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Ayubowan! | PT 2015
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| SotD |
Posted on 19-10-2015 15:11
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Too bad that the most interesting riders are staying, although not that surprising 
It the wages are interesting, then there are a few riders that we at Festina would be interested in:
Blel Kadrii - Whom we have tried to sign for some time
Damien Gaudin
Anthony Roux
And possibly Maxime Bouet, if we decide to go TTT charging
Too bad that Elissonde and Petit aren't available as they were the two riders I would have went for
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| jph27 |
Posted on 19-10-2015 17:00
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SotD wrote:
Too bad that the most interesting riders are staying, although not that surprising
It the wages are interesting, then there are a few riders that we at Festina would be interested in:
Blel Kadrii - Whom we have tried to sign for some time
Damien Gaudin
Anthony Roux
And possibly Maxime Bouet, if we decide to go TTT charging
Too bad that Elissonde and Petit aren't available as they were the two riders I would have went for
I'd call an 82SP in his prime interesting, but y'know 
Elissonde could potentially leave in the near future, depending on me getting stronger all round GC riders. Petit likely will stay for a very long time though, he's a perfect leadout man. I welcome your interest as ever though  |
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| SotD |
Posted on 19-10-2015 17:28
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jph27 wrote:
SotD wrote:
Too bad that the most interesting riders are staying, although not that surprising
It the wages are interesting, then there are a few riders that we at Festina would be interested in:
Blel Kadrii - Whom we have tried to sign for some time
Damien Gaudin
Anthony Roux
And possibly Maxime Bouet, if we decide to go TTT charging
Too bad that Elissonde and Petit aren't available as they were the two riders I would have went for
I'd call an 82SP in his prime interesting, but y'know
Elissonde could potentially leave in the near future, depending on me getting stronger all round GC riders. Petit likely will stay for a very long time though, he's a perfect leadout man. I welcome your interest as ever though
Nah, he sucks
Petit indeed is a perfect leadout man, and I hope one day he will be leading out Coquard. Next season is not likely that Coquard will need one, but after the training I plan, he probably does
Elissonde would be the perfect "final" help for Spilak next season when we aim for the TdF title...
If possible I aim to put the following riders in the TdF
Simon Spilak
Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier
Yuriy Vasyliv
(Kenny Elissonde) or Piter Campero
Jerome Coppel
Yoann Paillot
Clement Koretzky
Bryan Coquard or Laurent Pichon
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| jph27 |
Posted on 19-10-2015 17:35
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I agree Petit would be the perfect leadout for Coquard, but not in your colours Hence my deep regret in not signing them both in 2013
That's a strong team, though I think Elissonde is wasted at PT level - he's not all round enough to make up for only being 78MO. At PCT he'll be leader in a lot of races where Pinot isn't there, where he could be great. So I'm clinging on to him - unless I can get a stage racing talent or two |
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Posted on 26-11-2024 09:20
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| SotD |
Posted on 19-10-2015 18:10
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jph27 wrote:
I agree Petit would be the perfect leadout for Coquard, but not in your colours Hence my deep regret in not signing them both in 2013
That's a strong team, though I think Elissonde is wasted at PT level - he's not all round enough to make up for only being 78MO. At PCT he'll be leader in a lot of races where Pinot isn't there, where he could be great. So I'm clinging on to him - unless I can get a stage racing talent or two
You had no chance at getting him I wanted Lecuisinier and Coquard and would have paid 500K for each 
True regarding Elissonde, but I do think he would be a great climbing domestique, with obviously some decent climbing stats, but also some very decent backup stats for a longer stagerace. He is slow as a turtoise though, so he is probably never going to be a good leader, not in the PCT either imo.
