March 2025

[ECS Cycling]

Milano-Torino done.

[Robyklebt]

And for the clever types who like it simple and don't really see the point of all this excitement here...

https://www.procyclingstats.com/races.p ... category=1

[Gipfelstuermer]

Preview online... better late than never!

A few important things:

1) Thanks for any csv and links. I use the UCI published calendar which you can download in Excel Format here

2) "Races to be checked" means that in most cases they do not need to be designed in the first step. They only need to be checked. Take a look at previous years profile/map and see if it is identical. If not, find the changes (like Roby did on Strade Bianche). If the changes are big, ok, completely new design might be necessary. If there are zero changes, perfect, can re-use archived profile. But usually, like here, changes are small, so you can then go and modify the existing profile. To do that, here as an example, go to More > Editor > Profile Editor > Search Profile > "strade" > click on the edit button of the profile "strade_bianche24" > Clone Profile > name it "strade_bianche25" > save and then start editing it, save it again, post it here, done. If you want to be nice, also create the race in the race editor, with all the details like recurring event, mintact, date, editions, etc. Then I put it in Calendar Planner. And very very important, if any of this doesn't work, keep mentioning it here and/or to me and/or at best to Alk, which has highest probability to be changed then quickly. Now in March, there are many many such races to be checked. Mostly one day races, but also stages like last stage Catalunya can be checked like this and do not need to be re-designed. Good luck.

3) Fantasy Races, not many in March, I will need to look for a new fantasy races planner. Taka and Dreizehn offered help via PN (hopefully OK for me to mention it here). So I will to decide between the two, what a luxury for me Some others like Radunion/OL/ECS are also nicely involved here. This is good, thank you a lot! So I need to think about if I can delegate some of the calendar work. AAD also has some tools for managing the fantasy calendar. Whoever takes the job, can learn from that. I will let you know / keep you posted.

Then regarding March content:
- TA and PN two editions best for participation I think, but can be convinced to offer more if there are lots of people expressing interest in a specific time.
- Catalunya then gets slightly different times than TA/PN. No other stage races needed in March, I think.
- One day races are also quite clear, standard March calendar really. Let me know if I forgot anything or put stupid times somewhere.
- Categories ! Strade... should it go up to 5 finally? If yes, is that an isolated case, or do we need a bigger review of classics categories? Opinions welcome as usual.
- Anything else, pls let me know.
- Final PDF still planned for 25th (because only 3 days to put things online), I think, so better be quick

[drei.zehn]

Then regarding March content:
- TA and PN two editions best for participation I think, but can be convinced to offer more if there are lots of people expressing interest in a specific time.

Nizza 13h/14h would be nice.

[olmania]

But usually, like here, changes are small, so you can then go and modify the existing profile. To do that, here as an example, go to More > Editor > Profile Editor > Search Profile > "strade" > click on the edit button of the profile "strade_bianche24" > Clone Profile > name it "strade_bianche25" > save and then start editing it, save it again, post it here, done. If you want to be nice, also create the race in the race editor, with all the details like recurring event, mintact, date, editions, etc. Then I put it in Calendar Planner. And very very important, if any of this doesn't work, keep mentioning it here and/or to me and/or at best to Alk, which has highest probability to be changed then quickly. Now in March, there are many many such races to be checked. Mostly one day races, but also stages like last stage Catalunya can be checked like this and do not need to be re-designed. Good luck.

That's important info. is it available somehwere else in a thread with all advices for designers f.e ? would be useful there (and even better if integrated in the game's editor !). Thanks !

[Radunion]

Not sure about 4 times for Catalunya. It is a specialized tour and the side program is very strong. Last year it was 9-5-8-9 teams. If you think we have more teams now, it is fine, but in that case, you could add a 3rd TA edition you will certainly be asked about. PN had worse participation last year so a 3rd edition looks like a bad idea.

And yes, I use the UCI Excel file as well, but I see no reason to create the overview manually if you can spend 10 times the effort to write a short script doing it for you.

