The transfers starts tomorrow so we have decided to reveal our Team Equipment in an last desperate try to gain interst from some riders.
The Bike
Our bike sponsor is BMC so there was no secret that we were going to compete on BMC bikes this season. However, we have now decided to go for their top model Team Machine SLR01. BMC also sponsors the Festina - Conec team, with riders like Alberto Contador, Markus Fothen and Filippo Pozzato so this bike should be good enough for us.
The Wheels
The wheels are probably the most important part of the bicycle so we decided to get the best wheels avibale. Mavic is one of the most well-known wheel-brands in the bunch and plenty of races have been won on Mavic wheels. We have chosen the Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate wheelset for our team since it's the most all-round wheel in ther range. They are light enough for the Alps, stiff enough for Paris - Roubaix and aerodynamic enough for an time-trail.
The Helmet
Our team is young and it's important for us to protect them in case of an crash. The helmet is the cyclist's only protection and you should not scrimp with this! We have chosen the Bell Volt helmet for our rides. It's not the lightest helmet but one of the best and coolest helmets for sure.
The glasses
What is an cyclist without an pair of Oakley glasses? Probaly nothing so we have decided to equip our riders with Oakley Radar glasses. They will look cool at least!
The shoes
The shoes connects your body with the bike so this is an important part of the cyclist as well. In 2012, our team will be equipped with Northwave shoes.
Posts: 1294 Joined: 23.07.08 Location: Hull, England PCM$: 1030.00
@AlstomBIC wishes @delhaizecyclingteam and all other teams Goodluck in the transfer coming up hope you get all the guyss you want. And good luck for the season.
Edited by jt1109 on 14-07-2011 22:27
The transfers have now been open for 24 hours and the first threads was sealed for a couple of hours. Currently, 10 riders have signed for Delhaize and when you look at the riders you can confirm the rumors: Delhaize will not be the best team but one talented team for sure. Enough said about that, let's meet the first 10 riders who signed for Delhaize!
The first riderwho signed for Delhaize was Tim Mertens. 26-years old Mertens is one of the most experienced riders in the team and he will be our team-leader. Mertens is an all-round rider who can time-trail well and he has an decent sprint as well. Mertens is probably not good enough to win something, unless he is an an break, but he can place himself into the top-10 in different terrains.
The other rider who signed for Delhaize was our best sprinter and our chance to take any victories this season. Dietmar Lambrecht is not the best sprinter in the pack but if we are lucky, and we will be lucky, he can take an victory and save our season. However, we would still be happy if Lambrecht managed to finish within the top-3 one single tie during this season.
The third signing was also an sprinter, a little bit younger prehaps, Joris Wagemans. Joris is 24-years old and has an amazing sprint and good potential. I think we will see this guy in Continetal or Pro Tour in 1-2 seasons.
The 4th and 5th signing were two similar riders, Yannick Eijssen and Steve Bekaert. They are both promising climbers but they stil have an long travel to the top. However, they're both young 23 (Eijssen) and 22 (Bekaert) years old and their future is bright.
The 6th signing is an real wild-card... Stijn Giradi is 25-years old, has an great potential but low stats. An top-50 in a race should be an good result for Giradi but, at least, we have some great potential and he is an great fighter (78).
The 7th signing is our youngest team member and just like Giradi, an top-50 is an good result here. His name is Alessandro Vanvuchelen and he is 21-years old. We don't know what kind of rider Vanvuchelen is, but he has an great potential.
Our best hilly rider is Tim Vermeersch and he was our 8th signing. However, an top 20:th in a hilly stage would be good but Vermeersch is an decent sprinter and very experienced rider so don't underestimate him!
Finally, our two last signing this day, Gijs and Justin Van Hoecke. They have the same surname but I don't know if they're brothers or something. They are not twins though, because Gijs is 21-years old and Justin 23. Justin is an better rider than Giljs but they got one common thing: They have good potential. And that's what this team is all about, potential.
