Apologies for the fact we're almost half way through February, but it is time to announce the winners of the 2022 PCM Daily awards! We had a bunch of tremendous nominees, worthy winners, and close battles along the way. Thank you to all who nominated and voted!

MEMBER AWARDS

Member of the Year: Ulrich Ulriksen (65%); Runner Up: baseballlover312 (17%)
The top award is usually a close battle, but not this year. Ulrich Ulriksen emerged as a force in the community several years ago, and the consensus is he is now the best member on the site. Aside from his activity all over the site and impossible to miss Man Game reporting, Ulrich is also responsible for making sure Man Game has a refined calendar with new stages every year, and he's always the first one willing to test out PCM AI during discussions. Thank you Ulrich.

New Member of the Year: Imladrik (90%); Runners Up: Greg Peck, KaiserAdler (5%)
This one was even more of a runaway contest than the previous one, and that's not a slight to our other nominees. Imladrik joined the site and immediately became a leading member. He's taken an active role in the MG, to the point where he did a pheomenal job reporting his first GT in the Vuelta in recent weeks. We're excited to see his contributions for years to come.

Most Improved Member: Luis Leon Sanchez (81%); Runners Up: DarkWolf, Ezeefreak (10%)
Another landslide! Luis Leon Sanchez is far from new to PCM Daily. He's been a consistent contributor since 2013, and a long time Man Game manager as well. However, it's undeniable that he took a major leap forward this year. At various points, he basically carried the Management Game on his back for weeks or months at a time with his reporting prowess. Add that to his ICL activity and more, and it's hard to argue with that trajectory.

Admin of the Year: cunego59 (80%); Runner Up: Croatia14 (10%)
Still haven't had a close battle, but it's clear why. A former Member of the Year winner and nominee once again, cunego is everywhere all the time. MG? Sure. Stellar work for the DB team? Yeah. Literally organizing these very awards? Why not? He joined the site almost 15 years ago, but he's definitely the best admin around right now.

Most Helpful Member of the Year: cunego59 (48%); Runner Up: Ulrich Ulriksen (29%)
Cunego takes this one home as well, for all the reasons above and more. He's always there to answer a question, and he does a ton of the leg work behind the site's functions. But we shouldn't forget about Ulrich either, who keeps things like the MG calendar churning without asking for a shred of credit.

Funniest Member: jandal7 (36%); Runners Up: baseballlover312, knockout (18%)
You may think it's hard to explain why someone is the funniest member on a platform where nobody's really making true jokes very often. But if you've spent any time around the site, it's obvious why jandal won. The humor just kind of flows out of him without effort. It's an attitude that brings life to the site and keeps the community happy even when things like PCM AI threaten our sanity.

Most Missed Member: matt17br (55%); Runner Up: jesleyh (18%)
Lots of memorable users have come and gone, but Matt was a huge loss over the past year. A multi-time award winner while active, he was a technical issues guru, a DB making stalwart, and one of the most innovative MG managers with his successful Generali project. The site and all of us lost something big when he decided to step away last year following periods of inactivity.

Best Forum Thread: PCT Roundtable Analysis 2022 p/b “The Conglomerate” (72%); Runner Up: Which PCM Version to use for next season (22%)
This just isn't fair. The Conglomerate, made up of knowckout, croatia, Abhishek, and jandal, have been making their insanely detailed and exciting PCT preview for many year now. It's so good that it's pretty mucht the default winner unless something really amazing happens. Boring.

Best Avatar: jandal7 (38%); Runner Up: alexkr00 (31%)
One of our most competitive races of the year among the top 3, but jandal takes his third award so far. He definitely asserted his dominance over Croatia by winning a supermajority of the Penguins of Madagascar voting bloc on his way to victory.

Best Story Writer: Mresuperstar (64%); Runners Up: kiserlovski01, TheManxMissile (18%)
As long as Mre keeps updating his Diamonds in the Rough story, he basically seems to have this award locked down. He's a living legend who has given so much to the site and managed to translate his practice on here into a real career. It's hard to overcome that kind of story.

