Velogames Number Crunching: Stage 18

Explanation here.

Value Team, Stage 18;

All Rounders:
Score: 1177 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 1048 Cost: 28 Rider: Alberto CONTADOR

Category Total Score, cost 2225 50
Category % of Score, cost 36.57% 51.02%

Climbers:
Score: 728 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 505 Cost: 10 Rider: Joaquim RODRIGUEZ

Category Total Score, cost 1233 24
Category % of Score, cost 20.26% 24.49%

Domestiques:
Score: 530 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 394 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS
Score: 266 Cost: 2 Rider: Sebastien TURGOT

Category Total Score, cost 1190 8
Category % of Score, cost 19.56% 8.16%

Wildcard:
Score: 492 Cost: 4 Rider: Jurgen VAN DEN BROECK

Category Total Score, cost 492 4
Category % of Score, cost 8.09% 4.08%

Sprinter:
Score: 945 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 945 12
Category % of Score, cost 15.53% 12.24%

Grand Total Score, Cost: 6085 98

No change beyond score in the value team.

High Score Team;

All Rounders:
Score: 1177 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 571 Cost: 16 Rider: Denis MENCHOV

Category Total Score, cost 1748 38
Category % of Score, cost 28.60% 38.00%

Climbers:
Score: 728 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 298 Cost: 6 Rider: Pierrick FEDRIGO

Category Total Score, Cost 1026 20
Category % of Score, Cost 16.79% 20.00%

Domestiques:
Score: 612 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL
Score: 530 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 394 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS

Category Total Score, Cost 1536 12
Category % of Score, Cost 25.14% 12.00%

Sprinter:
Score: 945 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, Cost 945 12
Category % of Score, Cost 15.46% 12.00%

Wildcard:
Score: 856 Cost: 18 Rider: Thor HUSHOVD

Category Total Score, Cost 856 18
Category % of Score, Cost 14.01% 18.00%

Grand totals, Score, Cost 6111 100

Other than score, the only change in the high score team is to see Petacchi and Hushovd change places again. It's interesting to see the scores for the High Score team and value team converge, although I'm still fairly certain my methodology has selected the highest scoring team possible for 100 credits.

Velogames Number Crunching: Stage 17

Explanation Here.

Stage 17 Value Team;
All Rounders:
Score: 1141 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 1004 Cost: 28 Rider: Alberto CONTADOR

Category Total Score, Cost 2145 50
Category % of Score, Cost 38.40% 53.19%

Climbers:
Score: 702 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 298 Cost: 6 Rider: Pierrick FEDRIGO

Category Total Score, cost 1000 20
Category % of Score, cost 17.90% 21.28%

Domestiques:
Score: 484 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 394 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS
Score: 256 Cost: 2 Rider: Sebastien TURGOT

Category Total Score, cost 1134 8
Category % of Score, cost 20.30% 8.51%

Wildcard:
Score: 474 Cost: 4 Rider: Jurgen VAN DEN BROECK

Category Total Score, cost 474 4
Category % of Score, cost 8.49% 4.26%

Sprinter:
Score: 833 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 833 12
Category % of Score, cost 14.91% 12.77%

Grand Totals, Score, Cost 5586 94

Some changes here, perhaps the most significant being the appearance of Alberto Contador, who's taken a while to score highly enough to represent good value for his high credit cost. Jurgen Van Den Broeck also displaces Maxime Bouet as the team wildcard, his riding belying his classification as a "Domestique" in the mountains. The value team is still well within the credit budget, 6 credits under the maximum team cost of 100.

Stage 17 High Score Team:

All Rounders:
Score: 1141 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 550 Cost: 16 Rider: Denis MENCHOV

Category Total Score, cost 1691 38
Category % of Score, cost 28.85% 38.00%

Climbers:
Score: 702 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 298 Cost: 6 Rider: Pierrick FEDRIGO

Category Total Score, cost 1000 20
Category % of Score, cost 17.06% 20.00%

Domestiques:
Score: 612 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL
Score: 484 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 394 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS

Category Total Score, cost 1490 12
Category % of Score, cost 25.42% 12.00%

Sprinter:
Score: 848 Cost: 18 Rider: Thor HUSHOVD

Category Total Score, cost 848 18
Category % of Score, cost 14.47% 18.00%

Wildcard:
Score: 833 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 833 12
Category % of Score, cost 14.21% 12.00%

Grand Totals, Score, Cost: 5862 100

In the high score team, Denis Menchov replaces Alexandre Vinokourov, his credit value and score making him a good swap to get the credit cost down to 100.

At this point in the game, the winning team had a score of 4970, giving our value team a lead of 616 points, and the high score team a lead of 692.

