Team ING returns for 2014!
I had a decent year, winning la Vuelta, and getting A LOT of victories in small races. We topped the rankings ahead of Sky, but nothing major, so hopefully we can improve!
We lost a good few top riders, our best GC man and our best cobbler, and an 80 hill puncher. However, we got a few talents, some even in the 70s, so we should be ok. Annoyingly, Cervero got injured in his first race, and recovers one day before AGR, so that is almost out the window.
I have decided Luczak and Quintana will ride Giro-Vuelta, with help from Rodriguez and Foletti. We will leave the Tour to Leslie Branfoot, hopefully he'll win the green jersey. Hopefully we will have an even better season!
Edited by The Hobbit on 15-02-2014 19:32
One of the worst things in the last few PCM's is the AI chasing breakaway tactics.
I always feel they chase much harder when my rider is in it (even if he's 15 minutes or more behind), then when an AI rider is in it.
Hell in the TDF even top 10 riders get to be in breakaways and succeed... and when I send a top 40 rider they chase like mad men.
It's unfair and illogical.
Why when i sign a u23 rider in may (for example) he will be in free riders list after 1 july? in my every career after i sign a u23 rider, in july another team sign the same rider and for the 2nd season will be 2 riders with the same skils, same potential, same name ... has happened to anyone? what is the solution for this?
This has happened to me. I just tend to delete one of the riders, ( the one that isn't mine) using an editor.
@Jesleyh:
Thanks.
The plan is to get rid of some riders slowly, like Versterdal, Mosquera, Coelha Souza, till eventually only my favourites, and young talents, like Rausher and that Romanian guy, are left.
For all those, who still know my Bontrager/Eastman story of PCM12.
I have imported that team including the young talents Crawford, Leonard, Lawrence to PCM13. Unfortunately not having time at the moment to continue that story, so just playing.
The team had a huge first 3 months so far being in CT division participating in lots of smaller races in Algerie, Eritrea etc. The real tasks are still ahead with the American races of course.
But the talents are doing really well.
Craddock might be in his last season for me as he starts to dominate the CT time trials and also is a decent allrounder in general being not too bad in everything else.
Eastman just won a small classic and also starts to become the team`s leader in the hilly races.
Crawford is awesome. Next big stage race star in the USA. Still around 71-73 stats in mountain,hill,TT but won the Tour of Rwanda and Tour of Algerie.
Mannion also won a mountain stage with 68 thanks to a good form.
But best win so far was from Lawrence. (65 flat, 73 sprint, 63 hill) Just won the first stage of the Le Triptyque des Monts et Chateuax in a mass sprint, which was quite a surprise as there were some cobbles, which surely isn`t his strength. In especially sprints aren`t easy in PCM13 with my team, so it was something special.
So in general it`s my first PCM13 career and it`s really good fun so far. Depending on the results against the stronger PCT and even WT teams later in the season, the team could become PCT.
Also Jasper Stuyven, Dombrowski, Boswell, who all left the team in the PCM12 story as they were too much developed for a development team are doing pretty well so far. First one really became a nice addition for Topsport Vlaanderen being one of their hilly leaders and having 2-3 wins already.
PCMdaily ProCycling
Hinault(75MO, 60TT) managed to win the Giro d'Italia(2.2, 13 stages).
The TTT & Long TT definitely hurt him. He had to win 4 minutes back.
But luckily, he was the strongest climber, and won the GC by a minute.
Mosby(72HI) managed to come 6th in the Bucaramanga classic. He could follow the favourites, but didn't have any energy left to sprint, and couldn't match Wolverine(75HI) who won. Nick Van der Valde(68HI, but very good STA & FL), who actually was in the break for 200km, managed 7th!
Amstel Gold race was a fluke(Mosby 13th).
Next up are Tirreno - Adriatico, a few classics, and the Ronde van Friesland.
Edited by Jesleyh on 16-02-2014 12:45
Jesleyh wrote:
Hinault(75MO, 60TT) managed to win the Giro d'Italia
At first moment: wuuut
Jesleyh wrote:
(2.2, 13 stages).
Then: ah, yes
Some nice results there, Bucamaranga classic is WT, right? If yes, 6th with a 72 HIL guy seems impressive!
@roturn: what about the NRC races, are you taking part? Though I think there are only few of them in the first months, but I believe the Valley of the Sun race is in February?
ING update! We have just finished MSR, so a good chance for a quick update, I'm really starting to like doing this
So far it has been the Leslie Branfoot show. He won Stage 1,2,3 and 6 of Oman, and the points jersey. He went on to win Omloop as well. Then, in Tirreno, he took a stage, 2 podiums and the points jersey.
Foletti got our 3rd in Paris Nice that our sponsors asked, but it was very close.
As our only fit puncher, Oleg Shatskikh has been busy, but has only managed 1 stage in Paris Nice.
S. Greenland won the tour of Indonesia by 6 minutes, despite only taking time in the TTs! He also grabbed the TT in Tirreno.
