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One in a Billion | Rise to the Summit
AbhishekLFC
Last time I had no clue what I was doing and Roompot was a saviour. This time, I should be able to make a better thought out decision. I haven't completely decided on leaving Roompot either.
 
AbhishekLFC
Things are Looking Up

There comes a point in every athletes life wherein he or she suddenly reaches a goal. A milestone so to say. I've been cycling for the best part of a decade now. A lot of hard work and perseverance have gone into reaching this level in my career. I'm not a world beater yet, by no stretch of the imagination. But I am making progress. I have come a long way from my amateur racing days. In fact, I have made huge progress from the time I signed on the dotted lines for Leopard. That seems like an eternity ago now. Two and a half years, numerous races, two serious injuries, innumerable scars, frequent heartbreak and immense delight later, I'm now standing on the cusp of realising another dream.

What am I talking about? Well, it's time to discuss my future with my agent and I've been waiting for him with baited breath for a couple of weeks now. He had hinted about some good news when we had last spoken. I was sure there were offers from teams ranked a lot higher than where I'm currently stationed. It was time to get to know the exact details.

Reaching the World Tour would be like winning a race almost. Actually, it will mean winning something bigger than a single race. It will mean getting to the top of my profession. Starting off from an unheard of part of the world as far as cycling is concerned to becoming the first to ever cross this hurdle is truly remarkable, if I may say so about my own achievements.

I had a mind to write about my tryst with my agent after all the details were sorted out. But I felt too eager to share how I was feeling right now. I'll be talking to a couple of teams it seems over the next few days. There are no further races on my calendar in June, which should make it easier for me to ponder over my decision without distractions. I'll be back with more updates the soon. See you then...
 
Tamijo
can't wait to see what your new team will become
 
AbhishekLFC
Jackpot!

I've been hearing things. People have been coming up to me and telling me things. There have been wild and random links. Links I know cannot be true. Despite knowing this, every time I hear these rumours, my heart skips a beat. Over the past week, I've heard myself being linked to not less than 11 teams, most of them from the World Tour. It has gotten to a point where everyone seems to be reporting something new. And all this even before I got a chance to meet my agent!

When I finally met my agent, the list was a short one. 11 teams were not interested.
Roompot wanted to extend my contract by a further 2 years. I would be team leader in the mountains and in their quest to get World Tour wildcards. A very tempting offer.
Giant-Alpecin (World Tour yayy!) were offering a 2 year contract, with an almost five-fold increase in salary. However, with a couple of leaders already in the ranks, I would mostly be riding as a third-option in the leading races.
Lotto Soudal (yes yes!) were also offering a significantly improved contract to my previous one, albeit slightly less than Giant's. They do not have a very strong climbing team, so I would be able to take up my own interests freely. They have a couple more openings in the team and it would be interesting to see who else they bring in.

From my writing above, I think it is quite clear which offer interests me the most. And yes, that's the direction I'm heading. Lotto-Soudal will be my new team from 2018. The likes of Gilbert, Benoot, Boonen and de Gendt await as future teammates and I can't wait to join up with them. Not that I'm in a lot of hurry to end this season, it's been going well. Roompot have been very good to me but I think I'm headed in the right direction. I hope I can hit the Jackpot with this lottery sponsored unit Wink

i.imgur.com/2xXZzNi.jpg

Edited by AbhishekLFC on 07-01-2017 07:28
 
Ripley
Sounds like you'll be hunting for stage wins in third weeks of Grand Tours. Could be tough, going up against the best so soon.
 
Tamijo
Lotto-Soudal, nice pick !
Lets hope it won't be too tough.
 
AbhishekLFC
Didn't want to give up this glorious opportunity. I agree with you both, Ripley and Tamijo, that it might be tough, but I think I will be ready to face that challenge.
 
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AbhishekLFC
July

After a flurry of activity involving my move to Lotto-Soudal, I was finally back racing in mid July, hoping to cap off the final four months of my Roompot career on a high. July has two races on my schedule. The first is a long stage race all the way in China. I got a chance to drop in at home for a day on the way, so that always a welcome change. A small party to honour my new deal was definitely in order. Don't tell the DS Wink

Tour of Qinghai Lake

I was given a free role in this race, which meant there was less pressure. However, I was keen to keep my recent form going. It's the evening of the fifth stage today...

Stage 1 was flat and I stayed in the pack as Fabio Silvestre picked up 3rd place for us.

Stage 2 had a few climbs on the course. I tried to get away into the break a couple of times but was pulled back very quickly. I eventually settled into the peloton. The pacl split up massively on the first climb and I found myself in third place after the summit. Going downhill, I got dropped by a handful of riders to be in the fourth group on the road. However, the first few groups would come together in the following flat section and 20 riders went to the finish line together. I moved up to 4th place in the GC following this result.

I did not attempt to join the breakaway on Stage 3 but did manage to create some damage to the peloton from the front on the only climb of the day. However, the pack mostly got back together in the flat section following the climb. A bunch sprint followed at the finish.