Velogames Number Crunching: Stage 16

Explanation here;

Value Team;
All Rounders:
Score: 925 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 473 Cost: 16 Rider: Alexandre VINOKOUROV

Category Total Score, cost 1398 38
Category % of Score, cost 31.28% 47.50%

Climbers:
Score: 596 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 298 Cost: 6 Rider: Pierrick FEDRIGO

Category Total Score, cost 894 20
Category % of Score, cost 20.00% 25.00%

Domestiques:
Score: 478 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 394 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS
Score: 256 Cost: 2 Rider: Sebastien TURGOT

Category Total Score, cost 1128 8
Category % of Score, cost 25.23% 10.00%

Wildcard:
Score: 225 Cost: 2 Rider: Maxime BOUET

Category Total Score, cost 225 2
Category % of Score, cost 5.03% 2.50%

Sprinter:
Score: 825 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 825 12
Category % of Score, cost 18.46% 15.00%

Grand Totals, Score, Cost 4470 80

High Score Team;
All Rounders:
Score: 925 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 473 Cost: 16 Rider: Alexandre VINOKOUROV

Category Total Score, cost 1398 38
Category % of Score, cost 25.71% 38.00%

Climbers:
Score: 596 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 298 Cost: 6 Rider: Pierrick FEDRIGO

Category Total Score, cost 894 20
Category % of Score, cost 16.44% 20.00%

Domestiques:
Score: 612 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL
Score: 478 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 394 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS

Category Total Score, cost 1484 12
Category % of Score, cost 27.29% 12.00%

Sprinter:
Score: 836 Cost: 18 Rider: Thor HUSHOVD

Category Total Score, cost 836 18
Category % of Score, cost 15.38% 18.00%

Wildcard:
Score: 825 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 825 12
Category % of Score, cost 15.17% 12.00%

Grand Totals, Score, Cost 5437 100

At last, a change, largely thanks to Pierrick Fedrigo's exploits, and his classification as a climber. In the high score team, Petacchi and Hushovd change places once again.

Velogames Number Crunching: Stage 15

Explanation here;

Value Team:
All Rounders:
Score: 895 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 456 Cost: 16 Rider: Alexandre VINOKOUROV

Category Total Score, cost 1351 38
Category % of Score, cost 30.57% 45.24%

Climbers:
Score: 571 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 344 Cost: 10 Rider: Joaquim RODRIGUEZ

Category Total Score, cost 915 24
Category % of Score, cost 20.71% 28.57%

Domestiques:
Score: 461 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 394 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS
Score: 256 Cost: 2 Rider: Sebastien TURGOT

Category Total Score, cost 1111 8
Category % of Score, cost 25.14% 9.52%

Wildcard:
Score: 225 Cost: 2 Rider: Maxime BOUET

Category Total Score, cost 225 2
Category % of Score, cost 5.09% 2.38%

Sprinter:
Score: 817 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 817 12
Category % of Score, cost 18.49% 14.29%

Grand Totals, Score, Cost 4419 84

High Score Team;
All Rounders:
Score: 895 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 456 Cost: 16 Rider: Alexandre VINOKOUROV

Category Total Score, Cost 1351 38
Category % of Score, Cost 25.97% 38.00%

Climbers:
Score: 571 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 193 Cost: 6 Rider: Vasil KIRYIENKA

Category Total Score, Cost 764 20
Category % of Score, Cost 14.68% 20.00%

Domestiques:
Score: 612 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL
Score: 461 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 394 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS

Category Total Score, Cost 1467 12
Category % of Score, Cost 28.20% 12.00%

Sprinter:
Score: 817 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, Cost 817 12
Category % of Score, Cost 15.70% 12.00%

Wildcard:
Score: 804 Cost: 18 Rider: Thor HUSHOVD

Category Total Score, Cost 804 18
Category % of Score, Cost 15.45% 18.00%

Grand Totals, Score, Cost 5203 100

No changes in the riders in the value team or high score team after Stage 15.

Velogames Number Crunching: Stage 14

Explanation here;

Value Team;
All Rounders:
Score: 856 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 439 Cost: 16 Rider: Alexandre VINOKOUROV

Category Total Score, cost 1295 38
Category % of Score, cost 30.55% 45.24%

Climbers:
Score: 505 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 331 Cost: 10 Rider: Joaquim RODRIGUEZ

Category Total Score, cost 836 24
Category % of Score, cost 19.72% 28.57%

Domestiques:
Score: 455 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 394 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS
Score: 229 Cost: 2 Rider: Sebastien TURGOT

Category Total Score, cost 1078 8
Category % of Score, cost 25.43% 9.52%

Wildcard:
Score: 225 Cost: 2 Rider: Maxime BOUET

Category Total Score, cost 225 2
Category % of Score, cost 5.31% 2.38%

Sprinter:
Score: 805 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 805 12
Category % of Score, cost 18.99% 14.29%

Grand Totals, Score, Cost 4239 84

One rider change in the value team, with Joaquim Rodriguez coming in for Vasil Kiryienka. whist the score has increased significantly, so the cost of the best value team increases too, to 84 credits. The Value Team would have a comfortable lead in the Velogames competition, as the leader following stage 14 had 3127 points in total.

