 18:48
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Under 23
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I would be interested to hear your simming strategy you used for this team to get those quality results. Do you just use whatever default settings the computer picked for you or do you have a certain method based on the type of stage. I am trying to figure out a strategy for the simming part of the game and would like to know what you did.
Also your sim sounds like a lot of fun and you have a pretty nice team there. I think some of those goals could be tough though and peaking the right guys at the right moment will be crucial but also a fun challenge. |
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| rip |
Posted on 20-10-2007 00:47
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Amateur
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I posted a bit about some simming stuff in your other thread.
And yeah, my goals are a steep jump from my CT year, but goals are really not that important actually.
They are if you don't get any results, but as long as you win a lot of races, or a few really important ones, fulfilling your sponsor goals isn't that big of a deal.
I know I won't get top 5 in amstel, but I do know I should win at least one stage, and finish in the top 10 of the tdf. Sebastien and the GJ in the vuelta are toss ups, so I am looking at 2 out of 5 goals reached, not bad.
What is more important is what they are satisfied with. I just won Paris Nice with Contador, and did well in tour down under, and qatar, as well as cali road and san luis. So I already know, I won't be getting relegated, or fired because I will be getting great results regardless of whether or not my goals are reached. How that will effect finances as far as if the money they give me will increase or not at the end of the year, I don't know. I don't think I have ever got more then 2 of my goals reached, so if they do give you more money based solely on those goals, then they would be important I guess lol...anyone know more about that? |
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