I love PCM and play all the time. Have not bought a version since 2016 though since I'm happy with the game and the yearly improvements/changes have not been all that riveting. Yes, you have to download the modded databases when you start, but it's no big deal.
What I like is that you can play different ways. Create your own cyclist and control just him (and a few teammates supporting him) and the kind of cyclist you create makes for totally different experiences. If you make a sprinter, it's entirely different than a climber, or classics rider, or stage racer, etc. Or you can play as the team manager and control the entire team, giving yourself different goals for the season and the different races. You might push your sprinter in one race (or stage) and your climber in another. You might go for the breakaway win. There are endless possibilities.
And you can also play the track cycling part of the game. I have not spent much time with it, but it's fun on it's own.