High Score Team:
All Rounders:
Score: 856 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 439 Cost: 16 Rider: Alexandre VINOKOUROV

Category Total Score, cost 1295 38
Category % of Score, cost 25.63% 38.00%

Climbers:
Score: 505 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 191 Cost: 6 Rider: Vasil KIRYIENKA

Category Total Score, cost 696 20
Category % of Score, cost 13.77% 20.00%

Domestiques:
Score: 612 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL
Score: 455 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 394 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS

Category Total Score, cost 1461 12
Category % of Score, cost 28.91% 12.00%

Sprinter:
Score: 805 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 805 12
Category % of Score, cost 15.93% 12.00%

Wildcard:
Score: 796 Cost: 18 Rider: Thor HUSHOVD

Category Total Score, cost 796 18
Category % of Score, cost 15.75% 18.00%

Grand Totals, Score, Cost 5053 100

No change in the high score team from yesterday beyond the scores.

Velogames Number Crunching: Stage 13

Explanation here.

Value Team:
All Rounders:
Score: 730 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 426 Cost: 16 Rider: Alexandre VINOKOUROV

Category Total Score, cost 1156 38
Category % of Score, cost 30.58% 47.50%

Climbers:
Score: 370 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 181 Cost: 6 Rider: Vasil KIRYIENKA

Category Total Score, cost 551 20
Category % of Score, cost 14.58% 25.00%

Domestiques:
Score: 447 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 384 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS
Score: 229 Cost: 2 Rider: Sebastien TURGOT

Category Total Score, cost 1060 8
Category % of Score, cost 28.04% 10.00%

Wildcard:
Score: 220 Cost: 2 Rider: Maxime BOUET

Category Total Score, cost 220 2
Category % of Score, cost 5.82% 2.50%

Sprinter:
Score: 793 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 793 12
Category % of Score, cost 20.98% 15.00%

Grand Totals (score, cost) 3780 80

The value team changes at last on Stage 13, with Sylvain Chavanel finally displaced, and Vinokourov's recent strong finishes, and relatively low credit value moving him into place in the all rounder category. You can also see the way that the percentage of the total score continues to move in favour of the GC contenders.

And the High Score Team;
All Rounders:
Score: 730 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 426 Cost: 16 Rider: Alexandre VINOKOUROV

Category Total Score, cost 1156 38
Category % of Score, cost 24.43% 38.00%

Climbers:
Score: 370 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 181 Cost: 6 Rider: Vasil KIRYIENKA

Category Total Score, cost 551 20
Category % of Score, cost 11.65% 20.00%

Domestiques:
Score: 612 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL
Score: 447 Cost: 4 Rider: José Joaquin ROJAS
Score: 384 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS

Category Total Score, cost 1443 12
Category % of Score, cost 30.50% 12.00%

Sprinter:
Score: 793 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 793 12
Category % of Score, cost 16.76% 12.00%

Wildcard:
Score: 788 Cost: 18 Rider: Thor HUSHOVD

Category Total Score, cost 788 18
Category % of Score, cost 16.66% 18.00%

Grand Totals (score, cost) 4731 100

For the second stage in a row the value and high score team share the same all rounders, thanks largely to the high credit cost of Alberto Contador, who struggles to retain a place in either team (on the basis of mathematics, at least!) Stage 13 also sees the value team and high score team share their climbers.

Cancellara moves out of the high score team in favour of Rojas (not because of a low score, but because of his fairly high credit cost, as with Contador). Lastly, Hushovd and Petacchi exchange places as wildcard and sprinter, as they exchange their lead in the competition for the Maillot Vert.

Velogames Number Crunching: Stage 12

Explanation here.

The Stage 12 Value Team;

All Rounders:
Score: 686 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 246 Cost: 12 Rider: Luis Leon SANCHEZ

Category Total Score, cost 932 34
Category % of Score, cost 26.14% 43.59%

Climbers:
Score: 345 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 179 Cost: 6 Rider: Vasil KIRYIENKA

Category Total Score, Cost 524 20
Category % of Score, Cost 14.69% 25.64%

Domestiques:
Score: 384 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS
Score: 229 Cost: 2 Rider: Sebastien TURGOT
Score: 220 Cost: 2 Rider: Maxime BOUET

Category Total Score, cost 833 6
Category % of Score, cost 23.36% 7.69%

Wildcard:
Score: 596 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL

Category Total Score, cost: 596 6
Category % of Score, cost: 16.71% 7.69%

Sprinters:
Score: 681 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 681 12
Category % of Score, cost 19.10% 15.38%

Grand Totals 3566 78

This team is unchanged from Stage 11, although you can see the relative contributions of the different categories continuing to change as we head into the mountains.