[olmania]

Not sure about 4 times for Catalunya. It is a specialized tour and the side program is very strong. Last year it was 9-5-8-9 teams. If you think we have more teams now, it is fine, but in that case, you could add a 3rd TA edition you will certainly be asked about. PN had worse participation last year so a 3rd edition looks like a bad idea.

Agree on these points ! Even if we don't have details yet about Catalunya (and it will arrive late in March), they mentionned 3 summit finishes; so, probably a specialised tour again this year.

If TA gets a third time : early evening ?
From 7th or 22nd, not a single race of official calendar is planned at 21. Maybe a little more 21 in these weeks ?
GP Emilia not ridden (even on a wrong date ?)

[olmania]

Faun Drome Classic => looks similar. only 189kms, but not a big deal as I don't see any difference, maybe GPS issue. All good to use same profile imo.

Trofeo Laigueglia => same issue as Drome about the distance, should be 10kms less, but don't see where there are the ones to remove. Micheri climb should be 8/8 and not 8/7 imo, but no big deal. Profile of last year can be used without big problem imo. if someone has time to re-design it by hand, why not !

Trofej Umag => did not find info, but no reason/hint to be different from last year.

Grand Prix de Denain => looks a little different, a pain to design, but I can try to do it next week

Classic Loire Atlantique => same as last year

Cholet Agglo Tour => same as last year, one KOM needs to be added km9 (probably forgot it last year)

La Roue Tourangelle Centre Val de Loire => final part is similar but first laps look a bit different. if I have time I will redesign it. if no time, using last year profil won't change the face of the race as the final 50kms are the same.

and I let the classic races in Belgium to be checked by the ones more used than I to these races/designs; thanks !

[Elaska]

Not sure about 4 times for Catalunya. It is a specialized tour and the side program is very strong. Last year it was 9-5-8-9 teams. If you think we have more teams now, it is fine, but in that case, you could add a 3rd TA edition you will certainly be asked about. PN had worse participation last year so a 3rd edition looks like a bad idea.

And yes, I use the UCI Excel file as well, but I see no reason to create the overview manually if you can spend 10 times the effort to write a short script doing it for you.

+1

4 editions for catalunya is maybe too much looking at the side.

For TA would really like an early evening edition if possible. TA will normally get more participation than PN

[Tukhtahuaev]

Also think that 3 Catalunya editions should be enough. Would prefer 14h to stay as that's the time I'm most likely to ride

[flockmastoR]

Strade Bianche should be cat 4 not 5

[Robyklebt]

For me an upgrade to cat 5 for STrade Bianche seems ok, actually clearly better than leaving it at cat 4.

We don't just follow the UCI. If we did, yes, it should stay at cat 4. Like (most) of the other WT races without obligatory participation for WT Teams. But since we don't... it clearly has gained a lot of prestige in a very short time, clearly already more prestigious than all other cat 4 races, and probably more than all cat 5 races too. Even if we're conservative, it has certainly overtaken stuff like E3, Hamburg, Plouay, the Canadian Races. But actually probably San Sebastian, Gent-Wevelgem, the Flèche Wallonne (Sniff), Amstel, and whatever else I'm forgetting too. Strade Bianche cat 5! Donkey pro!

PN and TA I support the way it is now, as long as we don't have the numbers for more, 2-2 and changing every year, so 25 it's morning and early evening PN, TA afternoon and evening. Easiest. Not convinced with 18+19 getting nothing, it's not like 20 has such super superb stratospheric numbers... 18 Bessèges was very strong, and generally 19 is always good.

Catalunya, we had 4 last year, we probably have slightly more users this year? And it makes planning easier to have 4, otherwise you get the problem what general time to cut. So IMO we can do that again this year, numbers will suffer, but they will anyway I think, they always do for Catalunya and E3/GW parallel. Even with 3 editions

Main point was Strade, rest is just to add my 2 cents..

[flockmastoR]

For me an upgrade to cat 5 for STrade Bianche seems ok, actually clearly better than leaving it at cat 4.

