Before this starts, there are a few things to explain, shortly, though.
Playing PCM for my sake or just for a story has not brought me any more fun lately, it feels like I'm done with that (at least for now). I will try to launch this since this seems to excite me in a certain way.

I want to make it clear from the start, this is an ambitious plan which will ask a quite some energy on my part, so it's a test. I'll do my best, obviously, but I don't guarantee this will last. You don't know if you don't try, right?

MASSIVE THANKS TO: anderspcm & bwiggins, for making the Telefonica - Portugal Telecom pack.

Are you a cyclist looking for a team to start your career? Then we want you! Here's what I need from you:


Name: Names consist of 1 first name, 1 surname and potentially 1 middle name. Pick a name that suits your nationality, please.
Nationality: Mainly Spanish or Portuguese. (WC will be Spanish-controlled). I will leave room for other nationalities, but not a lot.
Date of Birth: Born between 1/1/1990 - 31/12/1993. Age will not affect stats, however. Older riders are considered more experienced, though. This will not have a big impact, but might decide who's the leader of the race and who's not.
Type of Rider: This is important and will decide your starting stats!
- Flat Rider (FL, TT) [Tony Martin]
- Pure Climber (MO, HILL, ACC) [Rodriguez]
- Stage Racer (MO, TT, REC) [Contador]
---- Climbing stage racer [Nibali]
---- Time trialing stage racer [Wiggins]
---- One week stage racer [Tony Martin]
- Sprinter (FL, SP) [Cavendish]
- Fighter (FIGHT, ACC, RES, STA) [Boucher]
- Classic Rider (COB, STA) [Vanmarcke]
----- Sprinting Rider [Boonen]
----- Time Trialing Rider [Cancellara]
----- Hilly Rider [Leukemans]
- Hilly Rider (HILL, ACC, STA, SP)
----- (Semi-)Specialized in Cobbles [Gilbert]
----- (Semi-)Specialized in Long Climbs [Daniel Martin]
Style*: Also important
- Fighting style: rider fights for victories (higher FIGHT, ACC)
- Waiting style: rider is more diesel (higher RES, potentially TT)
Height & Weight: Will play a role in stats. Low weight will have higher acceleration, while more weight will result in a bigger motor.
Bio: Matters not in stats. What has the rider performed in his life? Is he a neopro, does he come from a smaller team?...

Every rider will get a 1 year contract to start with. If this lasts longer than 1 season, you might make the jump to a bigger team. Your development is out of my hands, then, but you will have a trainer at that team, so you'll still develop and I can report back on your career shortly.

*Fighter stat will matter. (Unless given specific orders), I will attack more often with riders with high fighter stats. Riders with a low fighter stat will almost never attack.

I will post the team's season before we start, and then you can send in a preferred schedule for your rider. Then it's up to the DS (me) to select the right riders for the right races. Every rider will have the same race days (sort of, not exactly), since some achievement depends on race days.

After releasing the full schedule, every rider can send their main & secondary goals for the fitness level. If you don't, a general plan will be made with no peaks, but long periods of decent form.

Carlos Moreno Lopez: Nairo Quintana's best friend at school, and rode to school with him. Wants to follow in the footsteps of the Movistar leader, and become a superstar in the sport.
Jaxi Zoli: Former junior cyclocross champion.
Manuel Calle: Just a beast. He's pretty modest, but still, wants to win the Worlds ITT later, if possible. Lives for cycling. Isn't great with the media. Loves winning, but with his specialty, that isn't necessarily easy. Speaks multiple languages and is always polite and correct.
Jorge Garcia Martinez: A Spanish cyclist who did not like the mountains. Instead, he went fast on the flat roads. His dream was not being a cyclist, but being a sprinter in a cycling team
José Gomez: Very charismatic and playful, is a true leader but also sacrifices for his teammates. Always fight to win and at the Tour de l'Avenir he has shown it attacking until he was able to move back on the breakaway. At the end he won the stage.
Imanol Zuñiga Rodríguez: This rider always used to ride for some Basque lower teams, but with the financial crisis, he had to leave those. He is known throughout the country for his immense fighting spirit
Joan Navarro Lora: Former winner of a mountain stage in Tour de l'Avenir.
Helder Lourenco da Costa: Brought up by an Angolan father and a portuguese mother in Angola, Helder learned to ride his bike as a tool. A tool he needed to go to school and to the market. Often biking several kilometres a day, Helder developed a strong physique and great stamina. When his father died, his mother and him moved back to Portugal, where Helder took his bike riding to a new level by joining club.
Fabio Mendes: He loves every TT, most of his time he trained alone, he was scared to ride in bigger groups, so he pracitipated mainly in amateur TTs. That will be his first season in a professional team, his fauvorite rider is Tony Martin, his dream is to become the World TT Champion.
Joe "You can leave your" Hatton: Joe Hatton is a natural athlete, having been a long distance runner for England at Junior level and then a semi-professional footballer he has now turned to cycling following his sudden interest in the sport. With very little experience behind him some may wonder how he will cope but the natural talent he possesses is there for all to see especially his incredible engine!
Filippe Castillo: He is a neo-pro who loves climbing but is also pretty good in downhilling, his dream is to win 1 of the big tours
José Perez: Born and raised in the small town Osor, near the Massís del Montseny, Jose cycled to and from school every day. One Day someone tipped him about a shortcut he could take, but wich would probably be too step to cycle up. He gave it as much as he could and managed it. That Day taught him two lessons: 1. He loved sprinting up climbs. 2. There was a way he could sleep for 5 more minutes every morning. As soon as he was old enogh, he went on daytrips to the nearby Pyrenees mountains and joined a local team. He started to participate in races and won nearly all the races he rode that involved steep climbs but learnt that he hated timetrials. In the 2012 Spanish U-21's Championship he broke away on the last climb and held the gap until just short of the finish line, still finishing 8th.
Jesus García-Ramírez: Whilst many Spaniards grew up idolising Indurain and Freire, García-Ramírez just could not get enough of the cobbled classics and riders like Flecha and Cancellara. Lives for Paris - Roubaix and RvV, Jesus is ready to break the Professional scene after dominating the amateur races for the past 2/3 years.
Rui Castelo: Lots of amateur races with some good results( but no win yet), still looks for his first ever win... he had to ride his bike every day to go buy milk for his young brothers, 19kms of hilly roads and some mountains... he loves heat weather,... this will be his first serious team ever...
Keno Ritja: The guy grew up Lisbon. Started cycling because of Rui Costa, now he's considered as the next Rui Costa. Maybe as an even bigger talent than him also

- Nationality: Spanish
- Date of Birth: 17.03.1991
- Type of Rider: Hilly Classics/ One Week Stage Racer, like Dan Martin
- Style: Fighting
- Height: 181 cm
- Weight: 73 kg
- Bio: Born and raised in the small town Osor, near the Massís del Montseny, Jose cycled to and from school every day. One Day someone tipped him about a shortcut he could take, but wich would probably be too step to cycle up. He gave it as much as he could and managed it. That Day taught him two lessons: 1. He loved sprinting up climbs. 2. There was a way he could sleep for 5 more minutes every morning. As soon as he was old enogh, he went on daytrips to the nearby Pyrenees mountains and joined a local team. He started to participate in races and won nearly all the races he rode that involved steep climbs but learnt that he hated timetrials. In the 2012 Spanish U-21's Championship he broke away on the last climb and held the gap until just short of the finish line, still finishing 8th.

January:
13th GP de Marseille