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| jph27 |
Posted on 28-10-2015 18:39
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Stat Increases
| Last name | First name | Fl | Mo | Hil | TT | Sta | Res | Rec | Cob | Sp | Acc | Ftr | Dh | Prl | XP Level | XP Points | Pot | | Rajapakshage | Tushantha | 67 | 62 | 66 | 70 | 67 | 66 | 64 | 61 | 50 | 68 | 72 | 54 | 72 | 2 | 0 | 4 | | Rajapakshage | Tushantha | 69 | 62 | 67 | 72 | 68 | 68 | 65 | 61 | 50 | 68 | 73 | 54 | 74 | 3 | 46 | 4 |
| Last name | First name | Fl | Mo | Hil | TT | Sta | Res | Rec | Cob | Sp | Acc | Ftr | Dh | Prl | XP Level | XP Points | Pot | | Dulin | Alexis | 65 | 68 | 66 | 63 | 70 | 68 | 64 | 50 | 56 | 59 | 69 | 61 | 63 | 2 | 50 | 4 | | Dulin | Alexis | 65 | 70 | 67 | 63 | 72 | 70 | 65 | 50 | 56 | 60 | 70 | 63 | 63 | 3 | 47 | 4 |
| Last name | First name | Fl | Mo | Hil | TT | Sta | Res | Rec | Cob | Sp | Acc | Ftr | Dh | Prl | XP Level | XP Points | Pot | | Fernando | Nidush Nirantha | 66 | 63 | 68 | 58 | 66 | 65 | 65 | 64 | 65 | 64 | 70 | 66 | 58 | 2 | 0 | 5 | | Fernando | Nidush Nirantha | 67 | 64 | 70 | 58 | 68 | 66 | 66 | 64 | 66 | 66 | 71 | 66 | 58 | 3 | 38 | 5 |
| Last name | First name | Fl | Mo | Hil | TT | Sta | Res | Rec | Cob | Sp | Acc | Ftr | Dh | Prl | XP Level | XP Points | Pot | | De Souza | Christopher | 68 | 64 | 73 | 55 | 73 | 74 | 63 | 60 | 62 | 72 | 62 | 68 | 55 | 4 | 5 | 6 | | De Souza | Christopher | 69 | 65 | 75 | 55 | 75 | 75 | 64 | 60 | 63 | 74 | 64 | 69 | 55 | 4 | 100 | 6 |
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| jph27 |
Posted on 31-10-2015 18:06
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Here come the Anglophones?
In recent weeks, we revealed our slight change of focus for next season - and indeed for the upcoming seasons. While we we will still maintain a keen focus on Sri Lanka and France, we will also be looking to broaden our horizons - by signing riders from the free agency from French or English speaking countries, if they represent an upgrade on the available French or Sri Lankan riders. Note the emphasis on free agents - we won't be paying fees for riders that aren't French (we have the monopoly on Sri Lanka...) but we have realised after this season that in order to be competitive at the highest level we need more scope for recruitment.
Our revelation has lead to plenty of speculation in the media, some founded and some completely unfounded (we won't be signing Amadou Bakari - even if you pay us). The main talk has been about our interests in Anglophone climbers from disbanding teams, who could support Thibaut Pinot and give us options for GTs when we hopefully return to the PT in 2017. The main need that has been highlighted in the press is that we lack all round stage racers, and the names of Andrew Talansky and Adam Yates have been repeated many times. But another train of thought follows that those riders may prove too costly for a newly relegated team, so the Gatorade-SIS duo of Robby Squire and Gavin Mannion could continue their partnership and development with us. And according to a newspaper in Boulder, Colorado we have an interest in currently unemployed Nathan Wilson. We don't know how these reports got out, and are unable to confirm or deny their accuracy - we need more time to assess targets, but there have definitely been some interesting points raised.
Is Adam Yates headed to Kandy this winter? |
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| jph27 |
Posted on 22-11-2015 18:49
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New Jersey Revealed!
This space was originally intended for a season recap, but it's still too painful to think about for me to go into too much detail about our season. Basically, we finished 22nd in the PT, we won a few stages from breakaways, our leaders disappointed and now we're headed back to the PCT. Luckily we're sponsored by a company that produces copious amounts of alcohol, otherwise it'd be even harder to take in.
Still, there's always time for a little positivity around here, and today it comes in the shape of a beautiful new jersey - made by the master himself, aidanvn13. Once again, Aidan has done a great job in creating a distinctive jersey, we just have to hope this year we can do it justice. Furthermore, while the sponsors on the jersey haven't changed, our focus has a little.
