Giddy up, boys and girls. The most exciting vicarious race season of the year is upon us. The 2011 FGBC Spring Classics Pool is open for business. We have had some exciting races over the years. In 2009, Mike grabbed a huge early lead and looked to be cruising to an easy win. But then Rachel roared back during the Ardennes classics and kept us on pins and needles until the 30th finisher came across the line in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. In the end, she came up short by just 85 points. Last year's competition wasn't nearly as exciting. LeAnn grabbed the lead at Gent-Wevelgem and never really faced a serious challenge. In the end, she won by over 1500 points. Let's hope 2011 is more like 2009.
We will use the same rules and scoring system as last year. The riders are broken down into different tiers and there are three different options for choosing teams. The top 30 finishers in each race will score points. Bigger points are up for grabs at the four monuments. For the points breakdown, go here. But ignore the list of riders on that page. That is the list from 2009.
There is no entry fee. There will be no prizes. Everyone is welcome to participate. Feel free to invite others.
The list of riders for 2011 can be found here.
The three options are as follows:
Option 1:
1 from Tier 1
1 from Tier 2
1 from Tier 3
2 from Tier 4
2 from Tier 5
1 from Tier 6
1 from Ardennes
Option 2:
1 from Tier 2
3 from Tier 3
2 from Tier 4
2 from Tier 5
1 from Ardennes
Option 3:
4 from Tier 3
4 from Tier 4
1 from Ardennes
Teams must be submitted by the end of the day on Friday (i.e., when the clock strikes midnight). Send your entries here. When submitting your team, make sure to indicate which of the above options you used.
The 2011 Race Calendar (with monuments in bold):
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Feb. 26
Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne Feb. 27
Le Samyn Mar. 2
Monte Paschi Strade Bianche Mar. 5
Nokere-Koerse Mar. 16
Milan-San Remo Mar. 19
Dwars Door Vlaanderen Mar. 23
E3 Prijs Vlaanderen Mar. 26
Gent-Wevelgem Mar. 27
Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde Mar. 29-31
Ronde van Vlaanderen Apr. 3
Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen Apr. 6
Paris-Roubaix Apr. 10
De Brabantse Pijl Apr. 13
Amstel Gold Race Apr. 17
La Flèche Wallonne Apr. 20
Liège - Bastogne - Liège Apr. 24
4 comments:
sweeeeeeeet.
just out of curiosity, which of the 3 options got people on the podium last year?
Interesting question. Last year, the winner used option 1. 2nd place was option 2 and 3rd place used option 1. Two years ago, the winner used option 3. 2nd place was option 2. I don't know if that really tells us anything. Based on the average points for the various groupings, they all come out pretty much equal.
yeah, i suppose that if the big boys show up, then they're worth the points. otherwise, if you happen to find some scrubs who are consistent, you may be golden.
It's also--obviously--a matter of picking guys who outperform their classification. Option 1 was successful last year, in part, because Gilbert was pegged as a T2 guy based on his performance the previous year. He showed us how wrong we were about that. And the teams that picked him kicked some serious ass. But will he repeat his T1 performance this year? That is much harder to say. He is, nevertheless, a certified stud.
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