 It's now time to reveal the results of this year's PCM.daily awards! If you've been around in previous years, you'll remember how close most of the categories turned out to be. There was two ties this year (not quite the three ties including one three-way tie of 2016!) and plenty of close calls!
Just like usual, new winners join some of the more usual suspects and defending champions. Congratulations go out to all of you, whether you've just been nominated or also won an award - you're the soul of this site. Huge thanks to all who voted and especially those who also took the time to send nominations, in order to make the voting possible. And big ups to the admins who ran this, cunego59 for the userbar editing and jandal for this text.
The winners and runner-ups are all revealed below, and the full results have been posted into each thread in the Awards subforum.
First of all a big thanks to jandal7 for writing this news-post and to cunego59 for creating the userbars.
Cycling Awards
Rider of the Year: Julian Alaphilippe (44%), Runner-up: Annemiek Van Vleuten (22%)
It was unlikely to be anybody but the mercurial Julian Alaphilippe here, as he won hearts with his constant panache and entertaining riding but especially countless races, most notably San Remo, Strade Bianche and Fleche Wallonne, as well as his heroic stint in yellow where he showed a new dimension of himself at the Tour de France, ending up in the Top 5 in his first ever GT GC race, with 16 days in yellow and 2 stage wins. Annemiek Van Vleuten is probably the only rider with a more impressive palmares than the Frenchman as the Mitchelton-Scott rider took home Strade, Liege, the Giro, the WC RR as well as 2nd in De Ronde, Amstel and Fleche and countless other great results, but she had to settle for second here, with her counterpart in the men's Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Jakob Fuglsang, in third.
Surprise (Rider) of the Year: Richard Carapaz and Tadej Pogacar (33%), Runners-up: Jakob Fuglsang and Emmanuel Buchmann (14%)
A tie here between two of the best young climbers around who hit a new GT level in 2019: Richard Carapaz shocked many by outdoing Nibali, Roglic and more to win his maiden Grand Tour at the Giro after not many results since the last edition, whilst Tadej Pogacar stole the show at the Vuelta with three stage wins, as well as a WT victory in the Tour of California. Another tie for third, as 4th place in Le Tour Emmanuel Buchmann made leaps and bounds in his own progression, while Jakob Fuglsang showed his versatility with a very strong classics season culminating in his first momunent win in Liege.
Team of the Year: Team Jumbo-Visma (63%), Runner-up: Deceuninck - Quick Step (31%)
Team Jumbo-Visma have had big Daily popularity for years now but it's hard to argue with them being the victors in 2019: Teunissen and Van Aert showed big progression and new sides to their palmares, Groenewegen continued to be an excellent young sprinter, but their stage racing department, WOW! Kruiswijk 3rd at Le Tour, whilst Roglic won six races outright including La Vuelta, whilst also finishing on the Giro podium. Now imagine all that... but with Tom freaking Dumoulin and it's not hard to see them forming a dynasty around this award. Second place to Quickstep... you know who they are and what they do by now.
Grand Tour of the Year: Tour de France (50%), Runner-up: Giro d'Italia (39%)
Both the Tour and Giro promised much with their opening two weeks and although neither got the explosive finales some may have hoped for, both were still entertaining editions which showed new talent and experienced quality shining, with two maiden Grand Tour winners. But for once it's Le Tour who wins here, much-maligned on the site with no wins since 2013, breaking a three-year streak of the Giro.
Grand Tour Stage of the Year: Stage 8, Tour de France (50%), Runner-up: Stage 16, Giro d'Italia (29%)
A solo win from fan favourite Thomas De Gendt, an unexpected pre-Bastille Day attack from French darlings Pinot and Alaphilippe, and (if I could be so cynical) a crash for Team Ineos sounds like a recipe for a PCM.daily favourite, and Stage 8 of Le tour duly won this category ahead of Ciccone's epic mountain win over the Mortirolo in awful conditions on Stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia
WT Stage Race of the Year: Tirreno - Adriatico and Tour of California (40%), Runner-up: Paris-Nice (20%)
A tie here between an entertaining edition of Tirreno - Adriatico which featured some of the best stages of the year including epic wins from Fuglsang and Lutsenko, and a Tour of California which saw the next gen show the old hats how it's done, with Pogacar, Higuita and Asgreen beating out Bennett, Porte and Spilak to get on the podium.
