Update, 16:52 CET: The official patch has now been released. Read more here.

Update, 14:20 CET: It appears that this patch isn't the official one (despite the fact that it was on Cyanide's FTP server). Therefore, we recommend waiting for the official one which is due for "soon", according to Eyolfur.

A day earlier than what the rumour said: The first official patch for PCM09 has been released, upgrading the game to version 1.0.2.2. It mainly corrects a few minor issues, especially when it comes to online playing, but also adds some new functionalities, e.g. the possibility of creating groups (CTRL + a number). And although it isn't mentioned in the change log, I'm quite sure it also adds road tags to the game, a feature which were last seen in PCM07.

Good news is also that the databases which have been made so far are fully compatible with the patch. So are save games.

Get the patch here (or directly from Cyanide here) , or click Read More to see the full list of fixes.

Thanks to Bavarian for tipping us.

Since the release of the beta version of the Expansion Pack, we've been working on correcting the things that you have pointed out. Most importantly, we've fixed the crash that happened on the 31st of May, but there's also been several other minor fixes. E.g., the rider ages should now be fully up to date (if the birth date set in the DB is correct) and a few riders have had their nationalities changed ;) We also moved Kenny De Haes to Silence - Lotto (yes, we are aware of the fact that this doesn't go through until the 1st of July - feel free to move him back if you don't like that change ;)).

There's not much new in the DB, but we did actually add one more team: Joker - Bianchi. This was mainly done to make sure that there's enough riders for the Norwegian Championship, even if some Norwegians are injured at that time of year.

We also changed the installation of the DB. The file is now an .exe, a self-installation file, which will guide you through the process. So hopefully, it's easy for everyone to install, even if this is your first time installing a DB.

So, for the full list of features, I'd suggest that you take a look at the first Feature List. Or you can go straight to the DL-section and begin the downloading.

Unfortunately, it's not save game compatible. However, if you're really interested in continuing your career, I posted instructions to fix the May 31st crash earlier today. If there's too few Norwegians, it'll crash at the Norwegian Championship, though. Both issues are, of course, taken care of in the above-mentioned final release.

UPDATE 24/6/2009 - The registration is over. If you were lucky enough to get in on time, please play the game, and report as many bugs as possible, no matter how small. It all helps.

The beta for cycling manager online has just opened at http://beta.tourdefrance-game.com/

Hurry and register quickly, it's not open for long! (Silverlight Needed!)

Once in the beta you can play the game as normal, the game will be ran at an accelerated pace, there will be tutorial stages, and as an incentive for doing well, Cyanide are offering prizes.

You're feedback will of course be vital to making the game a sucess this july.

The final version is scheduled to launch on the 1st July

For those waiting for the Expansion Pack, here's some info:

It'll probably be released either tomorrow or the day after that. The May-bug has been fixed, and that's the main change. However, we've also fixed the other bugs which have been pointed out by you in the Bug Reports thread. So, in general not much new, but the possibility of actually starting a long term career should be more than enough ;)

Oh, and also keep in mind that it's fully compatible with the upcoming patch (due for Thursday), so don't be too worried about that.

We'll make sure to release it as a self-installation file (.exe) to make it easier for everyone to install it.

Updated at 19:40 CET on the 22nd of June

After an eventful week with the release of PCM09, severe problems with people not getting their activation keys, download links, etc, and lots of interesting warm-up races for Tour de France, have a break and enjoy this week's Weekly News.

News on first patch for PCM09
There's been plenty of rumours on the 1st patch for Pro Cycling Manager 2009. Pretty much none of it has been confirmed by Cyanide so far, but if we are to trust the rumours, the patch will be released during the upcoming week. It'll mainly include fixes for online playing and the stability of this, but will also include lots of minor fixes, e.g. the so-called "media bug".

And the best news is that it's likely that the databases - and therefore also your careers - are compatible with the upcoming patch.

Update: The patch is very likely to be released on Thursday the 25th of June.

Plenty of real name DBs to choose from
PCM.daily wasn't very lucky with database for PCM08, and it appears that we haven't got much luck for PCM09 either. Luckily, there's plenty of other databases to choose from. From my point of perspective, PCMBenelux has released the best real name DB so far with everything you need: real names (duh!), the correct shirts, and most important: better rider stats. You can alos have a look at PCMClub's DB which includes real names and correct shirts. Or, if you like track racing, Max' Track DB contains more than 100 track riders.

Several problems with downloading PCM09
After the release of Pro Cycling Manager 09, people have had severe problems with actually getting the game. Some didn't receive their key, others didn't get the mail at all, and another group of people can't download the .exe-file which installs the game. It appears that most of these people have had problems, because they pre-ordered the game which Focus/Metaboli, the distributor, haven't been able to deal with properly.

We don't have much suggestions here. We do have a fix for the .exe-file issue as you can now download it from our DL-section, but for the rest, you'll have to contact the support yourself. However, there's plenty of advice in the forum from people who've experienced the same kind of problems - so have a look in this thread.

PCM.daily Twitter
In proof that you don't need to be called Lance Armstrong to use Twitter, PCM.daily now has it's very own Twitter account. We intend to keep it up to date with various pieces of news, and we follow any cyclist that we find so if you do use Twitter, look at out Following list to see just which cyclists are using Twitter (And there's quite a lot).

PCM.daily Online Leagues
Doddy13 has been a good asset to the PCM.daily crew after having joined last week. With the release of PCM09, we're now inviting you to join us and play some games online in a Track League and a Road Race League. Main idea is to bring people together to play PCM09 online, and there's still plenty of spots left in both leagues.

So, to read more about the Track League, check this thread, for more info on the Road League, this is the thread to visit.

JeuxVideo.com rates PCM09 14/20
In one of the first reviews of PCM09, French gaming website JeuxVideo.com rates PCM09 14/20. It's actually a quite high score for a game which in the review doesn't get much praise. Most of review's text is about the game not having much innovation compared to PCM08, and that the track mode isn't detailed enough. But with a low price, PCM09 is good value for money, JeuxVideo.com writes.

You can read the full review here in French.

Cycling Manager Online opens for public beta testing
After a beta testing session where lots of PCM.daily members participated, Cycling Manager Online, which PCM.daily announced, is now opening up for public beta testing before the 1st version goes live in July. By beta-testing, you have the opportunity of learning the game before it gets serious when the real version goes live, and you can help improve the game. Also, I've heard that there may be several prizes included in this last beta session.

The beta session begins tomorrow at 17:00 CET, and you can read more about it here. And the website for signing up is at this link.