Best Team Story: "Caja Rural" by Kiserlovski01 (50%); Runner Up: "Daily Detroit Lions" by TheManxMissile
We almost had our first non-PCM story win this year, but kiserlovski01 manages to remain on top as reigning champion. Many of us have great memories of PCM 15, and his continued updates to the Caja journey have allowed us to make many more.

Best One-Rider Story: "Diamonds in the Rough" by Mresuperstar (86%); Runner Up: "Anton's Blog" by Tamijo
The story section is getting admittedly lean, but there's nothing lean about Diamonds. It carried Mre to the story writer award, and it gets him another one here. I think this is the 17th year in a row?

Best Forum Games: Fantasy Spring Classics, ICL (29%); Runner Up: NFL Prediction Game (18%)
Our first tie! ICL is the usual winner here, and it's hard to argue with its depth. Founded by Bikex and maintained by Shonak, dominox, Ripley, and others, ICL is a full fledged universe that has been developing for almost a decade. Fantasy Classics, on the other hand, was a new game started just last season by Ollfardh, which just started it's second edition. It's always refreshing to get more engagement with real life cycling on here.

Best User Project: NFL Predictions Game by jseadog1 (44%); Runner Up: ICL by Bikex
At long last, jdog finally takes home this award. The NFL Prediction game has been run every week of every NFL season since 2012, and it is entirely due to jseadog's dedication. He sends out personal PM reminders to every participant every week. He keeps the spreadsheets updated and readable with lightning speed. It's a fun project to follow and very easy to participate because of all the legwork jdog does. Congrats!

Best Site Initiative: Mangement Game (65%); Runner Up: Bot Entertainment (24%)
Let's be honest. Most of us remain active here because of the Management Game. It's a community, it's a universe, it's an icon. I hope to play it until I die, a very long time from now. Sad loss for Bot Entertainment though. Since Aab-ern has instituted draconian bot censorship policies, it seems the bots may have missed out on their only chance to earn a top prize in our awards.

Best Jersey Designer: hillis91 (80%); Runner Up: the_hoyle (13%)
Hillis has been at this a long time, constantly improving over the years, and now he gets to say he is far and away the best jersey maker on the site. His designs are innovative and eyecatching, and there's no arguing with his volume. He increases his share of the Man Game peloton's kits every season.

Best Graphics Artist: hillis91 (64%); Runners Up: JackyDurand, Ezeefreak (18%)
It's the double for hillis! No arguing with this one. Jerseys happen to be a pretty big part of PCM graphics, especially today, so it's no surprise to see a repeat.

Best Stage Maker: Ulrich Ulriksen (73%); Runner Up: Tamijo (27%)
I can vouch first hand for Ulrich's prowess. He avoids attention, doesn't keep a showroom, and doesn't speak publicly of his achievements. But he's a stage making wizard. He's the guy behind the MG calendar. When you see a new Tour of America route, it's him. Whether it's creating new stages, adjusting old ones, piecing together routes, or trying to fix stages that lead to poor AI, Ulrich is your guy. Very well deserved!

Best Database: PCM.daily Expansion Pack for PCM 22 (73%); Runner Up: ManGame Database (18%)
It's another win for our hometown DB team! And yes, we are a little biased, to be sure. But nobody can argue with the quality of output. Those involved constantly churn out amazing products that turn PCM from a confusing mess to a true cycling simulator. They do Cyanide's work for them, and more.

Best Non-DB Download: knockout's Forum Code Tool (83%); Runner Up: ICL Development File (17%)
The other nominees have been here before, but knockout changed the game this year with his forum code tool. Before, users had to labor manually to create aestethically pleasing stat charts or create their own formulas to code it. With a stroke of his ingenuity, knockout removed any need for that by creating a tool that allows you to create fully customizeable and color coded tables through a simple excel sheet. This tool revolutionized MG HQ's, race previews, and even normal PCM stories. We have no doubt that this tool will be remembered among the lightbulb and combustion engine and one of technology's greatest triumphs.

Fantasy Betting Champion: fightingchicken26 ($9,376); Runner Up: df_Trek ($8,274)
These numbers are a bit off since the bet standings haven't been reset since the end of the year, but the rankings don't change. It's fightingchicken, a long time member but usual lurker, who defeated the rest. Only df_Trek came within $3,000.