And the High Score Team;

All Rounders:
Score: 686 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 246 Cost: 12 Rider: Luis Leon SANCHEZ

Category Total Score, cost 932 34
Category % of Score, cost 21.87% 34.00%

Climbers:
Score: 219 Cost: 12 Rider: Robert GESINK
Score: 179 Cost: 6 Rider: Vasil KIRYIENKA

Category Total Score, cost 398 18
Category % of Score, cost 9.34% 18.00%

Domestiques:
Score: 596 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL
Score: 530 Cost: 10 Rider: Fabian CANCELLARA
Score: 384 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS

Category Total Score, cost 1510 18
Category % of Score, cost 35.44% 18.00%

Sprinter:
Score: 740 Cost: 18 Rider: Thor HUSHOVD

Category Total Score, cost 740 18
Category % of Score, cost 17.37% 18.00%

Wildcard:
Score: 681 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, cost 681 12
Category % of Score, cost 15.98% 12.00%

Grand Totals: 4261 100

In the High Score team, Evans is pushed out by Luis Leon Sanchez, and Matthew Lloyd departs in favour of Robert Gesink.

Velogames Number Crunching: Stage 11

For a bit more detail on what this is about, see this post.

Value Team for Stage 11;
All Rounders:
Score: 572 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 232 Cost: 12 Rider: Luis Leon SANCHEZ

Category Total Score, 804 34
Category % of Score, 24.13% 43.59%

Climbers:
Score: 260 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 167 Cost: 6 Rider: Vasil KIRYIENKA

Category Total Score, 427 20
Category % of Score, 12.82% 25.64%

Domestiques:
Score: 384 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS
Score: 228 Cost: 2 Rider: Sebastien TURGOT
Score: 220 Cost: 2 Rider: Maxime BOUET

Category Total Score, 832 6
Category % of Score, 24.97% 7.69%

Wildcard
Score: 596 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL

Category Total Score, 596 6
Category % of Score, 17.89% 7.69%

Sprinter:
Score: 673 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, 673 12
Category % of Score, 20.20% 15.38%

Grand Totals: 3332 78

Changes: Evans out and Luis Leon Sanchez in, Lloyd (M) out and Sanchez in - you can see that the GC contenders and climbers are beginning to score more in these later stages.

The High Score Team for Stage 11 looks like this;

All Rounders:
Score: 572 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 339 Cost: 18 Rider: Cadel EVANS

Category Total Score, Cost 911 40
Category % of Score, Cost 22.57% 40.00%

Climbers:
Score: 167 Cost: 6 Rider: Vasil KIRYIENKA
Score: 81 Cost: 6 Rider: Matthew LLOYD

Category Total Score, Cost 248 12
Category % of Score, Cost 6.14% 12.00%

Domestiques:
Score: 596 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL
Score: 525 Cost: 10 Rider: Fabian CANCELLARA
Score: 384 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS

Category Total Score, Cost: 1505 18
Category % of Score, Cost: 37.28% 18.00%

Sprinters:
Score: 700 Cost: 18 Rider: Thor HUSHOVD

Category Total Score, Cost: 700 18
Category % of Score, Cost: 17.34% 18.00%

Wildcard:
Score: 673 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Category Total Score, Cost: 673 12
Category % of Score, Cost: 16.67% 12.00%

Grand Totals 4037 100

As you can see, nothing's changed in the High Score Team other than the score itself.

At this point in the competition, the Value Team would lead the overall by 110 points (the stage 11 leader having 3222) and the High Score Team by some 815 points.

Velogames Number Crunching

The Velogames Fantasy Cycling game is now in full swing for this year's tour, and along with Mikey from the Velocast forum, who's also been doing so, I've been crunching the numbers to see what data we can get out of the results so far.

One of the outcomes of my little bits of calculation is the "best value" team - this is the team composed of riders who have scored the most points for the least credit cost. It's probably worth saying at this point that the game rules state that each team must cost 100 credits or less (every rider has a credit value assigned prior to the race) and include two "All Rounders", two "Climbers", three "Domestiques", a "Sprinter" and a "Wildcard". The wildcard rider can be chosen from any of the other categories.