Edited by laidbackmarc on 17-07-2011 21:15
After two days of the transfers other managers are talking a lot about the belgian teams, especially Het Nieuwsblad who have managed to sign a couple of strong riders without any competition from the other Belgian team, more specific my team, Delhaize. People are talking about an deal between us and I have mentioned this deal before but the truth is: there is, or was, no deal. When it was confirmed that there was two belgian teams I was contacted by Nieuwsblad's mangerAlakagom. He told me that we shouldn't argue about the riders and outbid each other to favour the belgian cyclist. He was right of course, it's better if I sign 16 riders for minumum wage than spend all money on fighting with Alakagom and end up with an squad of 12 riders. We decided to send our shortlists to each other and after an closer look, there was only one rider both of us wanted to sign, Dries Van Der Ginst, but I finally decided to let him go. So, there is no deal, in words, we are only two different teams who aims for different types of riders. If Het Nieuwsblad are promoted to Continental Tour it only favours Delhaize since we have two possible teams to place our talents in: B-Post and Nieuwsblad.
Even if our squad is pretty weak, compared to others, and unexperienced, I have to say that I am more than satisfied with our signings. We have an great mix between young and more experinced riders who can share their knowledge. Still, our oldest rider is 28-years old which means that the average age in our team is one of the lowest.
If everything works out fine and as expected our last signings should be sealed this afternoon which means that we have signed 16 riders in 48 hours. However, take an look at post #5 for more information about our 10 first signings.
Posts: 977 Joined: 11.05.09 Location: Aberystwyth, Wales PCM$: 110.00
It was a smart move by you and Alakagom to make the deal, since it ensured you both got good teams; you got the better long term team, while his looks to be successful from the off. Plus, you both managed to get low wages, and avoid competition for other riders, so I'd say that's a win for both of you
- Now accepting requests for Man-Game 2013 jerseys and (a few) frames. PM me! -
ANFreeman wrote:
It was a smart move by you and Alakagom to make the deal, since it ensured you both got good teams; you got the better long term team, while his looks to be successful from the off. Plus, you both managed to get low wages, and avoid competition for other riders, so I'd say that's a win for both of you
With two team it is possible to avoid competion,for all the east european teams not
Good luck with your prospects
Posts: 1119 Joined: 29.08.10 Location: The Netherlands PCM$: 378.75
ANFreeman wrote:
It was a smart move by you and Alakagom to make the deal, since it ensured you both got good teams; you got the better long term team, while his looks to be successful from the off. Plus, you both managed to get low wages, and avoid competition for other riders, so I'd say that's a win for both of you
It's a three way thing, as I have contacted both managers as well. That way everyone got what he wanted without having to worry about the geographically closest teams. I want to stress however that we didn't make any price dealings, we just compared hotlists so we knew where each team would stand on the market.
And great team HQ here!
Edited by tyriion on 17-07-2011 09:56
Check out my ManGame team here
I like the way you build your team ;-) And if you stay active (as I believe it's activity that will decide who gets "promoted" you will have a nice base to build upon next year.
Volkswagen-Mapei
Wow, didn't expect so many comments but Thanks to all of you and good luck with your own teams!
@Heine: The promotion is may decided by activity but the season is long and just because I have a lot of sparetime and is active at the moment, thanks to summer holidays, it doesn't mean I will have time to continue the whole season in the same way. I will try but I wont be angry over another season in CT2.
Posts: 4556 Joined: 14.07.08 Location: Sydney, Australia PCM$: 0.00
Eijssen and Wagemans were both on my short list. I'm kind of regretting not getting Wagemans as he is already good enough to be a lead out man, and will one day be a very strong sprinter. I'm sure he will be great in your team in the near future!
48 hours was enough for Delhaize. In 48 hours we aigned 16 riders, young and talented, and still we have 100 000 euros left in our salary cap. We will spend the last cash on an training camp and team building. You already know the ten first riders who signed for Delhaize yesterday, but let's meet the last six!
Tim Mertens was the first rider who signed yesterday and the first rider who signed today was another Mertens, more exactly Nick Mertens. Nick is 25-tears old an an good sprinter who will be Dietmar Lambrecht's lead-out man. The big issue with Mertens is his climbing skills, but he can do really well in flat races!
Tom Meeusen are well-known as an cyclocross-rider but he has now decided to take step into the world of road cycling. Probably because of the money, and trust me, Meeusen is good enough to make some money on this. He is an decent sprinter and cobbler but most important, he has an great potential and he is alredy pretty experinced.