MANAGEMENT GAME AWARDS

Manager of the Year: Nemolito (67%); Runner Up: Ulrich Ulriksen (29%)
With a combination of performance, narrative, and activity, Nemolito was the obvious choice for Mnaager of the Year. No one can question Nemo's activity, and his reporting has been awesome as well. But even from a pure game perspective, the rise of Los Pollos Hermanos is something of legend. The team shocked the MG world by achieving the always elusive double promotion from CT to PT over two seasons. And they did it all while remaining committed to their Latin American team identity. No other manager has had that kind of well rounded year, well, maybe ever.

New Manager of the Year: Laurens147 (58%); Runner Up: DarkWolf (42%)
Since the MG season is somewhat behind the calendar year, this award was only for 2021 season additions this year. That means it became a rematch of last year's new member showdown. This time, Lauren147 comes out on top in a nailbiter! Laurens has formed a very cool project in Crabbe with great activity. But we shouldn't discredit DarkWolf and his COsta Rican project either, especially since he did some great reporting last year.

Reporter of the Year: Ulrich Ulriksen (76%); Runner Up: redordead (19%)
As the reporting ranks have thinned, this has become an even harder award to decide because each and every one of the nominees (and several others) are vital to keeping MG running. That being said, Ulrich Ulriksen is the clear winner. Being a CT manager, it sometimes seems like he's the designated reporter for PT and PCT. GT's are no match for him, and the quality is always there too. Thank you Ulrich!

Team of the Year: Los Pollos Hermanos (50%); Runner Up: HelloFresh (20%)
For many of the same reasons as the manager award, Los Pollos Hermanos are deserved winners here. It's incredibly tough to double promote as a new manager. It's even harder to do so while keeping an identity and not just going for power moves. Through a really fun combination of TT domination and cunning sprints, Los Pollos defied all the pundits' prediction to make it to the top division while keeping their Latin American flair for depth. But we shouldn't ignore HelloFresh either. They won the 2021 CT division and are right in the promotion hunt in PCT again, trying to follows in Pollos' footsteps.

PT Race of the Year: 2021 Giro d'Italia (41%); Runner Up: 2022 Giro d'Italia (29%)
The Giro is very popular apparently. Calendar quirks put both of these in 2021, so both get nominated. 2021 featured a Herklotz win, but some very interesting battles for the podium and Top 5. 2022 was similar, with Lecuisinier winning but leaving a lot to fight for behind him.

Non-PT Race of the Year: 2021 Tour of America (69%); Runner Up: 2021 Tour d'Andorra (23%)
This one's always kind of unfair since there's only one non-PT GT and it's bound to have some of the most exciting racing. I wasn't personally a fan of this edition due to a certain American's poor form, but Kraftwerk's domination of both the mountains and sprints was certainly a sight to behold and a planning masterclass.

Best Team HQ: ELCO - ABEA (43%); Runner Up: Cedevita (38%)
This was a photo finish, but in the end ELCO takes it. A PT champion and stalwart with nothing left to prove, SotD ended his Festina project and has begun a complete transformation into a Greek cycling project in ELCO. His HQ updates have never been so constant, and they are a cut above the competitions in terms of depth. In addition to previews and recaps, the team history narratives and statistics are always an awesome read for spectators. But Cedevita's consistency and quality cannot be overstated either. There's a reason they've been nominated here before, and they barely were pipped this time.

CYCLING AWARDS

Male Rider of the Year: Wout Van Aert (47%); Runner Up: Remco Evenpoel (33%)
It was a tight one, but Wout Van Aert is your rider of the year. He casually won several TDF stages on different terrains and a green jersey, podiumed in both Roubaix and Liege, and won or placed in a ton of other classics and stage races. In the versatility age, he's the king. But Evenepoel was close. He silenced the haters (including me) by winning the Vuelta at just 22. He also took a monument in Liege and, oh yeah, he also won the rainbow jersey. The future is now.

