it is a pleasure for us to let you all know that here in Pärnu we can announce a new big thing for us. In and around Pärnu we will have young riders from Estonia on the roads, holding an invitation for our scouting camp here in Estonia. Several young riders that might be interesting for the project right now or become interesting in the future will take part in this race. The biggest name present is Silver Mäöma, the big time trial hope from Estonia.
This scouting camp will be observated by Mitja, who'll then go through data and sights for further analysation and categorization of the present abilities and the potential of young riders from Estonia. In the future, several more of these camps will be held by Isostar-Adriatic. Beneath this pilot project one winter camp for Novo Mesto is already in plannings, more aiming on climbers though. These camps, later in the years, are aimed to be open to not only national but also international talents.
In further notes, we are very pleased to introduce another supporter of the project. And this is a big one. Not only the camp in Pärnu is fully financed by this company, they'll also inject big time funds to our pot of gold for developing the project. We are talking about...
...Estonain software developement company ZeroTurnaround. Similar to us they lay a lot of their focus on developing international projects with regional methods, which matches with our understandings of talent developement in cycling for Isostar Adriatic.
ZeroTurnaround will join the Isostar - Adriatic project as a secondary sponsor. We will not see them in the team name this year. But instead, ZeroTurnaround fits perfectly to the teams racing philosophy, so their company name will be a popular hashtag for the team. Further, the developement camps will be called ZeroTurnaround Future Days.
This partnership is intended to be a long term deal and another step into stability of the team by creating a substainual partnership that offers great advantages for both sides. We do very much look forward to extend the partnership in the future with all ZeroTurnaround, Estonia and the whole eastern Europe to become a big player in the world of cycling. That is indeed ambitious, but we feel like being able to fulfill those ambitions.
The ZeroTurnaround Talent Days have started in Pärnu, the home of our new second basement. Starting in front of the lime lounge there have been several rides on the windy and flat roads of open Estonia. Our 3 young Estonians, Laas, Räim and Nommela, have joined the ride to show the brightness of the 2016 Isostar jerseys once more. A special guest on the road was Andrew Tennant, who came over for some days to join the rides.
Several national riders that have been invited to the days came around. Out of concurrence appearing were young Karl-Patrick Lauk and Siim Kiskonen, that have decided to wait ride further on Junior level for one year. Opposite to that, 10 young Estonians took the chance to present themselves for the team and ride together:
Silver Mäoma (TT Specialist)
Peter Pruus (Allrounder)
Steven Kalf (Strongman Sprinter)
Gert Kivistik (Cobbler)
Josten Vaidem (Climber)
Greg Hallop (Leadout Sprinter)
Oskar Nisu (TT Specialist)
Karlo Aia (Rouleur)
Peeter Tarvis (Rouleur)
Viljar Kuljus (Rouleur)
They also took the chance to show themselves in front of the Estonian national cycling federation, that joined the side of ours in observing the talents directly here. But they didn't show their skills not only on the road with long and short intervalls and even on the chrono bikes, but also we joined the regional cross team having a ride on the dirt roads.
What we now can take out of this is that we have seen plenty of potential for the flat roads. Silver Mäoma looks like the very best of prospects, especially showing some incredible potential on the chrono bike. Other rather strong men did stand out, talking about the likes of Kivistik and Tarvis as well as the big surprise in Kuljus. All in all, we have seen several riders that could potentially strengthen our side for the 2017 season, especially from a perspectivic point of view.
See our full scouting report down the ladder:
Mitja Mahoric, Directeur Sportif at Isostar - Adriatic
Räim: Mikhel Räim took several results on hard races into his account of results since his addition. Beneath the traditional strength on flat roads of estonian cyclists (shut up Taaramae), Räim especially impressed by his Top 10 on the rough Tro Bro-Leon. Several performances and great results on races followed, and it was especially his power power on the flat that gave him those (12th @Schaal Sels, stages & GC @Hongrie, 2 Stages @Beauce, 3rd @Saguenay, 3rd @ Tour of Estonia, 1st @ Estonian RR NC). His crowing start to his PCT adventure now was the big one the Ruta del Sol 2017, where he finished 6th on a flat stage. Racing all those flat classics for the first time this season will make him even better, so a major increase of flat abilities would draw the strengths of Mihkel a lot better. That also includes a better flat stat based on the success he had on hilly stages shown in the results.
