People who've been around this site for more than a month will recognize the acronym "VDS" and all that it implies, but I know there are always a few newcomers, so let's reintroduce our in-house, on-line, completely free contest: the Podium Cafe Virtual Directeur Sportif Tour de France Competition! Intro... and updates!
- The nuts and blots: this is essentially a fantasy game, minus the creepy-sounding "fantasy" name. Each team selects any nine riders from the Tour startlist, except you have a set budget to spend (100 points, IIRC) and will have to budget wisely among riders ranging in price from 25 to 1.5 value points. Your riders score points based on their stage results, standings in all of the four jerseys, and extra points for the final standings. Everyone who logs in to this site (which can be done without any privacy invasion) can form a team, and only one team. It costs you bubkis, and when it's all said and done the winner of the contest will get a really, really sweet wool jersey.
- This has nothing to do with the year-long VDS contest. That is a more complicated setup, and runs on its own track. If you have a year-long VDS team, you don't need to choose your Tour team from there; and your year-long VDS will keep scoring points from your existing roster. If you don't have a team in the year-long comp, this Tour-only competition is meant to let people join the fun even if they missed the start of it all.
- UPDATES!! We have changed a number of the rider values, which I am still finalizing and will publish tomorrow, if Clydesdale (a.k.a. Our VDS Overlord) is ready for the rollout. The point of it is to make sure there are no Andy Schlecks out there who are clearly undervalued and show up on 95% of the teams. And to make sure there are no Petacchis listed at such a high salary that nobody will take them. This contest, unlike the Giro, will involve harder choices... and much more diversity in the teams.
- One last update: stage wins will be worth more! 100 points, I recall. And the polka-dot jersey will be worth less. IMHO, it's contested now by about 5 guys and has become a total bore. People might disagree, but in regards to this contest executive decisions must be made, so there you go. Feel free to base your team around the maillot pois but you won't win.
It's all on, starting tomorrow. Rosters will be due the day before the Tour begins, and if you turn it in sooner, you can make changes up until the deadline, as guys are added or dropped from the Tour. Enjoy!