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GAME MANUAL

PCM09_Eng_01:PCM09_English_280509 01/06/2009 18:25 Page 1

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SUMMARY1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND INSTALLATION.......................................................................41.1. Hardware.....................................................................................................................................41.2. Operating System.........................................................................................................................4

1.3. Multiplayer ...................................................................................................................................41.4. Music...........................................................................................................................................41.5. Installation...................................................................................................................................41.6. Launching the game .....................................................................................................................42. GAME MENU ............................................................................................................................52.1. Custom Tour ................................................................................................................................52.2. Options........................................................................................................................................63. SINGLE PLAYER.......................................................................................................................73.1. Single Player menu choices ...........................................................................................................83.2. Using filters for choice of "Stage" or "Classic" races ........................................................................83.3. Load a game / replay....................................................................................................................84. TRACK RACING........................................................................................................................94.1. 3D Track Racing screen...............................................................................................................104.2. Track Racing controls ..................................................................................................................10

5. CAREER MODE.......................................................................................................................115.1. Navigating in Career Mode ..........................................................................................................115.2. Management Profile and Selection of Team ..................................................................................125.3. Custom Team .............................................................................................................................136. MANAGER MENU ...................................................................................................................136.1. Messages ...................................................................................................................................136.2. Goals .........................................................................................................................................146.3. Finances.....................................................................................................................................146.4. Sponsors....................................................................................................................................157. TEAM MENU...........................................................................................................................157.1. Squad ........................................................................................................................................157.2. Staff...........................................................................................................................................187.3. Training Camps ...........................................................................................................................187.4. Equipment..................................................................................................................................19

7.5. Scouting.....................................................................................................................................198. RACES MENU .........................................................................................................................208.1. Calendar ....................................................................................................................................208.2. Latest results..............................................................................................................................208.3. Season rankings .........................................................................................................................208.4. Under 23....................................................................................................................................218.5. Archives.....................................................................................................................................218.6. Season Stats ..............................................................................................................................228.7. National Team.............................................................................................................................229. WORLD MENU........................................................................................................................229.1. Search .......................................................................................................................................229.2. Shortlist .....................................................................................................................................239.3. Transfers....................................................................................................................................239.4. Injuries ......................................................................................................................................24

9.5. Magazine....................................................................................................................................249.6. Teams........................................................................................................................................2410. GETTING TO A ROAD RACE.................................................................................................2410.1. Race selection...........................................................................................................................2410.2. Select riders .............................................................................................................................2510.3. Race Strategy...........................................................................................................................2611. 3D ROAD RACE INTERFACE.................................................................................................2711.1. Common Elements ....................................................................................................................2711.2. Individual Road Race.................................................................................................................3011.3. Individual Time-Trial..................................................................................................................3311.4. Team Time-Trial ........................................................................................................................3512. MULTIPLAYER .....................................................................................................................3612.1. LAN..........................................................................................................................................3612.2. GameCenter .............................................................................................................................36


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Help - Technical support

For all Technical Support requests please ensure you provide precise details of your query to ourtechnical support team. These details should include the following points:

- Type of problem- When does this problem occur- Does this problem occur each time

Please include PC system information by using the dxdiag command.

HOW TO GENERATE A DXDIAG.TXT

For Windows XP : In the Start menu, use the "Run" command. In the new window, type dxdiag and

click on the "OK" button.

For Windows Vista : In the Start menu, enter dxdiag directly in the Search box and hit the Enterkey.

In the new window, click on "Save the system information" and make sure you note where the resultingdxdiag.txt file is saved.

Danish support : +45 89 44 22 79 open Monday to Friday 15.00 - 20.00

[email protected]

Norwegian support : +45 89 44 22 79 open Monday to Friday 15.00 - [email protected]

Swedish support : + 46 08 - 445 50 55 open Monday to Friday 17.00 - 20.00

[email protected]

Trademarks

All trademarks and registered trademarks used herein are property of their respective owners.

Cyanide. All rights reserved. Pro Cycling Manager 2009 and its logo are registered trademarks of Cyanide.

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Join the Pro Cycling Manager community at

WWW.CYCLING-MANAGER.COM

For latest news, downloads and forumhttp://community.cyanide-studio.com/pcm/index.php?rub=forum


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1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND INSTALLATION

1.1. HARDWARE

Your PC must be equipped with: 2.2Ghz processor, 1Gb RAM, a 128Mb DirectX (Ver. 9.0c or above)compatible 3D video card that supports Shaders 2.0 (NVIDIA GeForce 5900 / ATI Radeon 9600 orabove), 6Gb hard disk space, DVD-ROM drive, DirectX compatible sound card and a mouse or sim-ilar pointing device.

For best results, we would recommend the following hardware configuration: a dual-core proces-sor, 2Gb RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 7800 or ATI Radeon X1950 video card.

Do not attempt to overclock your processor nor any other component. You run the risk of dam-aging it permanently and making the PC too unstable to run this or any other program.

1.2. OPERATING SYSTEMYou require Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista operating systems. We recommend thatyou install the most recent drivers for your video and sound hardware. DirectX 9.0c or above mustbe installed on your system.

1.3. MULTIPLAYERTo play over a LAN you must have at least 2 PCs (equipped with 10/100Mbit network interfacecards) connected to the same network using the TCP/IP protocol. To play over the Internet youmust have a dial-up or broadband Internet connection and you must install the GameCenter soft-ware supplied with the game DVD. For more information see "12. Multiplayer", below.

An Internet firewall may cause the screen to freeze. For Pro Cycling Manager to run you will haveto authorise "PCM.exe" to access the network. Should you still have trouble you may have to deac-tivate your firewall (NB : a firewall protects your PC so deactivating it reduces the level of securi-ty). Should you do so, it must be reactivated when you have finished playing!

1.4. MUSICWith a DirectX compatible sound card installed on your system, it is possible to play any MP3 orOGG music files. The files must be placed in the "\Sound\Music" directory.

1.5. INSTALLATIONTo install the game you must have "Administrator" rights on the PC. Insert the Pro CyclingManager DVD in the DVD drive. If your PC is configured to allow automatic execution, the instal-lation process will begin. If the installation process does not begin automatically then run the"setup.exe" programme present on the DVD. An introductory menu will appear. Click on the "OK"button to start installation. It should only take a few minutes.

1.6. LAUNCHING THE GAMEMake sure you close all applications before launching Pro Cycling Manager, so that the game hasmaximum power at its disposal. Antivirus software can significantly slow disk access so you maybe required to deactivate it (NB: antivirus software protects your PC so deactivating it reducesthe level of security). Should you do so, it must be reactivated when you have finished playing!

NB: The Pro Cycling Manager DVD is protected with an anti-piracy mechanism. For ease of use,you are not required to always have the DVD in the drive. However, there will be a check every 3days. The first time you run the game, the DVD must be in the drive, but thereafter you can runthe game without the DVD being present. After three days you must put the DVD back in the drive.If the DVD is not present an error message will be displayed. If this happens, insert the game DVDand click on "Retry". If the DVD check fails, an error message will be displayed. Click on the"Information" button in the window and then, after a few seconds, on "Display the report". Save

the generated .txt file and send it to your local technical support. See the readme.txt file in the


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Readme folder, located within Pro Cycling Managers main directory on your hard disk.

If the DVD is recognised but the game fails to launch or if youencounter problems such as crashes or display errors, then it isprobable that your drivers are not up to date. This requires a

visit to the Microsoft website or to that of the manufacturer ofyour graphics card. See the readme.txt file for more details.

Whenever you click on the Pro Cycling Manager icon, an intro-ductory menu will appear. It allows you to launch the game,connect to Pro Cycling Manager's website, etc.

DB Editor: the database editor allows you to create your own game database. For more informa-tion check out the Pro Cycling Manager forum.

When you click on the "Play" button the actual game menu is displayed.

2. GAME MENUSingle Player: Launch a Career, a Stage Race, a single Stage, a Classic race or a Track race (see"3 Single Player").

LAN: Create or join a LAN game. (see 12. Multiplayer).Custom Tour: Create your own tour race, to be played in solo ormultiplayer games (see "2.1 Custom Tour").Options: Modify video, sound and Internet options (see below).When the game is first run, a hardware test decides the best set-tings. These should satisfy most players (see "2.2 Options").Credits: List of those who have worked on Pro Cycling Manager.Quit: Quit the game and, after confirmation, return to Windows.

