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[PT] Metinvest - Dacia | swan song
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 27-05-2016 09:33
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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Metinvest is an international vertically integrated mining and steel company owning 24 assets in Ukraine, Europe and the United States and managing each link of the production chain – iron ore and coal mining.
Metinvest CEO Ruslan Popov is a big cycling fan and his idea started this project.
The holding is ready to spend large funds if this idea will have expected results.
Dacia is a Romanian car manufacturer that takes its name from the historic region that constitutes much of present-day Romania. Now a subsidiary of the French car manufacturer Renault, the company was initially founded in 1966. It is Romania's largest exporter, constituting 7.9% of Romania's total exports in 2011. The Dacia manufacturing plant in Mioveni, ArgeÈ™ County is currently Europe's fifth biggest car manufacturing facility in terms of volume produced with a total of 412,718 units (cars and CKD kits) delivered in 2013.
Dacia joined Metinvest as the main co-sponsor prior to our PT debut and should help us even more to promote eastern european cycling on highest level of competition. Our rising star sprinter Eduard Grosu was one of the main reasons why Dacia felt attracted by our project. Welcome Dacia!
Moldovagaz - Moldavia
We welcome Moldovagaz on board and hope for lots of big things that we can achieve together. MoldovaGaz JSC offers gas transmission and distribution services to the houses of moldovan people and factories and operates under russian gas giant Gazprom. The company is based in Chisinau, the city in middle of the nation.
Gruppo Lucchini - Italy
Gruppo Lucchini is the third largest Italian steel group after Gruppo Riva and Techint, with a year production of 3.5 million tonnes. It is specialized in high quality long and special carbon steel products.
Our ever improving italian focus is pleasing music to the ears of this italian company. And since we plan to aquire more of the talented italians, there is no reason for them to leave the bandwagon.
Our only change from 2013 to 2014 was switch of the bike manufacturers. We are very happy to have secured contract with famous italian company Bianchi. Bianchi has long tradition of producing both beautiful and functional bikes for road cycling, so we hope for succesful cooperation. That proved to be the case in 2014 season, as we were more than happy with quality of bikes that we were provided with.
We were so amazed by our 2014 bike design, made by famous bike designer Fintas that we are ready to continue with it also in 2016 PT adventure.
Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 21-11-2016 13:13
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 27-05-2016 09:34
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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2012: Metinvest-Slovnaft (Cdiv2)
2013: Metinvest-Emirates (PCT)
2014: Metinvest-Emirates (PCT)
2015: Metinvest-Dacia (PT)
Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 27-05-2016 10:00
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 27-05-2016 09:34
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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Team Roster prior to 2016
| Name | Role/info | Wage |  | Vitaliy Popkov | Puncheur/TT | 80 000 € | | Sergiy Lagkuti | Time Trial | 55 000 € | | Anatoliy Pakthusov | Puncheur | 50 000 € | | Oleksandr Grygorenko | Climber/Puncheur | 50 000 € | | Andriy Vasylyuk | Sprinter | 50 000 € | | Denys Karnulin | Stage racer | 50 000 € | | Marlen Zmorka | Time Trial | 100 000 € | | Anatoliy Sosnitskiy | Climber | 50 000 € | | Volodymyr Dzhus | Climber | 50 000 € | | Andrii Bratashcuk | Puncheur | 50 000 € |  | Mikhail Ignatiev | TT/beast | 525 000 € |  | Andrea Guardini | Sprinter | 100 000 € | | Roberto Traficante | Flat/TT | 50 000 € |  | Eduard Grosu | Sprinter | 110 000 € |  | Stefan Petrovski | Climber | 50 000 € |  | Aleksandr Pluchkin | GT winner | 1 550 000 € | | Nicolae Tanovitchii | Puncheur | 50 000 € |  | Frederik Nolf | Cobbles | 131 000 € | | Kristof Goddaert | Time Trial | 65 000 € |  | Vojtech Hacecky | Time Trial | 50 000 € |  | Michel Sibilla | Cobbles | 120 000 € |  | Steven Burke | Time Trial | 50 000 € |
Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 27-05-2016 12:09
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 27-05-2016 09:34
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 27-05-2016 10:41
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 27-05-2016 09:57
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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We are about to rock - year 2016
Hello all the cycling fans and especially those, who are fans of passionate cycling project from Ukraine, called Metinvest-Dacia.