Our 13th siging is another good sprinter namedJurgen François. He has an good acceleration as well and good potential. However, he is already 27-years old but he will be an important part of the team. He can sprint, make lead-outs and share his experince.He will be like an road-captain for Delhaize.
Next up is Josip Dugardein, an 24-year old climber with great potential. If he, Bekaert and Eijssen developes right, Belgium will have three great climbers and GT threats.
The 15th signing is another wild-card. Patrice Wouters is an puncheur, only aged 22 years. His potential is not great, but it's good enough to develope him into an great domestic for the Ardenne Classics.
The last signing, and our last team member, is Gill Van Winckel. Van Winckel is an puncheur with good potential and he is only 24-years old. However, jsut like Wouters, he will nevr win something big on his own but he can still be an great domestic.
Ladies and Gentlemans, that's Delhaize Cycling Team 2012. Do you like it? Then go and join the fan-club! http://pcmdaily.c...ost_410177
Edited by laidbackmarc on 17-07-2011 21:48
Lowest: Age: 21 (2 riders) XP Level: 1 (9 riders) XP Points: 0 (10 riders) Potential: 4 (8 riders) Stat: 50 (Justin Van Hoecke, Hills and Mountains) Average: 61,04 (Stijn Giradi)
Delhaize: Trainig Camp programme announced
Delhaize have decided to have an three week long training camp around Patras, Greece. The climat is nice already in the begining of the year and there is an nice mix of hilly and flat roads in this area, but not to mountainous. Greece is also an cheap country to travel in because of the economic crisis so it's an perfect place for our small-budget team. Another reason to place the camp in Greece is that Delhaize owns retails in Greece so we will have free food!
Programme: Week 1
Spoiler:
Monday:2 h - Leisure ride Tuesday:2 h - Team Time Trail Intervals Wednesday:3 h - Climbing Intervals Thursday:3 h - Recovery Ride Friday:Rest day 1 Saturday:3 h - Team Time Trail Intervals Sunday:1 h - Physics Test
Programme: Week 2
Spoiler:
Monday:3 h - Recovery Ride Tuesday:4 h - Climbing Intervals Wednesday:5 h - Team Time Trail Intervals Thursday:4 h - Sprints Friday:Rest day 2 Saturday:5 h - Climbing Intervals Sunday:Rest day 3
Programme: Week 3
Spoiler:
Monday:2 h - Competition Tuesday:3 h - Climbing Intervals Wednesday:5 h - Sprints Thursday:2 h - Team Time Trail Intervals Friday:4 h - Team Time Trail Intervals Saturday:3 h - Recovery Ride Sunday:Rest day 4
We have been in Greece for three days now and the weather is pretty crappy, around 20° C and heavy rain, but I don't complain. We are belgians and used to this weather, or even worse.
The first days here haven't been to hard. We arrived at Monday morning and took and Leisure ride for 2 hours. At tuesday we did some Team Time-Trail Intervals, but only for 2 hours. Wednesday's training session was 3 hours of Climbing Intervals. Eijssen, Vermeersch and Van Winckel were the strongest while I were one of the weakest guys, but don't fear, I was far away from the slowest ;) Today we had an recovery ride for 3 hours an halfway we stopped at the sea and bought some fried octopus (calamary). It taste great, but they served them without mayonnaise. What are they thinking? Other than that, the food is pretty good.
Tomorrow is an rest-day, but it's also the end of the first, easy, week. On saturday we will ride 3 hours with Team Time-Trail Intervals and on Sunday we will do some physicals test to find out things like heart rate, VO2 max, power (W), maximum oxigen uptake etc. Theese tests will be very hard even if they only lasts for 1 hour.
First picture of the team-kit as the season comes closer!
Right now, history is written. The Continetal Division 2 season is just a couple of days away an picture of Delhaize riders have been seen in international media. No, the picture is not from an real competition because the other riders is just a couple of wanabees that we meet during an ride in Greece and then we decided to take an funny and confusing picture.