Nommela: Aksel Nommela takes the same aim but different foundation based of results. He is as well a far better flat rider than shown in the db, which is my aim to take away by finding an upgrade for him. From the Drenthe Top 10 to several Top10s at the .2 flat belgian rough classics at the end of the season Nommela has shown that he has that racing toughness that is needed to be a strong man as a leadout or sprinter himself. Beneath the shiny palmares especially that 12th place at Binche-Chimay-Binche from an incredibly tough 2016 edition spots out, as only elite flat riders could beat him there. Translating that into the man-game would be a perfect fit, as his results and especially his style of racing does suggest that.
Mäoma: Silver Mäoma is by far the strongest Estonian talent of 1995, and will be the one until the likes of Lauk and Kiiskonen are old enough. He is one big prospect for flat races, especially when Time Trials are on the way, no matter if shorter or longer. This strength was perfectly shown at the Baltic Chain Tour 2016, where Silver won the opening prologue to finish third overall and in the white jersey. He achieved that also by Top10ing both other stages, one that was ripped apart in the winds (2nd) and one that was fought out in a rough sprint (9th). He on top already finished in second in the national TT championship, and will surely win this race in the future. Further success where European and World Championships U23 as well as several young riders classification positions and the 2nd place in a windy flat Estonian road race. Not only his pure power is remarkable though, he also adds some fantastic speed to it. This combination already brought him several podiums on the French national series (f.e. wins at Pays Roannais or Entre Brenne). He also took great results in international young riders chronos, like the podium at the Carpathian Couriers race. This year his stong results did continue in the French elite series, and surely those will be translated to higher level in the future.
Pruus: The Estonian captain can do it on every terrain. Not only constantly Top10ing in time trials, he also is the GC captain of the CT team Rietumu. Thus he took several great results, preferring hard flat stages though. His best winning spot though is from surviving hard mountains in an elite reduced group, and then strike on flat/downhill finishes. On top he contest often for Top10s in sprints of .2 races or even .1 stages.
Kalf: Steven Kalf currently is in his third year as an Amateur in France, a way that several Baltic talents took. After some consistent top 10 finishes in national events he was able to Top 5 even at the Tour du Bays de Bearn. Lateron he also Top10d in both NC RR & TT, which shows his current allround game. Looking into the future though it is projected that Kalf develops into a strongman, that can rip races apart when it’s ugly to race. That includes a faible for cobbles, as seen as he is part of this years Estonian national U23 squad for the flat & cobbled U23 classics. With a decent sprint on his side he could well turn into a decent flat/cobbled powerhouse, similar to a rider like a Stuyven.
Kivistik: Having already ridden U23 classics, Kivistik is the kind of more experienced cobbler of the duo Kalf/Kivistik. Coming from CX he has got that slightly bigger trained cobbled skills, pointing at his qualities in downhill riding, accelerating and also punching. What he instead lacks in comparison is parts of the engine room of Kalf as well as not being exactly that tough on the hard winds, but still a typical strong Estonian rider in windy situations. The results though prove the strength of Kivistik, he found himself in the top 10 in several flat and bumpy classics, holding on to the best but not exactly having the speed for competing for the Top10.
Vaidem: Another rider that is coming from CX, yet Josten Vaidem is completely different to Kivistik. In what looks like the strongest climbing talent since Taaramae & Kangert, the Estonian youngster has shown incredible bike handling skills in his young career. There he already finished in the Top5 of the national CX in 2015, and since then he’s become an outstanding descender. To get to use to that though he has to climb up those high mountains, and he does that with some great watts and decent resistance. Adding to that he has a strong punch he has shown in several hilly national events in France. His climbing skills were already shown on higher level at l’Avenir 2015, but it also has shown his biggest weakness: Recovery. If a stage race goes over several days or longer distance, Vaidem gets worse and worse. He also does not good at time trialling, and doesn’t seem to do so any time soon. But for short and steep races, his punchy climbing style could be a perfect fit, and his outstanding downhill abilities perfectly add to that.
Hallop: What Hallop can do is push the tempo in the flat. What he can to is leading out sprints really well. What he also can do is going for himself in tough races, such as winning Souvenir Lois-Nucera-Nice in 2016. What he sadly can not do is survive climbs or even hills, and neither is he a proper time trial. Instead, this flat engine is a good leadout to have in sprints or semi-classics, which is exactly what he should do in the MG.