Lot of time has passed since the last race of 2015 season and after hectic period of MGUCI negotiations with teams and riders association, everything looks settled and ready for the cycling world to move on again. The deals were signed, hands were shaken and fans can celebrate, we are going straight into off-season activities!
Regarding your favourite team, not many has changed. We are still supported by two dedicated companies, Metinvest and Dacia, with all the minor sponsors also staying, after enormous success of last years debut PT season. Why should they leave,right?
Two GT overall wins and several other wins and podiums shot us not lower than 6th place in final PT rankings, behind some legendary MG teams like Good Energy, Becherovka, Vesuvio and of course the mighty french powerhouse Festina led by the evil mastermind of fantasy cycling.
That is some serious position to defend in upcoming 2016 season, but we accept the challenge and will try to even improve that. Our tries should be again supported by our glorious shirt designer Aidan and the new kit from his "factory".
As he is just a bit busier than usual, we will reveal our new kit (and team goals for 2016) in upcoming weeks on press conference in Kyiv, as we are settling some minor design details now.
So see you later in Kyiv and until then, keep faith in us!
Serhiy Honchar
Assistant GM
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| roturn |
Posted on 27-05-2016 10:03
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Team Manager
Posts: 22247
Joined: 24-11-2007
PCM$: 3900.00
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Just read through your opener and was surprised with the South African company and the continuation of Nolan Hoffmann. 
Had to double check this. Wonder if the sponsor still is as happy as in 13/14. |
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 27-05-2016 10:06
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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roturn wrote:
Just read through your opener and was surprised with the South African company and the continuation of Nolan Hoffmann.
Had to double check this. Wonder if the sponsor still is as happy as in 13/14.
Ehm, yeah, there will be some sponsor changes in the end.
(deleted that part for now, thanks for spotting that)
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 23-12-2024 06:14
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| SotD |
Posted on 27-05-2016 10:53
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World Champion
Posts: 12202
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
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Looks really good. I can't wait to get to the Tour de France and battle Pluchkin with Spilak 
Pluchkin is probably getting cheaper in wages, so I suspect you can keep your entire team intact, aswell as supplementing a bit here and there. That will be very interesting. Also, he will have some very nice support this time around from the likes of Karnulin, Sosnitskiy and Dzhus... Spilak will have the edge from the mountains support with Lecuisinier, Campero, Vasyliv and Hacecký, but you have some better engines for the flat than I do in terms of Ignatiev, while I "only" have Coppel and possibly a road captain like Tom David.
Any plans on where Pluchkin will ride this season, except for the Tour?
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| roturn |
Posted on 27-05-2016 11:00
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Team Manager
Posts: 22247
Joined: 24-11-2007
PCM$: 3900.00
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SotD wrote:
Looks really good. I can't wait to get to the Tour de France and battle Pluchkin with Spilak
Note to myself: Spilak is to 99% not riding the Tour de France. |
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| SotD |
Posted on 27-05-2016 11:05
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World Champion
Posts: 12202
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
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roturn wrote:
SotD wrote:
Looks really good. I can't wait to get to the Tour de France and battle Pluchkin with Spilak
Note to myself: Spilak is to 99% not riding the Tour de France.
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 27-05-2016 11:57
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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Thanks Spilak,
yeah, i am quite happy with my team as it is now, so any possibly changes depend on first round of renewals outcome, maybe we will just try to snatch some eastern european talent. Mountain train, but also hilly department is strengtened thanks to leveling up, so that puts some pressure down in these areas (i still plan to ride without actual hilly leader).
Biggest question is possibly Guardini, we will see how negotiations will go and evaluate his effectivity until then.
And about GTs, with all the honesty, i have 0 idea at this point where Pluchkin will ride, even not decided if it will be two GTs again, or one + some stage races. (i browsed rouhly through race profiles few months back, have not taken any notes and remeber shit now.)
But i see that wheel of bluffing and mind games is spinning already.
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 27-05-2016 12:08
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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Btw. this is outlook of our team prior to renewals, added also to 3rd post...
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| SotD |
Posted on 27-05-2016 12:23
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World Champion
Posts: 12202
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
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It really is a nice team, and we will definately bump fists during the season, as you have an 85MO rider - I have an 85MO rider, you have an 81SPR rider - I have an 81SPR rider, you have an 82/80TT rider, I have an 83/81TT rider.