For you see, Pernod Ricard are a company that like to succeed. And they feel that this season was damaging for their image, etc, etc. So they've made a request we can feel we can meet - admittedly only now after the surprising disbandment of one of the greatest teams ever, Good Energy. Their request is that we move Great Britain into our focus countries, alongside France and Sri Lanka. This is due to the fact that of Pernod's brands, over half come from France and the UK so it makes sense to make that our focus. And, as most of our Sri Lankan riders already speak English, it makes sense for all of us. This could of course all change later on - previously we thought Pernod would want an even wider focus, but things changed - and it may have an impact on riders leaving, as Pernod's wants us to help promote some brands for more mature drinkers - which means some of our older riders may be kept on a little longer. What it means at this moment this time though, is that we have a bit more scouting to do. Including on some bloke called Adam Blythe.
Ayubowan! - 2016 Jersey
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 22-11-2015 18:52
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Nice idea to bring the focus to Britain as well and beautiful jersey from Aidan
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT]  Xero Racing
5x  x5
2x  x2
2x  x2 |
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| sgdanny |
Posted on 22-11-2015 18:57
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Really like the design for the team, though I must still say it's strange to have a team without their team name on their jersey
Not that Renewals looks to be the hardest for you, compared to other relegating PT teams. better make sure that the team can establish themselves better in PT in the 2017 season
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| jph27 |
Posted on 22-11-2015 19:02
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sgdanny wrote:
Really like the design for the team, though I must still say it's strange to have a team without their team name on their jersey
Not that Renewals looks to be the hardest for you, compared to other relegating PT teams. better make sure that the team can establish themselves better in PT in the 2017 season
Our name is on the jersey. Just not in English |
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 22-11-2015 22:12
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Nice looking jersey for you next season! Aidan has done a fine job yet again!
Good to see that GoodEnergy's British contingent will be welcomed on the team as well
.: Manager of :.
.: My Awards :.
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| Dippofix |
Posted on 22-11-2015 22:17
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Bad jph, how dare you.
Allthough in fairness with two British teams going down I guess I can just about live with your weird shift in focus, as long as you stay away from the lads I want.
And a very stylish jersey indeed, Aidan really did work some wonders there. Will be nice to ride alongside that.
And lastly, I see Vanderbiest seems unsettled. We will certainly be in contact in the off season.
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| jph27 |
Posted on 23-11-2015 15:45
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Thanks for the kind words everyone, now for an availability update...
Not for Sale
These are the riders that under no conceivable circumstances are available for transfer. Of course, there are situations with them where I could be persuaded to sell, but considering the riders I would need to sign in order for that to happen it is extremely unlikely.
 Thibaut Pinot
Cyril Gautier
Adrien Petit
 Nidush Nirantha Fernando
Tushantha Rajapakshage
Unlikely to be Sold
These are the riders that I would be willing to sell if I could secure better replacements, but it is going to be quite difficult for me to secure the replacements I would need - not impossible, but I definitely won't be able to sign them all due to budgetary limitations. In the case of the Sri Lankans, it just comes down to which new Sri Lankans are added as to whether I keep them, but it's unlikely that I won't.
Kenny Elissonde
Blel Kadri
Maxime Bouet
Asela Sisira
Dane Steve Nugara
Ishan Sandakelum
Potentially Available
This third group is the riders who I feel I could definitely find an upgrade for with the cash/cap space freed up from their sale. I wouldn't be opposed to keeping them if I can't secure any form of upgrade - especially if Vanderbiest wins the French NC - but I suspect that would be unlikely.
Alexis Vuillermoz
Anthony Roux
Damien Gaudin
Romain Vanderbiest
Looking to Sell
The penultimate group of riders are the ones who I simply don't have space in the squad for as it is, and therefore I am looking to get rid of in order to make space for more Sri Lankan riders. Martinez could potentially have been in the previous group instead of Vuillermoz, but he's so weak I'm certain I could get a stronger replacement so I am happy to sell.
Johan Le Bon
Christopher De Souza
Ludovic Bret
Yannick Martinez
Likely to be Released
Finally, the riders that I have no real reason to keep - should be no surprises here. Don't think I'd be able to get a fee for them, so no point carrying them through renewals.
