Hi. I just started a new career with Saxo but I struggle at planning my season.
Is there any place from where I can download an already Planned Season ? Thanks.
Don't give up. I used to have trouble as well.
Just draw inspiration from real programs, stories, whatever.
What I do is the following.
I select a few goals for every important cyclist. Then, I plan preparation races. While doing this, I try to let the riders have at least 15 race days before the first important goal and not more than 60 race days before the last important goal is reached.
Next, I complete the teams for the GTs and other WT races. Then, you only have to complete the teams for CT races.
It's not that difficult, actually. Just keep on trying. =)
EDIT: There are a few threads around the forum and in the tips & tricks section, by the way.
Edited by MartijnVDD on 17-02-2013 14:48
Hi, I am also new on PCM 2012. I am at my second season.
In the first season I wasn't very good at fitness training, so I didn't change it at all. But now, I make a change .
Take a look here : https://pcmdaily.c...ost_671574
My advice ?
Make two or three fitness training plan for your 3 main riders. One for the classics, one for 1 or 2 GT, and the third one for the remaining GT and some one week races. Be sure to make the fitness plan for your main rider (Contador) according to the GT with sponsor demands.
Then, you put 3 - 5 riders to each leader, and they will have the same fitness training. The rest of your riders you let them with predefined fitness plans.
The problem with your team is that you have only 1 rider for GT (Contador) and one good (not very good) rider for Classics (Nuyens). You can compete in Classics, but you don't have big chances. For the next season try to buy another GT leader (Kreuziger is good and cheap) and one more rider for the classics (Flecha and Hushovd are cheaper than Cancellara, Boonen, Gilbert). Whoever is on the last year of contract .
My goals are:
- 1st in Tour de France with Contador
- 1st in Paris-Nice with Contador
- 1st in Criterium du Dauphine with Contador
- Top 3 in Giro with Roche
- Top 3 in Vuelta with Kreuziger
- Top 5 in Ardennes Classics with Chris Anker Sorensen
- Top 5 in the Cobbles Classics with Breschel
- Top 5 in Milano-Sanremo, Tour de Suisse, Tirreno-Adriatico, Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, Vuelta Ciclista a Catalunya and GP Ouest France-Plouay.(Don't know with who yet)
Yes but I struggle at choosing the races who will help my riders to get in form for the Grand Tours or for important Classics like The Ardennes or Paris-Roubaix.
Also, I hate the races that are in the same time and I need to send different riders(eg. P-N, T-A / Dauphine - TdSuisse).
What is your opinion on this schedule for Le Tour:
Tour de San Luis - Tour of Oman - Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucia - Paris Nice - Tour of Bayern - Criterium du Dauphine - NC - Tour de France - Eneco Tour - San Sebastian - Milano Torino - Copa del Piemonte - Il Lombardia - WC
Depends on what is the rider's other focus. Normally Tour contenders also try to get some results in the Ardennes, but doesn't seem to be this case since you skipped them completely. Well, by trying to remember the number of race days of each race, you'll reach the Tour with about 38 race days, meaning you'd end it right on the start of the race days penalties. So if you also want to get a good result on the Worlds on Lombardia, for example, it'll be a bit harder. Personally I'd take out some of the races from the early season, such as San Luis or Oman, although Oman could be important to build up some more form to Paris-Nice. But ultimately, as I said, it depends on what else Contador will be focusing on the season.
My main goals with Contador are winning Paris-Nice, Criterium du Dauphine and Tour de France.And yes, you are right, I totally forgot about The Ardennes.
I think I will go with this:
Tour of Oman - Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucia - Paris Nice - Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco - Ardennes - Tour of Bayern - Criterium du Dauphine - NC - Tour de France - Eneco Tour - San Sebastian - Copa del Piemonte - Il Lombardia - WC
Reddisciple. have you forgotten our long skype-sessions? your planning seems very legit though. but in order to prepare for lombardia he should do a stage race before that. preferrably tour of britain. log in to skype and send me messages if u have more questions. (don´t forget to change his fitness schedule during theseason as well)
If i have a serious tour-contender, I usaually target them at: P-n (or T-A depending on the stages), dauphine, Tour and the vuelta. and then have him race smaller races for build up. ( such as tour of oman, andalucia, bayern rundfahrt, eneco tour)
You´ll get more pricemoney if you send him to vuelta as well (in good form) and skip the lombardia race. Contador is such an expensive rider so he should do two tours. He might not win, but he should get at least 3rd in vuelta if you´re a good player. If u target him for vuelta, then skip al pais vasco and rest him completely between after-P-N and middle of may. but thats my opinion.
yoejo wrote:
Reddisciple. have you forgotten our long skype-sessions? your planning seems very legit though. but in order to prepare for lombardia he should do a stage race before that. preferrably tour of britain. log in to skype and send me messages if u have more questions. (don´t forget to change his fitness schedule during theseason as well)
If i have a serious tour-contender, I usaually target them at: P-n (or T-A depending on the stages), dauphine, Tour and the vuelta. and then have him race smaller races for build up. ( such as tour of oman, andalucia, bayern rundfahrt, eneco tour)
You´ll get more pricemoney if you send him to vuelta as well (in good form) and skip the lombardia race. Contador is such an expensive rider so he should do two tours. He might not win, but he should get at least 3rd in vuelta if you´re a good player. If u target him for vuelta, then skip al pais vasco and rest him completely between after-P-N and middle of may. but thats my opinion.