Well, the picture was may not from an real competition, but the first pictures of Delhaize riders "in-action" will soon be available, because the season started today with MTN Cycling Classic. MTN Cycling Classic, known as Bloemfontein Classic, is an hilly criterium in South Africa and ranked as an Continental race. However, as the first race of the season it was pretty nervous and there was a lot of crashes from riders like Peter Sagan (Venchi). Finally the race ended up in an bunch sprint of 27 riders. Out of theese 27 riders, Francesco Ginanni (Vespa) was the strongest and won. Congratulations, Vespa - Aprilia - De Rosa to an great start on your season!
The 2012 season is just around the corner and D2 previews pops-up on the internet and in magazines like babys after an rainy summer, or something like that. However, have you ever ridden an preview that have turned out to be exacltly like real? Probably not because there is suprises and other things in the real world that not even the best journalist could anticipate. Previews are only letters.
Nevertheless, in CrountArach's preview there was an journalist called Smowz who said: "Virtually zero competition for these Belgian youngsters, the lack of real stamina amongst most of the riders is a concern.". How can he say something like that? Zero competition? Would the races be same if we stayed at home or what is he saying? I can promise: Delhaize will make the cyclist hurt. Because stats are only numbers.
There is facts that are more important than stats. Of course, stats are important if you want to make results but if you fail to get the results? Team spirit is more in important than stats and results for an young D" squad according me and Delhaize has an amazing team spirit. In a few years when our riders are developed into stars and rides in Pro Tour, stats and results will be important but not in the very begining of their carriers. So Mr.Smowz: There will be no zero competiton. There will be Rock'n'Roll!
If you want to read the whole preview you can download it by clicking on Show Text below. I suggest you to do so because it's an amazing preview disregard the last three lines :D
Spoiler:
Delhaize Cycling Team
Manager: laidbackmarc Nationality: Belgian Goals: This Belgian team with a very flashy media thread (check it out if you haven’t), has set itself some rather difficult targets. They are aiming for a victory at the Ronde van Belgie. Officially they have said they want to win a stage here but my understanding of the rules is that this isn’t possible. They also hope for a Top 10 at the Tour of Utah which will be very competitive and as such a very strong stage racer will be required – something which, from experience, Belgians do not excel at. They are also aiming for a Top 5 in a wildcard race, which will only be possible if they have a strong sprinter or get in the right breakaway. Team Overview:
When looking at the team, it is important to remember that this team defines itself as a development squad for young Belgians. As such, they really don’t have a lot of strong riders. Tim Mertens should not be overlooked in time trials and might be strong enough to avoid losing time on hills in a stage race if there aren’t many puncheurs there. He will struggle on larger climbs though.
The team has a couple of sprinters, Jurgen Francois and Dietmar Lambrecht. Lambrecht will struggle to ride over any bumps in the terrain but could sneak into the top 10 of any flat stage. Francois is a bit better on the very small climbs and might be able to outsprint some people on the slightly tougher stages. Barring Mertens jagging a win in a time trial or someone getting in the right break Francois is the team’s best hope for a stage win this season.
Tom Meussen isn’t too bad over the cobbles, though I would never bet on him doing better than maybe a top 15. A lack of any real support over this terrain would else hurt his chances.
Looking towards the future, much more can be said about this team. Mertens can still progress as a time trialist, but he is far from the real star of the future here. Joris Wagemans really looks like he can become a very strong sprinter over tougher terrain in a few years. Meussen also has the potential to ride well in CT cobbled races in a couple of years and could potentially even lead a team on this terrain one day. Josip Dugardein and Yannick Eijssen could both climb well and Dugardein could even become a second-string stage racer given some training. Finally, Gill Van Winckel has the look of a very strong puncheur about him. Prospects in 2012: Unfortunately, I struggle to see the team accomplishing any of the three official goals. The manager has said he wants to avoid the bottom 4 overall but it is a shame to say that I can’t see many teams weaker than this one. Mertens and Francois should be able to pull in results, and if they have a good season then the team might sneak into the Top 20. That said, the team will be well poised for next season in the CT if they stay active. Smowz Says: Virtually zero competition for these Belgian youngsters, the lack of real stamina amongst most of the riders is a concern.
Note: This article is an joke. I can see that my own team is pretty crappy at the moment and Smowz and CrountArach have made an amazing work with the game and previews. ;)