Nisu: One of the bigger TT hopes of Estonia, actually the #2 behind Mäoma currently. He already finished fourth in the NC TT for two years straight, and also competed strong in the opening TTs of the Baltic Chain Tour and the ZLM Tour. On easy flat stages he is able to compete as well, seen with his second at GP Domjean or his 4th at the GP Troiville as well as several more Top10s in French and Estonian national events. What the Estonian really lacks though is a versatile skillset, as he doesn’t do cobbles, time trials, hills or climbs on a decent level. However, he is a decent sprinter, which might make him an okay leadout and time trial specialist for the MG.
Aia: The cyclist in his best age is riding for Chinese CT teams for several years, where he does great by padding on the flat and attacking races. Perfect evidence for these skills, that are contrary to his shown in the MG currently, are his win at the short Tallin Kriterium he took with a flat attack, as well as several 5-15 places in both Estonian and Asian NE races that were short, flat and high paced.
Tarvis: Peeter Tarvis would be one of the older generation additions, being from 1993. After riding as a flat domestique for Rietumu he turned back to Estonian Cycling at Amateur team Estonia2915, wher he showed some decent results in the national criterium series, by doing numerous attacks on the flat. In 2016 he also did some outside racing for the Estonian national teams, and thus he showed his versatility with decent rides at f.e. the Minsk Cup or the Velothon Wales. He could be added as a flat puller with decent back-ups.
Kuljus: You wouldn’t believe the story of Viljar Kuljus if it wasn’t true. The starting goalkeeper of Vatseliina FC Tannem started competitive cycling at 2016. And what a time he is having there, winning a national event against professional cyclist straight away. He directly came close to a Top 10 in both NCs doing the RR and TT riding for the Rein Taaramae Rattaklubi. In the initial youth factory of the professional cyclist he is that strange guy who found his talent in cycling very late. Too late for the man-game? I know that his current palmares doesn’t justify the stats, but we can’t add a 32 year old on lvl 1-2 can we?
Further on the ladder the ZeroTurnaround Talent Days continued to take place in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. On the roads were any types of sectors, but we mostly went into the Triglav mountains to test our legs there. With us a bunch of riders feeling well on very different types of terrain. From steep mountains to tricky descents we had everything waiting for us.
Joining the ride from our team side were not only the coaching staff of Mahoric, Mervar, Kranjec and Niemiec, but also a couple of riders not from our team. They might have taken this as an opportunity to check out that new Slovenian team, or just to use it for their season preperation. However, we were glad to introduce young puncheur star Matej Mohoric and uprising stage racer Primoz Roglic to our bunch of home riders and talents.
From our side we had a couple of guys going there as well, starting with young rider Rok Korosec. Our stagiare is not likely to receive a contract at this point if he doesn't develop, and that is exactly what he was here for. Another interesting sight was Pavel Potocki. The young climber from Croatia returned to us from a loan to PT, and might be one of our leaders in the climbing department next season. Last but not least our future cobbles captain Jan Polanc joined the fun. The versatile classics guy is even before his first race for us already a huge promise and face of the Isostar - Adriatic campaign.
As it has been the case in Estonia this as well has been an invitation event for young riders. Again also the big Slovenain future prospects, that will stay on Junior level, joined our ride. We're speaking of Jaka Primozic and Tadej Pogacar, but also Ziga Horvat, Tilen Finkst and Ziga Jerman are on our list for the future adn were invited for a day each to join us.
Excluding those young/guest riders a number of 14 riders went on the road for our #zeroturnaround Talent Day, riding themselves into the notes of our scouts:
David Per (Allround Cobbler)
Domen Novak (Climber)
Matej Mugerli (Allround Puncheur)
Radoslav Rogina (Stage Racer)
Marko Pavlic (Stage Racer)
Ziga Rucigaj (Roleur)
Martin Otonicar (Chrono Roleur)
Jure Miskulin (Strongman Sprinter)
Ziga Groselj (Sprinter)
Andi Bajc (Hill Sprinter)
Rok Korosec (Sprinty Puncheur)
Jernej Svab (Puncheur)
Tadej Logar (Climber)
Miha Poljanec (Breakaway Specialist)
David Per and Domen Novak obviously are the major focus of this. They are the future of Slovenia and have the potential to become superstars on their respective terrain. Evenmore, Per especially is able to show off with a wide skillset of strengths. Then we have the two oldies, Mohoric and Rogina, that are looking for a contract in their late days. The group is finished off by riders from every type of direction, with the most promising Roleurs (Otonicar, Rucigaj), Puncheurs (Korosec, Svab), Sprinters (Miskulin, Groselj) and Climbers (Pavlic, Logar) of Slovenia.