Alexis Dulin
Ronan Racault
Laxmen Wijerathna
Join us tomorrow for an update on our transfer targets! |
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| jt1109 |
Posted on 23-11-2015 17:08
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Some interesting developments here quite a few targets cross like Yates and Squire but it can't harm your team to have a few more areas to choose from.
De Souza intrests me as well from my Div2 days could be fun to have him back should room be there for him, surprised Le Bon is leaving too as he seems like a good domestique on minimum wage. |
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 24-11-2015 00:05
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Certainly some interesting riders available due to your moving to the PCT and expect some form of contact in the future.
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| SotD |
Posted on 24-11-2015 09:48
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What made you change your oppinion on who is available and who is not?
About a month back you said that Kadri, Bouet and Gaudin would definately be going, now only Gaudin is "Potentially available" while the others are not. There is some way from definately going to staying.
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| jph27 |
Posted on 24-11-2015 11:13
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SotD wrote:
What made you change your oppinion on who is available and who is not?
About a month back you said that Kadri, Bouet and Gaudin would definately be going, now only Gaudin is "Potentially available" while the others are not. There is some way from definately going to staying.
Originally my plan was to sell any rider who would be 30 or over, as I reckoned that it would be my last chance to get a decent fee for them. However, after looking at the alternatives I thought it better to hang on to them, as it seems extremely unlikely I'd be able to get a strong enough rider instead to replace them - in the case of Bouet I'd be after Kneisky, in the case of Kadri it would be someone who I couldn't fit in the cap or one of your duo . Therefore I thought best to take the hit of them declining in a couple of seasons to their value, and instead accept that I'll get some points out of them. Gaudin is very likely to go though, and Kadri probably more likely than Bouet provided I can do the cap gymnastics |
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| jph27 |
Posted on 24-11-2015 18:02
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Talking Transfer Targets
After yesterday's reveal of our riders' availability during transfers - which received a lukewarm response, just saying - we now move on to looking at the riders we might want to sign next season. There are of course some caveats with this, the first being that we don't know which new riders will be available to sign - there are some young and talented French and Sri Lankan riders who could potentially be ready to make the step up - so expect a further update heading into transfer season.
The main focus of our targets in terms of those from the free agency, come predominantly from the disbanding Good Energy team. It's a list that is dominated by two Adam's: Blythe and Yates. We've never had a top cobbler in our team, and Adam Blythe would give us that, while an all round stage racer would make a nice accompaniment to Pinot and Elissonde, hence the interest in Adam Yates. Luke Rowe and Andrew Fenn are also of our interest - Rowe as a nice sub-top sprinter who would also be useful on the Cobbles and Fenn as a fallback should we not be able to sign Blythe. We put the question of who our big target from free agency should be to our fanbase, with 56% favouring Blythe, and the other 44% favouring Yates. However, while our fans matter to us, it is likely to come down to finances on which one we make our major target.
While of course free agents are useful signings, you can't build a winning team without wheeling and dealing in the transfer market. All our targets are aimed at being upgrades for what we have in one way or another, and signing some of them from free agency would leave us able to make a few transfer deals with the profits from our sales - at least that's the hopes. Two big British names have already been linked with moves by their managers, in Ben Swift and Jonathan Bellis, and we're definitely interested in both. However, they would be high fee and high wage targets, so we're not holding out too much hope. Instead, we're looking at some weaker riders who could benefit us instead - Peter Kennaugh and Mark Cavendish have been mentioned as potential replacements for Vanderbiest. Otherwise, it's really the same old stories for us in terms of targets - Kneisky, Geniez, Sibilla and Daniel have all been mentioned again. There are also others we'd be interested in, but can't see their teams selling - in particular two British riders, a TTer and Stage Racer. Our fans prefer Swift to Bellis, 56% to 44% but once again it will likely come down to finances.
That concludes our targets overview, at least for the time being. With only the World Championships and National Championships remaining, the season is almost at a close and it is likely next time you hear from us will be in a shiny new HQ - hopefully with a few NC jerseys to our name. |
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