Highlights: His clever win in the U23 Paris - Tours and his mid-stage attack and eventual 12th in Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne
Lowlights: Not much.
Points: 9 (254th/11th)
Rider of the Month: 0
Breakaway Appearances: 2
Verdict: One for the future was also one for the present, taking a very nice win in the Paris - Tour Espoirs as well as scoring in other races, namely when he managed 12th in Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne and wore the white jersey in Vuelta al Tachira after his escapade with Onodera. Will return next year for sure, and hopefully for a long time to come.

Highlights: His day out in a PCT breakaway (above) and his many invaluable performances on every terrain.
Lowlights: Could have gone in more breaks given his skillset.
Points: 10 (251st/10th)
Rider of the Month: 0
Breakaway Appearances: 1
Verdict: A quiet season for MTK but his personality and skills are a key part of the squad. Always welcome in a Xero jersey (especially his lovely NC) as one of the nicest guys on the team and one of our "ultra-domestiques".

Catching the break to set up Roux's stage win - Euskal Bizikleta

Highlights: Valuable experience and domestique work.
Lowlights: A bit invisible in breaks or the mountains.
Points: 1 (354th/15th)
Rider of the Month: 0
Breakaway Appearances: 0
Verdict: As a very experienced rider Lloydy was always valuable in a race squad as road captain. He won't be joining us again next year - looking for a CT team to guide, especially an Oceanic one.

Highlights: Podiums in stages in Bulgaria and Herald Sun
Lowlight: Getting denied when attempting to join many breakaways.
Points: 14 (223rd/9th)
Rider of the Month: 0
Breakaway Appearances: 4
Verdict: A really tough season for our young barodeur. He racked up maybe the most breakaway KMs in the CT last season and almost made the top 50 in the individual standings. So only 4 breakaways for our man but 2 of them were successful. Hopefully in PCT he can refind his 2016 breakaway numbers and find some more success.

Highlights: His consistent work as our last man in the hills and in mountain breakaways.
Lowlights: None really.
Points: 27 (171st/9th)
Rider of the Month: 0
Breakaway Appearances: 5
Verdict: The Cameroonian National Champion stepped his work up a notch and was one of the best superdomestiques in the peloton on hilly days, always there to break the field, protect Roux or give him an awesome leadout. Will be back again next year.

Taking the win in a gruelling Clasico San Cristobal

Highlight: So many to choose from, but it has to be his two-day assault to go from 27th to 1st in San Luis.
Lowlight: Being targeted by Repsol when he was so close to securing our top 5 and his own 1st place in the standings.
Points: 631 (2nd/1st)
Rider of the Month: 4 (January, May, July, September)
Breakaway Appearances: 0
Verdict: What an absolute legend. The CT's beasty bastard surprised everyone except Vien to be the best puncheur in the CT, consistently picking up stages as well as one classic and one stage race victory. Our hill squad was firing hard but it takes a special someone to bring home the bacon as Roux. We love him.

Pipped to the line in his NC defence

Highlight: Continuing his development and gaining experience at the Tour of America
Lowlight: If you're invisible you can't have a lowlight.
Points: 0
Rider of the Month: 0
Breakaway Appearances: 0
Verdict: A quiet season spent doing domestique duties over at Statoil. He has certainly grown as a rider and we look forward to having him back next year.

Highlights: Some decent prologue performances and his Tachira breakaway.
Lowlights: A small let-down in the Avenir prologue.
Points: 0
Rider of the Month: 0
Breakaway Appearances: 1
Verdict: The second of our Sch-tatoil loan-outs, and the better-performing of the two. Has grown as a rider and will probably be back again next year for his first full season in Xero colours.

Leading the breakaway with Pedersen - Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne

Highlights: His breakaway in Kuurne and generally good cobbled racing.
Lowlights: Cracking early in the RVV Beloften.
Points: 5 (296th/12th)
Rider of the Month: 0
Breakaway Appearances: 1
Verdict: The young Kiwi cobbler had a generally good season of domestique work and occasional free roles. He's ready for the step up after two years in the CT and we look forward to making the next step in his career and ours at the same time.

Highlights: I don't know, maybe one of his lower top 10 results was kind of cool.
Lowlight: Finding a successful break in which he was the strongest that could have given him the GC win in the Tour du Faso, and getting dropped from it.
Points: 50 (120th/7th)
Rider of the Month: 0
Breakaway Appearances: 1
Verdict: A quiet but decent season for our new cobbles leader. He underachieved really but without much support and with the awesome strength of cobblers this year it was a tough ask. He might be back next year if we take a cobbled direction but otherwise he'd prefer to lead in the CT than the PCT.

jandal7 wrote:
An error was made in the Fan's Rider of the Year poll, a new one is up now. Sorry to the two of you who have already voted

Aquarius97 wrote:


Already trying to rig the outcome?

After a decent campaign last time out, Xero looked to build on their NC success and claim some more jerseys. After Kossohorou claimed success at home in the amateur Central African Republic races, it was time for the week of the professional NCs. Let's see how they went...