It's silly how putting your signature on a certain piece of paper can give you an opportunity to make your wildest dreams come true. Yet this was the case for Tim Boute in the year 2014, when he signed a contract for the Lotto U23 team, the development team of Lotto - Soudal. He would ride a full season for the development team while learning the ropes.
They say the life of a cyclist is one that's hard to adjust to. Long days, lots of training, even more you have to sacrifice. For Tim Boute, it all came naturally. And even so, he never had a lot of time to adapt. Lotto U23, believing fully in Boute's abilities, decided to send him to the new Cyanide Cup races in Spain. He had his first professional racing experience there, with a decent 10th place in the 3rd race to show for it.
The 1.2 Classica de Loulé was next. In this flat race, Boute managed a 18th place. So early in Boute's career, he started showing his potential. He had now delivered two good results; one on a hilly terrain, one in a mass sprint. Beginner's luck, some may say. Perhaps so, but Boute certainly showed potential on different terrains.
After a short trip to Croatia for the Istrian Spring Trophy, where Boute worked for his team mates, he went to Italy, for a few U23 races. The second race, 1.2U23 Giro Belvedere di Villa di Cordignano, was a big success. The race was classified as flat and everyone was expecting a mass sprint. Quite new to the U23 scene, Boute impressed by jumping away on the final climb of the day. The sprinting peloton came up short and Boute won his first victory in the U23 scene.
With his confidence raising, Boute turned homewards for a few important races to him. In the Ronde Van Vlaanderen U23, Boute managed to finish 22nd. Less than a month later, he podiumed the Liège - Bastogne - Liège U23 race. Ten days later, he came even closer to winning again, at the 1.2 Flèche Ardennaise, being beaten in a two-man sprint by Meurissen.
Boute made an appearance on the television by being in the breakaway in his first Belgian National Championships Road Race. At the time, nobody could ever predict they'd see this young boy so much more on their television sets in the years to come. But for now, Boute was still learning, sometimes the hard way, as it was when he crashed in the 2.2U23 Volta a Portugal do Futuro.
In the 1.NCup Trofeo Almar, Boute took his second victory of the season. Differently from his first win, this one was not taken by surprise, but fought for on the slopes of the Tainenberg against some of the U23 best punchers. Boute, only 19, beat two of them in the sprint. It was now obvious this boy was full of raw talent.
This victory couldn't have come at a better time. The 2.NCup Tour de l'Avenir was just around the corner. Boute, backed by a strong team, managed to win no less than 3 stages, one from the breakaway and two hillier stages. Needless to say, he had also won the points classification and was now certain of being offered a contract by a WT team for the next season.
Boute finished his season without losing much shape. Another victory in a U23 stage race in Italy put his counter on 6. He was one of the top riders in the U23 milieu. 1.2U23 Paris - Tours Espoirs was his final race for Lotto U23 and - for him - the biggest disappointment of the season. After managing to break away from the peloton, Kragh Andersen took the upper hand in a two-man sprint, leaving Boute to settle for place 2.
Still, Boute's first season had been an incredible success. His young age, however, made him hesitate about accepting one of the WT contracts offered. In the wisest decision of his career, Boute decided to sign a 1-year contract with Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise.
In the next season, he would ride a calendar perfectly suited to his needs. On the one hand, he could still enter U23 races, to gain confidence and ride short(er) races, while also racing higher races and learn the ropes with the professionals. At the age of 20, the world was at his feet. But the next season would not be easy. Surprising is the easy part. Confirming is the real challenge.
Most Noticable Results
Victories
1.2U23
Giro Belvedere di Villa di Cordignano
1.Ncup
Trofeo Almar
2.Ncup
Tour de l'Avenir
Stages 2, 4, 6
2.2U23
Giro della Regione Friuli
Stage 3
2nd Places
1.2
La Flèche Ardennaise
1.2U23
Paris - Tours Espoirs
1.2U23
Trofeo PIVA
2.2U23
Ronde de l'Isard
Stage 3
2.Ncup
Tour de l'Avenir
Stage 3
3rd Places
1.2U23
Liège - Bastogne - Liège U23
Jerseys Won
2.Ncup
Tour de l'Avenir
Points Classification
2.2U23
Giro della Regione Friuli
Points Classification
About god damn time!!
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Haha thanks
I started this career before the last patch so that explains the Tour de l'Avenir etc
Had started the career with the goal of 3D racing every single stage, so pace can't be very high, though. Not too much time but motivation especially to have a career and race every single stage. Never done that, not even close
Ian Butler wrote:
Had started the career with the goal of 3D racing every single stage, so pace can't be very high, though. Not too much time but motivation especially to have a career and race every single stage. Never done that, not even close
Did that with the Palmarsson career until now, but after a heavy injury in Season 6 (missing everything from Down Under until Le Tour) and the races he missed were counted as race days and killed his freshness there was a lack of Motivation on the side of mine...now Season 7 is on the way, but at the moment it´s hard to motivate after an "off-season" and having to jump trains all the way...
A rider's second season is definitely not easier than a first. Tim Boute had known a decent start to the professional world of cycling and arrived at Topsport Vlaanderen with high hopes. The team management had a lot of trust in the young kid and he would surely get his chances to shine in the upcoming season.
Boute's season was off to a good start with a 3rd, 15th and 7th place in the three respective Cyanide Cup races. It was obvious he had worked very hard during the winter break. He topped off his strong early start by taking the Mountain Jersey - whatever that means - in the 2.1 Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen. But the best was yet to come.
In the 1.1 Classic Loire Atlantique, Boute was found near the front going into the final lap. The route was classic Boute, but back then, even Boute was still searching. He would find a piece of the puzzle that day. In the final lap, the sprinters were hoping to hang on for the expected group sprint finish. But the uphill riding was hard enough for attackers to go their chance. Boute went his 8 km from the finish. His attempt didn't look too impressive at first, but when the peloton made the mistake of giving him 20 seconds, it proved to be enough to get his first .1 victory.
In the following month, Boute raced a few races - anonymously - in preparation for one of his main goals of the season. Then the day finally arrived. In the finale, Boute was part of an attacking group along with Jean-Philippe Felder and Erik Baka. The sprint between the three of them was incredibly close, but it was Boute who threw his wheel across the finish line first.
Boute had won the 1.NCup Ronde van Vlaanderen U23. For Boute, this was a very big deal. Despite being labeled as one of the finest punchers ever in the sport, Boute's favorite race would always remain the Tour of Flanders. Winning its junior edition was important for what would follow in his career: his high level of commitment to the cobbled classics, even at the risk of losing form for the Ardennes Classics, where he could use his talents the best.
The next few months, Boute took it more easy. Victories weren't easy to come by in the professional milieu, he was soon learning. He was racing less in the U23 category and more with the pros. A victory in the 2.HC Tour of Turkey was another season highlight, after staying clear of the peloton on the final day criterium. Boute had more than one talent, that much was certain. And more importantly, it was another step up. After .HC came World Tour. Boute, still aged 20, was coming into the attention of more and more people. But his real breakthrough was still a little while away...
Until... The 2.HC Tour de Wallonie. Now this isn't the most prestigous race, nor does it draw a great crowd. But when, like in 2016, a big showdown between a 20 year old kid and a star like Joaquim Rodriguez takes place, cycling fans all around the world start looking at the race with greater interest, and especially if the unknown kid manages to beat the Spanish star for the overall victory! On the two key stages, Boute had to settle for 2nd place after Purito. But because of his aggressive racing style and picking up bonification seconds left and right, Boute managed to do what seemed to be the impossible: he won the Tour of Wallonie at the age of 20. Talk about a breakthrough.
Boute thought he had won stage 1, but Rodriguez came at him with an amazing sprint. Yet in the end, Boute would prevail over the Spaniard, with just 2 seconds to spare. A stage win eluded him in 2016.
And yet Boute still wasn't satisfied with his season. He grabbed a third place in the 1.1 Grand Prix de Wallonie, followed four days later with a victory in the 1.1 Grand Prix d'Isbergues - Pas de Calais, to round off his incredible season. Yes, the boy had confirmed his talent. Looking back on his amazing career, you can already point out a few patterns. Wallonie and France are two regions he always seemed to excell in. Just within a few years, you wouldn't be able to say Ardennes without thinking Boute. But that's for later...
Coming straight of the Giro d’Italia, Unzue was waving with big EURO bills. It was pay-time for Vizcaya, and due to his many virtues both as a Grand Tour-contender and a classic-hunter in best Valverde-mania, Vizcaya would turn into one of the best paid riders of the peloton.
Season 6.2 - Telefonica at 91.500 until 2020
During contract negotiations, Vizcaya took some time off the bike and would only return for the French Championships, where he came 4thth on a moutaineous course. He’d skip le Tour as announced earlier. The Time Trial-heavy route (well over 100km of individual fight against the clock) saw Chris Froome getting his 4th Tour win. The Briton dominated the Time Trials and as a new captain of Astana, he had also the best climber as his personal domestique. Landa did well preventing any attacks, giving the word train a whole new meaning. The focus on Time Trials is clearly displayed by the fact that Bob freaking Jungels came 2nd and Michal Kwiatkowski third. Neither Pinot (SKY) nor Quintana (TCS) managed to break Astana’s duo Landa and Froome.
Vizcaya returned to racing at the Tour de Pologne, thus skipping Clasica San Sebastian. He was looking for form and came 18th in the end, only on Top 10 placing at the pen-ultimate stage made for some worrying in Telefonica’s camp. But the worries were unjustified: Timely for the Vuelta, Vizcaya came in great form.
Astana’s captain was Landa and he got support by Froome, who merely had domestique duties here. Other top contenders were former Giro winner Simon Yates, former Vuelta winner Poels and fellow dutch Wilco Kelderman. With Robert Power there was also another top U25 rider in contention for the white jersey as well as Simone Petilli. Alaphillppe and Ulissi were two further famous names who have chances depending on the impact of the hilly stages.