Throughout the season we will have similar riders. You are still slightly better in the cobbles section, but having Tom David developped means that we are likely to compete there aswell
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 06-06-2016 08:50
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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We have some bad news and some good news, both regarding the change in minor sponsors role of our beloved team.
The managers of South African company Harmony Gold mining were really disappointed with last years departure of their homeland star Nolan Hoffman and thus decided to stop the sponsorship of our team. There was a clause about south african riders in the deal and when that was broken, whole partnership was over.
We can only say big thank you to the Harmony gold company for their sponsorship, we hope that Metinvest and Nolan got them a lot of exposure and they will remember the cooperation in good light.
As one thing ends, another begins, so we can gladly present you the replacement in their role of minor sponsor and that is?
Moldovagaz - Moldavia
We welcome Moldovagaz on board and hope for lots of big things that we can achieve together. MoldovaGaz JSC offers gas transmission and distribution services to the houses of moldovan people and factories and operates under russian gas giant Gazprom. The company is based in Chisinau, the city in middle of the nation.
Why is Moldovagaz interested in sponsoring the Metinvest cycling team? Well, the main reason is probably pretty obvious, as our team is home of one of biggest stars of cycling, winner of two GTs in 2015, moldovan prodigy Aleksandr Pluchkin, likely the best sportsmen in history of the eastern european country.
Moldovagaz agreed to cover all the expenses directly linked with Pluchkin and our second moldovan talent, Nicolae Tanovitchii, somewhat acting as their personal sponsor. We think that this link is pretty unique and maybe trend setting in cycling? Apart from that, they would like more moldovans in our squad, but that is not the clause we have to feel obliged to.
With Metinvest, Dacia and Moldovagaz, we now have trio of strong sponsors from one part of eastern europe and that is only logical, as majority of our team and especially its brightest stars come from these areas.
Gruppo Lucchini from Italy continues to be our minor sponsor too and together with Kalas clothing and Bianchi bicycles completes the "coverage" of our project for year 2016.
Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 06-06-2016 08:58
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 09-06-2016 06:58
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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Every year we have to go through the stressful procedure of renewing the contracts for our riders and this year was not exception. The riders and their agents, if they have one, are negotiating with the key members of our staff and sometimes it drags, sometimes we are done very fast.
This year we had a one big objective and that was keeping the succesful 2015 PT team intact within our wage cap of 3.5 million euros.
That would not be possible without one key thing and that was the contract of Aleksandr Pluchkin, who was signed from free agency last off-season. And we are pleasured to inform you that we have found a common ground with our star and he has signed a lowered contract, worth 1.3 millions. That is some serious cut off amount, but Aleksandr is smart and realized that only this can give him the chance to chase GT glory once again, with even better lieutenants than before. Thanks Aleksandr and his agent!
Then we have an important group of our supertalents, that finally made some finishing steps in their training and are ready to take the world of cycling by storm. Be it Zmorka, Karnulin or Grosu, all signed a new contracts for 2016 and all will raise bigger money than before. We have to say honestly ,that we have some tough job to found common ground with personal team around Eduard Grosu, but in the end both sides came out happy out of long negotiations.
Only rider that has not signed a contract was italian stallion Roberto Trafficante, who asked us for a chance to ride in lower division, with better chance for his own results. Thanks Roberto for your services and good luck!
So here are the new wages, which leaves us with bare minimum of 50,000 euros to spare in off season. So what do you think, did we do a good job there?
| Name | Role/info | Wage | | Vitaliy Popkov | Puncheur/TT | 70 000 € | | Sergiy Lagkuti | Time Trial | 50 000 € | | Anatoliy Pakthusov | Puncheur | 50 000 € | | Oleksandr Grygorenko | Climber/Puncheur | 50 000 € | | Andriy Vasylyuk | Sprinter | 50 000 € | | Denys Karnulin | Stage racer | 110 000 € | | Marlen Zmorka | Time Trial | 180 000 € | | Anatoliy Sosnitskiy | Climber | 50 000 € | | Volodymyr Dzhus | Climber | 50 000 € | | Andrii Bratashcuk | Puncheur | 75 000 € | | Mikhail Ignatiev | TT/beast | 500 000 € | | Andrea Guardini | Sprinter | 100 000 € | | Roberto Traficante | Flat/TT | released | | Eduard Grosu | Sprinter | 275 000 € | | Stefan Petrovski | Climber | 50 000 € | | Aleksandr Pluchkin | GT winner | 1 300 000 € | | Nicolae Tanovitchii | Puncheur | 50 000 € | | Frederik Nolf | Cobbles | 150 000 € | | Kristof Goddaert | Time Trial | 55 000 € | | Vojtech Hacecky | Time Trial | 60 000 € | | Michel Sibilla | Cobbles | 125 000 € | | Steven Burke | Time Trial | 50 000 € |
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 09-06-2016 07:47
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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Rider availability for 2016 off season
This year, we wont make the full list of riders with their transfer statuses and that is for one simple reason - we are 95% happy with the look of our team for 2016 PT campaign. We feel that this team is already a top10 caliber team.