As of stage 8, the best value team looked like this;

All Rounders:
Evans (cost 18, Score 330)
Schleck (A) (cost 22, Score 392)

Climbers:
Garate (cost 8, score 110)
Lloyd (M) (cost 6, Score 81)

Sprinter:
Petacchi (cost 12, score 492)

Domestiques:
Thomas (cost 2, score 384)
Turgot (cost 2, score 216)
Chavanel (cost 6, score 595)

Wildcard:
Roelandts (cost 2, score 165)
(78 credits in all, by my reckoning, for a score of 2765)

At this point in the game, the value team would have taken first place by 39 points, for an expenditure of 22 fewer credits than the maximum allowed.

And as of stage 9;

All Rounders:
Score: 490 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 333 Cost: 18 Rider: Cadel EVANS

Climbers:
Score: 210 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 110 Cost: 8 Rider: Juan Manuel GARATE

Domestiques:
Score: 595 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL
Score: 384 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS
Score: 216 Cost: 2 Rider: Sebastien TURGOT

Sprinter:
Score: 501 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Wildcard:
Score: 165 Cost: 2 Rider: Jürgen ROELANDTS

Score: 3004 Cost: 86

By stage 9, this "highest value" team would have led the competition by 128 points, albeit for higher expenditure of 14 credits less than the maximum allowed.

And as of Stage 10;

All Rounders:
Score: 531 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 336 Cost: 18 Rider: Cadel EVANS

Climbers:
Score: 235 Cost: 14 Rider: Samuel SÁNCHEZ
Score: 163 Cost: 6 Rider: Vasil KIRYIENKA

Domestiques:
Score: 384 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS
Score: 220 Cost: 2 Rider: Maxime BOUET
Score: 217 Cost: 2 Rider: Sebastien TURGOT

Wildcard:
Score: 596 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL

Sprinter:
Score: 541 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

A Total Score of 3223 for 84 credits. By stage 10, the highest value team would have a lead of 207, for an expenditure of 16 fewer credits than the maximum allowed.

One of the things that's been interesting to me is to see the consitency and otherwise of the "high value" team. You can probably tell that the gradient increased in stage 9 by the way the "Climbers" category has changed, although Geraint Thomas' excellent performance in the early part of the race, and relatively low credit value has ensured his place so far.

One other interesting question is that of the highest scoring team possible. It's taken me a while to get my head around that particular problem, but as of Stage 10, I had a working methodology to use. The team I came up with was as follows;

All Rounders:
Score: 531 Cost: 22 Rider: Andy SCHLECK
Score: 336 Cost: 18 Rider: Cadel EVANS

Climbers:
Score: 163 Cost: 6 Rider: Vasil KIRYIENKA
Score: 81 Cost: 6 Rider: Matthew LLOYD

Domestiques:
Score: 596 Cost: 6 Rider: Sylvain CHAVANEL
Score: 520 Cost: 10 Rider: Fabian CANCELLARA
Score: 384 Cost: 2 Rider: Geraint THOMAS

Sprinter:
Score: 642 Cost: 18 Rider: Thor HUSHOVD

Wildcard:
Score: 541 Cost: 12 Rider: Alessandro PETACCHI

Netting a total score of 3794 for the maximum allowed 100 credits.

As you can see, there's some overlap between the value team and high score team, although I wonder if that will begin to change as the contenders for the overall, and the climbers begin to assert themselves - it's also hard to see Geraint Thomas scoring highly again (given his position in the GC) although if he snags a high placing on a stage his credit value should see his place secure in the value team.

Looking at the selection more generally, choosing the "right" domestiques seems to be a key part of the process, given their contribution to the score overall. In the high score team, they account for nearly 40% of the score for 18% of the total cost, and on the value team their score contribution is 26% for 8% of the total cost.

STUFFE

WHO STOLE THE ROAD?
I hate bikes, they get right in the way, don't they?

Or maybe not...

A graphic illustration of how much road space is used by 35 people using different modes of transport.

PERIODIC F*****G TABLE
Flowing Data points out that we all secretly love the Periodic Table infographic - here's Modern Toss' take on the format, with the Periodic Table of Swearing. Surely it's obvious that the page beyond this link contains bad language?

You can buy a print of this too, although I'm not sure who would think a nicely formatted collection of swears makes a nice talking point.

EGGS, BASKETS &c
Cosmo has a good piece on why the "Lance vs Bert" take on this years' tour by US media was a stupid idea here, and more fundamentally why the focus on one rider's exploits to sell cycling to Americans is a daft idea. The killer paragraph for me;

Can you even imagine it? No more armies of dentists dragging the LBS out of the red each year with Lance-replica Trek purchases. No more Chris Carmichael promising phantom results to middle-aged racers about to train themselves out of love with the sport. No more laurel wreaths cast at the feet of DS whose prolific success in July has allowed him to brush years of downright miserable classics results under the rug.