2.1. CUSTOM TOURThe "Custom Tour" option allows you to create a tour from default Pro Cycling Manager stages orones that you have created yourself. When you click on the "Custom Tour" button a new pageopens. If you have already created a stage then a message will be displayed asking whether youwant to "Create a new race" or "Modify an existing race". If you have not created a tour, you willbe brought directly to the tour creation page.

2.1.1. Create a new raceFile: Enter the name of the file that will be saved to disk (you must include the ".xml" file extensionin this filename!) You MUST press the "Enter" key to confirm the filename.Race name: Type in the name that will identify the race inside Pro Cycling Manager. You MUST presson the "Enter" key to confirm the race name.Number of stages:You can have from 1 to 21 stages. Each time you click on the right arrow (toincrease the number of stages) a new line is added to the stage table below.Country: Select from a wide range of countries. When you click on a line in the stage table, the datawithin that line can be modified in the fields below.Stage name:You MUST press on the "Enter" key to confirm the stage name.3D race: When you click on the race name, you access the list of stages in your "CM_stages" folder.Choose the file that corresponds to your stage and press the "Confirm" button.Terrain: Choose from Flat, Hills or Mountain. It is imperative that the profile corresponds to the ter-rain in the 3D race file. Otherwise there will be problems with the race AI (artificial intelligence).Stage:Allows you to define the stage type (road race, individual time-trial or team time-trial)Mountain:Allows you to define which attribute (hill or mountain) is used by the game's AI when cal-culating effort. At 0 (or close to 0) it is the "hill" attribute; at 1 or close to 1 it is the "mountain" attrib-ute. It is, therefore, a good idea to set the figure to 1 if the stage is in the Alps. For a race such as

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Lige-Bastogne-Lige, the value should be around 0.15.Time gap: Defines the maximum time (in tenths of a second) between two riders before a newtime marker is set. The bigger the number, the more riders that will be included in a given group.7 = 7/10 sec, 10 = 1 sec, 20 = 2 secs. Normal settings would be:

- Finish at top of difficult climb = 7- Finish at top of gentle slope = 10- Finish on flat or base of descent = 20

You MUST put 20 for flat stages otherwise you will encounter problems with sprint finishes.NOTE: Save your changes at regular intervals using the "Save" button!The XML file is saved to the CM_Stages directory and the tours are automatically added to the listsof tours and stages in both "Stage Race" and "Stage" modes of play. Custom tours are also avail-able in multiplayer mode. However, you must make sure that you have the relevant XML file(s)before joining a multiplayer custom tour. It may happen that, before entering a multiplayer game,the host/client names do not match. Once inside the game the names should correspond.

2.2. OPTIONS

2.2.1. Display deviceThe default settings are those calculated by the installation software. You may change them, butfor performance that fits the physical capacity of your hardware, you should leave them as theyare. Settings that are fixed too high will substantially slow down the game in 3D race mode. Youcan select screen resolution (800x600, 1024x768, etc.) as well as the level of anti-aliasing(smoothing out of jagged edges) from 0 to a maximum of 4. The "Full screen" tick box dictateswhether the game is displayed inside a window or whether it is played in full-screen mode.

2.2.2. GraphicsAs with the "Display device" tab it is best to leave the settings as you found them. The "Details"options are self-explanatory and, again, you should work on the principle that the more youdemand of your hardware, the more you will slow down 3D race sequences. The role of the "Displaytowns" tick box should be obvious. Should your modified settings create display problems you canreturn to installation defaults by clicking on the "Confirm" button to the right of "Default settings".

The "Customisation of colours" button allows you to define the colours of Pro Cycling Managersmenus. It is not meant as a tool for everybody and so the interface is not very user-friendly !However, if you want to try, you simply click on one of the 10 buttons at the top-right of the screenand then move the cursor to the colour palette at the top-left. There the cursor changes to an eye-drop tool. The "Current colour" of the element is viewed at the bottom left and below that the"Preview" colour shows the colour that currently lies under the eyedropper. When you click with theleft mouse button, the current colour changes to the "Preview" colour and you'll see the result onyour menus in "Example :" to the right. When you have defined the new menu display, you cansave it by entering a name in the box at the base of the page. Click on the "Save" button to write

your definition as an XML file. It is possible to define several displays and any can be selected byscrolling through the list available from the drop down box at the bottom-left of the screen. To usea set of selected definitions, just click on the "OK" button. To restore Pro Cycling Manager's defaultcolours, select the "original.xml" file and click on the "OK" button.

2.2.3. Sound optionsClick on the "+" or "-" buttons to increase/decrease the various sound levels.

2.2.4. InternetAdjust the settings according to you connection speed. In case of doubt consult your Internetaccess supplier. The 10Mbps refers to a Local Area Network connection.


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2.2.5. GeneralLanguage: Pro Cycling Manager can be played in several languages (English, French, German,Italian, Spanish, Dutch, etc.) although the specific language selection depends on the versioninstalled. Race commentaries are not available in all languages. If you change language when inside

a Career or the various race modes not all texts will be "refreshed" until the whole page is changed.Currency : The game can be played in Euros, Dollars or Pounds (conversions are calculated atrates fixed in the 3rd quarter of 2007 !).Difficulty level: As standard, the game is set to "Normal" difficulty. You can change the level(Easy, Normal, Hard, Extreme) at any time except during a race. The level of difficulty impacts onthe level of performance of opposition teams during 3D races.Return to normal speed for important events: If this box is ticked, the game will return tonormal speed (x1) each time there is a crash, a puncture or an attack during a race being watchedat x2, x4 or x8 speed.Deactivate good/bad feelings in multiplayer mode: In 3D race mode the vertical rectangleat the tip of a rider's information box (see Individual road race, below) can blink depending onthe physical state of the rider. When it blinks red the rider is feeling bad and his performance drops.

Green blinking, on the other hand, means that he is feeling good and he gets a performance boost.These effects can be deactivated in multiplayer mode by un-ticking the box.Deactivate rider variables: This allows you to deactivate parameters such as a rider's preferredweather conditions in multiplayer mode, allowing all riders to be on a level pegging.Multiplayer Passive AI: This option allows you to deactivate the game's AI in multiplayer mode,so that only player input has an impact on 3D races.Do not display the windsock: When you tick this box, the red & white windsock that appearsover a selected rider is no longer displayed.Random fitness in Stage, Classics and Tour game modes: When ticked, riders' fitness willbe randomly calculated before each race. Does not apply in Career mode.

2.2.6. DatabaseIt is here that you select the database used by the game. At first installation, only one full data-base is available. It is called "OfficialRelease.cdb" and it is found in the game's "Database" direc-tory. It is in this database that such information as rider and team information is stored. There areprogrammes available that allow you to modify the database and personalise the game. For moreinformation we would advise you to visit the official game forum where an active community offersall sorts of databases: http://community.cyanide-studio.com/pcm/index.php?rub=forumNB: When you load a saved game, Pro Cycling Manager loads the database used when that gamewas active.

3. SINGLE PLAYER

When you select "Single Player" from themain menu you are taken to a menu pageallowing you start various types of sologames. You may also load an existinggame or replay.


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Only in "Career" mode will your game be saved and updated. A small window at the bottom ofthe page allows you to name a game. By default the first game is called "Game_001" and eachgame created thereafter will be called "Game_002", "Game_003", etc. You may, of course, enterthe name of your choice. When you exit your game, the game is saved automatically.

3.1. SINGLE PLAYER MENU CHOICESFirst click on the game mode and then click on the "Next" button to display a specific menu page.

3.2. USING FILTERS FOR "STAGE" OR "CLASSIC" RACESWhen you take part in a one-off stage or classic race you will find three filters at the top of thepage which will allow you quickly find a given race profile : Type, Terrain, Category.Type: Choose from "Road race", "Individual time trial" or "Team time trial".Profile: Choose from "Flat", "Hills" or "Mountain"Category: (Difficulty/renown of the race and quality of the opposition). "CTT" = Cya Top Tour,(the highest level), "T.HC" = Tour Hors Catgorie (2nd category), "T.1" = Tour 1 (3rd category).