Vizcaya showed his stellar improvement in form already on stage 2, where he took his (only) stage win. In the upcoming days, the peloton saw itself present extremely diverse: The many (easy) uphill finishes were dominated by the likes of Vizcaya, Alaphilippe (2 stage wins) & Ulissi. The tougher mountains saw the Astana train power though, Landa managed to build a comfortable lead. With a diverse strong peloton (Poels and Kelderman particularly strong pushers from behind) and Yates at a strong third, Vizcaya had to watch his back whilst carefully attacking Landa. Indeed, Vizcaya was for the longest time 2nd in the rankings and after a decisive time trial, Vizcaya managed to get within a minute of Landa. Yates was there too, and with 4 slightly hilly mountain stages remaining, the three contenders all had chances.
The relatively easy stages saw no significant gaps but Vizcaya succeeded in reducing the gap by bonus seconds. With only 20 seconds separating the two of them ahead of the penultimate stage and last hilly stage, Vizcaya was ready to give it all. He attacked on the last climb and got up to a minute lead. Yates and he formed a great duo, but unfortunately Landa and his Astana teammate Froome caught them soon in the descent. Vizcaya then once more attacked in the downhill, 20 seconds were nothing – and then it happened: He crashed!! H
He was staying at the side then, losing vital minutes. In danger of losing his podium place! Manfredi and Saez came at the right time, together they went down at a hellish pace, limiting the loss and securing at least the third place!
He risked and he didn't lose it all. This was a lesson. Between Vuelta’s three weeks and the World Championships, Vizcaya came around to do the GP Industria and easily won it ahead of Battaghlin. Then came Nice, the World Championships 2020. A challenging uphill course on a lap circuit, percentages deep in the black zone. Up to 15%. Unfortunately after the challenging climb there would be a long flat section of roughly 7 kilometers.
The race was fairly dull throughout most of the day. Vizcaya made a little dig at the penultimate session of the climb, but it was more for show. What wasn't for show was the his attack on the final time when they climbed the hill of Nice there. He was so strong that he clocked at around 25 seconds ahead of Mohoric. Unfortunately the Slovakian came back in the downhill to Vizcaya, the Basque-French and the Slovakian did not get along. Neither was content in helping the other to gold medal. Thus a group of 5 more riders came back, including Ulissi and Van der Heijnen. Group of Alaphilippe, Kwiatkowski was further behind but coming close. Passing the 5k flag, the group was content in going a moderate pace and looked like they were throwing it away. They shared more looks between each other and towards the back, then they looked forward onto the road... On kilometer 2, the flamme rouge soon to be in sight, Vizcaya launched his attack - and stayed clear, and became World Champion. In France. Ahead of Theuns and Reichelt. The rainbow jersey was finally his.
Despite many press features, Vizcaya was determined for Il Lombardia. After two second places at monuments this season (MSR, LBL), he wanted a win. The sunny day in Italy had a rainy finale; Quintana and Vizcaya tried it multiple times to get away, including an attack 35 kilometers out by both of them. The ultimate climb saw Vizcaya take charge and Quintana in his wheel up the hill and in the downhill. Out of the slipstream, Quintana outsprinted the overconfident newly crowned World Champion. Vizcaya took his third second place at a Monument this season.
Still, he was Giro winner and World Champion now. And if that wasn't enough - no, it really wasn't - he was World Number One in UCI ranking. 705 sweet points in total.
He made it. And as a compliment to his record this year, Vizcaya was voted to best rider of the season ahead of Kwiatkowski and Alaphilippe. When asked about his goals for next season, it was easy to answer: To turn all this second places into wins.
Top Results
1st, U25 & 1 Stage Win
Giro d’Italia
Grand Tour
1st
World Championships
UCI
2nd
Liege-Bastogne-Liege
MON
2nd
Milano-San Remo
MON
2nd
Il Lombardia
MON
3rd, U25 & 1 Stage Win
Vuelta a Espana
Grand Tour
3rd & U25
Volta a Catalunya
UWT
8th
Paris-Nice
UWT
6th
La Fleche Wallone
UWT
11th
Amstel Gold Race
UWT
1st & 1 Stage Win
Tour of Yorkshire
2.1
1st
GP Industria
1.1
4th
Vuelta a Andalucia
2.1
Short Season Summary
Giro d’Italia
Tour de France
Vuelta a Espana
MSR
Coquard
Vizcaya
Froome
Landa
Ronde
Kristoff
Aru
Jungels
Simon Yates
Paris-Roubaix
Senechal
Majka
Kwiatkowski
Vizcaya
L-B-L:
Adam Yates
Il Lombardia:
Quintana
WT ITT: Dumoulin
World Ch. Vizcaya
Velo d’Or: Vizcaya
WT Leader: Vizcaya
WT Team: Tinkoff-Saxo
DB PCMDaily v1.1
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
For his third season, his seconds with the elite pros, Boute remained with Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise. He wanted to make the most of his final year here and learn as much as he still could, before making that step up, to the World Tour.
His season started in 2.1 Herald Sun Tour, where he managed a great 4th place overall. From there, Boute was selected for one of his favorite races, 1.HC Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, a race every Belgian wants to add to his palmares. Boute finished a respectable 32th.
After his flying start, he took a step back and managed some decent but no especially great results in French and Belgian races. Staying with Topsport Vlaanderen allowed Boute to make the selection for both Gent - Wevelgem and La Flèche Wallonne, two important races for him. Finishing 11th twice meant a promising future for our still only 21 year old Tim Boute.
The season continued. After a trip to Turkey, he returned home for the 2.HC Baloise Belgium Tour. The time trial on stage 3 was very important, and Boute managed top finish top 30. This meant everything was still open towards the final stage in the Ardennes. On this queen's stage, Boute finished 3rd, guaranteeing him a fifth place overall.
In the 2.HC Skoda Tour de Luxembourg, Boute came close to his first victory of the season. In a 200 km hilly stage, he finished 2nd. No victory, but another great result finishing 3rd overall.
Next was the 2.1 Ster ZLM Toer. After a fall in stage 2, Boute was way behind in the GC. This meant he could go in the offensive. On stage 3, Boute went in the break of the day. The outcome was impressive. A stage win and the Mountain Jersey. Our hero was finally back to his winning days!
After an exciting National Road Race (7th), Boute's real highlight of the season came, once again, with the 2.HC Tour de Wallonie. This time, Boute left Wallonie with a stage victory, the Points Jersey and the General Classification.
But the season wasn't over yet! Boute decided to cash in his great form and went straight to the Eneco Tour. With a full backing of the Topsport Vlaanderen squad, Boute won his first World Tour race. In stage 3, he outsmarted the peloton and took the win with a late attack. Two days later, another prize, this time after a 25 km break with four men.
Boute's aggressive and impressive riding during the season got him a selection for the World Championships. At his first World Championship Road Race, Boute served the Belgium team and got a 36th place in the process.
It was time to end the season. He signed a contract with Lotto - Soudal for the next season and was going to the World Tour. Finally he had his step up! He ended his season with two more races, Il Lombardia (74th) and 1.HC Paris - Tours (27th). The season was over, and the balance had been very, very positive.
Boute was ready for the World Tour. The question we should ask ourselves: was the World Tour ready for Boute?
Notable Results 2nd in PCM Daily Cup 4 12th in PCM Daily Cup 5 7th overall in Szlakiem Grodow Piastowskich (two top 15 stage finishes)
1st overall in Tour des Pays de Savoie Stage 1 - Mountain with downhill finish - 2nd - No time difference to leader Stage 2 - Mountain - 5th - Lost 2'11" Stage 3 - Mountain - Finished in peloton - Lost 33" Stage 4 - ITT - 4th - Lost 14" Stage 5 - Mountain - 1st - Gained 4'7" to then 3rd place and 6' to leader, won by 2' from former, increased effort on first of two climbs enabled me to pull away for my first ever win.
Achievements in Tour des Pays de Savoie First race win
First jersey
First victory
First 50km & 25km in breakaway
Stats at start of Year 2 Level 13 FLA 63 MON 75 HIL 72 TTR 73 PRL 72 COB 57 SPR 60 ACC 63 DHI 68 BAR 61 STA 60 RES 67 REC 73.
Team for next season: Nippo Vini Fantini in Continental Pro
I had targeted Nippo and Skydive Dubai. Eventually chose Nippo for their better team. My aim now is to stay in the Continental Pro for a couple of seasons. The contract with Nippo is for one year so I might not stay with them for the next year. MTN Qhubeka is a favoured target. Planning to move into the WT in the 4th year with a team where I can be their second best rider. The TDF is the target by year 6. Will have a go at the Giro and the Vuelta in the intervening period.
Notable Results 10th in PCM Daily Cup 3 1nd in PCM Daily Cup 4 - Individual Time Trial by 24" 1st in PCM Daily Cup 5 - Mountain top finish
2nd in Strade Bianche
From a long breakaway of five, two survived. Pablo Lastras (Movistar) took the win, with my rider finishing a minute behind
Achievements in Strade Bianche First Top 5 in Continental First 50km & 25km breakaway in Continental
4th overall in Tour of Taiwan (1 top 3 finish in a stage)
35th overall in Giro del Trentino
This was the first time my rider was in a race involving big guns - the likes of Nibali, Aru, Mollema and Uran
2nd overall in Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey 4th in stage 3 6th in stage 4 1st in stage 6
Achievements in Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey First top 5 in Continental First Young Riders' Jersey
5th overall in Tour de la Mayenne 4th in stage 1
10th overall in Tour de Slovenie
5th overall in Tour of Qinghai Lake 6th in stage 6 7th in stage 7
3rd overall in Sibiu Cycling Tour 2nd in stage 2
9th overall in Post Denmark Rundt 7th in stage 5 ITT
3rd overall in Czech Cycling Tour 3rd in stage 1 ITT 6th in stage 4
14th in GP Industria & Commercio di Prato
Finished ahead of the likes of Benat Intxausti, Sebastien Reichenbach, Tiago Machado and Julian Arredondo
Continental Ranking - 9th CQ Ranking - 66th
Stats at start of Year 3 Level 15 FLA 63 MON 76 HIL 74 TTR 74 PRL 73 COB 58 SPR 60 ACC 66 DHI 68 BAR 62 STA 65 RES 69 REC 74
Team for next season: Cofidis in UCI World Tour (promoted at end of the season)
Into the UCI World Tour one year early! Cofidis and Bora Argon were the teams interested for the amount of money I was demanding. Eventually signed with Cofidis. A sweet €12500 increase in salary too. Their promotion to the UCI was a bonus. Suddenly, the calender looks very crowded! Progress in the second year was much slower. The third year will give an indication of how my rider faces up to the big guns of the World Tour on a regular basis. Should be exciting...