Stage 4 was another one with multiple climbs. The pack was reduced to 120 riders after the first and the lead group whittled down to just 38 midway up the second. The lead group was down to a mere 11 riders at the top. There were further riders dropped later on. I could not keep pace with the pack and finished in 6th place on the stage, also moving down to 6th place in the GC.

Stage 5 was another one for the sprinters. Silvestre repeated his result from the first stage to get another 3rd place.

It has been an interesting race for us so far. I would've liked to be higher up in the standings on stage 4, but could not hang on. Four more stage to go for me to try to improve my position in the GC. I'll get back with the other four stages after getting back from China. See you then.

To be continued...
 
Tamijo
Fine start in Qinghai Lake
 
AbhishekLFC
Thanks Smile
 
AbhishekLFC
Spoiler

Tour of Qinghai Lake

Stage 6 saw me go in as one of the favourites. The pack split up in the first climb itself. I found myself in the third group on the road. I was still in the same group on the second climb, with only three riders out ahead. I tried but couldn't make up much ground, finishing 7th on the stage and moving down to 7th in the GC too.

Stage 7 I was one of the favourites again for the stage. It was uneventful till I was dropped suddenly with 10 km to go. I managed to get pack to the lead group containing the GC leaders and finished in 10th place, losing no time.

Stage 8 was one for the sprinters. Silvestre managed a 7th place.

Stage 9 was similar to the previous one and Silvestre came home in 8th place.

General Classification

1Bakhtiyar KozhatayevAstana Pro Team36h18'28
2Rubén FernándezTinkoff-Saxo+ 1'44
3Ruben GuerreiroSoutheasts.t.
4Eduard BeltranRadio Popular - Boavista+ 2'08
5José RamellaTeam Cannondale - Garmin+ 3'06
6Sérgio PardillaAstana Pro Team+ 3'12
7Abhishek SinhaTeam Roompot-Oranje Peloton+ 3'47
8Ivan SantaromitaBardiani CSF+ 5'14
9José HerradaTeam Sky+ 5'25
10Anatoliy BudyakDrapac Professional Cycling+ 5'40
Spoiler


Points Classification

1Bakhtiyar KozhatayevAstana Pro Team68
2Jasper De BuystDrapac Professional Cycling65
3Matteo PelucchiTeam Sky57
4Fabio SilvestreTeam Roompot-Oranje Peloton55
5Rubén FernándezTinkoff-Saxo47


Mountain Classification

1Antoine LavieuAg2r La Mondiale23
2Bakhtiyar KozhatayevAstana Pro Team21
3Pieter WeeningOrica-GreenEDGE17
4Tobias LudvigssonEtixx - Quick-step16
5Andrea FediBurger King12


Young Riders Classification

1Bakhtiyar KozhatayevAstana Pro Team36h18'28
2Ruben GuerreiroSoutheast+ 1'44
3José RamellaTeam Cannondale - Garmin+ 3'06
4Abhishek SinhaTeam Roompot-Oranje Peloton+ 3'47
5Anatoliy BudyakDrapac Professional Cycling+ 5'40


Team Classification

1Astana Pro Team109h05'37
2Tinkoff-Saxo+ 8'18
3Ag2r La Mondiale+ 9'39
4Team Sky+ 16'55
5TEAM Pirelli+ 25'07


A somewhat disappointing result as I was hoping to challenge for the podium here in China. I had to settle for a top 10 in the GC and a top 5 in the U25s. A good race for Silvestre, getting a 5th place in the Points classification. With another race coming up soon this month, I'm already getting ready mentally for that one.
 
Aquarius97
At least this time you didn't injured in July. That's a great improvement from previous seasons
 
AbhishekLFC
Aquarius97 wrote:
At least this time you didn't injured in July. That's a great improvement from previous seasons

No kidding :lol:
 
Tamijo
so so race, but very nice to see you are back.
 
AbhishekLFC
Tamijo wrote:
so so race, but very nice to see you are back.

It's good to be back Smile
 
AbhishekLFC
Sibiu Cycling Tour

After the Chinese excursion, it was time to come back to Europe and head over to Romania for the Sibiu Cycling Tour. Last year, this was the scene of my first jersey win as a professional cyclist, when I won the Young Rider's classification. This time, I returned here as the leader of the team, looking to improve on last year's performance.

Stage 1 was the Prologue ITT and I was one of the favourites for the stage win. I started relatively early and crossed the line in 6th place, 12 seconds off the pace. As it would turn out, I would remain just 12 seconds off the best time, but slip down to 24th place in the GC. Timo Roosen finished in 6th place, 9 seconds behind winner Anton Vorobyev.

Stage 2 was meant to be a showdown among the GC favourites. I stayed out of trouble and at the front of the peloton till the end. However, I was able to follow the decisive attack, settling for 7th place and a loss of nearly 2 minutes to stage winner Ruben Guerreiro.

Stage 3 was a MTF. The favourites stayed together till 8 km to go, when 7 riders, including myself, powered away from the others. Rein Taaramae attacked out of this group. I chased him down with the help of Bulgac and Ruben Fernandez, but ran out of road to get past. I settled for a frustrating 2nd place on the stage, getting the same time as Rein and moving up to 4th in the GC. Overnight leader Guerrero lost 2'29" and slipped down to 5th place.

i.imgur.com/Xdb75Qj.jpg

(A few metres more and I would've had him!)