What will the US bike industry look like post-Lance? Is the focus on one rider as figurehead a fundamentally flawed idea?

BANANAS
The first bike I can remember coveting was the Raleigh Team Banana. I didn't follow pro-cycling at the time, but knew instinctively that the black & yellow colour scheme, cutting edge 531 frame and 12 speed gearing was very cool. Re-living that youthful yearning without upsetting Mrs Monkey *or* the bank manager by adding yet another bike to the garage is easier now, thanks to Prendas, who are doing these replica Team Banana caps.

STUFFE

A Velocast Jersey, in a Mirror, Yesterday.

VELOCAST AGAIN
A reminder that the Velocast's daily tour podcasts can be found at their site.

Also, those of you who are already fans, and ordered your Velocast jersey (made by Shutt Velo Rapide) should be receiving yours soon. Mine is pictured above - I'm hoping to do a proper review soon (as the jersey will be similar to Shutt's others, I imagine). The potted version is that the quality is hugely impressive, and worryingly making me wonder why all my jerseys aren't this nice. Who'd have thought that two gentlemen in Peebles, and a company based in Ilkley would be responsible for giving me a taste for the finer things in life?

A slightly better pic (arms length self portraits being challenging at the best of times).

OTHER TOUR FIXES
ITV Have started their daily podcast again for the tour, which is here.

ITV's show is presented by Matt Rendell, and is really good so far - Chris Boardman provides the insider knowledge, there are good interviews, and Jill Douglas, as something of a newcomer to the tour, gives some useful insight (and her enthusiasm for the race is quite contagious).

Cyclingnews' podcasts are here.

I've found Cyclingnews' tour show to be pretty good as well - the team they have commenting on the race is excellent, and the interviews have been good so far too.

Bizarrely both ITV and Cyclingnews seem to have gone out of their way to make the shows difficult to find from their tour homepages, it seems to me.

'ZUP DAWG
Cosmo at Cyclocosm has channelled a meme I was hitherto completely unaware of in a cycling direction.

Cosmo also has some good commentary on the events of Stage 2, here. Although Cervelo were unhappy about the neutralisation (and rightly so, as their GC contender had managed to get to the bottom of the Stockeau safely, with 3 minutes or so in hand) he wonders whether their deference to the decision has paid dividends in the following stage. As ever, thought provoking and worth reading.

TOP 50 CYCLISTS OF THE MODERN ERA
The Team Chef's ongoing project has been updated with pre-tour scores, including an adjustment for Alejandro Valverde following his suspension. The update is here, and explanations of the top 50 scoring method can be found here (link is to part 1 of the scroing system, click through for the second part).

IF IT WASN'T FOR BAD LUCK
Garmin Transitions are having a bad tour so far, sadly - Christian Vande Velde has retired, and Tyler Farrar is carrying a couple of injuries (including a fractured wrist, imagine riding pavé with that). There's a good interview with Tyler on their site here about carrying his injuries, and what happenned on the Stockeau in stage 2. Technical types can also look at the data the team's collected for their riders (including Julian Dean's second place) on the site.

COZY BEEHIVE
This site's "Cycling Shorts" is a bit like Stuffe, only good. Lots of interesting links and commentary on there, from Sky refusing to "embed" Paul Kimmage, to the revelation that Lance is now interviewed by laptop, something so laughable and demeaning to journalists that I genuinely wonder if it's an attempt to see how far they'll go to get a quote from him.

BIKEHUGGER MAKES ME JEALOUS
Of this (not the Clif bars, I just like Team Garmin, and Musettes) and these.

BIZZARRO CORNER
Urban Velo reports that in Bartonville (where?) any group of 10 or more cyclists must travelling together in the city must apply for a permit to do so 45 days in advance. At a cost of $50. No word on whether the popular "traffic jam" and "rush hour" events favoured by motorists in a lot of cities are exempt or not.

One thought occurring to me is that these tiny places I've never heard of may be trying to put themselves on the map by passing weird bylaws, on the basis that the only thing worse than being talked about...

COMICS
Drawn.ca has this look at page flow in comics from Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley.

ART
I can't say it better than this;

"Let us celebrate the wonderful cheesiness and eye-popping kid-allowance-bait futurism of these 1960’s and 70’s magazine and plastic model kit box illustrations by Japanese illustrator Shigeru Komatsuzaki."

I completely agree - the article (at Lines and Colors) is here.

GRUMPY WEEK
I'm not sure what it is about this week, but so far I've had two punishment passes on the bike, by people who felt the need to mouth stuff at me through their closed passenger windows. For the uninitiated, or those living in civilised countries, a punishment pass is a deliberately close overtake by a motorist.

