Konrad Dabkowski (seen above) started the CT calendar with a bursting,
ultimately unsuccessful attack down in Cuba. Though the intent was there, the race might have gone differently had he managed to stay out front. Instead, Kulczyk -DMTEX showed its "intent" (read: impatience) in tracking down the break, leaving Vichot with less impetus than an old man after a Sunday roast.

Thankfully he managed to hold onto his stomach (and legs) and finish with a solid 6th place to kick off the season. This race foreshadowed the lack of quality finishing depth in the Kulczyk squad, as Vichot was the only top 20 finisher.

Still though, a decent beginning to the pro-European adventure. Polish far right politicians were put on notice by the powerful Frenchman's finish, letting them know that their boos wouldn't drown out the mission without a fight.

Following up oligarch Andrej Babis' election as the incoming Czech Prime Minister, Jíri Hochmann offered up the best and only resistance he knows to far-right populism: winning a sprint. He continued holding the yellow jersey and points lead into Day 3 after a 2nd place finish in the 2nd stage. However, the race would only go downhill from there.

Although Penasa wasn't out of the race until the final day, he contrived to relinquish his leadership duties to Arthur Vichot on the ultimate stage, deserving his 9th place finish despite being one of the top natural climbers at the race. It was an embarrassing display by our leader, who is sleepwalking through his £280,000 salary at this point. There will need to be an uptick in performance imminently for this team to promote, as 3P is the one top leader on the Polish roster.

A runner-up for biggest disappointment was Arthur Vichot, who decided to save himself for the final day, despite his horrific recovery statistic. Although 7th on Day 10 was respectable, his overall performance did not live up to expectations, or the 10 race day outlay.

Not much to say here. The wind did it's damage, and the Kulczyk - DMTEX squad got swept away quicker than Dorothy to open the Wizard of Oz. Seen above is a Kulczyk rider slowly, shamefully drifting off the back of the peloton. Yoeri Havik was the final resistor to the inevitable, but the failure of the team to capitalise on the first C2HC race of the season was disastrous. Luckily, Marco Haller of In-n-Out pulled away for a deserved win rather than our lesser promotion rivals. The squad needed several Foster's to recover from the ignominy felt Down Under.

Not the opening month we were looking for, although February has brought some goodies already. The race for promotion looks set to, as we all anticipated, come down to a few decisions and luck here or there. Though not a disastrous month, it was not the breakout opening that we'd hoped for.

On the political front, Jarosław Kaczyński has expressed a firm opposition to the Kulczyk - DMTEX team, claiming it is a Soros and Clinton-funded initiative to tear down Polish values. His Law and Justice party is said to be furious at the inclusion of multiple Europeans on the roster, and representatives have been appearing on Polish TV to deride the team. There have even been conspiracy theories spread that Arthur Vichot, due to his tanned appearance, is a Syrian refugee in disguise. The Kulczyk - DMTEX team has gotten the progressive, Europhile domestic population excited and the far-right establishment parties worried.

Now, positive results will develop the conversation from intrigue to positivity about European integration. February is a big month, with our first races across the European continent. This could be a momentous month for the team.

Though Catalonia remains in political limbo, it was only fitting that the first race held on European soil would be won by Kulczyk - DMTEX, the team trying to emphasise the positives of the European project. Yoeri Havik wasn't the favoured sprinter by the team's sporting director, prior to the race. However, as the Barcelona Classic wore on, and 1st choice sprinter Sam Bennett was dropped from the front of the pack, Havik became the only option.

The crapshoot that was the sprint finale allowed Havik to stay ideally placed while some key competitors, such as Marco Haller, were impeded by other riders. The slower buildup to the final sprint meant that Havik's lesser acceleration didn't hinder his finish. Thankfully it didn't, as he sprinted around Salleh and Granjal Cabrera for a fantastic victory, taking all 45 first place points in the C2 category race, and Kulczyk's first victory in a one-day classic!

Kulczyk's first rendezvous on the pavé didn't quite go as planned, as Havik struggled all day minus his support. Jérôme was caught back the road, as were his other, less effective, domestiques. However, the team's disappointment was compounded by Havik's inability to get into position for what ultimately was a sprint finish. In the end, a 50th place finish was all the Dutchman could manage, which was hugely underwhelming considering the race was set up perfectly for his skillset.

Though after Havik's recent triumph in Barcelona, the team manager decided to be a little easier on the cobblist/sprinter hybrid in his feedback. The rest of the team got a shakedown, however, as their inability to support Havik put a damper on the first encounter with PCT team. In fairness, only World Cycling Centre managed to come back from Belgium with points in hand, though it was a missed opportunity to show Poland's desire to remain integrated near the headquarters of the EU.