We don't just follow the UCI. If we did, yes, it should stay at cat 4. Like (most) of the other WT races without obligatory participation for WT Teams. But since we don't... it clearly has gained a lot of prestige in a very short time, clearly already more prestigious than all other cat 4 races, and probably more than all cat 5 races too. Even if we're conservative, it has certainly overtaken stuff like E3, Hamburg, Plouay, the Canadian Races. But actually probably San Sebastian, Gent-Wevelgem, the Flèche Wallonne (Sniff), Amstel, and whatever else I'm forgetting too. Strade Bianche cat 5! Donkey pro!

PN and TA I support the way it is now, as long as we don't have the numbers for more, 2-2 and changing every year, so 25 it's morning and early evening PN, TA afternoon and evening. Easiest. Not convinced with 18+19 getting nothing, it's not like 20 has such super superb stratospheric numbers... 18 Bessèges was very strong, and generally 19 is always good.

Catalunya, we had 4 last year, we probably have slightly more users this year? And it makes planning easier to have 4, otherwise you get the problem what general time to cut. So IMO we can do that again this year, numbers will suffer, but they will anyway I think, they always do for Catalunya and E3/GW parallel. Even with 3 editions

Main point was Strade, rest is just to add my 2 cents..

Ok. Didn't think of it as being an upgrade. Maybe better communicate it when it is. Just thought it might be a mistake.

[cataracs]

You didn't put the fantasy wc race in the pdf, is it cancelled?

[Robyklebt]

Ok. Didn't think of it as being an upgrade. Maybe better communicate it when it is. Just thought it might be a mistake.

- Categories ! Strade... should it go up to 5 finally? If yes, is that an isolated case, or do we need a bigger review of classics categories? Opinions welcome as usual.

It was communicated. In question form, and then added at 5 provisionally (I suppose) to the preview. The faithful and thorough readers knew that something was up. (But of course the Donkey missed it in the preview itself...)

[flockmastoR]

Ok. Didn't think of it as being an upgrade. Maybe better communicate it when it is. Just thought it might be a mistake.

- Categories ! Strade... should it go up to 5 finally? If yes, is that an isolated case, or do we need a bigger review of classics categories? Opinions welcome as usual.

It was communicated. In question form, and then added at 5 provisionally (I suppose) to the preview. The faithful and thorough readers knew that something was up. (But of course the Donkey missed it in the preview itself...)

Ok then I was just not concentrated enough while reading the text.

[Elaska]

For me an upgrade to cat 5 for STrade Bianche seems ok, actually clearly better than leaving it at cat 4.

We don't just follow the UCI. If we did, yes, it should stay at cat 4. Like (most) of the other WT races without obligatory participation for WT Teams. But since we don't... it clearly has gained a lot of prestige in a very short time, clearly already more prestigious than all other cat 4 races, and probably more than all cat 5 races too. Even if we're conservative, it has certainly overtaken stuff like E3, Hamburg, Plouay, the Canadian Races. But actually probably San Sebastian, Gent-Wevelgem, the Flèche Wallonne (Sniff), Amstel, and whatever else I'm forgetting too. Strade Bianche cat 5! Donkey pro!

PN and TA I support the way it is now, as long as we don't have the numbers for more, 2-2 and changing every year, so 25 it's morning and early evening PN, TA afternoon and evening. Easiest. Not convinced with 18+19 getting nothing, it's not like 20 has such super superb stratospheric numbers... 18 Bessèges was very strong, and generally 19 is always good.

Catalunya, we had 4 last year, we probably have slightly more users this year? And it makes planning easier to have 4, otherwise you get the problem what general time to cut. So IMO we can do that again this year, numbers will suffer, but they will anyway I think, they always do for Catalunya and E3/GW parallel. Even with 3 editions

Main point was Strade, rest is just to add my 2 cents..

So for you Catalunya = PN/TA, even with the side program to Catalunya.
PN and TA are also more popular than catalunya.

I have some BIG doubts about that.