3.3. LOAD A GAME / REPLAYThe Load a game page shows a list of games that have been played, with the type, when it wassaved and your current date on that game's race calendar. Select a game in the list and click on the"Load" button to restart. To erase a game, select it in the list and click on the "Delete" button.

Replays are stored in the game's "Replay" directory and three separate files (xxx.bin, xxx.cdd andxxx.cdi) make up the full "package". You can share replays with friends and family, but you mustsend the three files. To view a replay, select it and then confirm with the "Load" button. Replayscan be erased using the "Delete" button.

Menu

Career

Tour

Stage

Classic

Track

Team selection option

Real (in-game teams) orcustome team

Real (in-game teams)

Random

Custom (create your list)


Random



Random


None

Description

Enter Cycling Manager'sCareer mode

Compete in a full tourstage race with all its con-stituent stages(choice of 65 races)

Compete in one stage of astage race (choice of >500 stages)

Compete in one of theseason's "classics"

(choice of > 80 races)

Take part in 7 possibletrack racing events

Steps to follow

See "5. CAREER MODE"below.

1) Select tour2) Select team3) Select riders4) Select equipment5) Go to race

1) Select tour2) Select stage3) Select team4) Select riders5) Select equipment6) Go to race

1) Select race2) Select team3) Select riders4) Select equipment5) Go to race

See "4. TRACK RACING"below.


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4. TRACK RACING

The track racing module is independent of all other race modes and allows one-off races in 7 track

cycling events which take place in a velodrome.Sprint : This event is between 2 riders over 3 laps of the track. There can be from 1 to 5 rounds,with the first to complete the 3 laps declared the winner of a given round. The first to take a win-ning lead in the overall number of rounds is declared the overall winner.

Keirin : 6 riders compete against each other in an all-out sprint. The race starts with the ridersalready at 50 kph and with 3 laps to go. There can be from 1 to 5 rounds and all rounds must becompleted. The best placed rider over the fixed number of rounds is declared the overall winner.

Elimination Race : 16 riders compete against each other, with the tail-ender being eliminatedevery 2 laps. The last rider left wins the round/race. There can be from 1 to 3 rounds and all mustbe completed. The best placed rider across all the rounds is declared the overall winner.

Points race : The points race is a discipline in which ranking depends on the number of pointsaccumulated during each sprint. Points are allocated on the following basis : 5, 3, 2 and 1 pointrespectively for the first 4 riders across the line. In the final race the number of points is doubled.

Scratch : Take-on 15 opponents in a strategy-based race over a distance of 5 to 15 kms. The firstacross the line is declared the winner.

200 metres Time Trial : Can you get below the 10 second barrier ? For the first 550 metresthink about building up speed without burning-up all your energy. One piece of advice, use allavailable space to get the best time.

Omnium : A hard-fought tournament which encompasses the following disciplines : points race,scratch, 200 metres flying start and elimination. The winner is the rider with the most points fromthe 4 races.

There are 3 levels to each track discipline : Beginner, Junior and Professional. When you click ona level you are brought to the race definition page. Here you choose where to start the competi-tion : 1st round, quarter final, semi-final or final. You also fix the number of rounds (from 1 to 5,depending on the discipline), the choice of velodrome and, eventually, the number of laps.

When you click on the "Next" button you are brought to the rider/equipment selection page.Riders are defined by 3 characteristics : Acceleration (explosive burst of speed), Resistance (recov-ery of energy more or less slowly) and Stamina (most useful in the long elimination races).Equipment consists of a frame, a front and back wheelset plus a helmet. All pieces of equipmentare available.

When you click on the "Next"button you are brought to the

race status page. Here you willsee the race or series of racesthat are about to take place.Click on the "Next" button togo to the track and to startyour race.


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4.1. 3D TRACK RACING SCREEN

The screen is more or less the same for all 7 events. (Above is a composite image showing vari-ous elements that will be displayed at one time or another).

1) At the top-left of the screen you'll see a display showing your rider's current position, the num-ber of remaining laps and the distance to the finishing line.

2) Shows the number of rounds involved in a given race. The number is defined by the playerbefore the race starts. Due to the number of riders involved in an Elimination race, this panel isdisplayed after the race/round has finished.

3) Standstill bar : (Displayed only in Sprint races). It tells you how many standstills are avail-able to the rider. Standstill is possible when the speed of both riders reaches 0. To do this, bringthe riders speed to a minimum and then shift him right, up the slope of the track. When speedhits 0 the race is stopped and a small vertical panel is displayed. The new panel displays a ran-dom sequence of direction arrows that the player must reproduce by pressing the appropriatearrows on the keyboard. The first player who fails to reproduce the sequence must set-off again,

with his opponent optimally placed behind him. A rider is only allowed 2 "competitive" standstillsagainst an opponent. If he tries a 3rd, he is eliminated.

4) Effort gauge : For the first few seconds of a race an "AUTO" will be displayed, meaning therider is on auto-pilot. When it switches off you can change effort from low (green) to high(orange/red) using Up and Down arrows. A small blue triangle, at the base of the Effort Gaugeshows the rider's actual effort. This the real effort applied by the rider. The position may not nec-essarily correspond to the effort demanded of the rider. For example, a rider who has another riderdirectly in front of him will be blocked in his effort unless he moves to the side to gain a clear track.

5) Energy gauge : This is similar to the green energy bar in 3D road races. At the start of therace it is full and it slowly decreases as the race progresses. The gauge will refill automaticallywhen the rider makes a light or moderate effort. The gauge also displays a Maximum energy level.

This is the upper limit of energy available to the rider. As effort accumulates, this maximum willdecrease. The longer the race lasts the less likely it is possible to attain a maximum energy level.

6) Super Power gauge : This is similar to the red energy bar in 3D road races. It is used forexplosive effort and is used up very quickly.

7) Speed bar : In sprint races, the bars of both riders are displayed when both are on-screen asyour rider. The colour of the bar shows whether or not the rider is in the slipstream of a rider. Ifit is orange, the rider is exposed; if it is green, he is protected. A rider moving at 60 kph with agreen bar will consume less energy that a rider travelling at the same speed with an orange bar.

4.2. TRACK RACING CONTROLS

In Track Racing Mode, you control only one rider. The control keys are :

Left Arrow : Move rider to the leftRight Arrow : Move rider to the rightUp Arrow : Increase effort . You increase effort bit by bit each time you press on the key. Whenyou press very quickly, twice in succession, you immediately set effort to the maximum)Down Arrow : Decrease effort .V: Look over left shoulder. (You can't move the camera as in Road Race Mode)B : Look over right shoulder. (You can't move the camera as in Road Race Mode)Space bar : Press rapidly and continuously (do not hold down !) to enable Super Power.End : In a multiplayer race, enables you to move from display of rider's name to player's pseu-donym in the left panel.C : (only in Scratch race) Camera zoom in

D : (only in Scratch race) Camera zoom out


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5. CAREER MODE

5.1. NAVIGATING IN CAREER MODE

In Career mode the background screen always shows the same static items. It is the central areathat changes. Below you will find an image of the screen and a brief description of the static itemsthat will help or inform you as you advance through the game.

1) The name of your team.

2) Name of current page. The arrows allow you to track back through recently visited pages.3) The main menu tabs. Click on a tab do display the relevant sub-menu.

4) Icons giving direct access to the most important pages : Calendar, Riders, Finances, Magazine,Messages (with number), Search and Shortlist.

5) Current financial situation and sponsor confidence.

6) When you click on the "?" at the top right of the screen a message will ask whether you wantto open the "Options" page, to "Quit to main menu", "Quit to Windows"; or to "Cancel" (return tothe game). When you quit to Windows or to the main menu, your game is automatically saved.NB: Cycling Manager automatically saves your game as you advance through a season. Shouldthe game crash, without you having completed an ordered exit, your recent data will be saved.