Genius number one did so as I passed cars parked in the bike lane (his car being a silver, 02 reg BMW him being fat, 50 ish and bald) so he could make a left turn about 1 second ahead.

Genius number two was a youngish fellow (mid 20s, dark haired) in an old red hatchback (possibly a Polo), who passed so he could reach a set of stop lights 2 seconds before me (to add to the irony, I take a filter lane on green at these lights, which may make his manoeuvre even more pointless).

Both incidents trouble me, because, whilst I'm fairly used to indifference, inattention and impatience from some drivers, active malice is fairly rare. The thought that someone is willing to put me in hospital (or worse) because they don't know their Highway Code (I do, and I ride according to it), and are stupid enough to want to risk a crash to prove a point is a worry too.

I'm hoping these two drivers represent a statistical "blip" of some sort, especially as coping with the rain, and headwinds of recent days is quite challenge enough.

STUFFE

TOUR PODCASTS
The Velocast has gone daily for the duration of the tour - these are snappy little 15 minute or so 'casts reviewing the action of the day's stage, and are well worth a listen.

Also worthy of note is the latest Cyclingnews podcast, in which tour veteran (20 years!) Gary Imlach is interviewed. There are fantastic anecdotes and stories of the coverage and tour in this, and I highly recommend it.

NICE RACK
Bike Commuters reviews the Planet Bike K.O.K.O. rack - which looks nicely designed and well thought out - I particularly like the angled pannier supports, which taper in towards the seatpost from the rear. I'm not sure whether this serves a useful purpose, but it looks cool. More practically, the the rack struts will keep your panniers out of the wheel, and the light plate will come in handy for winter rides (Although I wish more manufacturers would drill these to allow the mounting of a couple of lights).

COMICS
Phil Plait looks at the work of Daryl Cunningham, who has a couple of interesting comics on his site examining Homeopathy, and the Anti-Vaccination movement. Well worth reading.

Less seriously, Nedroid.com looks at firework safety, through the medium of Reginald.

ASTEROIDS
Also from Phil Plait is a piece on Japan's Hayabusa mission, the first space flight to land successfully on an asteroid, and return to earth after doing so, an astonishing achievement, even without the trouble that plagued the mission.

MAD FIBER
Cozy Beehive has an excellent round up of links in his "Cycling Shorts" piece (see what he did there). It's very much better than this, (but includes fewer comics, so TAKE THAT, Mr. Bee). It includes, and expands on some of the misgivings I have about crabon myself, talking particularly about wheels.

THE MOST IMMORAL SPORT IN THE WORLD?
Sports Scientists have an opinion piece on this. His argument is that soccer lacks the redeeming aspects even of comprehensively tarnished sports like our own much beloved pro-cycling.

URBAN SKETCHERS
As interesting as ever, Urban Sketchers has a feature on Sports Illustrated artist Robert Weaver here. The link in the article takes you to a slideshow of Weaver's sketches. The pictures of the baseball players reminds me of the advice to "draw clear, not clean".

LE TOUR
Geraint Thomas is featured in Cycling News, sporting his new British National Champion's jersey. It looks great, and kudos to him and Sky for not doing anything wacky, or, for want of a better word, "Pippo" with it. Thomas has had a couple of good rides in his Tour debut so far, and deserves a hearty "chapeau".

Also from the Tour is the news that Mark Cavendish has been jeered by fans in Team Sky kit;

They yelled repeatedly, "Cavendish, you suck! Go home!"

With the reported arrival of the World Cup's Vuvuzelas at the Dutch stages of Le Tour, it appears some of the football fans' much admired attitude and "wit" has arrived too.

Bike Hugger, or David at Bike Hugger at least, is disillusioned with the tour. Whilst I appreciate that there are differences in the coverage between Eurosport & ITV4 here, and the seemingly very Armstrong centric Versus, I think his second point, about the doping coverage rings slightly less true with me. Although it's felt this way before (2008, anyone?) we do seem to be at something of a turning point towards a cleaner sport now. The fallout won't be pleasant, but it's fairly apparent that we can't continue looking the other way much longer.

SPACESUIT OF THE WEEK

Hunter Freeman is a photographer living and working in San Francisco. In an ongoing personal project, Freeman photographs astronauts exploring very pedestrian environments while fully dressed in Apollo Space Suits.

This, on Kitsune Noir is BRILLIANT.

MOVES
Pavé blog is now at http://www.pavepavepave.com/ , so update your bookmarks accordingly. (Oddly, feedly won't let me add the new site as a feed, must see if I can fix that that).

LOST
Lastly, Flowing Data brings us the Geography of Lost. Still no word on why I keep watching it though, sadly.

