XC Fantasy Mid Season Analysis

We are now over halfway through the 2019 season and with four races completed let's take a look at how the points are stacking up in the Fantasy League.

Race Results
2019 has seen Kate Courtney dominate the women's field taking three wins in four races. Last years overall winners Jolanda Neff and Nino Schurter had slow starts to 2019 but they are right back on the pace as we pass the halfway point in the series.

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Podium finishes

In the Elite Men's category, it's Mathias Flueckiger, Nino Schurter and Henrique Avancini tied with three podium finishes out of the four races so far in 2019. All three riders have seen pretty consistent results across the year so far with Schurter proving to be back to his winning ways after his victories in Vallnord and Les Gets.

After last season Jolanda Neff was expected to be a threat for the podium in 2019 but after her shock win at World Champs, no one knew what Kate Courtney could bring to the table in 2019. It turns out though that she has beaten off the curse of the Rainbow Jersey and taken three impressive victories.

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Top scoring riders

At this point in the season, teammates Kate Courtney and Nino Schurter are the only riders to break 800 points and have proven to be constant contenders for the top spots at each race, making either rider a good choice for your fantasy team. Mathias Flueckiger and Jolanda Neff both sit at the midpoint of the season with 710 points each and just like Courtney and Schurter and very consistent riders and unless disasters strikes can guarantee you a good number of points.

Top 5 highest scoring riders:
1st. Kate Courtney: 860
2nd. Nino Schurter: 830
3rd. Mathias Flueckiger: 710
4th. Jolanda Neff: 710
5th. Anne Terpstra: 630

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Best value riders

Now that we are at the mid-point of the season we can see which riders give the best return on their price. Looking at the Elite Women there are three riders that stand out as the best value for your limited money. Anne Terpstra has to be the number one choice for every fantasy player with an impressive price to point ratio of just $119. Also, she has proven she can win races with her first-ever Elite Wolrd Cup victory in Vallnord and she could very well secure another win before the season is over. Rebecca McConnell is another low-cost rider who is scoring big in 2019. Kate Courtney could be the bargain of the year with a decent ratio of $418 a point and scoring the most amount of points of any rider at 860.

For the Elite Men, Peter Disera is having a great year with consistent top results that regularly see him around the top 10. Ondrej Cink is also flying this year and almost managed an impressive win in Vallnord. Again Mathias Flueckiger is a great pick and has been a danger for the top sports since he won in Albstadt at the beginning of the year.

Women:
Anne Terpstra: $119 a point: 630
Rebecca McConnell: $123 a point: 486
Kate Courtney: $418 a point: 860

Men:
Peter Disera $195 a point: 307
Ondrej Cink: $426 a point: 375
Mathias Flueckiger: $535 a point: 710


But what if you already have your perfect team and need to fill the last spot with only a small amount of money left? Luckily there are plenty of riders who won't cost you over $75,000 and have all scored at least 100 points. Anne Terpstra is a great low priced rider with a cost of just $75,000 and scoring over 600 points so far she is a great way to fill out your team without sacrificing points.

If you are really short on budget then Thomas Griot in one of the cheapest riders in the Fantasy League but he is having a great season and has secured over 200 points in the last four races. As said earlier, Peter Disera is a good choice for his point to price ratio and becuase he only costs $60,000 he is also a great way to complete your team if you are low on funds.

Women:
Adelheid Morath: $50,000: 176
Rebecca McConnell: $60,000: 486
Anne Terpstra: $75,000: 630

Men:
Thomas Griot: $40,000: 204
Martin Fanger: $55,000: 140
Peter Disera: $60,000: 307

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Most popular riders
Amazingly, Kate Courtney has been chosen by 63% of Fantasy League players, which is over double that of the next closest rider Nino Schurter who is picked in 30% of teams. Anne Terpstra comes close at 26% and is closely followed by Mathias Flueckiger and Mathieu Van Der Poel. Unlike the Downhill fantasy league where a large number of players had still selected Injured riders to be in their team, most notable in Tahnee Seagrave with 7% of teams still containing the rider, XC Fantasy Players has managed to remove injured riders from their teams.

Top 5 most popular riders:
Kate Courtney: 63% / 8084
Nino Schurter: 30% / 3772
Anne Terpstra: 26% / 3355
Mathias Flueckiger: 23% / 2935
Mathieu Van Der Poel: 22% / 2859

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Winning teams at each round

Round 1, Albstadt
@mestapho: 982 // Mathieu Van Der Poel, Mathias Flueckiger, Peter Disera, Kate Courtney, Anne Terpstra, Ramona Forchini //
Round 2, Nove Mesto
@nils2017: 1065 // Mathias Flueckiger, Mathieu Van Der Poel, Matthias Stirnemann, Kate Courtney, Rebecca McConnell, Anne Terpstra //
Round 3, Vallnord
@Glorious-MTB: 995 // Gerhard Kerschbaumer, Mathias Flueckiger, Ondrej Cink, Yana Belomoina, Jenny Rissveds, Anne Terpstra //
Round 4, Les Gets
@BuffaloWally: 1010 // Nino Schurter, Ondrej Cink, Peter Disera, Kate Courtney, Haley Smith, Rebecca McConnell //

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Current top five teams

1st. @piperalbrecht: 3690 // Mathieu Van Der Poel, Mathias Flueckiger, Peter Disera, Kate Courtney, Anne Terpstra, Rebecca McConnell //
2nd. @RussL: 3598 // Gerhard Kerschbaumer, Stephane Tempier, Ondrej Cink, Kate Courtney, Yana Belomoina, Anne Terpstra //
3rd. @eaxs: 3565 // Mathieu Van Der Poel, David Valero, Stephane Tempier, Kate Courtney, Anne Terpstra, Rebecca McConnell //
4th. @hervelogirl: 3531 // Henrique Avancini, Gerhard Kerschbaumer, Ondrej Cink, Kate Courtney, Anne Terpstra, Rebecca McConnell //
5th. @FrenVDV: 3472 // Mathieu Van Der Poel, Mathias Flueckiger, Peter Disera, Kate Courtney, Ramona Forchini, Anne Terpstra //

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MENTIONS: @trek / @SramMedia

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