Nearing the retirement of the famous monument riders Cancellara and Boonen, cycling world is eagerly searching for the newest prospects. Whilst they find many in Belgium and Netherlands, Emil Kayser is stepping up his own level in his final contract year at Leopard to make the jump to the big league.
Season 1: 2016 - LEOPARD at 2.500€ until End of 2016
It didn’t take long for 21 year old Emil Kayser to fulfill his new year’s resolution. All last year he has worked hard on the skills required to be successful in the lower continental leagues: power on the flat, good finishing kick and just enough weight to take the many hills with panache. He has also learned 2015 the hard way how important positioning was to avoid crashes. His 2015 campaign was cut short due to maleficient crashes and injuries, but Kayser wasn’t going to be set back by this at any point.
Of course he follows right in the footsteps of many great riders who have thought of this as the right formula to winning many races. His goal was clear right when he first came into contact with the classics in his hometown Luxemburg by seeing Museeuw and Bartoli alike: To become a champion of classics all alike. Sure the Tour de France would have been an attractive life-long goal but Kayser didn’t have the build nor the qualities to ever win this race. For now, big dreams aside, Kayser had to come clear on his own promise; provide good results in order to get a new contract, preferably at a pro conti-team, and to make his amateur profession to the life passion he can live for and of.
First time being close to victory
Now in fact, the fruits of his hard work came early in his second race of the season when he won the final stage of Valley of the Sun Stage Race. Days later, he won the Rabobank Dorpenomloop Rucphen Classic with a late attack 10 kilometer from the finish and pushed it to the line still, beating the bunch. At Tour de Normandie he continued his strong form, Kayser did well enough in the opening prologue to be in contention for the overall classification. Due his excellence in riding on the flat and the wind, he survived the wind echelons created on two stages and prevailed to take the overall classification of the Tour de Normandie plus one stage win. This also meant the winning of the youth jersey and his second points jersey of the season, beating Schorn by one point there. With a 3rd place at Volta Limburg the strong showings continued and Kayser ranked up the conti points early in the season already but soon had to learn that he was far off being competitive once the big boys came out to be play as seen in the lack a Top 10 showing at Circuit Cycliste Sarthe. Top ranked sprinters of the likes of Bouhanni and Viviani but also strong classic riders made for very tough racing, resulting oftentimes in reduced bunch sprints due to the wind, rain and pace – at one stage, Kayser ended up on the wrong side of the bunch and lost significant time. Did this 2.1 race come too early for him? No, because Kayser made a strong comeback on the last circuit stage, which featured many small hills and narrow roads.
There he attacked inside the final 10k and lasted long enough to hold his advantage to the fast finishers Bouhanni and Ciolek and claim the fifth victory of the season thus far, whilst Chavanel finished first overall.
Few days later, a disappointing performance at Tour of the Reseroir was followed by another two small one-day races. Kayser encountered the pavé for the first time this season at the Profronde van Noord-Holland mid-april and with another late attack inside 10k (he was getting a specialist at that), he gained enough ground on the peloton to take it to the line, beating Cyclo-Cross world champion Mathieu Van der Poel to second in the process. Days later, at La Roue Tourangelie Kayser got a beatdown in the sprint against Gaviria and finished 7th in a strong roster. Completing the week with a strong 2nd place at Zuid Oost Drenthe Classic – thanks to a late attack with Poutsama – Kayser had climbed up to 2nd place at the end of April in the continental rankings.
May started with the cobbled race Ronde van Overijssel full of tight, sharp climbs that hurt the legs. Kayser overestimated himself on the pavé, lost important energy at the wrong moments and lacked power in the final kilometers, finishing 17th.The racing continued and Kayser finished twice second place both at Flèche Ardennaise and Cirucit de Wallonie Ville de Fleurus, both times losing out to Mathieu Van der Poel. What goes around, comes around.
Kayser then rested up following some intense weeks of racing, thus skipping Tour de Luxembourg unfortunately. He returned to ZLM Tour where he faced an exquisite line-up of riders but was lacking racing rhythm. He still finished on third stage narrowly off the podium at 4th and a small group of leaders (Richeze, Felline), which saw him take a high place in the GC and gain much needed time lead for the next day. On the hilly stage that followed, Kayser came 13th with a gap of 32 seconds to winner Van der Poel (talk about a winning streak!) and despite the time loss, Kayser managed to advance to third on the podium.
Whilst VDP shows the big boys how it's done, Kayser fights to get himself on the overall podium - by barely a second against Thomas De Gendt
He thereby profited from passive racing, a peloton that was largely controlled by Felline’s Trek and thus he able to hold himself in the reduced bunch; if the race had me more aggressive, Kayser is sure, he would have lost significant time. Since hardly anything happened bar a breakaway win on the last stage, Kayser kept the high overall placing and won the youth ranking once more. Despite some fatigue of the tough racing in Netherlands, Kayser managed to get a fourth place at tough cobble race IWT Jong Maar Moedig, finishing first in the second group of chasers that finished about two minutes behind Timothy Stevens.
This was also the last race for a long period of 7 weeks, thus he skipped the national championships (or rather, he wasn’t invited there). Kayser felt really exhausted but his quality to achieve high results even despite optimal preparation was well noted. Many teams were interested in him according to his agent, but Kayser decided eventually early on for a two year contract with Fortuneo, previously known as Bretagne. This may come as a surprise since even World Tour Teams were interested in him, however Kayser wanted to combine his winning mentality in continental level with some expose in World Tour level. Looking at the biggest race in history, le Tour de France, Kayser was also hopeful to already content the race in 2017, preferably in an active role rather than as a domestique.
Kayser slowly getting back into race rhytham after 7 weeks out of competition @ GP Jef Scherens at the back of the bunch.
So, with a fine new contract Kayser returned finally after 7 weeks out of competition to the scene. His stay would be short but sweet though with a packed schedule inside just a few weeks. Kayser helped his fellow Luxembourgian and teammate Krieger a fair bit leading up to the finale at GP Jef Scherens, but he was empty inside the last 10k and no more help then. Thurau won the race with a late attack. Omloop Mandel ended with a bunch sprint that saw Kayser uninspiringly finish 48th. The day after, Kayser managed hang on for a long time with the Etixx train of Trentin, Sabatini but eventually had to let to around 20k from the finish, finishing 14th then 6 minutes down on the Italian winners.
Obviously Kayser was lacking the race rhythm hugely and it wouldn’t get much better. The two last races followed about one week later. The Chrono Champions was a non-event for Kayser, finishing 30-something. He then went to Tour de Wallonie, the one-day Ardennes race with many hills leading up to Namur's Citadelle. As a well notable Aidan Van Niekerk was in the breakaway upfront, Leopard actually decided to work for Kayser and was very present. Probably for the first time yet, maybe a parting gift for some great success this season in his last race? Seems like it, however Kasyer was way down from the front roughly from 10 kilometers and cloughed his way back then in the downhill, overtaking a grand many riders. In the clmb up to Citadelle, Alaphille left De Gendt behind him and took the win, whilst Kayser was fighting for scraps and still miracously managed to finish 8th at least. Not the perfect ending to the great season he has enjoyed but by now, Kayser was glad to call season's quit and dwelling in some better memories which he collected. 6 wins in his last season at Leopard certainly felt great, was about to finish 9th in the Continental Ranking as well. But now it was time to call it a day.
Final ceremony at Tour de Normandie 2016
"Wait a second..", said the man on the other telephone line. "You'll ride the World Championships for Luxembourg", he said. He being his national coach. He meaning: Emil Kayser to make his debut for Luxembourg in Doha 2016. Kayser almost fainted and went into full training mode. This was not only a just reward for a great season, but also a promise for the things to come.