In Penasa/Pozzo's home race, the Italians came through in a big way. Ultimately ripping through the field on the final stage, this was arguably the race of the season, for a neutral. The constant attacking and multiple lead changes throughout the 5 days had every observer captivated. Ultimately, Kulczyk - DMTEX earned its first GC crown through Penasa's efforts, and a stunning point total to cap off the win!

Dabkowski and Pozzo played a part in taking home nearly 180 points, while Penasa shot into first place of the CT individual standings. The outing in the far north of Italy has laid the foundation for a successful promotion chasing season; it is up to the team members to continue this momentum.

Booker wrote:
And obviously it would be interesting to compete, but I'm hoping you and trek both promote so I can take some of the lesser Polish riders you've binned for your PT attempt Or also because I think you're both more than deserving managers to make the step up!

@knockout - That's the way we're looking at it, with one more race for bonus points left in the Gisborne GP.



@trekbmc - Penasa's victory was an amazing way to kick off the Kulczyk mountain dynasty (hopefully for this CT season, anyway). And then hopefully you're right and we'll be carrying part of the Polish banner in PCT.

Predictions can be very deceiving, as you know. I doubt very much that you'll be anywhere near relegation, particularly after this great start to the season you've had!

@Tamijo - Certainly back on track, and beyond the rails even. We're exceeding my own expectations, but I have no doubt that our rivals scoring more consistently over the cobbles/hills will bring us back down to earth. Still though, we're enjoying it while it lasts! Cheers for the support!

The second cobbled race of the season, the second disappointment for Kulczyk - DMTEX. Though the race was hypothetically tailor-made for Vincent Jérôme and his combination of ability over rolling terrain and cobbles, he was left behind quite early on the day. Guillaume Van Keirsbulck took a worthy breakaway win and the first for Goldcorp - Nordstrom Rack in their virgin CT season. It was a nice moment for the fellow rookie team, though the Polish squadron severely underperformed.

Eryk Laton at least attempted to show the gold jersey in the early breakaway, a nice moment for the still-developing Pole, but that aggression amounted to naught in the end. In the end, Yoeri Havik recovered to take 19th, at least salvaging minor points to ensure the trip wasn't a complete waste. But, near enough that the team's general manager has been wringing his head contemplating how to get results on the pavé.

With a strong field and a difficult course in New Zealand, the points haul taken back to Europe was vastly helpful to Kulczyk's ambitions. However, Xero Racing p/b Octagon had a similarly bountiful February, and took over 1st place in the CT standings with Bennett and Anthony Roux taking two of the top 4 spots in Oceania. Reto Hollenstein was a welcome surprise, and Vichot's combativity was a positive to the team management. Polish rider Kamil Gradek has been disappointing on the hilly races this season despite his supposed strength on the terrain and will have to make the case for another contract in the remaining races on the calendar. Overall, it was one of the first good performances for the team outside of Europe, and one that showed depth on the roster, a pleasing development.

Overall, a very pleasing February. The team currently sits 2 points off Xero Racing in 2nd place, with main rivals In-n-Out p/b Carrefour a few spots down already. The management is taking an ends, not mean, approach to the season, meaning the individual race results are negligible if the final standings are optimal. Both sponsors are thrilled with the results and standings, however, with major results across the European continent at Barcelona and Trentino upping their respective profiles.

March brings two more races in Europe, Bayern Rundfahrt and Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne. With these opportunities on the home continent comes pressure to perform in opposition to an increasingly repressive Polish political environment, led by the Law and Justice Party. Judicial reform is the latest illiberal policy on the domestic agenda in Poland, but continued vitriol towards former PM Donald Tusk is on the rise.

Kulczyk Investments is considering upping its investment in the cycling team next season to build the soft power of Poland in a more positive way. This development will only encourage riders further to perform, in the hopes that they will secure a lucrative roster spot for the next season.

Today, Kulczyk - DMTEX announced a new transport sponsor, Alitalia, to replace Air Moldova, which withdrew its support after the Bayern - Rundfahrt stage race this past week. The unorthodox switch drew the ire of Kulczyk team manager, Janek Wasko, who had counted on the travel support of Air Moldova to ensure the team got to their race locations at the right times.

"It's shameful, really. Air Moldova signed a contract with us, to help with our flights and our travel arrangements throughout this season, but they're pulling out because we don't have any Moldovans on our roster. Call me old-fashioned, but that's a bit jingoistic. We're grateful for the support they had provided us to open the season, but we're trying to show examples of Europeans working together. Just because we don't have a Pluchkin or a Tanovitchii on our squad doesn't mean the Kulczyk - DMTEX project is failing. We're very disappointed in their decision to break their contract due to lack of Moldovans on the roster, especially as the overall team is performing so well."