See our full scouting report down the ladder:
Mitja Mahoric, Directeur Sportif at Isostar - Adriatic
David Per is somebody, on which quality and talent there simply can't be any doubt settled. The Slovenian is a great bike handler, which he did especially show with his great result on the cobbles in the U23 races last season for Slovenia, highlighting in winning the U23 edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Further strong results in the early classics show both his great cobbled skills as well as his never-ending engine, that is rarely seen in similar kind on this age.
But this rider is not only an incredible engine and flat specialist, he on top is very versatile. From 3rd in the U23 TT NC, to second at GP Laguna Porec 2016, that was decided on the climbs, this man got everything inside him. His maybe most appealing asset is his sprint though, which is really good (6th stage 4 @Slovenia 2016, beating f.e. Modolo). Besides doing a lot of leadout in 2016 he prefers classics to finish in a sprint, which rounds his allround package. Taking everything together the best comparison for David Pers potential might be Alexander Kristoff.
After a rather strong U23 year at Adria Mobil the Slovenian joined WT team Bahrain-Merida this season, an impressive move for a guy that started CT cycling in 2014 for Adria Mobil as a stage racing prospect. All in all, David Per is surely one of the best of his class. He already showed that with his 3rd place in the last Elite NC of Slovenia.
I would add him on either level 2 or 3, as like that it's easier to draw the skillset that David Per offers with his strength.
Domen Novak surely is the other big thing in Slovenia. This duo makes up for the strongest duo of prospects in Slovenia until the '98 riders will come with NCup stars Primozic and Pogacar (Hello MG 2020 season ). Domen Novak as well signed a World Tour contract with Bahrain-Merida, and did the change together with Per. The two of those however completely differ in their strengths:
Domen is a climber. He can do different things, does decent in hilly one day races and also is an okay chrono guy. But what really matters is his climbing speed. Even in his young years he has won several white jerseys in his 3 years with Adria Mobil in CT: 1st @Sibiu 2014, 2nd @Bartali 2015, 1st @Slovenia 2015, 2nd @Bartali 2016, 1st@ Croatia 2016, 1st @CCC 2016, 1st @ Malopolska 2016. On top of that he achieved several more notable results in terms of GCs and stages: 3rd at Malopolska, 6th as a helper in Croatia, the mountains jersey at the CCC tour.
Minor results in hilly classics (3rd Laguna Porec or most combatitive rider at Istrian Spring Trophy) round this of and also show his attacking style of riding, that is especially drawn by a rather fast acceleration on his side. Also in 2017 he had his first showing on higher level, finishing 5th at an Andalucia stage. We'll see him competitive sooner than later in PT I feel, as another strength of him is the downhill technique, that is traditionally strong at Slovenian riders - Mohoric schools.
I would add him as a simple level 1 or 2 rider, that can develop into a great punchy climber.
Matej Mugerli just cannot be overlooked anymore, as he is a great rider and one of the best in CT for 4 years now. 21 victories since 2013 speak for itself for an allrounder, so that it's time for finally adding him into the db. The results he took for Adria, Synergy Baku and Amplatz are incredible, he mostly takes it in hilly one day races or tours though. But then, he has no weakness, and still a striking acceleration in his older legs. But then, you don't just average over 200 CQ points in CT for 5 years straight by being a mediocre rider. You do it by being a brave attacking rider and being a strong man. Mugerli is exactly that, as he already shown this year by not only winning the queen stage and the GC at the Istrian Spring Trophy, but also winning the Trofej Porec and finishing third at the GP Izola, looking stronger than he has ever looked.
Radoslav Rogina is, to be fair, an old man in cycling. But the MG could do well in doing him justice by adding him to the game for his CT success. Beneath having taken several GCs (Quinghai Lake, Sibiu, Slovenia) he is also a strong one-day racer. The reigning Croatian national road race champion has a more than decent climbing game on his side, with which he for example also finished second at the GP Kranj last year. Several more results like 5th at the growing Tour of Croatia back that up. One hommage for the old-fashioned attacking climber would do Rogina justice.