Non-WT Stage Race of the Year: Tour of the Alps (55%), Runners-up: Colombia 2.1 and Tour of Slovenie (18%)
What's this? A Sky-dominated race winning an award? Yes you read it right, Sivakov and Google Earth's dominance of the race wasn't enough to put a damper on the always-entertaining Tour of the Alps, carving out a reputation for entertaining stage win battles and young guns (Sivakov, Masnada, Padun, O'Connor) breaking through, and so it defends its title in this category. Colombia 2.1 and Tour of Slovenie are similarly modern stage races gaining a reputation for exciting climbing racing and strong startlists, and they share the runner-up spot.
Stage (non-GT) of the Year: Stage 2, Baloise Belgium Tour (44%), Runners-up: Stage 2, Tour of Slovenia and Stage 4, Tour of the Alps (22%)
We all have Remco fever clearly! The young wunderkind made himself known in the Belgium tour on Stage 2 with a solo victory over cobbles and hills and won this award basically on his own!
WT Classic of the Year: Amstel Gold Race (62%), Runner-up: Paris - Roubaix (31%)
I don't know why you wouldn't know what happened at Amstel, but if you don't, I won't spoil it for you, you lucky bastard! Go watch it right now! Second place goes to Philippe Gilbert proving the doubters wrong with monument #4 in an exciting edition of Paris - Roubaix. Milano - Sanremo here he comes!
Non-WT Classic of the Year World Championships RR (58%), Runner-up: Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne (25%)
On a rainy English day [insert classic joke about how they're all like that], Mads Pedersen shook off his so far pretty awful 2019 by doing what he, apparently, does best: joining a mid-stage move, tiring himself out, hanging onto the favourites when they catch up and then beating most, or in this case, all of them. It was a very entertaining and tough race and many were thrilled to see the popular young Dane back in form and into the rainbow stripes, and to see such an entertaining race with popular riders such as Kung, Trentin at the front dropping unpopular riders such as Moscon. Second went to Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne, which featured Bob Jungels showing off a lot by proving he can do anything on any terrain with a solo win, and a show of pure wattage in the final kilometre from Owain Doull.
Management Game Awards
Manager of the Year: Croatia14 (36%), Runner-up: SotD (29%)
Croatia takes this one for another year, just ahead, as in 2018, of Festina manager SotD. An active HQ, many discussion posts, a likeable team, a dash of reporting, his previews and his friendly attitude around the game makes him a popular and valued member of the MG community.
New Manager of the Year Fabianski (94%), Runner-up: Ulrich Ulriksen (6%)
No contest here, whilst many, notably runner-up Ulrich Ulriksen, have proved worthy additions to the MG, none compare to the activity, reporting and great HQ of Fabianski, what a great new arrival! A whopping 94% of the vote, one of the most dominant wins in Awards history.
Reporter of the Year: Tamijo (68%), Runner-up: AbhishekLFC (16%)
Another big win, here it was for Tamijo, who provided a huge volume of reports, with high quality and a healthy smattering of education, both historical and geographical, thrown in them too! Second place went to AbhishekLFC's high quality texts and solid volume.
Team of the Year: Delvaux (40%), Runner-up: Team Puma - SAP (33%)
A different podium to the usual Evoniks and Isostars, with reward for division wins rather than sexy stats (though they sure all have those too) with newcomers Delvaux taking it out after storming the CT with a smartly built and likeable squad of classics riders (plus Guarnieri!). Puma finally got their grubby paws on the PT crown and ran Delvaux close but, unlike the rankings, had to settle for second best. And finally the popular and dynamic PCT winners Generali rounded out the podium.
PT Race of the Year: Strada Appia Antica 2019 (50%), Runners-up: Tour de France 2018 and GP Moscow 2018 (25%)
People clearly love seeing Bewley defeated - GVA's emotional Ronde was second here last year, and Wisniowski's recent Roman triumph over the "Bewbastard" takes this category out, brought to life by AbhishekLFC. Tied for second are Evonik's third straight GP Moscow (also an Abhishek report) and the epic ding-dong duel of Spilak and Taaramae that was the Tour de France (jandal).