Despite great fitness, Kayser was severely lacking race rhythm and frankly, he completely overtrained. He was still designated choice for Luxembourg with Gastauer protecing the young hope instead of Luxembourg's nominal far superior rider Drucker. In the wind and desert of Qatar, Kayser was spending quality time at the end of the peloton for most part of the flattish 260k race. But Kayser wasn't impressive, in fact the sole highlight of the race was him being involved in a crash with 100k out. Gastauer then did his best to bring the young Luxembourgian back.In the fast paced finale, Kayser soon faded and was without energy to finish in the bunch. There Phinney won the race in the bunch sprint ahead of Sagan and Stuvyen. Obviously still a long way to go.
sweet hurting Memories from Doha 2016
Top Results
1st & Stage Win
& Points & U25
Tour de Normandie
2.2
Stage Win & Points
Valley of the Sun Stage Race
2.2
1st
Rabobank Dorpenomloop Rucphen
2.1
3rd
Volta Limburg Classic
1.1
Stage Win
Circuit Cycliste Sarthe
2.1
1st
Profronde van Noord-Holland
1.2
2nd
Zuid Oost Drenthe Classic
1.2
3rd & U25
Ster ZLM Tour
2.1
4th
IWT Jong Maar Moedig
1.2
8th
Grand Prix de Wallonie
1.1
127th
World Champions
UCI
Short Season Summary
Giro d’Italia
Tour de France
Vuelta a Espana
MSR
Greipel
Aru (AST)
Froome (SKY)
Valverde (MOV)
Ronde
Kristoff
Nibali (AST)
Contador (TNK)
Martin (EQS)
Paris-Roubaix
Stybar
Porte (BMC)
Quintana (MOV)
Henao (SKY)
L-B-L:
Martin D
Kreuziger (TNK)
Dumoulin (TGA)
Roche (SKY)
Il Lombardia:
Gallopin
Majka (TNK)
Van Garderen (BMC)
Yates S (OGE)
WT ITT:
Martin T
---
---
---
World RR
Phinney
Velo d’Or:
WT Leader:
WT Team:
Rank CT:
Rank CT Team:
Froome
Nibali
Astana
Kayser@9th, 370 pts
Leopard@16
Santos:
Pais Vasco:
Pologne:
AGR:
Vattenfall:
Pinot
Thomas
Preidler
Martin D
Cavendish
Paris-Nice:
Romandie:
Eneco:
Fleche:
Plouay:
Quintana
Nibali
Sagan
Nibali
Cavendish
Tirreno-Adr. :
Dauphine:
E3:
San Sebastian:
Quebec:
Nibali
Van Garderen
Sagan
Nordhaug
Kwiatkowski
Catalunya:
Suisse:
GW:
Montreal:
Van Garderen
Nibali
Degenkolb
Kwiatkowski
DB PCMDaily 2016Edited by Shonak on 02-03-2016 12:07
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
I've decided to switch to a Ego-narrative rather than 3rd person, just to try it out if it works out and to keep the racing at times more narrowed down to Kayser.
There was no time to waste at Fortuneo. Kayser was eager to immediately make an impact and recommend himself for higher tasks; this being most notable, the various UCI and ASO races that were up for grabs in the french wildcard team.
Season 2017 – FORTUNEO – Vital Concept at 10.000€ until 2018
Bound to the Benelux scene, I relied much on my power and ability to maintain high speed, that gave me an edge in the (windy) competitions, and my well-developed acceleration speed, that help me follow attacks and sprints alike. Now on the international level, it became soon clear to me that I had to adapt to the new circumstances. I was too slow in the hills, lacked the stamina to follow many times still, regeneration and recuperation were ongoing problems; sprint and pavé were discplines I was good at continental level but I was a rookie internationally. When climbing high mountains, I dropped like a stone.
Coach and me planned for a long spring campaign, with a possible extension up to June. I was disappointed when I heard that I probably wouldn’t get selected for le Tour but just at age 22, it was barely a dream, not by far an expectation. At the Tour San Luis in Argentinia, I forced myself up one hilly stage finish, about 1’30 down on Gilbert – who later won the GC, and rewarded myself with a 8th place on that stage. I topped it though when I finished a sprint stage between Kristoff and Cavendish on 2nd place. Mostly I supported local rider Sepulveda though in hopes of a good GC, which he got by finishing 6th. I had less luck in Etoile de Besseges but still finished 9th overall and won the U25 competition, but this was more down to a lucky split since I stood no chance in the bunch sprints.
There's nothing like winning a stage Guardini-style
After a solid showing in Clasica de Almeria (12th), I returned to winning ways when I travelled with the team to Malaysia for the Tour de Langkawi. Here I wanted to prove myself capable to also contest in the highest league. I already did that by claiming the first stage in a bunch sprint and successfully defending the leader’s jersey for a couple of days by getting couple of Top 3/5s. Unfortunately Santamorita (Southeast) got away with a late attack on the fifth stage and we did not catch him again. With my team I tried to reel in the breakaways in order to get some bonus seconds but Southeast played it smart and let the breaks get from here on out, usually a big enough lead to make it to the finish. To top things off, I also lost the point’s jersey by one point on the last day to Vanbilsen, the Belgian has just been consistent and phenomanel in his late surge. At least I could keep the U25 jersey but this gave me little comfort.
Full of confidence I returned to Europe for some minor classics. The coach also told me I could ride E3 and Gent-Wevelgem as the captain, which would be my spring campaign highlights. Before that, I managed to win the Paris-Troyes in a sprint against Cort-Nielsen and my well-known rival Van der Poel. A few days later, Morkov won with a late attack at Classique Lorie Atlantique, whilst I scored second place (again) from the reduced bunch. Thanks to my great spring campaign, I managed to be for the first time the leader of the continental rankings, ahead of Van der Poel of course.
Straight out of Flanders
In this position, I looked forward to contending the three flanders classics now. As CT leader, I made a late move at Dwars door Vlaanderen with still 40k to go. It was a far-out move but I thought, why not risk it when the scene is big and the world is watching. I surprised maybe some people by keeping and even extending my lead at times. I wasn’t particularly good at the pavé but what I lacked in my skill for the cobblez, I made up for pure flat beasting. I gave my all in those 30 kilometers, unfortunately when I hit the 10k mark, my legs turned to jelly, I was empty and fatigue overtook me. Before I knew it, I had hit the wall. Somewhat I still finished ahead of the next group of chasers and took a 10th place.
I learned my lesson from Dwars and spent my energy never in the wind but also looking for the best position. This helped me be part of the decisive split when it happened and I just landed on the right side of the group. With all the big names present, they were looking to make the race theirs and thus I could hang on for as long as I could and enjoy the show. When four riders attacked, I was still marking Cancellara and Stannard; alongside Lampaert, we have missed the important moment and now rode to still get the four riders upfront. Unfortuantely, it did not work out, and by losing to Stannard in the sprint, I finished overall 6th. A great result, but it was disappointing to have missed the Top 5 cut.
I thought I had found the winning formula for my classic campaign and followed a similar strategy at Gent-Wevelgem. Due to some incredible wind, echelons formed and after the Hellingen mid-race, there was only a group of roughly 9 riders left. I would have loved to contribute to the work but I had a hard-time already keeping the pace of the favourites. Eventually, I had to let them go and together with Langeveld I lost 3 minutes inside the last 15 kilometers. It was still good enough to finish 7th though.
Kayser giving his best for teammate Ledanois
Afterwards, I spent some couple of weeks off. I returned at Tro-Bro-Léon for some race kilometers, beautiful race to ride; I finished 15th there. Days later, the Bretagne set the stage again for my racing at the Tour de Bretagne Cycliste. It was fairly some up and down there. It didn’t start well but I managed to win the second stage. The day after, I was involved in a mass crash 10k out and lost any chance for the GC. Our team striked back on fourth day with my teammate Ledanois making a late attack on a hilly stage and taking the win and the leader’s jersey. The next three days I fulfilled a new role: Giving my all for my teammate. It turns out I was quite good at that. Especially on the sixth stage, I played a key role when I powered in the narrow, slighty hill roads, and Ledanois was on my wheel. Only Ochoa could follow us and whilst a basque breakawayee got the stage win, we finished 2-3 on that stage and secured Ledanois GC win. On the last stage, I protected him from the cobbels and put down my aspirations for another stage win. It was a great week for Fortuneo.
The winning team spirit continued at 4 Days of Dunkirchen and Tour de Picardie, where I was Vallée’s leadout and he got the stage win. In Dunkerque, I won the first stage and was well placed in the GC, but due to an attack by Seplulveda, I couldn’t follow the favourites’ group at one point and lost my lead that day. In return, the Argentine did not win the stage and was finally placed 5th in the GC, I got 4th still.
In turn, Baloise Belgium Tour was a non-feature for me, only on the last stage – a long hilly one with a nice, hilly, low gradient finish, I achieved a Top 5 result but my GC hopes were far gone by then in this illustrious field of World Tour Pros. The legs were good so far, and so I looked forward to my debut at my home race, Skoda-Tour de Luxembourg.
Kayzer' showing skills in front of home crowd
Of course, the sidelines were great to see and at the startline, I was always eager to give my first autographs to my young fans. Unfortunately, I lost quite some time in the short prologue and neither stage 2 was good for me. On stage 3, I came into racing mood though: I attacked in the downhill, went full-gas. On my wheel, the BMC guys (Küng, Bennett) had a tough time following me, and as I caught Juul-Jensen in the final kilometer, I managed to successfully win the stage there. The win pleased me, but it also mostly motivated me for more. So, I went into the attack again the next day, fought for the bonus seconds. Although I lost to breakaway rider Arreondo, I still managed to win the GC on the fifth day. There again, I attacked on the flat after a hill and pushed it with 5k to go full. The breakaway upfront got the stage win but I still claimed third. With almost 40 seconds on the reduced bunch, I won the Skoda-Tour de Luxembourg though, and I had the time to enjoy it. Later in the month, I also won the Luxembourgian Road Race Championships and Fortuneo designed me a fancy champion kit I wouldn’t wear up until September, when Tour de l’Ain marked my return to the scene.
Too many kilometers uphill at Tour de l'Ain
It wasn't in my favor of course with no remarkable results achieved in this rather hilly-mountaineous stage race, which was too tough for me at the point. At least I could show off my new jersey a bit though. I continued to do so two days later at Tour du Lumousin, another french stage race. The first bunch sprint I missed the podium by coming fourth, the next day Vakoc won the sprint uphill and I got third. It was the only time I got any bonus seconds, thus I couldn’t advance any further and finished 4th with a solid conti-points haul though.
Another exposure to World Tour was coming up then. The formerly known GP Plouay, now Bretagne Classic was raced only in the last twenty kilometers. I tried to gain some lead over the last climb but Benoot kept my wheel and the peloton was behind me. Soon Ben Swift outsprinted me and won the race, in the last 200 meters my legs turned jelly and I got another 4th place. GP Fourmies later that week was merely a training race then.