Female Rider of the Year: Annemiek Van Vleuten (100%)
Or maybe the future is the past. In what may be the first ever Daily awards shut out, Van Vleuten is your inaugural female rider of the year. Her wins included the first TDF Femmes, the Giro Donne, Liege, Omloop, and of course, her second rainbow RR jersey. She turned 40 in October, but she has shown absolutely zero signs of slowing down.

Surprise Rider of the Year: Arnaud de Lie (44%); Runner Up: Biniam Girmay (38%)
Personally, I don't see what's so surpising about a 20 year old instantly becoming one of the best classics riders in the world. I mean, it's 2023. But the voters disagreed. Arnaud De Lie had an insane neo-pro season, placing in pretty much every classic he started on the CT circuit. Monuments are in his future. But maybe not before Girmay, who at 21 emerged as a monument contender, winning an exciting Gent-Wevelgem and a Giro stage to boot.

Men's Team of the Year: Jumbo Visma, Intermarche - Wanty (50%)
Hard to go wrong either way. Jumbo were dominant, led by Van Aert's exploits, Vingegaard's TDF victory, Laporte's breakout, and Roglic's continued success. But Wanty climbed the rankings through sheer willpower and depth. Once PCT cobbles outsiders, they managed to climb to 6th in the PCS rankings without any bonafide superstars and only 3 riders in the top 100. A success story for depth, strategy, and aggression.

Women's Team of the Year: Team SD Worx (56%); Runner Up: Trek-Segafredo (33%)
SD Worx showed their strength in numbers last year, with huge contributions for Wiebes, Kopecky, and Vollering. Apparently this gave them the edge over Trek, led by the always ferocious Elisa Longo Borghini.

Grand Tour of the Year: Tour de France (100%)
Another shutout. The duel between Pogacar and Vingegaard, especially in the second week, will be remembered by cycling fans for generations. Hard to see it another way.

GT Stage of the Year: Tour de France, Stage 11 (75%); Runners Up: All others (8%)
In keeping with that TDF theme, stage 11 was the obvious defining stage of an iconic Tour. With Pogacar in yellow and looking to continue two seasons of invincibility, Jumbo threw absolutely everything they had at him, including sacrificing Roglic in a series of mid stage attacks. It worked to perfection, as Vingegaard cracked the Slovene and surged away to a huge victory and the yellow jersey, which he would keep until Paris.

WT Stage Race of the Year: Itzulia Basque Country (50%); Runner Up: Criterium du Dauphine (30%)
Basque country takes it, a very competitive race won by Dani Martinez. He wins over the Jumbo 1-2 in Dauphine, AKA the last time Primoz Roglic was Jumbo's top leader.

WT Classic of the Year: Gent Wevelgem (42%); Runner Up: Paris-Roubaix
Gent-Wevelgem is often regarded as the least excting of the WT spring classics due to it's tendency to conclude with a reduced bunch sprint. Not so this year. Action all the way through and a small group of attackers culminated in Biniam Gimray becoming the first black rider to win a WT classic. Van Baarle's amazing solo in Roubaix was thrilling too, but Roubaix's always great.

Non-WT Stage Race of the Year: Tour de l'Ain (45%); Runner Up: Tour of Rwanda (27%)
l'Ain was a defining moment in the season, as Guillaume Martin, champion of being in the mix without actually being a real threat, managed to become the actual champion of a race. Rwanda is always fun, but apparently not fun enough this year.

Non-WT Classic of the Year: Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge (73%); Runner Up: Le Samyn (23%)
There's a CT classic now where they climb Mont Ventoux from both sides. It won. I mean, duh.

Women's Race of the Year: Tour de France Femmes, Paris - Roubaix Femmes (44%)
The GC in the inaugural TDF Femmes wasn't exactly competitive with Van Vleuten's dominance, but it was still a great show of potential from women's cycling. It ties with Longo Borghini's solo victory in the women's edition of Roubaix.



With that, our 2022 awards season is officially over. Winners may claim their banners and display them with pride, and congratulate your fellow members on everything they've bring to the site. Thank you to all who participated, and thank you to cunego59 for all his hard work on the organization and banners!