Then there was MSR. It was really, really tough. In the end the flat was where it was won, the hills were a respite! Without Cervero we were struggling to impose ourselves. In the end we had 3 men going onto the Poggio, Shatskikh, Mosquera and Branfoot. Shatskikh paced us up, and Mosquera led out Branfoot on the way down. He was clocked in till 500m left. However, as you can see, he edged out Sagan (now at Movistar) and Kristoff in a tight photo finish. Mosquera came 4th.
Jesleyh wrote:
Nah , it's .2
Playing with the Comics DB
Ah, though it was with your fantasy DB. Which remembers me I was going to comment in its thread but forgot about it Just wanted to say great job! The new calendar is really interesting, also I really like some of the team packs used. My only few notes if you ever consider a second version:
- several of those packs have equipment to go with it, would be really cool to see those in action.
- some team colors (auto-color) seem a bit weird, can't remember of the top of my head but I think Target was one of them?
- Vuelta a Colombia Same for the Basque race, a Basque name would probably be better. Also, why did you use the 2010 route for VaC? I'm nearly sure that newer ones have been made, at least I've heard about it being included in some recent DBs.
Sorry for going a bit off-topic, but I would have to answer you anyway
Auto colors are from the PCMdaily DB, so it's actually your fault
I have 0 knowledge about equipment(as you might remember ).
And yeah, just decided to give them more international names, don't know why
Don't think a more recent one has been made. And the route was actually pretty cool
I'm playing a career with Radioshack and I've tried to add the swedish championships to the cdb (yes I know I should add the rade before starting a career), but the game crashes all the time. If someone could take a look at the DB I would be really happy.
You forgot to A: Link the ID from STA_Stage to STA_Race and B: Add the teams in DYN_Team_Race. Rosters should be fixed by the time you get there, otherwise they can be manually fixed. IDs in DYN_Team_race are 99993 - 99999, to make it easy to find them. To add rosters, just insert rider IDs in gene_ilist_roster
You forgot to A: Link the ID from STA_Stage to STA_Race and B: Add the teams in DYN_Team_Race. Rosters should be fixed by the time you get there, otherwise they can be manually fixed. IDs in DYN_Team_race are 99993 - 99999, to make it easy to find them. To add rosters, just insert rider IDs in gene_ilist_roster
Thanks for paying attention. I thought that the ID of the stage was the ID of the race + 1000, but obviously that was not the case. The ID of the race is 601. What should the ID of the stage be?
"It's very hard to work with other guys because nobody wants to work with me so it's better to drop everybody." - Peter Sagan
ING update, and me checking out photobucket, as my free trial on imageshack runs out tomorrow.
Luis Mosquera has been our star since last update. In Catalunya and Pais Vasco, we were disappointing, however we have came in above all expectations in the cobbled classics.
Branfoot continued his winning form in Dwars door Vlaanderend, he won the race, Mosquera his lead out man, as he has been for many of Leslie's victories. In E3 he was as strong, coming 5th, losing to some strong attacks from Cancellara and Sagan. Again, Mosquera led out his peleton topping sprint.
Gent Wevelgem was much better. Jorissen and Simmons controlled the pack, before Vesterdal ripped the race to shreds over the final cobbles. Unfortunately, he tore things up a bit too much. He dropped back, leaving Cancellara, Greipel, Ballan and Kristoff up front, not good! Thankfully, Mosquera gave a monster effort, bridged the gap with Branfoot in his wheel, held the gap, led out Branfoot, then still came home for 3rd as Branfoot won! Not quite the 1-2-3 of 2013, but even so. Branfoot may have won the race, but credit has to go to his teammate!
Mosquera's strength knows no bounds, and neither does the teams. In De Panne, we won all 4 stages, with 4 different winners! Mosquera took stage 1, then podiumed on stage 2, as Vesterdal won. Branfoot dominated stage 3, and Greenland won stage 4, while Mosquera podiumed again, showing he truly is multi-talented. Of course, this was just a form builder for the Ronde.
There, Mosquera again went flying out of the traps. He got into an early attack, drove at the front for 100km, then out sprinted Phinney, Cancellara and Flecha for 1st place! Who is this guy???
He won GP Ciremi, without any trouble. Then, Roubaix. He was visibly tired, so the team pinned our hopes on Vesterdal. He controlled late attacks, but as you can see, a peleton sprint isn't his thing. He was ok in 6th though. Without the ability to accelerate and attack, he won't be a strong leader, as he can't win sprints or surprise the pack.
The next races are the hilly classics. Cervero is back, but not at his best. He is starting to look more like EPIC Cervero, with 128th in Tour of the Basque Country. He even came last on hilly stages! I am not sure if he is fit to lead, or if he's even worth bringing. Only time will tell.
What are your experiences?
2nd season with my Iranian Azad fellows. Completed almost all sponsor goals in season 1 so the goals are a bit more difficult now. But so far we're doing them.
Most they want is stage wins, and my best sprinter Khalili has 70 SP/71ACC now. Which is hard against most CT sprinters that have 73/74 and much better flat/hill stats. But even on hard level i pick up my wins anyway
Also scouted some good potential 5 iranians for next season.. no pot 6/7/8 yet. So the dominance of Iran has to wait