7) The calendar bar gives you to direct access to a race or day across a whole season. It is pos-sible to scroll backwards and forwards through the calendar, displaying 14 days at a time.The bar is made up on several separate elements:a) The current in-game date is displayed at the left.b)Along the top are individual days over a 14 day period. If you place your cursor over any date,the names of all the races taking place on that day are displayed.c) Underneath each date there is either nothing or a coloured box. It is here that you can viewthe race calendar of your team. If there is no box, it means that your team has no race on thatday. A coloured box means a race, with each colour designating a specific type of race :

- White = World/National championships (always displayed, even if you are not registered!)- Light Blue (two shades) = Cya Top Tour races - Pink= Tour of Italy

- Mauve (two shades) = Continental races - Yellow = Tour of France- Gold = Tour of Spain

Icons on a given box indicate whether the day's race/stage is a time-trial, mountain or hill event.

When you click on a coloured box (an event) the race information (name, race profile, .) will bedisplayed. When you click directly on a date you can, if you wish, advance your game directly tothat date, with Pro Cycling Manager calculating events in your team and the wider cycling world.

Before the game initiates the simulation process it askswhether you want a "Simulation with interruptions" or a"Simulation without interruptions". If you confirm a jumpforward the game will advance day by day, calculating vary-ing elements as it goes. On-screen messages will announce

the arrival of messages on your "Messages" page.


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d) To the right of the calendar bar is a group of arrows that allow you to advance or to reversethe calendar.

Click on the large right arrow to advance to the next day/event. As each day goes byyou will receive various messages that concern both you and your competitors. The

small arrows allow you to advance backwards and forwards inside the calendar and thelooped arrow allows you to return to the current day.

5.2. MANAGEMENT PROFILE AND SELECTION OF TEAM

When you start a career you must create your manager profile. On the first page you will be askedto enter a name, date of birth, nationality (choose flag by scrolling through with the arrows). Thisdata can be fictitious. (Note:To use your own photo, it must be saved as a 64x64 TGA file to theCM_Gui\ManagerPhoto directory). Confirm the data with the "Next" button. You will then be askedto allocate 8 points between 4 management attributes: man management; financial management,sport management and youth development. Again, you confirm with the "Next" button.

A small window is then displayed which allows you to set the career options you wish to use.

Orientation of custom team : Allows you to define the orientationgiven to your team if you create a new custom team. The higher thevalue, the higher your team budget. However, you will have less infor-mation allowing you to detect promising young riders.

Evolution of attributes : This parameter allows you to adjust the speed at which a rider pro-gresses. The game is set to run correctly with a value of 0.5. The impact of the adjustment isdeliberately reduced so as not to completely unbalance the game. For a slower progression youmay reduce the value to 0. For a quicker progression you may increase the value to 1.

Database : As standard, rider potentials are identical and are fixed for each career that youundertake. If you tick the "Random" option this will change rider potentials and make careers lesspredictable.

Difficulty level : The level of difficulty translates the amount of money that you will receive fromyour sponsor for the first season.Easy : you receive more than your riders' wage bill.Normal : you receive the exact amount of your riders' wage bill.Difficult : you receive less than the amount of your riders' wage bill.

That brings you to the team selection page, where you choose the team that you will manage.The two tabs "Cya Top Tour" and "Continental Tour" are equivalent to the 1st and 2nd divisionsof world cycling. To the right of each team name is the country of origin and an evaluation of theteam's overall sporting potential (expressed in stars).


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When you click on a team (cursor stays red) the list of riders is displayed in a panel to the right.Beside each rider's name is his nationality, the average of his attributes, his age and his speciali-sation (mountain, northern classics, etc.). If you click on the name of a rider (cursor changes colourto yellow) you will open that rider's data sheet. Click on the "OK" button to return to the team page.

The "Custom team" button allows you to start a career with your very own team and riders ! (see"5.3. Custom Team" below). Once you have selected your team, click on the "Next" button. Thisbrings you to the heart of Pro Cycling Manager.

The sight of the Pro Cycling Manager management tabs confirms your arrival in your new job. Thedate is January 1st 2009, three weeks before the first race of the season, in Australia.

NB: The change of season takes place on the 15th October.. It may therefore be possible to see"No contract" marked in the next season column for riders who are currently in your team.

5.3. CUSTOM TEAM

At the top-left of the page, enter the name of your team, in full. Below that you can enter a short-ened version which will be displayed when space is tight. When space is tighter still, only 3 let-

ters are displayed, so enter them in "Initials". Nationality (displayed) and Nationality (real) applyto the "legal" residence of the team (used by the game's AI) as opposed to the actual nationalityof the team. You can then select a team jersey from the 10 on offer.

To the right are the permitted rider and salary parameters. Below is a list of riders with their char-acteristics and monthly salary cost. The list is split between unattached professionals "Free riders"and promising juniors "Young Riders". By clicking on the "=>" button you transfer a rider to yourroster on the left. This will impact immediately on the rider/salary parameters above. When aparameter is displayed in red you are above or below the defined limits. You may add/remove rid-ers until your roster and wage bill are balanced.

The "Young Riders" are juniors of unknown potential. By clicking on the "Scout" button you will begiven an immediate report on the worth of the rider. This will reduce the number of "remaining

reports" by 1. There are 4 possible ratings : No hoper, Worth watching, Promising, Future great.You may click on the "Filter" button to display riders of a given nationality and thus ease yoursearch headaches. This filter does not apply to "Young Riders" as the list only shows riders of thenationality chosen when you created your manager profile.

6. MANAGER MENU

6.1. MESSAGESThrough the Messages page you interact with all phases of the game (race invi-tations, secondary sponsors, player contracts) so you should pay careful atten-tion as the messages concern all the teams and riders that might impact on your

career. It is possible to view all at once by selecting "All" from the drop down menu, or to viewthem by subject matter: Team, Stage Race, Transfer, Injuries, Results, Promising Youngsters.

As the season advances, a multitude of messages arrive.Most can be ignored until you have the time. However, nowand again, an on-screen message will state that "Some mat-

ters require your attention". You must then go to the Messages page where you will find a mes-sage marked with a red dot. It may contain both a question and a set of possible answers or itmay contain a link to another page. You will not be able to advance without settling this issue.

You will regularly be invited to express an opinion on events via these messages. It will be possi-ble to talk to the media, talk "face-to-face" with a rider or talk to the team as a whole. The aimis to generate a small increase in rider or team morale or to satisfy your sponsors.

Each rider has a given character (which does not vary throughout the game) and he will have a

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certain reaction to an event. For example, following a race victory, 2 riders may not have the samereaction to being praised in the press or being talked to directly. The aim is to learn, bit-by-bit,the character of each rider so that you can react in the appropriate way when required.

Messages can be deleted in 3 ways. All messages in a given menu category can be deleted via

the "Delete all" button. Secondly, it is possible to select several messages for deletion via the tickbox in the first column and then to click on the "Delete selected" button. Finally any given mes-sage can be deleted as it is being viewed by using the "Delete" button at the bottom of the page.

6.2. GOALSThis page allows you to keep a constant eye on the expectations of your main sponsor. The con-fidence he has in you will slowly ebb away as the season progresses. You must therefore turn ingood results so as to maintain a given level of confidence, or even increase it.

Sponsor confidence is translated by the coloured bar displayed to the right of "Results". This is avital parameter which impacts on the future of your career. The level of confidence changes fromFebruary onwards, depending on your race results. Loss of confidence may see you looking for anew job at the end of the season.

Sponsor ambitions are shown by the vertical line across the confidence bar. On the 15th of Octobersponsors will base their decisions on the level of confidence lost or gained over the season. If con-fidence is beyond the vertical line your team revenue will increase next season, if it does not reachthe line your team revenue will fall.

Season goals: are the main desiderata of your sponsor. Achieving these goals will mean that thesponsor accords you a high level of confidence.

NB:A goal can only be achieved once in a season. For example, if your sponsor requires a stagewin in the Tour de France and you manage 2 wins, only the first will lead to an increase in confi-dence. The second win will, of course, be greatly appreciated, but the impact will be minimal.

Important races: are the races that your sponsor keeps a close eye on. The sponsor is very

attentive to results in these races and it is obligatory that your team shines ! Races are ranked bytheir importance to the sponsor, with 3 star races being the most critical. Getting good results inthese races will earn you more confidence than for other races.

The table at the base of the page lists results noted by your sponsor, with the race, the rider'sname, his position and the satisfaction of the sponsor in the shape of up to 5 "+".