No mate, I just lost all the conversations, I don't know why.I haven't seen you in a while, log in when you have time.
Edited by RedDisciple on 18-02-2013 08:19
Racing Le Tour and La Vuelta will mean from the start 42 race days.If we also add the races before these 2 GT (Bayern-Rudfart + Dauphine + NC / ENECO Tour + San Sebastian) will mean 66 race days! Add the early season races (Tour of Oman, Vuelta a Andalucia and Paris-Nice) also and Contador will have 84 race days, which is too much since I also want to ride The Ardennes, Il Lombardia and the WC.
So, this being said, I don't think I can ride both of these 2 GT.Maybe I can try with Giro and Tour de France, but I don't have any ideas on how to set up the schedule.
Edited by RedDisciple on 18-02-2013 10:45
He can run all these races, the problem is that for Vuelta his race fitness will be at a very low level. Adding the fatigue (he will have some fatigue with this fitness plan), you can not expect him to have over 80 total fitness in the last week of Vuelta.
Found this on a topic. Take a look.
Each GT has 21 days. Let's say that you have a one week tour before each GT for race fitness, so a total of 56 race days only for these 4 tours (and knowing that his race fitness for one week tours will be very low). If you want him at a maximum fitness in the last weak of the second GT, you can not put any more tours.
First choice : Contador for two GT, with one week tour before each GT. Besides that only a few races then and there, according to the maximum fitness level. I did that for F Schleck.
Second choice : only a GT and several on week tours.
RedDisciple wrote:
Add the early season races (Tour of Oman, Vuelta a Andalucia and Paris-Nice) also and Contador will have 84 race days, which is too much since I also want to ride The Ardennes, Il Lombardia and the WC.
The number of race days in his current schedule won't change a thing for the Ardennes, since that's in the first part of the season. If you also have Lombardia and WC as important goals, then indeed it might not be the best idea to ride the Vuelta. But going outside of the race days and into the fitness planning: isn't it a little bit too much? Contador will have to be in form in Paris-Nice, then already in good form in Dauphine, then of course the Tour, and still the WC and Lombardia. Make sure that he isn't too fatigued at the end of the season as well
RedDisciple wrote:
My main goals with Contador are winning Paris-Nice, Criterium du Dauphine and Tour de France.And yes, you are right, I totally forgot about The Ardennes.
I think I will go with this:
Tour of Oman - Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucia - Paris Nice - Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco - Ardennes - Tour of Bayern - Criterium du Dauphine - NC - Tour de France - Eneco Tour - San Sebastian - Copa del Piemonte - Il Lombardia - WC
If you want to do well in Lombardia, I would advise you to skip the Ardennes. Or P-N for that matter, but both is too much. What I usually do with my Tour leader is a first peak with one week on lvl 6 at P-N or T-A, then two weeks on lvl 6 at the Tour. And then maybe a few weeks on lvl 5 in autumn, for Lombardia and Beijing. I mean, you can of course try to implement the Ardennes as well, but personally, I rather do very well on fewer races than "just" well on more races.
The value of fitness if formed by 2 values : training fitness value and race days value.
For training fitness value (maximum 80) you already know the thing.
The race fitness value has a value from 0 to 20.
The main idea is like that : for every 1 day of race your race fitness increase by ~ 2 or something like that. For every day you rest, the race fitness decrease by ~0.5.
So, after you race a one weak tour, your race fitness increase by approximately 14-15. And after the tour it will decrease ~0.5 each day until a new competition, so be careful when you chose the races before your GT.
The problem is that the maximum value of race fitness decrease after you reach 60 days of race. After 60 days of race you can not reach a value of 20 for race fitness any more. The numbers show you what is the maximum value of race fitness after your rider has more than 60 days of race. For 60 is 20, for 61 is 19.4 and so on .
If you have some time maybe you can take a short look on these 2 picture and give your opinion on my schedule.
I haven't made the training schedules yet because I want to make sure that my schedule is good.Thanks !!!
flyingspurs wrote:
mine lol... wasted me a lot of time to think of the peak of the season
Wow, I hope you don't have important races in the end(September-October) where you want good results, since they almost all have about 77 race days, which will kinda heavily decrease the form.
It is a enormous strong team though, I have to say
flyingspurs wrote:
mine lol... wasted me a lot of time to think of the peak of the season
Wow, I hope you don't have important races in the end(September-October) where you want good results, since they almost all have about 77 race days, which will kinda heavily decrease the form.
It is a enormous strong team though, I have to say
actually AI teams are exhausted at the end of the season as well, also they are not sponsors' goals, so i think its ok lol...
Most of them were not doing well before they joined so their salaries are just normal and there are lots of young riders (not shown here) getting $2000 per month, so the balance is still fine
Edited by flyingspurs on 26-02-2013 15:15