Non-PT Race of the Year: Tour of America (57%), Runner-up: Viana do Castelo (21%)
The (P)CT's very own Grand Tour always provides an epic spectacle and this year was one of the best, as Rafael Valls won a hugely entertaining and tight GC battle (brought to you by Marcovdw) with a tiny 8 second gap over Andrew Talansky and a minute on Adam Yates, with Eastman and Berhane completing a 5-way GC race! In second was the recent Viana do Castelo (reported by jandal), one of the hardest races in MG history which saw epic gaps and splits, with Guillaume Van Keirsbulck soloing in ahead of youngster Kasperkiewicz and an underdog from the breakaway in amateur Mebrahtu.
Best Team HQ: Valio - Viking Genetics (29%), Runners-up: Minions and Eddie Stobart (21%)
A close race with so many high quality HQs being maintained by various managers, but in the end Valio's HQ edged out Minions and Eddie Stobart. Notable for tidy presentation, consistent, well-written updates and a truly astounding 5-year commitment to unceasing cow puns, Atlantius deserves this award wholly! Minions provided rants, bananas and updates on the increasingly ridiculous behind the scenes adventures, whilst Eddie Stobart is the most consistently updated HQ ever, with reaction and results from every stage of every race!
Site Awards
Best Forum Thread: PCT Roundtable Analysis 2019 p/b “The Conglomerate” (50%), Runner-up: Team A: Team Sky Rider Out: Gary Gone Rider In: --- Money Out: 0 Money In: € 400,000 Team B: Cofidis (39%)
quadsas’ hilarious MG-transfer grappling with the BBCode system ran them close, but its a threepeat for “The Conglomerate”, whose now-annual MG PCT preview wins for a third year on the bounce.
Best Avatar: Ripley (31%), Runners-up: baseballlover312 and Gustavovskiy (19%)
A hard-fought and open category, with nobody getting more than 5 votes, but this award goes to first-time nominee Ripley for his unique rider silhouette (a reference to his iconic Dowsett photoshops and his ICL team/story). A couple of former winners in behind him, with baseballlover’s newest variation on his traditional demonic Dan Martin (2016) and Gustavovskiy’s Penny-farthing-riding Kermit (2018) tied for 2nd.
Best Story Writer: Kiserlovski01 (64%), Runner-up: alexkr00 (21%)
Kiserlovski01 makes it three years on the trot for his work on Caja Rural, his blend of great writing and eye-pleasing layout makes him a popular writer. Alexkr, winner in 2009, returned to the story section with his Jumbo-Visma story and came in 2nd here.
Best Team Story: Penny Pinching by Ripley (40%), Runner-up: Caja Rural by Kiserlovski01 (27%)
However they were both beaten out by Penny Pinching, the latest and greatest in Ripley’s line of doing crazy challenges with teams named Aviva in PCM14 and turning them into compelling long-term stories. The aforementioned Caja Rural had to put dreams of a fourth successive win aside as it came in two votes short.
Best One-Rider Story: Diamond in the Rough by Mresuperstar (75%), Runner-up: Be a Pro in the 80s (17%)
Diamond in the Rough, the current story of acclaimed author Mresuperstar, goes back-to-back with 75% of the vote, thanks to Mre’s great style, its unique blend of Football Manager and PCM, and a dedicated following of readers, all clamouring to make Marcus their chosen specialty! The latest, and potentially last, edition of zuff’s Be a Pro in the 80s again has to settle for second, notable for its consistency, great writing and lovingly crafted magazine format.
Best Forum Game: Mafia (4 nominations), Runner-up: NFL Prediction Game (3 nominations)
Mafia, a long-running series of games, finally got a title with the relative absence of ICL. With three editions in the last 12 months which introduced a tweaked style from hosts jandal and knockout, it is now in its tenth edition currently running. Second was another staple of the Games section in jseadog’s annual NFL Prediction Game, which will conclude on Super Bowl Sunday this weekend!
Best User Project: Mresuperstar for Favourite Cyclist Contest (21%), Runners-up: YellowJersey for Echelons, jseadog1 for NFL Prediction Game, AbhishekLFC for MG World Rankings and ringo182 for PCM.daily Velogames League (16%)
An incredibly close category, this was eventually won by Mresuperstar for his work on the Favourite Cyclist Contest Finale, a culmination of a 10-year dedication to the annual contest, which has become a hallmark of the site. Well deserved, as he had somehow never won an award for it! A four-way tie for the runner-up spot, with YellowJersey’s fantastic cycling blog Echelons, jseadog’s annual NFL Prediction Game, ringo’s Velogames league and Abhishek’s work on the MG World Rankings all getting recognised.