Tough exciting racing in Montreal
Next up were the two Canadian Classics. Quebec has quite a tough finish with two close climbs close. Whilst a who’s who of puncheurs was present, I wasn’t named even as an outside bet, however I had luck that the peloton caught the favourites in time for the last lap. So, I kept myself upfront and rode into the hills with a good position; from this I profited and clawed my back in the downhill. Whilst my kick wasn’t enough to win the race, it helped me finish fifth and achieve a great result in another UCI race. Unfortunately the race in Montreal wasn’t so ideal; the puncheurs made it their race and with 30 kilometers to go, I had to fight for the scraps, with no chance to follow their accelerations. With Felline, Gallopin and Herrada I had a small group and finished 20th eventually.
After the UCI events, I got the confirmation that I wasn’t going to the World Championships unfortunately. The race would have suited me, but I suppose Doha was still vivid in the memories of the national coach. Instead, I’d race Paris-Bourges and Il Lombardia. In Paris-Bourges, I got another second place and in Il Lombardia I didn’t even finish in the Top 100 - what a start to my career as a monument hunter in my debut.
Highlight of the year: Winning Skoda-Tour de Luxembourg
much to the liking of the podium girls another Luxembourg Jung took the topstep,
8 years after Fränk Schleck
Ultimately, the season was another success. I’ve established myself as a specialist for small stage races, focusing on my good finishing punch and my versatility. I hope to advance further in the fight against the clock and experience some more adventures on the pavé. I finished 4th in the continenteal rankings, Mathieu Van der Poel grabbed a second place, Owen Logan won the league. Unfortunately for me, I wouldn’t get another chance next year to win the Continental Rankings. Why? Due to the great team performances, the team got the World Tour license for next year, just narrowly beating AG2R La Mondiale to the chance to prove ourselves on the highest level.
Top Results
9th & U25
Etoile de Besseges
2.1
2nd, Stage Win & U25
Tour de Langkawi
2.HC
1st
Paris-Toryes
1.2
2nd
Classique Loire Atlantique
1.1
10th
Dwars door Vlaanderen
1.HC
6th
E3 Harelbeke
UCI
7th
Gent-Wevelgem
UCI
6th & Stage Win
Tour de Bretagne Cycliste
2.2
4th & Stage Win
4 Jours de Dunkerque
2.HC
1st & Stage Win & Points & U25
Skoda-Tour de Luxembourg
2.HC
4th
Tour du Limousin
2.1
4th
Bretagne Classic – Ouest France
UCI
5th
Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec
UCI
20th
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal
UCI
2nd
Paris-Bourges
1.1
113th
Il Lombardia
MON
Short Season Summary
Giro d’Italia
Tour de France
Vuelta a Espana
MSR
Degenkolb
Majka (TNK)
Froome (SKY)
Froome (SKY)
Ronde
Degenkolb
Contador (TNK)
Van Garderen (SKY)
Van Garderen (SKY)
Paris-Roubaix
Boonen
König (SKY)
Contador (TNK)
Zakarin (TNK)
L-B-L
Landa
Talansky (TLJ)
Dumoulin (EQS)
König (SKY)
Il Lombardia
M.A. Lopez
Chaves (OGE)
Quintana (MOV)
Roche (SKY)
WT ITT
Dowsett
-
-
-
World RR
Kittel
Velo d’Or
WT Leader
WT Team
Rank CT
CT Team
Froome
Contador
SKY
Kayser@4
Fortuneo-Vital@3rd
Santos
Pais Vasco
Pologne
AGR
Plouay
Betancur
Kelderman
Anacona
Valverde
Swift
Paris-Nice
Romandie
Eneco
Fleche
Quebec
Valverde
Nibali
Degenkolb
Kelderman
Alaphilippe
Tirr-Adr.
Dauphine
E3
San Seb.
Montreal
Gilbert
Dumoulin
Degenkolb
Teuns
Siutsou
Catalunya
Suisse
GW:
Vattenfall
Pinot
Pinot
Sagan
Bouhanni
DB PCMDaily 2016
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Kayser was quickly coming through the ranks and whilst his reputation for small stage races was well-earned by now, Kayser was also going to focus a big portion on the lucrative classic segment, hoping it'd be enough to keep the team in World Tour.
Season 2018 – Fortuneo-Vital Concept at 10.000 until End of 2018
With the World Tour status achieved – at least for this season, I wanted to take advantage of riding Santos Tour Down Under at least once, since it’s unlikely to be on my continental schedule. Seeing as how I rely on a strong spring showing for my wins, it’s also pretty handy to get some early racing kilometers. There in Down Under, I achieved some Top 10 results on various stages, but ultimately I lost too much time on the second stage, which featured too many steep ascents for me. However due to Tiesj Benoot abandoning the race, I won the U25 jersey on the last stage. I stayed in Down Under then and participated at the Herald Sun Tour. Fortuneo – Vital achieved a 1-2 on stage 2 with Krieger and me, in that order. I had way bigger hopes for this race but I was definitely missing the courage to win the GC there although it suited me well.
Back in Europe, I contested in the two day stage-race Tour du Haut Var. On the hilly uphill finish, I managed to stay with the best and got a 10th place, on the second day I made a late attack with 15k out. According to my directeur sportif, the peloton wasn’t all too cooperative at first, thus giving me the much needed space to pull off my move. With a great solo victory I took the stage win, the GC and the U25 of course. My form is brilliant at the moment and so I looked forward to the next races.
At Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the race got animated with about 50 kilometers out. A rather large group of 20 riders finally broke free on the cobbles section, Dimension Data was particularly active for Demare and Sagan. The former made a move 10k out, I actually marked him already for the sprint but I was fine at following right there. I took some alibi-relays but I knew that Demare wouldn’t throw away the chance at winning and speculated that he’d be faster than me even if he did more work in the lead. Frankly, he misinterpreted my show and I bluffed, and so I easily outsprinted him. Right there, I’ve won my first flanders classic at age 23. The day after, I finished first in the chaser group of Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne but couldn’t play a decisive role for the win.
At Paris-nice I wanted to be involved in the various sprint stages and maybe try my luck in a breakaway, but despite a two odd Top 10 results, I left with very little gained. Except race form – that I had. And I used it well in Milano-San Remo. On the Poggio, I attacked alongside Wellens and Kelderman; together we went down the hill again, and I was oh so close to my first monument victory but ultimately, missed out on the win, on the podium and on glory by coming 4th. The sweet World Tour points haul wouldn’t stop there though.
Next up were the Flemish classics campaign; possibly the best week of my career to date. In Omloop, I wasn’t mentioned but now they looked at me differently. Still, they let me gain a gap with a good attack and I was fighting from there on out to make it to the line ahead of them. In fact, they would have almost caught me, but my last pedal strokes were enough right there, to win my second semi-classic.
Fired up by this success, I didn’t want to hide myself at E3 Harelbeke. I kept myself always upfront, showed my presence and was satisfied when I noticed they marked me when I put in some digs. Easily, the best day on my bike yet, I was strong enough to follow them over the pavé and was able to recover well in windy flat sections. The race was a constant stop-and-go in the last 20 kilometers, no rider got away anymore and it was a stand-still. Sagan, Kristoff, even me. We all tried but neither got away in this group of roughly dozen men. Thus, it came to a reduced sprint for the victory. Or so they thought. With a late move from 3 kilometers out, I got enough lead to carry it to the finish. With great joy, I crossed the finish line and won my first big classic.
]
With three wins of prestigious Flemish classics, even the big cycling newssites had me on the radar now for Ronde van Vlaanderen. I tried my best there, but soon I realized that both the amount and difficulty of the pavé was too extreme for me still, additionally the length of the race put me in some real breathing problems inside the last third. I didn’t have what it took to finish upfront yet, but I’d get there I thought, as I finished 12th.
Unfortunately Paris-Roubaix was an experience of failure; with two crashes soon followed up, I had no chance of getting back to the favourites group nor as time passed I lost any chance for a solid result. Thus, I decided to take it easy and got to the Velodrome half an hour later, 107th.
Next up were the Ardennes, however after my extensive spring campaign, I already feel some fatigue. Surely enough, at Amstel Gold Race I was in good shape but still couldn’t hold the general pace. As various splits happened and little groups formed, I was caught far back and hand to let to go off the thought of another top result. I also did La Doyenne although my legs were by then really tired but I thought that if I have the chance to go for this Monument once, I should do so. Frankly, it was a no-show for me and in the rather boring race I finished anonymously somewhere 50th. This is where my climbing stood when the gradient got steep; so far, I mostly excelled on slow gradients where I could push my weight by power alone.
Regardless of the lessons, I may have learned it was time for me for a break. Unfortunately, I ride in a real small team and due to the Giro d’Italia being an attractive option for the team, our roster was practicaly going on its teeth during that time. I couldn’t just lay off my feet and so the DS convinced me to do some racing. Completely out of shape I contested Tour de Picarde, Tour of Japan and one more race; all of them without any results. To my resting period this meant of course that it was greatly reduced. At Tour de Suisse and the National Championshis, how the schedule affected my racing. I severely lacked fitness and rhythm, on top of that I even still felt tired after the extensive spring campaign I endured.
The Tour de France wouldn’t be fun, but there was no way I’d back out of it. Vive le Tour, they say. I fought to reanimate my legs in these three weeks of racing through France. I had hoped I’d be in way better shape but I had to make due. In the first week, I achieved some Top 10 results but unfortunately no win or significant podium result were on my palmares yet. However due to some breakaways and easy cruising in the mountains, my form rapidly increased and on the 15th stage, I was part of a breakaway that narrowly made it to the end: I won the reduced bunch sprint and could celebrate my first Tour de France victory at Age 23.
Whilst the battle in the mountains was an exciting affair between a large bunch of riders, I had easy times in the Grupetto. Pinot won le Tour ahead of Valverde and 4-Time Tour winner Chris Froome. The SKY was not the undefeatable juggernaut as in previous editions where they even claimed 1-2 twice (Wiggins, Froome; Froome, Van Garderen), now they looked weakened and their role got replaced by Astana, who had Pinot as leader and Van Garderen as the second option. Movistar with Valverde and Landa played it to stage hunt perfection, with both of them celebrating victories. A letdown were probably Quintana and Majka, who – after stellar showings in Italy – were fatigued for le Tour. Kristoff won the green jersey, Benoot was best young rider, Pinot snatched the polkadots and I finished over two hours down on 93rd position, at least with a stage win to my name.