Pavlic has shown some decent climbing skills in the past. With Radenska Ljubljana his success in stage races has been decent, for instance looking at his success at the Course de la Paix or in the young riders classification of the Tour of Slovenia. Adding a decent TT to his game, as for example shown at the Slovenian NC TT, he was added by Peter Sagans training camps to the Cycling Academy Team. Sagan can't be wrong with talents right!? There he had an injury-prone year though, in which he still managed to surprise though at the Tour of Croatia with a Top 20 against strong opponence. At least his game developed over the year in Israel, from where he with the departure of Sagan also disappeared, and instead rides in Slovenia again. There he looks better and better after his tough last year, and after a good showing at the Istrian Spring Trophy he could well turn onto developing to what he is: A decent Stage Racing Prospect.
Rucigaj has been added in what most likely has been a rush last year. Yes, he is a decent chrono guy like in the db, but he can be so much more of that. Rucigaj often does a great job in pulling for a long time in the peloton and equally does rough attacks. His roleur abilities already are on great CT level, and what he might become is that Tyler Phinney (without that injury) like painful hammer on the flat. Pairing that up with his developping position on the TT bike and the decent strength over mountains (he looks like Hesjedal while climbing, not asthetic but powerful), he might even have some shot at minor GC riding (like shown at the Tour of Slovenia 2016 (4th U25) or the Tour of Croatia 2016 (6th U25), but the big potential lays in his flat speed. With that he already has found some decent results (1st Youth @Tour of Hungary 2016), and it will be even more interesting when he takes part in more international flat classics in the future. My suggestion is to put him in on level 1 with the potential to become a WT roleur.
Otonicar goes in a similar direction to Rucigaj, he is a powerhouse as well. This man is not able to climb properly for certain, but is equally talented in putting the watts on flat roads. And on top, Otonicar offers even more strength in the time trial section. There he already found a decent position for himself and feels comfortable, for both longer and even more shorter TTs (3rd Prologue Hungary 2016, 5th NC ITT Slovenia 2016). He's a tad better in there, what is perfectly reprsented in being that slightly more kicky finesseur than the former (3rd Stage 1 Tour of Bulgaria 2016). He offers a decent speed to lead riders out, which is exactly what he does for Slovenias national equipe Sava currently, which brought guys like Mezgec out in the past. Can the former Junior star (4th @Junior Paris Roubaix, several more junior results) turn into a great finesseur? I guess so. I'd advice to adjust his stats but keep him at level 1.
Miskulin is one sprinter, that would need some focus on the energy he offers. Jure can do great leadouts, but on the same way sprint hard. Even hills don't really bother him, and when it comes to his abilities he might be a great bet for the future if he continues to develop at Radenska like he does (5th @Croatia Stage, 4th @ Bihor stage). He likes it windy to play his short effort flat strength. What really turns him down though is the horrible endurance he offers. It's strange how a rider that is that strong on the flat and not too bad over short climbs struggles so often with DNFs in races that point on the Stamina/Resistance of a rider. Still, Miskulin can be a great sprinter for tough sprints on short stages/races.
Groselj has newly found a new team, in signing with Adria Mobil. Looking at how many WT riders this team has brought on in the latest time and at the development of Ziga last season he could well be one of the next. In 2016 Groselj had a major turn of speed, sprinting to several top 10s in one-day races (Belgrade - Banja Luka, Marmo, Laguna Porec). Major results for the man that does well over the hills though were the Tour de Slovenie Stage 4 and the third place at Croatia - Slovenia, at the end of the season, which showed his late development. This Mezgec type of sprinter could in the future turn out exactly as his comparison model does.
Bajc is a loyal punchy sprinter of Amplatz - BMC, that scores constantly on CT level. He could take a small increase in terms of punchy speed, given his good results in 2016 (Rad am Ring, Slovenian NC, Istrian Spring Trophy, GP Adria Mobil, Laguna Porec, Tour of Iran) and 2017 (Istrian Spring Trophy) on these kinds of terrains, to be a helpful mg-leadout for punchy sprinters.
Korosec is one guy that surely needs an upgrade, and this would be possible as the (with his current stats) stagiare will be released by his current team. Since the MG addition the Slovenian has developed to be so much more than the clean sprinter he is in the db. Instead, Rok Korosec now is what looks like one of the most talented punchy sprinters (and hidden gems) in the cycling world. After an outstanding year 2016, where he took the transition from being a sprinter with a good punch to a puncheur with a good sprint. The late kickstarter had some major success with the small talent squad Radenska Ljubljana (Top 10 in Umag, Porec, GP Adria Mobil, NCITT, Bihor, several Hongrie stages; stage win + 2nd points + 5th overall in Hungary; KOM @Bihor), and then went on to Amplatz-BMC. There he is to take the role of Tratnik, and he did perfectly by continuing the development beating one of the best CT punchy sprinters in Filippo Fortin for the win at Trofej Umag. If many of those results come, he might end up being one WT punchy sprinter once.