6.3. FINANCESA certain amount of money is allocated to your team at the start of a season. It is up to you tomanage the monthly finances. The "General" tab gives you a view of your current financial situa-tion with a special emphasis on your riders' salaries. Your sponsor divides your budget into sever-

al accounts, with the wage bill being a major

item over which he will want to keep control.He therefore imposes conditions on the recruit-ment of riders (see 9.3. Transfers, below).The wages account sets a cap on your wage billand if you hit your wage ceiling your sponsorwill block any contract that promises a month-ly wage above 1500 Euros, until you get yourwage bill into line.

The transfer budget is the amount of money available to buy riders. Any purchase offer that wouldpush spending beyond this ceiling will be blocked. The rest of your available budget goes towardsgeneral running costs, purchase of equipment etc. The "Finances" tab shows the monthly and endof year balances, presenting all income and spending for your team.


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6.4. SPONSORSYou may sign up to 3 secondary sponsors. You will receiveregular offers on this page during the month of January. It'sup to you to decide whether the offers interest you. Each

will propose a fixed monthly sum plus a bonus associatedwith a given race objective. You may choose the difficultyof the objective and the greater the risk you take the moreyour potential bonus will increase.

Accept : An agreement is reached immediatelyWait : You put the sponsor on hold for a few days to prevent him from signing with a competitor.Refuse : You refuse the offer, opening the way for another sponsor to approach you.

Accepting an immediate offer is a safe bet. However, it usually pays to wait a while even thoughyou run the risk of a sponsor signing a deal with another team. Sponsors are classified accordingto certain criteria :Location: The flag of the country in which the company HQ is situated. An Italian sponsor will

probably not be interested in supporting a German team, especially if the team has no Italian rider.Line of business: Do not create competition between sponsors. If you already have a bankamongst your sponsors then no other bank will wish to partner you.

Budget: Companies with large sponsorship budgets usually seek to associate themselves withmajor teams.

7. TEAM MENU

7.1. SQUAD

The "Squad" page tells you all you need to know about your riders (attributes, contracts, injuries,season, fitness training and attribute training) available via the drop down menu at the top-rightof the table. The default display is "General" which displays a quick overview of each rider.

7.1.1.GeneralFrom left to right are the rider's nationality, name, aver-age attribute level and specialisation (climber, northernclassics, stage races). Then comes the rider's currentfitness. This is expressed in points out of 100, with rid-ers in good condition being indicated by a green square(see 7.1.6 Fitness below). Riders with yellow squaresshould be carefully monitored, while those with redsquares should be rested). Next comes morale, which

plays a major role in rider motivation. A depressed rider will be less successful than if he was feel-ing on top of the world! He could even waste a whole season if nothing is done. Rider morale isa difficult parameter to control, especially as it sometimes requires a difficult balancing actbetween the desires of a team leader and the demands of a sponsor. The quickest way to destroya rider's morale is by not delivering on promises made during contract negotiations! The numberof days raced during the current season is shown in the next column.

7.1.2. AttributesEach rider is characterised by 12 different abilities. A click on the abbreviation at the top of eachcolumn causes the list to be sorted in ascending or descending order, by that particular ability.

Flat (FL): Performance on the flat. Important for standard team members and those seeking towin one of the classics.

Mountain (MO): Performance in the mountains. Important for climbers and riders in stage races.

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Hills (HIL): Performance on hilly sections. Important for climbers and for the Classics.Downhill (DH): Indicates the capabilities of the rider on downhill portions.Time Trial (TT): Performance in individual or team time trials. Important for riders in stage races.Stamina (STA):Aptitude for prolonged effort. The higher the value, the more the riders ener-

gy lasts over long races. In the race interface Stamina is shown by a green bar.Resistance (RES): This shows the vivacity of a rider. The higher the level of resistance, the morethe rider is able to keep attacking. In the race interface Resistance is represented by a blue bar.Recovery (REC): This represents the aptitude to recover between two stages of a race.Important for riders who are aiming for a place on the podium in stage races.Cobblestones (COB): This shows the performance on cobbled sections that can be found in cer-tain classic races. Important for those seeking to win one of the classics.Fighter (FTR): Capacity to attack; to make the extra effort or to take risks to win a race.Sprints (SP): This shows the top speed (for stage finishes). Important for sprinters and for thoseseeking to win one of the classics.Acceleration (ACC): This represents the explosive nature of a rider that translates into his abil-ity to make decisive attacks or to gain the edge in a sprint finish.

Average (AVG):Average score of rider across all abilities.7.1.3. ContractThis area shows contract and salary information. It also shows rider status, which is fixed duringthe contract negotiation period. The "Valued at" column shows an estimated transfer price.

Absolute leader: Team is built around this riderSprinter: If the race profile is adapted, the rider will be supported with a view to a sprint finish.Protected rider: More of a free element in the team, but still expected to work for the teamLuxury team mate: Is expected to work for the leader, but may be given leader role in minor races.Team mate: Is expected to work for team mates and the team leader.Talented Youth:A young rider with a promising future, but still with a lot to learn.

For more information on contract negotiations see "9.3 Transfers", below.

7.1.4. InjuriesEach time a rider is injured, you will receive a message on your "Messages" page. It is here that youcan check on the health of your riders, track injuries and get an idea as to when they will be fit again.

7.1.5. Season"Currently" shows whether the rider is racing, is training or injured. As standard, the field is blank.Other information shows the number of wins and position of rider in current rankings.

7.1.6. Fitness TrainingIt is here that you manage the training programmes of your riders.

Fitness: Fitness (expressed in points) is made up of two components : "training fitness" + "race fit-ness" and it is displayed with the following syntax : Rider fitness points (training fitness/maximumtraining fitness + race fitness/maximum race fitness). "Training fitness" is the fitness level that isreached by doing training and it never exceeds a maximum of 80. This maximum decreases as riderfatigue grows. "Race fitness" is the fitness level that is reached by taking part in races and it neverexceeds a maximum of 20. Riders require a few races to get this figure from a starting value of 10.Once a rider starts to clock up a few races the maximum possible slowly decreases. A rider will there-fore be less competitive towards the end of a season if he already has plenty of races in the legs.Training: Here you adjust the intensity of a rider's training schedule. The harder he trains, thefaster his training fitness rises. However, too hard a training regime compared to current fitness -column "Fitness (training + race)" - may tire the rider out. Too relaxed a training regime and therider will be idling. Fatigue will be reduced, but so too will fitness.

Fatigue:As a rider trains to increase fitness he will start to build up fatigue, limiting the training


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fitness figure that he can reach. This, in turn, will prevent him from achieving a fitness levelrequired to race at maximum potential. To reduce fatigue, there is only one solution : rest ! Youmust therefore reduce the training regime and give the rider an easy time until he picks up again.Days raced: This shows the number of days that your rider has raced, so far, during the sea-

son. Keep a close eye on this value. A rider who takes part in too many races will see his maxi-mum race fitness drop away. Worse still, young riders, who have too long a season, may actu-ally burn out and lose forever the potential that they once showed.

7.1.7. Trainers

1) Specialisation:A rider has one of 7 possible specialisations : Climber, Sprinter, Time trial,Hilly classics, Fighter, Stage races, Northern classics. The specialisation is a function of the rider'sattributes and it is determined by the game's AI. However, it is possible to train a rider towardsa different specialisation, although the result cannot be guaranteed.

2) Training:Select the type of training you wish to apply to your rider. It is usually best to leavethe default values, unless you want to progress a rider in a different direction. The result of suchtraining is not guaranteed.

3) Trainer:You can choose which of your trainers looks after which rider. A rider can only haveone trainer at a time and a trainer's effectiveness decreases, the more riders he has to look after.This impact is reflected in the 'Riders (Effect)" column. A trainer who has 15 riders under his carewill have a "Very bad" mark whereas the effectiveness of a trainer who only takes care of 5 rid-ers, for example, will be "Excellent".

7.1.8 Rider Data Sheet

When you click on the name of a rider in the squad list, you will open up his personal data sheet.Various sub-pages are available via the drop-down menu at the top-right of the data sheet. Youcan therefore view the state of health of your rider, his preferences in terms of races and weath-er, his career results, etc. The most important sub-page is "Training", which allows you to fix the

training schedule of your rider. There are numerous pre-programmed schedules (available froma drop-down menu) that allow your rider to get into shape for the Ardennes classics or the Tourde France, for example. However, it is possible to build your own.

