with the final grand tour starting next week, i thought that we might run a variation of the tipping comp and make things a lot less complicated.  unlike the tour de france tipping comp where you have to change your tip every day, this will be a sweepstake where a team is randomly assigned to you.  unlike other sweepstakes where it is just the gc, sprint, etc winners that get all the money, we will be assigning prize money in the exact same way that the organisers do.

what this means that that when you are assigned a random team that has no hope of winning the overall, you will still get money for every intermediate sprint and mountain pass that your team collects. every stage has 2 intermediate sprints and each will add to your overall winnings.  The total prize pool of the vuelta a españa is 1,057, 890 euros.  the tipping prize pool is $440.  we will be assigning prizes based on the same percentage that the actual race uses.  this means that although an intermediate sprint may only be worth a few cents each stage, money is awarded to the following categories –

• top 20 finishes
• top 3 teams
• most combative
• team in gc leaders jersey
• team in points leaders jersey
• team in mountain leaders jersey
• team in combined leaders jersey
• top 3 in each intermediate sprint
• top 2 in each mountain pass
• stage 14 top 2 on the special climb

on top of everything your team earns in those categories across the 21 stages, there is also the following prizes awarded at the end of the race –

• overall gc top 20
• team top 8
• points top 3
• combined top 3
• mountain top 3
• most combative

so, you see that even though your daily prize may not be much, at the end of the vuelta a españa, every person, should receive some winnings.  also, the hardest thing you have to do is enter.  all the work is done behind the scenes to determine just how much you have won.

so, to enter go to the shop and purchase a vuelta a españa sweepstakes entry for $20.  i have put a 22 item limit on the purchase, so once all the teams have been sold, that will be it.  the teams will be randomly assigned at the coffeeshop next saturday 24th august the day that the vuelta a españa starts.

good luck.

click here to purchase an entry