Adjusting him in the DB will be kind of tricky to not overpower his sprint by shifting to the puncheurs focus. I would suggest to bring him to level 3, and to do the easy shift there with a 72 Hill stat added to his 71 sprint. He also needs a major allround upgrade of course to do his wide open skillset justice.
Svab: The young puncheur riding for the Slovenian Amateur Team KK Kranj already has seen three successful years as cyclist. Eventhough he is that young, Jernej has had success in several hilly .2 One Day Races in Bosnia, Slovenia and further around the Balkan. He can not offer the top notch results, but that is because he always has been the domestique. Surely he can become a hilly domestique on a higher level though in the future, as his hill and decent sprint together make up for a classical punchy domestique.
Logar: The teammate of Svab, Tadej Logar, is a very similar rider. Good worker over the hills, though a lot more targeting the climbs than Svab. In further comparisons he offers also a decent sprint, though not strong enough to compete with the best. Furthermore he lacks the abilities to go over distance for a long time. But, on the interesting side, Logar can develop into a solid uphill domestique if he continues his way.
Poljanec: Former Sava rider Miha Poljanec still is at the beginning of a long career, that sees him as a great allrounder. He surely has some upside on both hilly and flat terrain, and already does well as seen at the bumpy GP Kranj in 2016. In addition, he is a decent young allrounder that might make it far in terms of domestique duties on every terrain.
Novak and Per, especially Per, would really compliment Podium Ambition. Providing a complete skillset of adapatability allowing various growth options Per could very well be a key team player and replacement for an aging Thomas, whilst Novak is just a nice climber
Wouldn't mind adding Svab, Logar or Poljanec to our stable of sprint options either
@TMM: it is great to see somebody caring about the slovenian talents though I guess we have different ideas on where those should ride next season and how those mentioned youngsters should develop in their future
Croatia14 wrote: @TMM: it is great to see somebody caring about the slovenian talents though I guess we have different ideas on where those should ride next season and how those mentioned youngsters should develop in their future
A good rider is a good rider and as my team has no nationality focus i'll take any good rider i can get
Croatia14 wrote: @TMM: it is great to see somebody caring about the slovenian talents though I guess we have different ideas on where those should ride next season and how those mentioned youngsters should develop in their future
A good rider is a good rider and as my team has no nationality focus i'll take any good rider i can get
sounds like a plan though my plan goes different and sees strong relations with founding nations
My Slovenian minor sponsor is stunned by all those intriguing prospects and would like to see a replacement for the departed Mohoric as second slovenian face of the team
knockout wrote:
My Slovenian minor sponsor is stunned by all those intriguing prospects and would like to see a replacement for the departed Mohoric as second slovenian face of the team
if you are looking for a second slovenian face you might fancy Pibernik, who most certanly looks for a PT loan team next season
we'd happily take your old rider Mohoric though, he'd fit us very well especially after riding with us here in the camp
Seriously though great suggestions and another fantastic write-up Cro
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knockout wrote:
My Slovenian minor sponsor is stunned by all those intriguing prospects and would like to see a replacement for the departed Mohoric as second slovenian face of the team
if you are looking for a second slovenian face you might fancy Pibernik, who most certanly looks for a PT loan team next season
we'd happily take your old rider Mohoric though, he'd fit us very well especially after riding with us here in the camp
Would love to see Mohoric with you. Sadly, i have no influence on that.
@knockout: It will be a matter of activity I guess. If the cases appear that Mohoric does become available and we do promote to PCT then we'll do everything to sign him, that is for sure.
in the previous days we have seen plenty of talent on the roads around the Triglav Mountains. These ZeroTurnaround talent days, taken place here as well as in Pärnu, have been about cycling and it's most worthful thing: Being a place to go for young, enthusiastic people. Being the future.
And we have seen the present and future of Slovenian cycling in Matej and Primoz. We have the future of our team in Pavel and Jan. We also have seen the bright further future of not only Slovenian cycling but also of our team in Domen, David, and the further participants.
Speaking about the future, we have also seen how much adding new partners can develop a team to become bigger. We have seen how much it can help a team to become more substainual. And finally, how much the improvement of structure can help to broaden the options for young men to live their dream and become professional sportsmen.
That is, why we are very happy to present our final new partner: Waterland Private Equity Investments.
