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VELOGAMES FANTASY TOUR DE FRANCE 2009
Welcome to Velogames, the site of Fantasy Cycling.
One day to go before the start of Fantasy Tour de France 2009!
The Velogames Fantasy Tour de France is open for entries and there is one day left until the deadline of 1550 CET on Saturday afternoon! Make sure to get your team entered! Once you have checked out the rules, you can register your account and set up your team on the Entry Form page.
The rider list is now set, there will be no changes to the list, including if Tom Boonen is allowed to start the race.
Team Changes
The team changes tool is now available on your team roster screen. You can redraft your team using this tool for any last minute rider changes or simply a reconsideration of your team selection strategy.
Velogames Premium Access
Velogames Premium Access adds to your enjoyment by introducing 4 extra competitions into the game, and allowing 2 bonus teams (making a total of 3 teams for each Premium subscriber) which you can use to target these extra competitions or simply have a second chance at the main competition. For more details, check out the Velogames Premium Access page and also the Premium Competiton Rules page. Sign-ups for Premium Access are now available, and access costs £5 (approximately 6 Euros or 8 US Dollars).
Mini Leagues
The popular Mini League system returns in Fantasy Tour 2009. Sign up now on the Mini-Leagues page and invite your friends, family and colleagues into your league.
Tour de France Preview
The Tour de France 2009 is billed as a battle between the team mates. In the Spanish corner of Team Astana is race favourite Alberto Contador, winner of three Grand Tours including Le Tour 2007. And in the veterans camp is returning champion Lance Armstrong, who needs no introduction and is gunning for a record 8th Tour de France title.
Ranged against them are the young chargers from Luxembourg, Andy and Frank Schleck, and the defending champion Carlos Sastre who is bound to make his move when the roads tilt upwards towards the sky.
Denis Menchov cannot be discounted - the Russian Rabobank rider won the recent Giro d'Italia and is known to fare better with many miles miles in his legs. And Australia's Cadel Evans will return to fight for the title that has been so nearly within his grasp these last two years.
And then there are the outsiders. Dark horses like Kim Kirchen, Roman Kreuziger and Stijn Devolder will be hoping to out-fox the leading teams. Super domestiques like Levi Leipheimer and Robert Gesink may declare loyalty to their team leaders, but will be waiting in the wings to strike out on their own if things do not go to plan for their captains.
The overall title is not the whole story. Young sprinting superstar Mark Cavendish will come up against the likes of Daniele Bennati, and perhaps Tom Boonen, for the first time in a Grand Tour this year. Davide Moncoutie will be looking to win the King of the Mountains jersey and give the French supporters a lift.
The battle between Contador and Armstrong will surely be the main plot but, as shown above, so many stories are still waiting to be written.
It should be a vintage year!
About the Velogames Fantasy Tour de France
Now entering its 12th year, the Velogames Fantasy Tour de France brings all those riders - and their watercarriers - together into a festival of cycling on the roads of France.
Players act as team directeurs sportifs, in charge of their own 9-rider roster. Pick your team to stay within the budget and select the right composition of all-rounders, climbers, sprinters and loyal domestiques to lead your team to glory.
Riders score points based on a detailed scoring system that rewards all aspects of the performances seen at the Tour de France.
Of course, there are points available for stage results and the yellow jersey standings, but also many more Velogames scoring categories such as the points, mountains and combativity classifications.
The scoring system allows you to follow your team live on the road, as your heroes rack up points for breakaways, intermediate sprints and mountain summits.
Last, but by no means least, assist points give rewards for the hard-working team-riders who sacrifice their own chances to support their team leaders.
Premium Competitions
In 2009, Premium subcribers can compete in four extra competitions, including the fight for the green jersey in the Sprints Competition, and the polka-dots in the Mountains Classification.
The all-new Medal Race rewards the first riders across the line each day, and do not forget the Premium League that puts all the premium directeurs in a single table to fight it out for Fantasy Tour glory!
Premium Access is availble for £5 (UK Pounds), and allows access to all these extra competitions, each with their own prize money.
Premium subscribers will also gain two bonus teams, which you could use a second-chance in the main competition or, like in real life, target the individual competitions that best suit your goals.
What now?
The Velogames Fantasy Tour de France site will go live for entries on either Sunday 28th June or Monday 29th June, after the real-life teams have announced their final 9-rider rosters for the race.
In the meantime, take a look at the links on the left-hand side. The rules are now available and the scoring system is published. A provisional rider list is up on the site, but expect this to alter when final teams are announced and we hear the news of Tom Boonen's appeal to ride in this year's event.
Have a look at the riders, rules and scoring system, and think about the riders will lead your team to glory in the Velogames Fantasy Tour de France 2009!
I look forward to seeing your team on the roads of France!
- George Chapman, Owner of Velogames
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