Critérium du Dauphiné
A Flamme Rouge Playthrough
This is a prologue to our planned playthrough of a recreation of the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné.
This is an annual cycling stage race which has been held over 70 times since the Second World War. The race consists of 8 stages and this playthrough will follow all 8. I will be using Flamme Rouge base game and the Peloton expansion to do this. I am setting aside the Meteo expansion this time around, so it will not be needed. The stages and the overall race reconstruction are not our own; they are the brainchild a Boardgamegeek user called @OsAsTk.
This playthrough recreates the race which took place between the 9th and 16th June 2019 in France and Switzerland. The winner of the General Classification in the actual race was the Danish rider Jakob Fuglsang from the Astana team.
Our race includes 6 teams of 2 riders, so 12 riders in total. Each team will have a generalist Rouleur and a Sprinteur. My human will be playing solo and will control the green team, as he always plays green in every game. I am not sure this is a healthy approach to gaming or life in general, but then humans are mostly odd and unfathomable.
The race will also include a peloton team and 2 muscle teams which will follow the appropriate rules set out in the Peloton expansion. The remaining 2 teams will be what the course designer terms ‘Brain’ teams. I have simplified these ‘Brain’ team rules somewhat to suit my style of play.
In essence, the ‘Brain’ teams will mostly function as if they were controlled by a human player. So, they take exhaustion cards, if required. Between stages, ’Brain’ riders will discard all exhaustion cards not used during the stage, but will then gain exhaustion for the next stage if the rider is the stage winner or if the stage ends on a climb section of track (rather than a flat one or a descent). These exhaustion criteria are cumulative.
On their turn, ‘Brain’ riders draw 4 cards just as the human player does, but then play a card according to a predefined system. Here, using a modification of the creator’s format, the rider will play the 2nd highest card drawn and then recycle the rest. Once the draw deck is exhausted and reshuffled, the rider will then continue to play the 2nd highest card if in front of his team-mate but will play the highest card if behind. After the recycle deck is shuffled for a second time, the rider will always play the highest card. When approaching the finishing line, the rider will always choose the card that takes him furthest past the line.
The Teams
We would now like to introduce the 6 pairs of gladiators determined to battle it out over the 8 gruelling stages of the Critérium.
First, we have one of our muscle teams Team Camargue, aka the Manade.
This established team has long been involved in road racing and has many triumphs to its name. As its name suggests, the team is based in the Camargue, in the town of Arles to be precise. The team races in white, reflecting the light colour of the region’s famous cattle.
Rouleur (right) — Michel Blanc, a native of the Provence region of France; he grew up surrounded by the famous horses on the Ile de Camargue; a tragic bout of flu as a teenager meant he lost his sense of smell and so his career as a horse whisperer was cut short before it had even begun. He is known for his resilience and love of oats.
Sprinteur (left) — Federico Bianchi, born in Milan and brought up in the Po delta, Federico is also a devotee of the Cavallo del Delta. Distantly related to the motorcycle manufacturers, he has always been drawn to two-wheeled transport.
Second, and racing in green, is the team controlled by my human. This is the ingeniously named Racing Green.
This team’s name harks back to the famous colour of British Formula 1 racing cars from the golden era of motor sport, the so-called British Racing Green. Since 1987 the team has been based in West Kingsdown (UK), near Brands Hatch motor racing circuit. The team tries to have at least one Kentish rider to reflect its local roots and they are proud that Sevenoaks-born Frankie Moss is in the saddle at present.
Rouleur (right) — Niklas Groen, born in Amsterdam, he has cycling in his blood as his family run a cycle repair shop. When not cycling, he can be found running along the polders that criss-cross the Netherlands.
Sprinteur (left) — Frankie Moss, not related to his namesake, the racing driver Stirling, he nonetheless feels the need for speed.
Third is our Peloton team, Blue Mountain.
Sponsored by an anonymous Caribbean coffee baron, Blue Mountain rides in blue of course and is famed for its flamboyant style. Daring breakaways always seem to lack something when a Blue Mountain rider is missing. Their motto is ‘winning is good but winning with panache is what makes life worth living and cycling worth the sweat and tears’.
Rouleur (right) — Héctor Azul; this Colombian veteran is all heart, he can be guaranteed to give his all, especially in gruelling mountain stages; he is ever-popular with the tifosi and his one complaint is that the classic races of Europe aren’t held at altitude.
Sprinteur (left) — João Ultramar, the Brazilian lightning bolt is a born sprint specialist; his flamboyant victory celebrations have become a staple of road race finishing lines; there have even been rumours of renaming the Green Jersey, the Ultramar.
Our first ‘Brain’ team are The Red Dragons.
Established some 30 years ago by former Welsh rugby union flanker, Dai Llewellyn, the Red Dragons are proud of their Welsh heritage. However, as Llewellyn finished his rugby playing career at Toulouse, the team has its base in the picturesque walled city of Carcassonne, not far from the foothills to the Pyrenees. Their star rider (and professional Welshman) Rhys Coch is also a fanatical rugby supporter as well as being a rugged and uncompromising rider.
Rouleur (right) — Rhys Coch, the son of a Welsh miner from the Valleys, he spent his youth exploring the hills of Snowdonia on two wheels; it might be a cliché, but when not cycling he is a stalwart of his local choir or he can be found cheering on Pontypridd RFC.
Sprinteur (left) — Michał Czerwiński. This naturally gifted rider hails from the wind-swept shores of the Baltic Sea. Howling gales, swirling sand and the smell of fish being freshly smoked in home-built smokehouses, these represent Michał’s natural habitat. He is never happier than when he is battling against a raging headwind.
Our second muscle team, and the fifth team in the race, are The Rose Racers.
This Jordanian team is a relatively new player on the scene. Their 2 main riders typify the international dimension they bring to their work. Part of their ethos is to promote road cycling in non-traditional parts of the world. Rumour has it that they are in advanced talks with major sponsors to establish a new Grand Tour to rival the 3 established European tours. There may be interesting times ahead.
Rouleur (right) — Rock Salmon is a hard-nosed New Yorker, known for his no-nonsense approach to life. He lives and breathes cycling and demands the same of his team-mates.
Sprinteur (left) — Hansie Pienk, aka ‘the gazelle’. He is a novice road-racer from South Africa but is showing the potential to be a world-beater. This boy from the veldt is rapidly finding himself at home in the hurly-burly of professional cycling.
Last, but not least is our second ‘Brain’ team Black Eagle Racing.
A newcomer to the road racing scene. This team is sponsored by Eagle Corp, a company specialising in producing high-end cashmere, both the raw product and in finished form as clothing. Eagle Corp is based in Khovd, the capital of Khovd Province in the far west of Mongolia. The success of local boy Khariyn Battoyrog encouraged their entry into the professional cycling world. Company CEO Ganboldiyn Delgersaikhan is on record as saying that he wishes to link his company’s products with the glamour of the cycling Grand Tours.
Rouleur (right) — Kyle Blackstone likes to think he was born half kangaroo; a typical Australian outdoorsman, he enjoys a challenge and is willing to grind out the miles at the end of the peloton.
Sprinteur (left) — Khariyn Battoyrog is a rare example of a professional rider from the Mongolian steppe. His fearsome final burst of speed is respected and feared in equal measure. His rivals have learned never to give him an inch when the prize is in sight.
