RULES

OVERVIEW

Each player takes the role of a Directeur Sportif of a professional cycling team. The aim of the contest is to select the best possible team of 9 riders, whilst operating within the conditions set on team selection. The better your racers perform during the 3 week event, the more points they will accumulate for your fantasy squad.


TEAM ENTRY

You must use the official entry form to submit your team.

Entry into the Fantasy Tour de France is free for each player.

Only one team is allowed per player. Multiple team entries by a single player is not allowed and could lead to teams being disqualified from the game.


CLOSING DATE

The deadline for entries to be submitted is 1300 CET (Central European Time) on Saturday 7th July.


TEAM SELECTION CRITERIA

In order that each player creates a balanced team, the following important constraints are placed on team selection:

Teams are given 100 VeloCredits to select their riders. VeloCredits are the Velogames "currency", and each rider is given a value in VeloCredits, based on their prospective points-scoring abilities. The VeloCredits values are based on past results and recent form, with an emphasis towards those riders who have been successful in past editions of the Tour de France.

Riders are split into 4 Rider Classes, which reflect their supposed strengths, weaknesses and role within their team. These categories are All-Rounder, Climber, Sprinter and Domestique.

Each team must contain 2 All-Rounders, 2 Climbers, 1 Sprinter, 3 Domestiques and 1 Wild Card. The Wild Card selection may be from any rider category, and allows a team manager to specialise somewhat in the team they pick.

There are no other team selection criteria apart from staying within the 100 VeloCredit limit and making sure that the correct composition of Rider Classes is selected.

There will be no rider substitutions during the race, even if riders abandon during the race. The 9 riders that you start the Tour with will be the only riders who will score you points during the event.


RESERVE RIDERS

If any of your riders drop off the start-list, you are welcome to re-draft your team before the closing date.

If any of your selected riders do not start, they will be replaced with the most similar alternative of similar credit value. This will be an automatic replacement. Where possible, riders will be replaced with their team-mates within the similar credit band.

SCORING

Your riders score points for their real-life performances in the Tour de France, based on the Scoring System. Please follow the link in the main Fantasy Tour menu for the detailed scores.

At the end of the 3 week event, the team whose riders have amassed the most points is declared the winner of Fantasy Tour de France 2006.


OFFICIAL RESULTS

Stage points are given out based on the official race standings, as shown the official race website. Scores become "confirmed" for Velogames purposes at 2300 CET during the evening following each stage. If a rider is removed from the standings after this time, for any reason (eg disqualification, doping) the points gained for that stage will stand. Immediate disqualifications or declassifications (such as for irregular sprinting) will be taken into account when deciding the Fantasy Tour points, as long as these penalties are announced before 2300 CET. Back-dated disqualifications and reversal of results (even for doping offences) will not be taken into account after the 2300 CET deadline, and the rider will keep his points. This rule certainly should not be viewed as an acceptance of doping by Velogames. The technical difficulties of back-dating scoring adjustments would be immense. Also, it is not fair to excessively punish players who have selected a rider in good faith, even if that rider is subsequently exposed as a cheater.


UPDATE SCHEDULE

A scoring update will be made either on the evening of each stage or the following day, after the official results have been compiled at 2300 CET. The aim is to make a daily update. In instances where it is not possible to update the site on a daily basis, a full update will be made as soon as possible to keep the scoring information up-to-date.


PRIZES

The prize for first place is a Velogames cycling jersey (worth 50 euros). If you win it, Velogames would appreciate a photograph showing you wearing it at the top of a mountain pass somewhere in the World!