But then again, there is also a room for improvement and we have the cash to make the interesting offers and to listen to others.
There are basically just two guys in our roster, who are open for offers and we mean good offers and especially rider swaps.
These are:
Andrea Guardini - 80/82 sprint/acc
Michel Sibilla - 81 cobbles
These two can potentially leave if the offer is huge for us, but rest of team is simply untouchable. That does not mean we are not ready to listen to anything, we love the buzz of the transfer season!
Edited by Avin Wargunnson on 09-06-2016 10:09
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 09-06-2016 10:18
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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2016 jersey presentation!
Welcome fans of Metinvest!
In the middle of the busiest time, in eve of transfer season, we are happy to present you the new kit for 2016 PT campaign. Designed once more by our beloved partner Aidan, we hope it will bring us luck and success to challenge for top5 in Pro Tour rankings.
Here is the jersey:
We think that Aidan did great job, even more impressive when you hear about his own promising cycling career. The jersey again reflects our Ukrainian roots and roots in metal industry, which can be seen in major Metinvest symbol in the middle of the jersey. Rest of our sponsors is also present on the jersey, which will be produced by czech Kalaš clothing company.
We stay in touch with the designer to finalize NC jerseys and especially a World Champion jersey for Aleksandr Pluchkin, the reigning TT WC.
So stayed tuned and let us know what do you think about our new kit. Thanks once again Aidan!
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 09-06-2016 10:41
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World Champion
Posts: 14236
Joined: 20-06-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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So the wheels keep spinning and we are bringing you update after update, so you can have fresh and immediate information regarding your favourite cycling team.
This time, we would like to present our team goals for 2016 PT season. Last year was major success with 4/5 goals ticked and last one being just a bit off, with disappointment at Copenhagen-Malmo TTT. It was extremely tough goals, but we have suceeded, especially thanks to signing of Aleksandr Pluchkin, who helped us tick our ambitious GT goals.
So where we headed this time - even bigger risk or playing it rather safe? Well, judge yourself, as these are our goals:
?????????????????
Top 3, Praha - Karlovy Vary - Praha
Top 3, Copenhagen-Malmo TTT  / 
Top 3, Chrono des Herbiers
Top5 - Team standings PT 
So we have three goals somewhat connected to our major strength, which is TTing. Riders like Zmorka, Ignatiev and Pluchkin are TT beasts and Zmorka is reigning Herbiers winner. So no wonder we have choosen these goals, we hope that top3 is doable in all three "TT" heavy races.
Then we have a top5 goal for PT standings. It may seem too bold, but lets not forget we have finished sixth and not far from fifth spot last year. It was a major surprise, but this time everybody counts with us and know about us. Are we able to challenge some of the best teams in the world a get that prestigious top5? We will see, but we are confident and we set this as our biggest goal for whole season!
Smart fans noticed that there are only four goals listed. What about all those question marks??? Well, that is the fifth goal and you can be sure that it is GT win goal, but which GT? That will remain a secret until the season start, as we wont like to help our GT rivals plan their season according to that. Pluchkin won two GTs last year, where he will head in 2016? Only we in Metinvest know that.
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| Shonak |
Posted on 09-06-2016 10:52
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15615
Joined: 16-07-2013
PCM$: 350.00
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This looks very nice, maybe we'll talk during transfers. The jersey is a beauty. With the PCM15 AI in mind, maybe it's a bit risky to have two TT goals but bon chance! Also, if PluiPlui doesn't go Tour to defend it he is the coward of MG.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| aidanvn13 |
Posted on 09-06-2016 10:58
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 2797
Joined: 06-11-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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Mmm... Will be interesting where you take Pluchkin! Was a pleasure to design your jersey  All the best for transfer season!
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