This is the game I started playing the earliest, which was a huge reason behind my growing passion for the sport. Fantasy games such as this play a brilliant role for newcomers to quickly learn the teams and riders, maybe start them thinking about allegiances as well. I know it worked for me and Road.cc was the game that drew me properly into the sport.
The premise of the game is simple. Two separate game types are on offer for each tour, with the exception of the Spring and Autumn classics competitions, which only run one, and the grand tours, which run an additional competition that’s just for fun.
The first game type is the one Road.cc is most known for. It’s called the standard competition and involves selecting a team of eight riders, and then having a limited number of transfers to use throughout the race. The number of transfers usually equates to an average of two per stage, with the grand tours receiving a few extra ones to play with. So planning is a good idea and the best players definitely spend some time to think out their transfer strategy to maximise points return. The Spring and Autumn classics games are run only as standard and you get a few more transfers to play with due to the changing nature of the start lists. The second is a purist game, where you select you eight riders and then that’s it until the end of the race. The final game type is a just for fun competition run at the three grand tours for home grown riders only.
Scoring is based on stage finishes; sprints and mountain points during the stage; jersey points; team assist points; and a final prize for the lantern rouge. The scores are only based on stages, there are no points for end-of-tour final jersey standings. You will have a budget for selecting your teams, and the rider values are determined by previous performances over the twelve months leading up to the start of the competitions. This can lead to some riders being abnormally cheap if they’ve had a quiet year, but the consistent riders who score in every race they enter will be pretty expensive.
So there you go, that’s the lowdown on one of the fantasy games cycling fans can get their teeth into, but it’s by no means the only one. Make sure you read the other posts for details on alternative games.
The Pelotonian 