After le Tour, I looked to conserve my form and profit from the racing kilometers. In Clasica San Sebastian, I was one of the favourites at the startline; throughout the race I kept myself in the background though. Peter Kennaugh made a great solo-move from 20-30k out. Reaching San Sebastian, I wanted to be upfront and created a move; 4 more riders were with me, two of them Lotto Jumbo. Vervaeke of LottoNL did the work for his captain, as I was marking both of them. Kennaugh came into our sights, jus tlike the peloton of 30 riders was closing in on us. In the last 2 kilometers, it all came down and with a great far-out sprint, I could celebrate my first win in Spain by quite a margin there.
Things didn’t go so well later in Tour du Gevaudan and Cyclassics Hamburg. The latter saw a move by myself alongside Lutsenko 20 kilometers out, the reduced bunch caught us in the end there and I finished way down, exhausted and emptied out to the last breath. Later on, at GP Ouest I wanted to play it cool and stayed with the bunch up until the reduced sprint. Unfortunately Mark Cavendish (SKY) was still part of the peloton and there was no way around him; with a second place I was close at GP Ouest but I must make the right decision between passively conserving energy for a sprint and making the race tough enough.
With the World Championships not on my schedule this year, I focused on the Canadian Classics. Romanian Grosu won Quebec much to surprise of the peloton from the breakaway far out, whilst Montreal was a close miss as I was up with a little group of top riders on the last climb. I wasn’t feeling so fresh anymore after that climb though, so I lacked a bit in the sprint and only got 4th, Kwiatkowski won. Alaphilippe later became World Champion in Spain.
Il Lombardia and Paris-Tours marked the final for me and I definitely wanted to have a win this time around. Clasica San Sebastian was always a weeks back but my legs were still good and I felt fresh. Il Lombardia was a bit of a gamble because I kept in a second chaser group and we were glad that the junction was made in the flat section before the final climb. Up there, Rui Costa and Yates were strongest and created a gap, the Portuguese rider later won his first Monument. I finished with the first chaser group of roughly 5 riders, but I was fairly exhausted and so I got last place at 7th.
So I had to put my money on Paris-Tours and with a strong sprinter line-up including Degenkolb and Kristoff, I wanted to do force my luck this time around. 6 kilometers out, Impey was leading the bunch but then put up his legs as a little climb was coming up. I took advantage of the decreased pace to get away; once I was gone, they couldn’t catch me anymore and I could celebrate another prestigious classic win for Fortuneo to end the year on a high.
As a result of my great performances, I've also extended my contract for two more years. Additionally the team has signed Bryan Coquard from SKY and Grand Tour winner Alberto Contador, further bolstering the squad to be competitive on this high level. Unfortunately no real helpers for my rising ambitions though.
Top Results
14th & U25
Santos Tour Down Under
UCI
8th
Herald Sun Tour
2.1
1st & Stage Win & U25
Tour du Haut-Var
2.2
1st
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
1.HC
11th
Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne
1.HC
4th
Milano-San Remo
MON
1st
Dwars door Vlaanderen
1.HC
1st
E3 Prijs Harelbeke
UCI
23rd
Gent-Wevelgem
UCI
12th
Ronde van Vlaanderen
MON
107th
Paris-Roubaix
MON
49th
Liege-Bastogne-Liege
MON
7th
National Championships ITT
CH
2nd
National Championships Road Race
CH
93rd & Stage Win
Tour de France
GT
1st
Clasica San Sebastian
UCI
2nd
Bretagne Classic
UCI
4th
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal
UCI
7th
Il Lombardia
MON
1st
Paris-Tours
1.HC
Short Season Summary
Giro d’Italia
Tour de France
Vuelta a Espana
MSR
Degenkolb
Majka (ALM)
Pinot (AST)
Zakarin (TNK)
Ronde
Sagan
Nibali (TFS)
Valverde (MOV)
Contador (TNK)
Paris-Roubaix
Boom
Quintana (BMC)
Froome (SKY)
Jungels (EQS)
L-B-L
Alaphilippe
Landa (MOV)
Majka (ALM)
Dombrowski (BMC)
Il Lombardia
Rui Costa
Chaves (OGE)
Kwiatkowski (TNK)
Felline (SKY)
WT ITT
Dumoulin
93rd Kayser
World RR
Alaphilippe
Velo d’Or
WT Leader
WT Team
Rank WT
Rank CQ
Alaphilippe
Quintana
Tinkoff
Kayser@9th; 374
Kayser@8th; 1835
Santos
Pais Vasco
Pologne
AGR
Cyclassics
Barguil
Rui Costa
Durasek
Alaphilippe
Kristoff
Paris-Nice
Romandie
Eneco[/b
[b]Fleche
Plouay
Valverde
Quintana
Oliveira
Kwiatkowski
Cavendish
Tirr-Adr.
Dauphine
E3
San Sebastian
Quebec
Aru
Contador
Kayser
Kayser
Grosu
Catalunya
Suisse
GW:
Montreal
Aru
Quintana
Sagan
Kwiatkowski
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Rider Type:Classic Hunter, Small Stage Race Specialist Training:Cobblez Age: 24
Someone had big things to prove in the upcoming year, Kayser has established himself as a classic contender and a stage hunter but was he able to pull off a big one?
Season 2019 - Fortuneo-Vital Concept at 43.000 until 2020
With Contador and Coquard, the team got some hefty expensive two new captains alongside my own rise to leader position. I was happy about that, I consider despite my Schleck-fandom in young years, Contador as a champion and inspiring to ride by his side. It was helpful that neither Coquard nor he really were much of a threat to my preferred races; in fact it’d give the team greater versatility in our racing approach.
I started this year’s campaign in the echelons of Tour of Oman. At times my legs were not really great but one of our new signings Höör from Sweden managed to win the U25 jersey. I myself got some Top 10 results alongside our young sprint hopes in the team – we have many of them. Next up was Tour du Haut Var. Whilst on the first day I scored a third place, it was again the second stage where I made the difference and came 2nd with a 30 second lead on the peloton. This meant I won the Tour du Haut Var back to back now and I was hopeful for my campaign.
Despite good form, I was on the wrong side of a split at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Getting back to the front cost me too much energy and finished anonymously in 30th position. K-B-K the day after was equally unfortunate. With some solid sprint outings at Paris-Nice, I thought I’d good form for Milano-San Remo. This time around the Monument was plagued by many crashes, yet the top sprinters all were there. Again, I made my trademark move on the Poggio but could not gain significant ground. With Yates pacing the bunch I went second into the finish straight line Via Roma but of course lost rapidly places when the sprinters came. Eventually I finished 9th.
The following flanders week was marked by me missing out on Dwars door Vlaanderen. At E3 Prijs Harelbeke I broke free alongside Sagan and Kristoff; I was wary of working with them but despite some bluffing on my part I could not hold their pace in the finish stretch and came third. Similar Gent-Wevelgem marked too tough a race for me this time around; whilst Kristoff came comfortably first, I barely got a 4th place in the very reduced bunch sprint.
Of course yes, this means that I’ve had good showings so far but the winning streak was still missing. No worries I said to the DS, “I’ve still got Ronde and Paris-Roubaix to shine”. But those races belong to the true hard men and unfortunately, I also know when I hit the limit; my lungs are not yet ready for the true Monuments of the sport, those long tough races, I get fatigued at that point. Maybe this is down to me being more an expert to small stage races but I definitely need to work on my stamina for the upcoming years if I want to stand a chance. Add to that two crashes I had to suffer through at Ronde, you know my Monument campaign was no success at all and left me largely disappointed. Sagan won Ronde, Kristoff Paris-Roubaix. Both times I had to let go at some point in the group and finished barely -+--Top 20.
I looked now at the Ardennes to perform. But after a week fairly off the bike, the Gold Race came too soon for me. I was at the wrong side of town when splits happened and finished way down, whilst my favourite rival Van der Poel won his first big classic. Days later, Fleche Wallone was fairly better; I was inside the 10k with the leader group and we got a significant gap. Whilst Ciccione, Alaphillipe and Van der Poel got away, Daniel Martin was a good wheel to stuck to. I’ve got a fifth place eventually, by far my best Ardennes result.
Despite feeling some fatigue and looking forward to a long month of not riding my bike, Liege-Bastogne-Liege welcomed a very motivated young Emil Kayser. With some kilometers out, Alaphilippe attacked and I was ready to make it happen; following his move. Unfortunately, I could not reach him, thus I waited for Tour de France champion Thibaut Pinot to catch up on me. Together we ride our look up until kilometer mark 7 left, when the peloton caught us. Over the basically last climb before Liege, I was up ahead with the bunch but I was fairly at my limit. Barguil and I went into the descent to Ans and I knew if the bunch caught us, I’d just sit up and take whatever I can get. I was that exhausted by now. And so it happened: Whilst Alaphilippe won another Monument of Liege, I finished 14th. That’s actually my best result to date there.
Taking the break, I spent quality time at my family in Luxembourg and right in front of my home door basically, the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg started off. I wasn’t feeling too well, on second stage I noticed my lack of training and fitness and thus couldn’t hold the pace of the peloton in the rainy wind. Höög won the last stage again, he’s an amazing talent and I helped him set up it inside the last 10k. With me and Jungels winning in previous last two years respectively, the home crowd got a fair show of their boys lately but no Luxembourgian got a stage win this time around.
Instead of a World Tour event, I focused my efforts on classics. The GP Du Canton d’Argovie saw a late attack by me in the flat, ahead of the decisive climb. I won the race and could finally celebrate my just second victory this year. Winning was getting harder by now but I was happy I still got it in me. Few days later, Rund um Köln was sort of a non-event for me since the breakaway couldn’t be reeled in time and I didn’t bother then. At the Luxembourgian Championships I finished second after working all the time to get in the breakaway, I need a teammate at my side for the Championships. Drucker knows I want this jersey too badly and Jungels can make my life miserable chasing him. Lots of youngsters too that want to prove their worth there. It’s not free for all, it’s All against Kayser. No kidding.