Stage 3 Result

1Rein TaaramäeTeam Katusha4h07'58
2Abhishek SinhaTeam Roompot-Oranje Pelotons.t.
3Brian BulgacLeopard Development Teams.t.
4Rubén FernándezTinkoff-Saxos.t.
5Hyeoung Min ChoeTorku Seker Spor+ 54
6Gregor MühlbergerBora - Argon 18+ 1'09
7Valerio AgnoliTinkoff-Saxo+ 1'23
8Valerio ContiTeam Katusha+ 2'01
9Giovanni PedrettiBardiani CSFs.t.
10Ivan RovnyTinkoff-Saxo+ 2'20

Stage 4 was the ITT which could also play an important role in deciding the GC. Having set off 4th from the last, I crossed the line in 3rd place. After everyone had finished, I moved down to 4th on the stage, 23 seconds off stage winner Vorobyev's time. Although all three riders ahead of me lost time on this stage, the differences were not enough for me to climb up in the standings.

The flat Stage 5 saw me try an attack with 15 m to go. I stayed away for about 5 km before being pulled back into the peloton. The sprint finish saw Krieger get a 9th place finish, the best for our team. I maintained 4th in the GC and took home the U25s jersey again!

General Classification

1Rubén FernándezTinkoff-Saxo10h58'18
2Hyeoung Min ChoeTorku Seker Spor+ 23
3Brian BulgacLeopard Development Team+ 40
4Abhishek SinhaTeam Roompot-Oranje Peloton+ 48
5Gregor MühlbergerBora - Argon 18+ 1'48
6Ruben GuerreiroSoutheast+ 2'11
7Rein TaaramäeTeam Katusha+ 2'39
8Valerio AgnoliTinkoff-Saxo+ 4'00
9George BennettAvanti Racing Team+ 4'08
10Ivan RovnyTinkoff-Saxo+ 5'59

Spoiler


Points Classification

1Anton VorobyevTeam Katusha50
2Abhishek SinhaTeam Roompot-Oranje Peloton43
3Gregor MühlbergerBora - Argon 1840
4Rein TaaramäeTeam Katusha35
5Rubén FernándezTinkoff-Saxo32


Mountain Classification

1Lukas PöstlbergerBardiani CSF32
2Julien BérardAlcatel30
3Ruben GuerreiroSoutheast20
4Rubén FernándezTinkoff-Saxo18
5Hyeoung Min ChoeTorku Seker Spor18


Young Riders Classification

1Abhishek SinhaTeam Roompot-Oranje Peloton10h59'06
2Gregor MühlbergerBora - Argon 18+ 1'00
3Ruben GuerreiroSoutheast+ 1'23
4Valerio ContiTeam Katusha+ 6'07
5Giovanni PedrettiBardiani CSF+ 6'27


Team Classification

1Tinkoff-Saxo33h03'44
2Team Katusha+ 7'17
3Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club+ 10'43
4Southeast+ 16'05
5Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton+ 17'18


As it turns out, I came very close to winning the Points classification too, finishing 2nd. A good race overall and yes, I did improve on last year's race! July wraps up here with me carrying my momentum from before signing with Lotto. No one can say I'm resting on my laurels now that the World Tour move is secured. The only way is up for me...
 
Tamijo
Realy good race
 
AbhishekLFC
Tamijo wrote:
Realy good race

Thanks Smile
 
Tamijo
I miss this, is it over Abhishek ?
 
AbhishekLFC
Spoiler

August

Preuba Villafranca - Oridiziako Klasika

I was back to the scene of my injury last year and it was another nerve-wracking experience. Despite the fact that I've been riding for so many years, it is always difficult to face the same roads where you've had a bad fall before. But here I was, trying to stay on the bike throughout the race this time around...

I was selected as a helper in this race for Calmejane. I was happy to play second fiddle and just try to get him into a good spot for a solo challenge at the end. It was me, Lilian and Reguigui for us in the lead group of 30 riders at the end, but none of us were strong enough to challenge for the win. Dylan Teuns won the bunch sprint, while we had to be happy with 3 top 30s.

1Dylan TeunsBurger King4h18'26
2Jarlinson PantanoTeam Europcars.t.
3Damiano CarusoTinkoff-Saxos.t.
4Adriano MaloriBurger Kings.t.
5Rubén FernándezTinkoff-Saxos.t.
6Valerio ContiTeam Katushas.t.
7Pello BilbaoMovistar Teams.t.
8Gregor MühlbergerBora - Argon 18s.t.
9Ricardo GarcíaMovistar Teams.t.
10Samuel SánchezTeam Katushas.t.

Spoiler

Another race not worth remembering, but a better outcome for me as compared to last year. I go on to Burgos from here hoping to put in a better challenge than the past couple of races. Till then...
Edited by AbhishekLFC on 29-01-2017 16:14
 
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