Wasko continued: "However, we are very pleased to be bringing on a fantastic new partner in Alitalia. We are especially grateful for their flexibility in joining us mid-season. We know that they were watching our team at the Giro del Trentino, and our two Italian boys performed phenomenally. Penasa and Pozzo will be great spokesmen for Alitalia, and we are excited to work with them to get our Kulczyk team to the rest of our events."

Following Kulczyk - DMTEX's transfer season, the Polish-French team won widespread plaudits for its balanced approach to team building, with riders capable of picking up points in the CT division. The Polish and French contingent of the team were also augmented, and riders from the Czech Republic, Ireland, and Italy filled some gaps. However, the transport sponsor for the team was Air Moldova, and expected at least one Moldovan to join the team. Rumours abounded that the airline was considering pulling its support. In the past week, the airline finally did.

With no Kulczyk plans in place to bring in Moldovan riders in the near term, Air Moldova is considering shifting support to either Generali - EDF or Nemiroff - ABBYY, as both teams have home riders.

This development will certainly alter comfort levels of Kulczyk - DMTEX riders in the near term, as they adjust to new travel arrangements. The next few races will be key, to assess the extent to which the riders are affected. As familiar riders of Alitalia, Pierre Paolo Penasa and Mattia Pozzo should be two riders smiling about the change.

This race was particularly pleasing to the Kulczyk - DMTEX management. Not just because of the top 5 result, but also because the squad managed to stay out of trouble throughout the race, avoiding a crash on the final day that wreaked havoc on the GC classification. Mullen and Hacecky each finishing in the top 10 was a significant boost compared to some promotion rivals who entered the season without a TT setup. Mullen's victory in the U25 competition highlights what the team already knows: Kulczyk - DMTEX has a very talented 23 year old who must continue his development in the gold and grey jersey.

The team received points-making contributions from several members: Mullen, Hacecky, Bennett, and even Vincent Jérôme finished 4th on stage 4, a breakaway that almost threw a wrench into the GC debate. The trip to Germany continued a very successful European C2HC campaign to open the season.

After Gent - Wevelgem and Geraardsbergen-Bosberg, the two prior cobbled classics in Belgium, Kulczyk management was skeptical of Havik's abilities to survive the pavé, despite his supposed affinity for the stones. This race put the debate to bed, at least for now, as Havik not only survived the cobbles, but managed to position himself for a sprint into 3rd.

Unfortunately the cobbled sections weren't difficult enough to shake other sprinters like Proximus' Marco Brus, but 3rd was a result that wrapped up a consistent, relatively inauspicious month for Kulczyk. Vincent Jérôme continued his trend of picking up minor points to support the team's leaders, a valuable contribution from the aged Frenchman.

Not much to take away from this race to be honest. Vichot's crash early on ruined our hopes for a top finish, and Hollenstein didn't have the skills, stamina, willpower to hang onto the top favourites in the breakaway (Haavardsholm) or in the peloton (Roux, Chaves, etc). In the end, it was a dominant breakaway performance by Rocchetti, but a very disappointing trip for Kulczyk to the fun-size nation of San Marino.

In another C1 race, the Kulczyk team continued its rough start to April, as PCT teams ended up dominating the final results. Sam Bennett has been disappointing to this point in the season and this result was no different. This time, he managed a few consolation points with a 15th place finish, but the Irishman had the opportunity to podium at the very least. He simply could not find the pace of the likes of Goss or Holloway despite his positioning. The rest of the squad was also unable to make up the numbers at the front of the pack, with particular disappointments being Yoeri Havik and Jiri Hochmann, the latter of whom ended up over 3 minutes behind at the finale.

On most other CT teams, 3rd in a mountain stage race would be not only acceptable, but also exemplary. Not on the Kulczyk roster it's not, especially when Penasa is being paid £280,000 for his services. It was the second underperformance of the season for 3P on a stage race, and 3rd will not continue to cut it, even despite his dominant performance at the Giro del Trentino.

Aside from Penasa, our squad was a pile of hot garbage. Though singular riders managed top 10s throughout the race (Bennett, Hochmann, Paluta), the inclusions of Ryan Mullen and Vojtech Hacecky were major investments in the time trial abilities of each. They showed nothing, living up to jandal7's skepticism about their scoring abilities in his preview that is ageing quite well. Will April be better? We certainly hope so.

Aquarius97 wrote:
Points keep coming from everywhere! Having an squad where you can have a rider finishing in the top5 of every single race is so impressive. Promotion seems unavoidable for you, and the only question is if you will win the division or not.

Looking forward to the next Valls-Penasa battle in Langkawi