I came to the Tour de France still not sure about my form. In fact, the first week I was unable to contest in the reduced bunch sprints yet I thought that some of the stages might have suited me. While Pinot was on his way to win his second Tour title, I sepnt some time in breakaways, getting my time in the wind. I came close twice to a stage win but our group was caught eventually. In the third week though, my programe was ideal to go in long breaks. Stage 19 and 20 both were crowned of success; they were flat courses and I spent my time next to Stybar and some more names I know quite well. Stage 19th I won in the reduced sprint close to the peloton, the next day I made a late attack from our breakaway and won again. Two wins straight, Luxembourg was on fire and I even finished 5th in the points rankings. Presumably I think that the green jersey could be within my reach due to my versatility in scoring.
My form was good enough to keep on going after le Tour. Clasica San Sebastian was once again winning turf for me. This time around, the race was meant to be decided on a steep climb a few k’s before the finish line. My idea was to attack a few kilometers before and thus I put some time between the peloton and me. This helped me keep myself ahead of the bunch, who were riding fast up the hill. Joe Dombrowski reached me and was unwilling to cooperate, but I was flying down the descent and knew that I had the stronger finishing legs. In fact, I saved myself a bit in the uphill and thus could easily outsprint without even playing it tactical. My second win of San Sebastian straight, back-to-back!
I skipped the Cyclassics and chose not to ride Vuelta, instead I went for a classic campaign again. GP Ouest France was won by Matthews and spent too much energy in the uphill to Plouay. Afterwards I went to Canada and rode a strong Tour of Alberta, finishing 5th overall. With the support of Contador, I rode the two Canadian classics. In Quebec, the race was largely dull and there were little attacks. Up the steep final climb I followed Landa’s wheel and easily outsprinted him, coming from third in the row. In these last 300-400 meters, I left all other riders behind me and could add another classic win to my palmares.
I was less lucky in Montreal, where I followed Kwiatkowski’s wheel but could not hold it. I spent my time bringing myself and Aru back to the three-men group but I was spent too much in the pursuit since Aru’s teammate Ulissi was upfront. Despite having two guys there, Tinkoff lost it to Simon Yates though. Serves them right.
The World Championships in Kazachastan were a flat affair and thus I could not really bring in my qualities, whilst Van Poppel became World Champion in a bunch sprint, I came 24th. A week later, Il Lombardia and Paris-Tours marked my traditional season's ends. In Italy I wanted to be in contention but lacked the power after the final climb and to let go off the group, from which Eiking won the monument.
Top Results
1st & Points & U25
Tour du Haut Var
2.1
9th
Milano-San Remo
MON
3rd
E3 Prijs Harelbeke
UCI
4th
Gent-Wevelgem
UCI
16th
Ronde van Vlaanderen
MON
20th
Paris-Roubaix
MON
5th
Fleche Wallone
UCI
14th
Liege-Bastogne-Liege
MON
1st
GP du Canton d’Argovie
1.HC
2nd
Luxembourgian Championships RR
NCH
80th & 2 Stage Wins
Tour de France
GT
1st
Clasica San Sebastian
UCI
12th
GP Ouest France
UCI
5th
Tour of Alberta
2.HC
1st
Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec
UCI
8th
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal
UCI
24th
World Championships
CH
12th
Il Lombardia
MON
Short Season Summary
Giro d’Italia
Tour de France
Vuelta a Espana
MSR
Kittel
Quintana (BMC)
Pinoit (AST)
Froome (SKY)
Ronde
Sagan
Aru (TNK)
Poels (IAM)
Dombrowski (BMC)
Paris-Roubaix
Kristoff
Pinot (AST)
Lopez (ALM)
König (IAM)
L-B-L
Alaphilippe
König (IAM)
Van Garderen (AST)
Zakarin (TINK)
Il Lombardia
Eiking
Sepulveda (DDD)
Barguil (BMC)
Yates (SKY)
WT ITT
Martin
80th Kayser
World RR
VanPoppel
Velo d’Or
WT Leader
WT Team
Rank CQ
CQ Team
Pinot
Pinot
BKC
Kayser @ 10th
Fortuneo @ 8th
Santos
Pais Vasco
Pologne
AGR
Vattenfall
Van der Poel
Dumoulin
Smalec
Van der Poel
Bouhanni
Paris-Nice
Romandie
Eneco
Fleche
Plouay
Pinot
Aru
Gougeard
Alaphilippe
Matthews
Tirr-Adr.
Dauphine
E3
San Sebastian
Quebec
Alaphilippe
Dumoulin
Sagan
Kayser
Kayser
Catalunya
Suisse
GW:
Montreal
Fernandez
Kwiatkowski
Benett
S. Yates
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Rider Type:Classic Hunter, Small Stage Race Specialist Training:Cobblez Age: 25
In his last year of contract, Kayser was determined to cash in finally. They make jokes about the final contract year but Kayser was on the verge of something, he just needed to nail this one race, he thought. Just then along came the news: World Championships in Luxembourg 2020.
Season 2020- FORTUNEO-VITAL CONCEPT at 41.000 until 2020
Again I kicked off my season for Fortuneo-Vital Concept at Tour of Oman, where he had a strong sprinter set-up and I was mostly riding myself into form. At the Tour du Haut Var I won the GC back to back, for the third time now! Including that I even took both stages and of course the points jersey.
My strong performance continued with a 13rd place at Omloop where I still lacked some racing rhythm. I hoped to find it in Paris-Nice and I did well there; albeit without the long-desired stage win. Going into the classic campaign, I opted to peak for MSR, Ronde and Paris-Roubaix. In order to do rider there, too.
Milano-San Remo turned into a long sunny race with some moves on the Cipressa opening up the spectacle. Gougeard stayed upfront ahead of the Poggio, soon to be found by Kwiatkowski at the foot of the climb. I felt particularly great and around half-way up the Poggio, I wanted to make a move, too. So I attacked and in the downhill run, I managed to catch up to the two leaders. Kwiatkowski and Gougeard were looking at me and feeling really strong, I wanted to keep the peloton at distance, thus led into the Via Roma. Turning my back, I looked at each of them, waiting for their moves. When the peloton neared and we were within a few hundred meters, I opened up and with a strong surge, I distanced both of them – winning my first monument ever!
Alongside Sagan, Vanmarcke and Stybar, I was part of the decisive break at E3 Prijs Harelbeke. We steered clear of the bunch on one of the Hellingen and my form allowed to do some work. In the final, Sagan showed tactical limitations and I stayed on his wheel to outsprint for my second win of E3 Harelbeke. Despite a good showing at Gent-Wevelgem, I wasn’t able to hold myself in the favourites group as the team decided that it was wise for me to protect Coquard. My teammate actually won Gent-Wevelgem and Fortuneo-Vital Concept made a huge impact on the classic weekend right there. THe bookmakers went crazy right there with my odds for the Ronde and Roubaix and I was tipped for another major result.
Unfortunatley at the Ronde van Vlaanderen, there was no stopping John Degenkolb who rode in an impressive solo to his 6th Monument win in his career. I was alongside Kristoff and Magnus Cort Nielsen part of the first chaser group for a long time; we were doing good work but did not come any closer to Degenkolb. In the end, we even got caught by the second chaser group, I still finished fourth – which was my best result at the Ronde thus far.
At Paris-Roubaix, I still noticed unfortunately that my skill on the pavé was not on true flandriennes level yet. I lost contact with the leading group at some point due to weakness I have to admit, Tiejs Benoot kept himself barely ahead of the chasers to win his first Monument.
As I mentioned I decided to skip the Ardennes in order to prepare to the Giro d’Italia. One day ahead of the cobbled road to Rome, I managed to get my first stage win of the Giro due to a sneaky late move. Unfortunately, it remained my single stage win this year at the Giro, since Greg Van Avermaet won the Rome-stage (my desired prize) from the breakaway with about a minute lead to me. I made some moves around 25k out and still came 2nd, but I was seemingly disappointed by the fact that I missed the chance to win such a legendary stage. Due to some more good sprints, I was eyeing the points jersey for a while but towards the end, I preferred to save my energy and just ride it to an end. The GC battle for the overall was an exciting affair until Mikel Landa injured himself and had to give up. From there on out, Fabio Aru had easy game and won the Giro ahead of Laurens de Plus and my teammate Rafal Majka. My first Giro was well worth the trip and between my next Grand Tour, I managed to win the Luxembourgian Championships too.
I arrived at le Tour de France in almost peak shape. The Giro gave me enough racing but I was afraid of the fatigue of course. Thus this meant for me to try my best in the first week already, much to my liking the stages suited me there, including a cobbled one from Wanze, ending in Arenberg – Portes du Hainaut. But I wasn’t waiting for that stage to fight for a stage win; on stage 2, I was riding well into the Top 10 – a flat bunch sprint! The next day, a long hilly stage, saw me attacking 20 kilometers out in a flat part. The peloton looked at each other and I quickly got some leverage on them. Over the last climb, I managed to make my attack stick, defended the lead into the downhill and won my obligatory Tour de France stage this year. Unfortunately, race commission gave the chasers the same time, thus I wasn’t in yellow, but at least I got the green jersey for now.
I represented it well on the following stage, my little target cobbled stage to Arenberg. With the rain coming down, some crashes happened and whilst Van Avermaet was upfront in the breakagain(!), Kwiatkowski crashed with 30k to go. Since quite some riders were down, I wasn’t much of a sportsman and wanted to take my chance on yellow. I attacked through the rain but Tinkoff rode a hard bargain on me. Though I didn’t jus twant the yellow jersey, I also wanted the stage win and thus refused to cooperate with them and instead attacked, again. Finally I got away and joined up with GVA. Going into the last 10k, I was fairly at my limit. When World Champion Van Poppel reached my wheel and fatigue hit me and I could only barely finish ahead of the peloton on the third place. I wasn’t happy with the outcome: Both cobbled stages at the Grand Tours were declared goals of mine, I failed them both. At third in the GC, I climbed place up due to Pinot’s time loss but I wasn’t in yellow neither.