There are 6 levels of fitness, each with a given colour. The default level (1) is coloured light blue;then comes green, yellow, light orange, dark orange and red. It is impossible to move directly toa given fitness level without first having spent 2 or 3 weeks at the previous level. A rider aimingfor peak fitness during Paris Nice must therefore start training early and his programme will inno way resemble that of a rider aiming for the Tour de France.

It is impossible to edit any of the pre-programmed schedules,but the "Personal Schedules" can be adapted at will. Firstselect one of the 30 personal schedules and then click on the

magnifying glass icon. This opens an enlarged view of whatis, at first, a flat, level 1, fitness schedule. At the top of thepage is a list of all races on the calendar. When you click on agiven race, its position is shown on the calendar, below. Clickon the "Edit schedules" to open the editor. Click anywhere onthe existing light blue schedule to grow fitness level during agiven week. One click and the bar increases in height, chang-ing colour to green; a second click and it increases again,

changing colour to yellow. It is also possible to increase or reduce the size/colour of a bar byturning the mouse wheel. In this way you can push fitness during a given week to level 6.However, you must take into account certain constraints. A rider cannot reach level 6 fitness with-out first passing 3 weeks at level 5. Nor can he reach level 5 without first passing 3 weeks at

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level 4. Your schedule will not be saved if it does not adhere to these constraints and if you try tovalidate an erroneous schedule by clicking on the "Confirm schedule" button, a message will tellyou if the schedule contains errors. By confirming your schedule you save it as part of the defaultschedules file "CyclistSchedule.xml". However, it is possible to save your schedule by entering a

filename at the left of the window and by clicking on the "Save" button. You can thus save andreload several different schedules for different riders in different games.

Click on the "Quit" button and then on the "Return" buttons to go back to the rider data sheet.

7.2. STAFFThe staff page gives details on technical staff (scouts, trainers and doctors). Buttons at the bot-tom of the page allow you to "Extend" an existing contract; to "Release" a member of staff or tohire "New staff". The number of scouts is limited to 3. The "Renown" of a staff member can affectsome aspects of the game. For instance, the opinions of an internationally respected scout on thesubject of rider potential will prove to be more accurate than those of a regional scout.

7.3. TRAINING CAMPS

All teams do pre-season training in southern Europe or in the southern hemisphere to take advan-tage of clement weather conditions. If you have the required budget, you should organise a train-ing camp for your team during the month of January. It will have a positive effect on your rider'sfitness. There is a 5 point process when sending your team to a camp.

1) Select zone for your training camp.

2) Choice of camp:The different coloured dotscorrespond to available sites, with their differentspecialisations (Leisure, Pre-season, Mountain,Time Trial, Cobblestones and Hills).

Leisure: This camp enables a rider to rest hislegs. The effect on his morale is immediate!

Pre-season: Essential before a season starts. You will not have access to a riders training pro-gramme via the interface. The impact on fitness will be visible only when he returns from camp.

Mountain: Rider gains a 12 week (approx) bonus on his Mountain (MO) ability.

Time Trial: Rider gains a 12 week (approx) bonus on his Time Trail (TT) ability.

Cobblestones: Rider gains a 12 week (approx) bonus on his Cobblestones (COB) ability.

Hills: Rider gains a 12 week (approx) bonus on his Hills (HI) ability.

3) When you click on a dot you can view the cost and available booking period.

4) The Book button allows you to reserve the training camp.

5) The "Monitoring" tab allows you to keep track on planned or current training camps.When you click on the Book button a window opens, allowing you to set final details.

Dates:You can choose starting date and the length of the camp (from 3 to 10 days).

Choice of riders: Here you select the riders who will take part in the camp. You can select indi-vidual riders by clicking in their individual boxes or you can select all riders by clicking on the Allriders button. The cost of the camp depends on the number of participants.

Confirm the booking: Click on the "OK" button or abandon with the "Cancel" button. If you can-cel a camp that has been booked, you lose 50% of the cost if you do so before the start date and100% on or after the start date.

It is possible to organise simultaneous training camps, so one group of riders can be sent to train

in the cold of northern France while a second group could be enjoying the Mediterranean sun.


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7.4. EQUIPMENTThe equipment pages allow you to acquire frames, wheels and helmets for your team. At the startof your career your team possesses the entry-level models for each supplier. For this equipmentthe price box is already marked "Purchased". Each piece of equipment has up to six stars for Flat,

Mountain or Time-Trials. If you want to make a purchase, click on the "Buy" button. Severalcolours indicate availability. Equipment you havealready purchased or may purchase is written on a lightblue background. Equipment that is not yet accessibleis written on a grey-blue background (you may acquirethe frame, wheel or helmet in question only when youhave purchased the previous model in the range). Thename of the piece of equipment whose image you arecurrently viewing is indicated by a yellow suppliername connected to a yellow model name.

You can purchase all equipment available in the game. Each acquisition has a cost, but it will

improve performance.7.5. SCOUTINGScouting enables you to find young riders for your team. You may hire a maximum of 6 scoutsand each mission may take from a couple of weeks to a month and a half. It is therefore impos-sible to cover the whole globe. The greater the renown of a scout, the more reliable are hisreports. However, occasionally the reliability of a report leaves something to be desired.Therefore you should not hesitate to send a second scout to check a region already visited by acolleague. You may sometimes receive contradictory advice.

7.5.1. ScoutingYou can send scouts into 11 regions/countries, each of which is broken down into several zones.

1) Select zone.

2) Choice of region/country.

3) Information on selected area :

Rider profile: Shows the two types ofrider that will be found.

4) Scout information : Shows currentstatus of the scout. The wider the repu-tation of a scout, the more reliable are

his reports. Moreover you can see his aptitudes for detecting a particular type of rider : Classics,Mountain, Sprint or Time Trial.

The "Knowledge" bar is specific to each zone visited and the longer a scout spends in a givenzone, the more the bar will grow. Moreover, the scout will have a small bonus if he is from regionbeing visited. The longer the bar, the better the rider information gleaned. The longer a scoutstays out of a region already visited the more his "Knowledge" will ebb away.

5) "Send scout" button: Assigns a scout to the mission. The information on the region visited isimmediately posted in the table below the map.

7.5.2. ScoutsThe Scout page shows you information on each of your scouts : Current mission, reports, hisknowledge in a given region, etc. If you want to recall him from a mission click on the "Recallscout" button. Scouts stay on mission in a given zone until you recall them. They will constant-ly send back reports on individual riders they have looked at. These reports appear on the

"Reports" tab.


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7.5.3. ReportsA scout will send back regular reports on individual riders during a mission and you will have tocheck here regularly to see whom he has found. If the scout has visited several regions, you willhave to use the right/left arrows at the top of the table to move between zones.

It is possible to view the individual data sheet of a rider by clicking on his name. As an untestedyoung rider, his attribute values, preferences, etc will be unknown

At the base of the page there are two buttons: "Monitor" and "Sponsor".

The "Monitor" button allows you to assign a scout to check out a young rider. If the scout is still inthe region where he first spotted the young rider, the monitoring will last as long as the scout doesnot change zone. This will allow him to hone his opinion on the rider's potential. At the end of themonitoring period the comment in the "Estimated Potential" column may change. However, thisresult is always tributary to the reputation of your scout. The "Monitor" column shows for how manydays, if at all, the rider has been monitored.

If you do not wish to sign a rider immediately, but want to soften him up for a future approach

you can offer him some help - equipment, training, financing (or all 3). This is done by clicking onthe "Sponsor" button (also available on the young rider's personal data sheet). A small pop-upwindow then opens and you click on the sponsoring package of your choice. You will see his replyto your offer on your "Messages" page. You can wait till the end of the season before offering acontract. However, he may already be in contact with another team. Any link with an eventualsponsor is signalled in the "Team" column.