Let us hear some words from their manager of expansion, Dominik Czajewski:
We are very happy to create this partnership with Isostar - Adriatic. Cycling is a sport of immense value an opportunities. We see the sustainable plans that Mr. Tepes and his partners have shown to us in several talks. They match our idea of a sustainable world in its grounded base, so that we are happily willing to invest into the project. To be fair, we though also see the opportunities of the immense marketing value by sponsoring a team.
You may ask why we as a Belgian company decided against an investment into Belgian cycling but into an Eastern European project. Well, at first the team managers offensively searched for partners to raise their funds and infrastructure. That's why we initially talked to this team first.
Then, secondly and as said, they convinced us with their long term development plans. Giving us the option to manage their capital also raised option for both sides - and is of course an interesting option for us. Of course, they will also benefit from this. The bigger the percentage of capital we make from those, the bigger the financial reward and thus fundraising will be from us. However, a fixed grounded fund is stated, but boni can multiply this.
Thirdly, their short-term ideas convinced us on top.Together we want to be with the best in every race, and ride on the highest level which is the Pro Tour as soon as possible. The team is also aiming to expand their range in the cobbled classics,
which will assure several appearances in the BeNeLux classics. Jan Polanc will assure this, but in team talks we also stated that we would like one or two regional classics specialists to add to that focus. Chefscout Niemiec confirmed to me that they have a close eye on the Belgian northern classics market.
All in all, we very much look forward to a long-term partnership between the cycling project and PEI Waterland.
Thank you Dominik. One thing from my side to add to that. Of course, our current fonds is guaranteed by PEI Waterland as well as a fluent cash flow. The only risk we take here is a reduced fund from PEI, but we trust in the team of Mr. Czajewski that we will benefit a lot from this partnership. May we have a bright and sustainable future together.
Miran Tepes, General Manager of Isostar - Adriatic
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Audience, Dear Partners, Dear Team,
we all came together today to celebrate. We, Isostar - Adriatic,
will continue as the team as we are in 2017. Under the same name, under the same credo: As the #meninlime we stand for cycling as a passion, for a fresh and attacking style. We stand for a sustainable future of this Slovenian Project, for that expanding and improving is the only option. #zeroturnaround!
What will change from 2016 to 2017 will be our jersey. After the partnership with GT Sports came to an end, we proudly announce our new outfitter: Fenix Design. The british designer has one hell of a portfolio of great outfits, from all over the world but especially in the world of cycling.
Our goal was to stand out like we did in 2016, and you'll see that the designer did more than just create a shirt to fulfill our high expectations. They created a masterpiece that is unique and surely outstanding in the 2017 professional peloton.
At first let us give us a huge round of applause for their chef designer: the_hoyle! We are honored by your appearance at our presentation, may the partnership hold on for the future of Isostar - Adriatic and Fenix Design.
Let us now welcome Jan Polanc up here, to show us how the outfit looks on full design:
I can't wait to try this Fenix Design work out for a full ride. The design looks outstanding, our opponents will fear us on the road. Aggressive riding in an aggressive and futuristic designed jersey, what could be better? It also feels fantastic, Zolna Sport told us that they've developed a combination of sportive elements that'll make racing with this as comfortable.
This will be the perfect outfit to both feel comfortable with and be as fast as possible. Let us ride!
Thank you Jan for your great words on the designer and the outfitter. Sponsors surely will be happy too because what is clear is that coverage will zoom on this, especially since we caught a lot of supporters with our fresh and lime identity.
We as the staff of Isostar - Adriatic want to thank you all for joining us here for the outfit release. The next press conference will take place in the LimeLounge in Pärnu. We would be very pleased to meet you there again.
Miran Tepes, General Manager of Isostar - Adriatic
Xhuliano Kamberaj in the race working for captain Zhupa.
He helped his active teammate to finish on the podium and made sure to finish 25th himself. A great job from our rider, that stayed the year at Vivacom and developed very well!
1
Lahcen Saber
Morocco
7h17'06
2
Marc Potts
Ireland
+ 11
3
Eugert Zhupa
Albania
+ 37
25
Xhuliano Kamberaj
Albania
+ 7'25
U23 TT
Our Slovenian squad was their with no ambitions but gaining experience. However, we wanted to beat the Xero wizard. Potocki, who stayed the season for us at I-Gen, had some Top20 hopes for Croatia that stayed unfulfilled.