Eventually, the mountains came and I fell back heavily. Pinot won the Tour in the third week, whilst I took two more stages, both from the breakaway action. Stybar was once again a frequent companion in the breaks, however both victories were down to me being the lone survivor ahead of the peloton. They nicknamed me Triple Kayser at the Tour.
Following the Tour, I was also conflicted about my future. Fortuneo-Vital Concept has support me for 4 years and it’s certainly a home; however, they have failed to bring in more riders to support and protect me. Instead ,they have done well to build up a mighty sprint train around Boudat, Coquard and Rayenne Bouhanni, and some decent climbers have been brought to the team too, most notable Rafal Majka. It’s fair that many other teams are interested in me too, and I have well listened to their offers. Eventually, I opted to sign a two year deal with SAP-Bianchi.
---
”I really don’t know why Triple Kayser decided to sign for SAP-Bianchi. The only thing he ever does at the Tour is to hunt for stages and with Van Poppel winning the green jersey and Pinot on the verge of winning another Tour next year, he should have stayed with Fortuneo!”
”Probably wants to do more classics anyway, Kayser has enough tour stages. Plus, he has said numerous times that small stage races are something he loves doing and that he finds it sad he is not scheduled to them anymore due to the busy Grand Tour-Monument schedule.”
”Stybar must be liking this news, guy has lost like 3 stages to Kayser by now lol. But honestly, good decision because I don’t think anybody will want seriously cooperate with him after recent success.”
”Sad news, one of the best stage hunter in recent years will be graded down to domestique duties. Hope the paycheck is worth it.”
When I came back to the racing scene, I hit them hard. At Quebec, I did not manage to follow the favourites’ move but I clawed my way back in the flat part and reached them in time for the final dash up to Quebec. I was in second position when we went up and soon attacked with 2k out. As a result, no one could initially follow me however I nearly lost it at the line when Sam Oomen was coming up from fast behind. Luckily, I barely made it over the line and repeated thus my Quebec victory.
In great form, I reached Belgium to race the Eneco Tour. Although I could not hold up on the way to the Redoute with Benoot and Ciccione, I kept the distance within 30 seconds which inspired me to take my shot at the final stage of Geraardsbergen. I distanced Benoot, winner of Paris-Roubaix, but only improved up to 3rd, where I finished the race GC-wise. My best result in a WT stage race.
At the World Championships in Luxembourg, I was priced as a favorite and my form was definitely right there. It was slightly hilly parcour but with a finish that suited me and so I kept a cool head throughout the race, bid my time in the shadows of other riders and eventually came clear in the final 10k when the race was in full speed. Winning the uphill sprint finish, I crowned myself World Champion ahead of Alaphilippe and Sagan, in front of my home crowd. Naturally, it was an insane scenery, our Lion they called me then.
I premiered my jersey at Il Lombardia, season’s end for me. Due to the media and political duties, I was severely fatigued already but the fitness still held up as I was training hard each free minute. In fact, I wanted to make it count that I was now World Champion.
Il Lombardia was a tough race, brutal climbs till Como. Especially the last two steep ramps presented to be an incredible challenge, however someone I manage to get to the leading group in the downhill. I was fairly at my limit and I figured that the only chance to win was to stay upfront, unfortunately Neil Vickers, a young british rider knew the better of me and pushed me upfront and so I opened up the sprint and completely bonked inside the last 200 meters, overtook by like 10 riders right there. I still lack the climbing to be in great shape for final of Il Lombardia, something I will have to figure out somewhere.
In the end, I finished second in the CQ ranking, a few points behind Peter Sagan. I also came 3rd in the World Tour ranking, quite some success too. Of course, the victories of Milano – San Remo and the World Championships were huge success for me and I finally delivered on the promise of my breakthrough. Coming now to the new team of multiple Tour de France Champion Thibaut Pinot, SAP-Bianchi left the team and instead a new sponsor took over the reigns as the new main sponsor. Hopefully the new team provides the right opportunities to get another 4 Monuments under my belt. Actually, the team changed the licence from german to italian and would from now on be known as Mapei-Bianchi. The legendary Mapei sponsor returned to cycling at last. My hopes were clear: To build on the legendary palmares of the Mapei sponsor in the 90ies and build on new era.
Regardless of what the future may hold at my new team, I was named Rider of the Year by the journalists and received my first Velo d’Or ahead of Benoot and my new teammate Pinot. It goes without saying that this was a honor and a special reward for an exceptional season I won't forget.
Top Results
1st, 2 Stage Wins, Points & U25
Tour du Haut Var
2.1
1st
Milano-San Remo
MON
1st
E3 Prijs Harelbeke
WT
11th
Gent-Wevelgem
WT
4th
Ronde van Vlaanderen
MON
10th
Paris-Roubaix
MON
Stage Win
Giro d’Italia
GT
1st
Luxembourgian Championships
CH
3 Stage Wins & 3rd in Points
Tour de France
GT
1st
Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec
WT
3rd
Eneco Tour
WT
1st
World Championships
CH
15th
Il Lombardia
MON
Short Season Summary
Giro d’Italia
Tour de France
Vuelta a Espana
MSR
Kayser
Aru (SKY)
Pinot (SAP)
Yates Simon (SKY)
Ronde
Degenkolb
De Plus (EQS)
Poels (IAM)
Poels (IAM)
Paris-Roubaix
Benoot
Majka (FVC)
Tao Geoghan Hart (BMC)
Kelderman (TNK)
L-B-L
Kwiatkowski
Talansky (AST)
Kwiatkowski (DDD)
Robbins Andy (SKD)
Il Lombardia
Alaphilippe
Chaves (DDD)
Benoo (EQS)
Kwiatkowski (DDD)
WT ITT
Kämna
69. Kayser
55. Kayser
World RR
Kayser
Velo d’Or
WT Leader
WT Team
Rank WT
WT Team
Kayser
Benoot
Bwin (former SKY)
Kayser 3rd@485 pts (CQ 2nd)
Fortuneo-Vital @4th
Santos
Pais Vasco
Pologne
AGR
Vattenfall
Journiaux
Bardet
Vickers
Benoot
Willwohl
Paris-Nice
Romandie
Eneco
Fleche
Plouay
Dumoulin
Van Garderen
Benoot
Geoghan Hart
Groenewegen
Tirr-Adr.
Dauphine
E3
San Sebastian
Quebec
Kelderman
Brault
Kayser
Fernandenz
Kayser
Catalunya
Suisse
GW:
Montreal
Lopez
Dumoulin
Coquard
Shalunov
DB PCMDaily 2016Edited by Shonak on 30-03-2016 18:53
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
I forgot to include the concluding part of the Tour de France, so Kayser actually took three stages at le Tour. Think he'll have to play a more domestique role to Pinot now because Mapei Bianchi has actually less climbers than they have decent cobblers.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
So obviously I enjoy Be A Pro Stories a lot, Kayser is lots of fun. Hope I can keep him going, although seasons are getting longer by now and I hope to fix the World Championships bug which could ruin this career for me eventually.
Thought I'd mention some ideas now: Afterwards, I either turn to do a sprinter/TT'ist kind of guy, who can totally rule small stage races (those races are arguably the most fun, totally wrecking havoc in a weak field makes you Merckx 2.0 hehe).
Alternatively, I was thinking about doing some Ricco-styled uberdoping career, sort of consisting of times of sheer insanely good mountain raids and years full of doping bans and actually doing no racing at all. I also think an Andy Schleck-type of career would be fun: Starting out really damn good and decreasing the stats irregularly until the rider sucks so much he retires under 28 or so, but I fear that this gets too complicated.
Anyway, great DB @matt and daily team, it makes lots of fun to play due to some good balancing (I have made Benoot considerably stronger, that's why he finished TdF so high btw)
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
So obviously I enjoy Be A Pro Stories a lot, Kayser is lots of fun. Hope I can keep him going, although seasons are getting longer by now and I hope to fix the World Championships bug which could ruin this career for me eventually.
Tried moving the WCs to the 3rd week of September yet? However I've read on some threads the problem is not specifically caused by our db as I thought (moving dates can be risky and that could have well been the cause) so it could well be one of the infamous Cyanide's bugs that you can't just fix.
The Amazing Tale of Tim Boute 
The Amazing Tale of Tim Boute 
Cyanide Cup races. It was obvious he had worked very hard during the winter break. He topped off his strong early start by taking the Mountain Jersey - whatever that means - in the 
1.1 Classic Loire Atlantique, Boute was found near the front going into the final lap. The route was classic Boute, but back then, even Boute was still searching. He would find a piece of the puzzle that day. In the final lap, the sprinters were hoping to hang on for the expected group sprint finish. But the uphill riding was hard enough for attackers to go their chance. Boute went his 8 km from the finish. His attempt didn't look too impressive at first, but when the peloton made the mistake of giving him 20 seconds, it proved to be enough to get his first .1 victory.
2.HC Tour of Turkey was another season highlight, after staying clear of the peloton on the final day criterium. Boute had more than one talent, that much was certain. And more importantly, it was another step up. After .HC came World Tour. Boute, still aged 20, was coming into the attention of more and more people. But his real breakthrough was still a little while away...
Giro d’Italia
Tour of Yorkshire
2.1 Herald Sun Tour, where he managed a great 4th place overall. From there, Boute was selected for one of his favorite races, 
2.HC Skoda Tour de Luxembourg, Boute came close to his first victory of the season. In a 200 km hilly stage, he finished 2nd. No victory, but another great result finishing 3rd overall.