8. RACES MENU

8.1. CALENDAR

The calendar page contains 2 tabs: Registration and Calendar. Both allow you to view the race cal-endar for the month selected in the drop-down box (towards the top right of the page). You man-age your race registrations via the Registration tab. As standard, your team is entered in a cer-tain number of races ("Yes" in the inscription column). It is possible to register or cancel an inscrip-tion during the 4 weeks preceding a race. To enter, you must click on the line of a race that ismarked "Not invited" in the "Registration" column. The dates of the race are then displayed in greenon the calendar at the right of the screen. The "Request an invitation" button, at the bottom-rightof the screen, becomes active. When you click on it, a small pop-up window shows race details.

You confirm participation by clicking on the "OK" button. The inscription is then marked "pending".Check the "Registration" column on the following day to know if the race organiser has accepted.

A race with an "-" in the inscription column is inaccessible. Either because you are not in the 4 weekpre-race period or, in the case of a national championship, it is not a "team" matter.NB:You cannot be present at more than 3 races on one day.

Depending on the category of the race, the number of teams participating, the nationality of yourteam and its position in cycling's hierarchy, it will be more or less likely that an organiser acceptsyour inscription. Invitations for the major races are done via messages. For Cya Top Tour races,participation is obligatory for all teams in the competition. Races where your sponsor has fixed aspecific goal are marked with a gold star.

8.2. LATEST RESULTSThis page shows the most recent race results: individual stage result, overall individual table,sprinter table, climber table, team stage result and overall team rankings. Select the race for whichyou wish to view the results by using the drop-down box towards the top-right of the page.

8.3. SEASON RANKINGS

There are 4 tabs (Cya Top Tour, Continental Tour, Superprestige, Victories), behind each of which


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lies a different set of ranking tables. On the right of each page, a drop-down box allows you toview tables/results by individual, team or country for the selected season.

8.3.1. Cya Top TourThe Cya Top Tour (CTT) is made up of 18 top teams, participating in the following races.

Category A: Tour of FranceCategory B: Supergiro di Italia, Vuelta a EspaaCategory C: Milano - San Remo, GP Van Vlaanderen , Paris - Roubaix,

Lige - Bastogne - Lige, GP di LombardiaCategory D: Paris-Nice, Tour Tirreno Adriatico, GP al Pais Vasco, GP de Romandie,

Vuelta Ciclista a Catalua, Dauphin Libre, Tour d'HelvtieCategory E: Gent - Wevelgem, Maastricht - Valkenburg, La Flche Wallonne,

Hew Cyclassics, GP San Sebastian, Circuit de Plouay

Only the 18 teams belonging to the CTT can score points in these races. Points scored, go towardsindividual and team rankings. They are allocated according to the following scale :

Category A: 200, 150, 120, 110, 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 24, 20, 16, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 tofirst 20 riders in final overall table. 20, 10, 6, 4 and 2 points to first 5 riders on each stage.Category B: 170, 130, 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 52, 44, 38, 32, 26, 22, 18, 14, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 to first20 riders in final overall table. 16, 8, 4, 2 and 1 points to first 5 riders on each stage.Category C: 100, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 points to first 10 in a race.Category D: 100, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 to first 10 riders in final overall table. 6, 4, 2,1 and 1 points to first 5 riders on each stage.Category E: 80, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 points to first 8 in a race.

8.3.2. Continental TourDisplays individual and team rankings for the selected season(s).

8.3.3. SuperprestigeDisplays rankings for individuals, team or nations for the selected season. This ranking has no offi-cial value. For each result during a season (from position in the final overall table to the simplewearing of one of the distinctive race jerseys) teams of all divisions gain prestige points. This tableallows the establishment of an overall world ranking covering all teams.

8.3.4. VictoriesDisplays victories by individuals, team or nations for the selected season.

8.4. UNDER 23Here you can view the international rankings of the most promising riders in the Under 23 agegroup.

8.5. ARCHIVESThere are two tabs: Team and Races

8.5.1. TeamShows a list of achievements by all the different teams over your career. The default display showsyour current team for the current season. You can scan through an alphabetical list of all teamsusing the left and right arrows. If you click on the name of a team, a small pop-up window dis-plays a table by championship (Cya Top Tour or Continental Tour). Click on a jersey or name todisplay that team's list of achievements.

8.5.2. RacesShows a list of results in different races over your career. A drop-down menu (top-right of the


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screen) allows you to view information by various race categories: WC = World Championship, NC= National Championship, CTT = Cya Top Tour, T.HC = Tour Hors Catgorie, T.1 = Tour 1 (3rd cat-egory), T.2 = Tour 2, C.HC = Classics Hors Catgorie, C.1 = Classics 1, C.2 = Classics 2.

8.6. SEASON STATSShows the results and rankings for the key championships and races for a chosen season.

8.7. NATIONAL TEAM

You will not only have to look after your own team, but you'll also have to take charge of a nation-al team for the world championships which take place in September. This could be the nationalteam of your country (the flag you chose when creating your manager profile) or the nationalteam of your own cycling team. This is sorted out in January and you will receive a message (ormessages) in your message inbox. The "Information" tab of this page shows you the nation underyour charge as well as the dates for initial squad selection down to final selection of the team.Two tabs "Road Race" and "Time Trial" initially display all your national riders, but the list is whit-tled down as you make your selections.

9. WORLD MENUThis menu allows you to look beyond your own team and riders and is especiallyuseful when looking for new recruits among existing professional riders.

9.1. SEARCH

This page allows you to consult the list of all professional riders in the game's database. You mustuse the "Scouting" or "Under 23" pages to have an idea of what's happening with young amateurriders. You can use the drop-down menu (towards the top-right of the table) to view the list oncontract details, rider attributes or season rankings.

The filter in the bottom half of the screen allows youto search on various parameters (rider attributes,age, salary). Use the drop-down box to activate agiven parameter while the selectable values to theright allow you to set the criteria. When you thenclick on the "Search" button, the list of riders thatcorresponds to your criteria will be displayed. It ispossible to filter, using AND/OR operators up to atotal of 5 parameters. You can then save and recallyour filter using the "Save" and "Load" buttons. Toreset the filter use the "Delete" buttons on the right.

If you see a rider that interests you, click on his name to open his individual data sheet. There

are 3 buttons at the base of the page : "Sound out", "Contact" (if he has no contract for thecoming season) / "Make offer for rider" (if he has a contract) or "Shortlist".

Sound out : get an idea on a rider's aspirations regarding his status within the team. He will replyto you via the "Messages" page.

Contact or Make offer for rider : If you click on the "Contact" button outside the transfer nego-tiation window (July October) you will receive a message telling you to wait until July. If the rideris currently without a contract, a negotiation pop-up will be displayed. If a rider's contract extendsinto the following season, a "Make offer for rider" button is displayed. However, you cannot nego-tiate with him as transfers are only possible in October. See "9.3 Transfers" below for more details.

Shortlist : Create a small list of riders that you wish you track.

See "9.3 Transfers" below for more details on negotiations and transfers.


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9.2. SHORTLISTThe Shortlist displays a list of those riders on whom you wish to keep a close eye.

9.3. TRANSFERS

The Transfers page is where you manage your contract negotiations. By using the drop-down box,at the top right of the table, you can view a list of your riders (with their contract dates, status,salary), your current negotiations and the names of riders being transferred out or in.

The Pro Cycling Manager season is broken into two distinct parts. The race season runs from the1st January through to the 15th October. From this point to the end of the year is the closed sea-son. For the riders it is a holiday period, but for the manager it is the period when he seeks tobolster his team with new talent. It is when he can negotiate with both riders and their teams. AllPro Cycling Manager contracts run to 15th October the following year.

A manager can sound out any rider (to find out the status he is looking for) at any time of theyear. From the 1st of July to the 15th October you may offer a contract for the coming season toa rider who will be without a contract on the 15th October (a rider who is currently without a team

or a rider who is currently with a team, but whose contract is not being renewed). If you do signa rider who will be out of contract, you will not be obliged to pay compensation to his team.

Dates Actions1st January - 1st July Renew contract with riders within your team1st July - 15th October Offer contract to riders who have no contract from 15th October15th October - 1st January Offer contract, buy, sell

Access the contract negotiation system via the rider's data sheet. It can be opened at any timeby left-clicking on the name of a rider (the cursor will change colour to yellow). All rider datasheets look the same, except for the three action buttons at the base of the screen.