1
Alexandor Cataford
Canada
1h16'20
2
Jack Haig
Australia
+ 52
3
Mads Würtz
Denmark
s.t.
24
Pavel Potocki
Croatia
+ 2'42
32
Gasper Katrasnik
Slovenia
+ 3'35
34
Jamalidin Novardianto
Indonesia
s.t.
35
Rok Korosec
Slovenia
+ 3'52
U23 RR
Team Slovenia was there with our youngster Rok, Gasper & Luka, but without ambitions besides showing our jersey. Rok managed to do so, though suffering on camera:
Lower mid-table places for all of us. Jams for Xero in 5th. We really missed Kamberaj for Albania here, who could've been a podium candidate. Shame on the MGUCI for this! Also Estonia could've used a squad here with several good young sprinters there.
1
Przemyslaw Kasperkiewicz
Poland
7h00'38
2
Caleb Ewan
Australia
+ 27
3
Lukas Spengler
Switzerland
+ 32
5
Jamalidin Novardianto
Indonesia
+ 1'26
32
Gasper Katrasnik
Slovenia
+ 11'17
34
Luka Pibernik
Slovenia
+ 11'45
41
Rok Korosec
Slovenia
+ 18'33
Elite ITT
Obviously no winning candidates starting for us here as a CT team. Still Tennant with the chance to show our team.
He sadly couldn't find form and finished down the ladder. Slovenia though with a rather strong result just missing out on the win with Spilak in 2nd and Koren in 4th.
1
Taylor Phinney
USA
1h14'23
2
Simon Spilak
Slovenia
+ 33
3
Panagiotis Vlatos
Greece
+ 38
4
Kristjan Koren
Slovenia
s.t.
47
Andrew Tennant
Great Britain
+ 3'13
Elite RR
2 captains and Top 50 prospects here. While Drucker lead Luxembourg for us, Polanc captained the Slovenian squad. Top40 was the aim for the likes of both.
Both got dropped with 30 kilometers to go in the race, while our man Bole was close to the lanterne rouge.
1
Sam Bewley
New Zealand
6h34'43
2
Florian Senechal
France
+ 5
3
Marcus Burghardt
Germany
s.t.
37
Jan Polanc
Slovenia
+ 8'04
39
Jempy Drucker
Luxembourg
s.t.
131
Grega Bole
Slovenia
+ 31'27
A decent bunch of races for us, having featured every part of this World Championship. No big results, but a showing of what we might be capable to do in the future.
Edited by Croatia14 on 25-08-2017 16:14
Every jersey is green this year, although it wouldn't be meninlime without it for you. Really like the look of it though! Should show really well in the peloton like your last jersey but also be unique once again!
First of all we want to thank all our riders that fought hard in their races to try and receive a result. You all did a great job in riding for national glory!
Igor Antón - Spain Andrew Tennant - Great Britain Jempy Drucker - Luxembourg Albert Timmer - Netherlands Egidijus Juodvalkis - Lithuania Ahmet Örken - Turkey Gabor Kasa - Serbia Xhuliano Kamberaj - Albania Pavel Potocki - Croatia Siarhei Papok, Stanislao Bazhkou - Belarus Martin Laas, Mihkel Räim, Aksel Nommela - Estonia Jan Polanc, Luka Mezgec, Grega Bole, Luka Pibernik, Gasper Katrasnik, Rok Korosec - Slovenia
Luxembourgian NC
While in the Road Race a breakaway in the mixed nationals with San Marino, containing one rider of each nation, won, the NCTT was much closer. As the underdog Jempy did a superb job in setting Claerebout under pressure, but sadly missed out on the title by just 3 seconds.
1
David Claerebout
Indosat - ANZ
1h21'50
2
Jempy Drucker
Isostar - Adriatic
+ 3
Spanish NC
Igor's hope was the mountain race, but the favourites never got control over the breakaway. A 5 man group won with stellar distance, so that all focus went on a decent TT. Anton did what he could with a Top20 there.
1
Justo Tenorio
Pokerstars.com
1h18'18
2
Mario Gonzalez Salas
Hugo Boss 2
+ 12
3
Omar Fraile
Movistar - US Postal
+ 42
19
Igor Antón
Isostar - Adriatic
+ 4'22
to be continued...Edited by Croatia14 on 25-08-2017 16:15
). Domen Novak as well signed a World Tour contract with Bahrain-Merida, and did the change together with Per. The two of those however completely differ in their strengths:
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
though I guess we have different ideas on where those should ride next season 
David Claerebout