Best Site Initiative: Management-Game (63%), Runners-up: RSMnews/PCM.daily Database and Deleting Bots (16%)
Another year, another win for the Management Game. Six in six years, and eight out of eleven total! The collaboration with RSMnews on the database and the policy of Deleting Bots trailed in far behind!
Best Jersey Designer: the_hoyle (63%), Runner-up: hillis91 (37%)
A two-horse race between two very hard-working men who designed nearly all of the MG’s jerseys, but perennial nominee the_hoyle takes his second win here over last year’s winner hills.
Best Graphic Artist: the_hoyle (44%), Runner-up: hillis91 (25%)
An almost identical situation in this award, as the_hoyle reclaims his crown from hillis here also, and brings his total wins up to 5!
Best Stage Maker: Leon40 (54%), Runner-up: illince (31%)
Three on the bounce for Leon40, not the most high volume creator but certainly one of the game’s all-time greats with his stunning detail, lovingly crafting cities, towns and countryside as well as his own IBs in service of creating authentic and beautiful routes. illince and Tamijo respectively round out the podium.
Best Database: RSMnews/PCM.daily 2019DB (56%), Runner-up: ManGame DB (31%)
Could the MG database finally overthrow the Daily DB (or in this case, RSMnews/PCMdaily) and score a win for the story games? Nope, the site’s official DB, which has reigned supreme since 2009, makes it a full decade of glory with an eleventh win. Chapeau! In case you missed it the team recently changed focus to the 2020DB, which can be downloaded here.
Best (non-DB) Download: JackyDurand's Sponsorkits (50%), Runners-up: ICL Development and Leon40's New York stage files (25%)
JackyDurand’s Sponsorkits, annually making your PCM look just like the real thing from the Tour de France to the CT, claims its second award in this category, outdoing the ICL Development file and Leon40’s New York stage files in a low-volume but supremely high-quality battle.
User Awards
Member of the Year: Croatia14 (61%), Runner-up: Tamijo (17%)
Our 2019 Member of the Year, by a large margin, went to the newest admin, Croatia14. Known around the site for his DB work, gamerunning and being a friendly, helpful and active member around the site. Tamijo, a great member of the MG as well as stage maker, story writer a helpful presence around the site, came in 2nd.
New Member of the Year: Fabianski (88%), Runner-up: liefwarrior (12%)
Fabianski, who has become one of the most active members of the Man-Game already as well as activity across the site, continues the storied tradition of landslide wins in this category ahead of liefwarrior.
Most Improved Member: Löfkvist (48%), Runner-up: Tamijo (43%)
Last year’s winner Tamijo went to a new level in an effort to defend his crown, but he was beaten out by a titan of the DB team in Lofkvist by a single vote. Last year’s runner-up YellowJersey similarly is bumped down a spot!
Admin of the Year roturn (44%), Runner-up: Croatia14 (39%)
A close-run race between Croatia14 and our super-admin return, but the latter takes his fifth win in this category. The glue that sticks this site together and makes it all possible, as well as the main host of the MG and betting.
Most Helpful Member of the Year: Croatia14 (67%), hillis91 and Löfkvist (11%)
Croatia crushes this category, an active member of the DB team who has time for anyone and always happy to help out be it to do with PCM, story games or the site in general. hillis for his graphical work and Lofkvist for his DB contributions and help follow in behind him.
Funniest Member: baseballlover312 (35%), Runners-up: jandal7 and knockout (24%)
Last year’s runner-up takes the crown in 2019, baseballlover312’s rants, quips and self-deprecating humour made us laugh the most this year. Tied for 2nd close behind him were Mafia hosting duo jandal and knockout, who maybe should stop everything together and splitting the vote.
Most Missed Member: SportingNonsense (43%), Runner-up: Ian Butler (21%)
Our other super-admin, SportingNonsense gets the nod here in a (sadly) stacked category, his activity and knowledge in all sections of the site is always appreciated when he is around. Ian Butler, writer extraordinaire, comes in 2nd, with former admin Jesleyh and ICL host Bikex rounding out the podium together.
And that ends the awards! Congratulations to all the winners, once again, and all of you who nominated and voted. Everyone makes the site such a great place, not just the names above me, and so here's to a great 2020 on Daily! As usual, credit goes to emmea for creating the signature design used for the userbars.
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