The negotiations pop-up window is split into 3 parts. In the top third yousee what the rider is looking for. In the second third, you make your

offer, covering status, length of contract and salary. Be careful, becausea rider's promised status will play heavily on his morale if it is notrespected. You may tick the "Sprinter" box if you wish to offer the ridera role as sprinter. In the bottom third of the window, you will see yourcurrent salary spending (see "6.3. Finances", above).

A rider may introduce a contract condition (team staying in a given divi-sion, for example) into contract negotiations. Should the condition notbe fulfilled the contract will not be valid.

When you confirm your offer, the rider will be displayed the following day on the "In Progress"page of the "Transfers" menu.

9.3.1. Contract talks with your own ridersRenew: This allows you to renew a contract with an existing team rider, which will take effect onthe 15th October. The earlier you start contract negotiations with one of your existing riders, theless chance you have of seeing him attracted to an opposing team.

Release: This allows you to break a contract with an existing rider. However, you will have to paya certain amount of compensation, depending on the remaining contract period.

Sound out: Contact a rider to see if he is willing to join your team and under what status.

9.3.2. Talks with riders under no contractYou can sound out and shortlist a rider who is without a team, but should you want to sign himyou must click on the Contact button. It allows you to contact a rider who will be out of con-tract on the 15th October or who is currently without a team.


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9.3.3. Talks with riders under contract with opposing teamsYou can sound out and shortlist a rider from an opposing team, but should you want to buy himyou must click on the "Make Offer for rider" button. The button is active all year round, but nego-tiations are only possible between the 15th October and the 1st January. When you have the

agreement of the team, you must negotiate with the rider.

Opposing teams can also contact you to make offers for riders in your team. The value of a riderdisplayed on his personal data sheet and his status serve as indicators as to his transfer value.

Status Description

Absolute leader Team is built around this riderSprinter When the race profile is suited, the rider will be supported with a view to

a sprint finishProtected rider More of a free element in the team, but still expected to work for the teamLuxury team mate Is expected to work for the leader, but may be given leader role in minor racesTeam mate Is expected to work for team mates and the team leaderTalented Youth Young rider ( 22 years old) with a promising future, but with a lot to learn.

9.4. INJURIES

Here you may consult a list of injured riders. For riders on "Your team" you may assign a doctorto reduce the time a rider is unavailable. For riders on "Other teams" you can see information onthe injury and the expected return date.

9.5. MAGAZINEThe magazine page will bring you short interviews with managers and riders as well as informa-tion on race favourites and monthly awards.

9.6. TEAMSThis page allows you to look through the Cya Top Tour and Continental Tour teams and to viewdata sheets on individual riders.

10. GETTING TO A ROAD RACEYou can arrive at a race by two routes: in the course of a career or through a one-off selectionfrom the "New game" page. However, whatever the route, getting to the starting line goes throughthe same process: race selection (done by the game in "Career" mode); display of race/stageinformation; selection of team/riders and selection (or purchase) of equipment.

Simulate a race: By pressing on the "Simulate" button, the game will run the race for you (noton-screen), in a matter of seconds, and display the results. You will, however, be required to givea few race instructions before a simulated race gets under way (see "Simulation" below.

10.1. RACE SELECTIONIn "Career" mode races are imposed by Pro Cycling Manager's calendar. Your team is invited to acertain number of races, de facto, and you may add others, as you see fit. As you advance throughyour season the game will bring you automatically to a race when the scheduled day arrives.

The profile of the race will be displayed. In the top left-hand corner of the page you will see,amongst other things, the name of the race and the distance. To the right you will see a diagramshowing the lay of the land and the position of intermediate sprints (if any). Below the diagramyou can view three different tables using the "" arrows. The "Bonus" table shows youtime and financial bonuses at the various sprint markers. The "Ranking" table shows current racestandings and the "Team" table allows you to see how individual teams are faring. Once you havefamiliarised yourself with what is at stake you may click on the "Next" button.


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10.2. SELECT RIDERSThe selection of riders is a key process on your route to a race.Unless you have simulated the start of the race you should beable to select your team as you see fit. At the bottom-left of

the page, a message will give you the minimum and maximumnumber of riders. All that is required is for you to click in the"Participation" column to the left of the rider's name. Riderinformation that is displayed is controlled by three menu choic-es from the drop-down box at the top-right of the table:

"Abilities", "Season" and "Condition". (Only "Abilities" is present in one-off races). The "Condition"page shows the fitness level for each rider, the number of days raced and his experience.

Certain riders will have certain demands as to their race programme during a season. If a riderwants to take part, or refuses to take part, in a race a message is displayed in red at the base ofthe screen. Be careful not to frustrate a rider by regularly disregarding his desires. Each time yougo against his wishes he will lose confidence in you and his morale will decline.

Once you have selected your team, click on the "Next"button to be brought to the "Equipment" page. This pageis different from your "management" equipment page intwo respects. Firstly, you only see the equipment that youeffectively own and, secondly, the notion of"Configuration" has been introduced. A configuration is amix of frame, plus front/rear wheels and helmet.

There are three configurations possible for every type ofrace (C1, C2 and C3 for road and mountain races and TT1, TT2 and TT3 for time-trials). You builda "configuration" by first selecting it in the drop-down menu (towards the top-right of the screen)and by then adding the equipment mix. As you change the different elements you will see theimpact of the configuration in flat, mountain and time-trial conditions. The make-up of the con-figuration is confirmed when you select a new configuration number in the drop-down menu. Allthree configurations are displayed, side-by-side, in a box to the left of the screen.

Above that is a list of your riders. You can assign a given configuration to the whole team or youcan assign different configurations to each individual rider. It pays to have a good idea of the raceprofile and the abilities of your riders before building and assigning equipment configurations.

Once you have equipped your riders with the required material for the day's race click on the "3DRace" button to get to the starting line of your race. If you click on the "Simulate" button youenter the race simulation process with the next step being Race Strategy (see 10.3 below).

If you click on the "3D Race" button you are brought to the rider status page. Here you assign arace status to each rider, with the proviso that a team must have, at least, one leader and one

sprinter.Leader: Will have the leader board in his sights and will manage his race accordingly.Team-mate: No aims on individual rankings and will ride for the good of the team and its leader.Sprinter: No regard for the leader board. Goals are intermediate sprints and the finish.Free: No constraints placed on him, but he may serve as team-mate.

The race status given to each rider must, of course, be coherent with that written in the rider's con-tract. Too great a deviance, and the rider(s) may get annoyed. During the course of a stage raceyou should avoid changing status from race to race. Effects on team morale will be disastrous.

Click on the "3D Race" button to continue towards the race.


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As the race elements load, the screen on the left isdisplayed. It shows the jerseys of the teams enrolledin the race and lists the race favourites. The timetaken for all the elements to load depends on the

power of your PC.NB: The podium takes place when all riders havecrossed the line. To speed things up, you canincrease the race speed to x8 when all members ofyour team have crossed the line.

10.3. RACE STRATEGYSimulation is an easy way out, but it does require that you choose individual race strategies foryour riders. It is on the Race Strategy page that you attribute a race status to each of your rid-ers, with the proviso that a team must have, at least, one leader and one sprinter. This status willhave a considerable impact on a riders morale as well as on his race performance.

Leader: Will have the leader board in his sights and will manage his race accordingly.Team-mate: No aims on individual rankings and will ride for the good of the team and its leader.Sprinter: No regard for the leader board. Goals are intermediate sprints and the finish.Free: No constraints placed on him, but he may serve as team-mate.

The race status given to each rider must, of course, be coherent with that written in the rider's con-tract. Too great a deviance and the rider(s) may get annoyed. During the course of a stage raceyou should avoid changing status from race to race. Effects on team morale will be disastrous.

You can assign a specific race strategy to each rider, via the drop-down menu in the race strate-gy column. The applicable strategies depend on the status of each rider. A leader cannot act as ateam mate, for example. The table below summarises the possibilities: (Y = possible, N = impossible):

StatusStrategy Team mate Sprinter Leader FreeTeam-mate for Y Y N Y No exertions Y Y Y Y Normal ride N Y Y Y Breakaway N N Y Y Take risks N N Y Y

It is also possible to give specific orders to each rider by ticking the checkboxes at the bottom-

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