STUFFE

THE BEST CYCLING PICTURE EVER, CONTINUED
I have no idea what the story behind this shot is, or was, but no one can deny that this guy has it going on. Chopper bike, checked trews, and a lady looking on admiringly.

That's HOW I ROLL, BABY. (He might be saying).

(Found on Bike Hugger, original image from the Smithsonian)

HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE - AND CHEST
Of course, the sun has disappeared the very instant I began to think of these, but Howies have a stylish "Vive Le Tour" t-shirt as their t-shirt of the week.

Also worthy of note, and not so time limited, are Brian Opsal's lovely cycling inspired shirts, including this Bernard Hinault inspired number, and (perhaps for Lamby) this Pantani shirt.

And of course, no round up of bike shirts would be complete without the artwork of Richard Mitchelson, whose "Tete De La Course" series are really nice. (Series 1, Series 2)

Urban Cyclists could do a lot worse than check out City Cycling's Red Bubble store, which does include some pro-cycling shirts, one of which is a Maillot Pois (Polka Dot) shirt subtle enough to not write cheques your legs may not be able to cash...

HOW TO EMAIL
Nedroid Picture Diary has some invaluable advice.

ISO TRUSS FRAMES
Cozy Beehive blog looks at these unusual Carbon Fibre frames. in this post.

VELO ORANGE
They've updated about their "Grand Cru" cranks, in this post. One paragrpah caught my eye in particular;

I do apologize for being out of so many items. The super busy spring season really cleaned us out and we've once again seen growth beyond what I'd anticipated and planned for. The good news is that we should have two containers of products, including several new items, sailing in July.

In some ways, that's a pain, after all, we all want our stuff. But looking at it another way, a company like Velo Orange, who make nice things that they care about making well, is so successful that they (briefly) can't meet demand - that has to be a good thing, and more power, and more success, to them.

SHUTT & ALWAYS RIDING
It's also good to see nice chaps, and manufacturers of top quality gear Shutt Velo Rapide going from strength to strength - their latest venture is a tie in with Always Riding;

Shutt Velo Rapide, UK manufacturer of fine handmade Sportwool™ jerseys, has today teamed up with online e-tailor Alwaysriding.co.uk to create a new range of cycling jerseys inspired by the heyday of British Motor Sport.

BING MAPS TOUR DE FRANCE APPLICATION
Podium Café has an article about this, which will include commentary from Podium Café on the stages. Click a stage in the sidebar to see the route map and profile - move your cursor along the profile to see a rider follow the route. The application also includes weather forecasts for the stages!

It's better seen than described, so click here to check it out, it's very impressive.

SCIENCE OF SPORT TOUR DE FRANCE ROUND UP
If you don't already read the Science of Sport blog, it's well worth a look. They're looking forward to the tour like most cycling fans, and they've collected some relevant prior posts, and some new commentary here - do add them to your rss feeds if you're following the tour this year.

CYCLOCOSM
A single heading for two good posts, first a bit of pre-tour talk, including a look at the "Radioshack won't start" rumours, and an interesting snippet on pre-tour coverage in the US;

I’m sick of the sad-music-for-Lance, evil-music-for-Contador recaps of last year, the LA vs. AC previews...

Which struck me as a bizarre spin on things from the broadcasters, given that a lot of the acrimony and division in the Astana camp last year seemed to stem from the Armstrong camp either not supporting, or lending only half hearted support to Bert as the self evidently stronger rider.

Cosmo also looks at the rules related to bunch sprints in this post, unpicking what the UCI says about what it's ok to do, and not do in the race for the line.

LE TOUR DES VINS
For a different look at the Tour De France, you could do a lot worse than Jack Thurston's "Tour Des Vins de France", a meander through the tour's stages sampling hop and grape. Mrs. Monkey has personally approved this approach to the tour, and is following Jack's articles with great interest.

WOMEN'S CYCLING
Podium Café have an interesting round up of the field for the Giro Donne, which runs from 2nd to the 11th of July. It's a treasure trove of links, related to the Giro Donne in particular, and women's cycling in general - have your bookmarks folder open when reading it.

INFOGRAPHICS
Information is Beautiful looks at the work of "Always with Honour", a duo you may not have heard of, but whose work you'll almost certainly recognise if you're a fan of Good Magazine's "Transparency" features.

Also well worth a look is this FIFA player value infographic, examined by Flowing Data - what would you do to improve it?

CHAPEAU
To Karl on Sea, who completed his Ironman triathlon. You can read his race report on his blog, and still sponsor him (a surer proposition now, if you were wavering, as you know he's completed the race) here. Monies will be going to Macmillan Cancer Support, an excellent charity that provides practical, medical, emotional and financial support to people affected by cancer, and advocates for better cancer care.