Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne

07.02

C2

Goal: Top 5; Top 20

One-day race

In contrast to the Ocean Race conditions in Kuurne were excellent, sunny with only a light breeze. Certainly not something you expect from a northern classic. Miha Poljanec tried to get in the early break a couple of times and made it 3rd time lucky as he joined a 6 man breakaway.



A good tactic as it allowed the likes of Zhupa and others to save their legs as the other teams were forced to chase. About 60km to go, another 3 riders were allowed to move up the road and eventually join the original breakaway as the gap is at 2'52'' with 44km to the finish. Teams GCN and Cerveceria doing the bulk of the work in the peloton, 5 riders from the front fall back and a group of 4 including Poljanec maintain a 54' gap with 20km to go. Poljanec is the strongest of the 4 and drops the others keeping the break going until the last 7km.



No moves in the peloton after that as the tempo slows as several teams start preparing for the sprint finish. Among those teams is also Swisslion with Thymides, Poljanec still going strong after 150km in the break and Zhupa.



A true sprint train never materializes as the pace is too slow and our boys benefit from being at the front having a good position to sprint. Kluge and Thymides are the front two and they kick off the sprint. It's every man for themselves here and Kluge as expected proves to be the stronger finisher. Thymides gets 2nd which is a fantastic result from our road captain.



Poljanec and Zhupa round up the excellent team result by finishing 6th and 7th. Neither of them pure sprinters, but they did their best. A special mention needs to go to Miha Poljanec as he spent the entire day in the break and still finished as high as he did.

Gisborne GP

22.02

C2HC

Goal: Top 10; Top 20 2x

One-day race

Sadly not much to report from Gisborne as the team was largely anonymous throughout the race and the end result shows it. A great race from Campari's Ben Nasser who takes the win with a brave solo ride, attacking a good 16km from the finish and holding on till the end.

Pibernik finished 15th as he didn't respond to any rivals attacks and stayed in the main chasing group before getting dropped on the final ascent, clearly showing a lack of form with his last place in the group's sprint. Muhamad Adiq finished 25th while the others fell farther behind.

Hong Kong Challenge

25.02 - 27.02

C2

Goal: Top 5 GC; Stage win; 3x Stage top 5

Stage 1

The opening stage was 190km long with a lot of hills and KOM points to contest. An early breakaway of 4 riders was established as they contested two early climbs. Gunman from BNZ was the strongest on the day as picked up the most KOM points. He was also still in the break with about 16km to go.

Then Eddie Stobart's Meyer went on the attack and quickly got a 30s gap. Hategeka and Haas responded as they peeled of the peloton as well. Haas eventually caught up with Meyer as Hategeka couldn't sustain the high pace. Both built up a gap of ever 2 mins as it became clear the would contest the victory on their own.

Haas ended up taking the win on the sprint to the line. The main group with Pibernk 13th came in 2'46 behind. Reus and Brajkovic lost even more time as their GC hopes looked to take a turn for the worst.



Stage 2

If it there was one stage Swisslion came to really perform in, and with the team they brought they expected to compete in every stage. It was the flat 23km time-trial they looked to excel in.



They started strong as Kovalev was an early starter who put in the best time 26'54, a good 26s before the next rider. How that time would fare was yet to be seen. There were some strong challengers to Kovalev's time to the split, but they all faded till the end. Even Hugues Mottin, one of the favourites for the stage, set the best split time, but fell behind Kovalev in the end. Demonstrating the Russian's brilliant start to finish effort.



As Kovalev was basking on his leaders chair, it was time for Tony Martin to make his Swisslion TT debut. Even he was no match for Kovalev as he came in 3rd, 8s behind the best time.



Soon after it was Kai Reus on the start ramp. Looking to put the dissapointment of yesterdays stage behind him, the Dutchman looked determined to set the best even at the expense of his teammates leading position. Reus was 2s faster than Mottin at the split and proceeded to up his tempo as he set the new best time at 26'40.



Brajkovic didn't gain back any significant time as he finished 27th, 53s behind our winner Kai Reus who ended moving up to 7th on GC. Kovalev held on to 2nd spot, while Martin didn't have the best of days as he finished 6th in the end.



Stage 3

The last stage which was a day in the mountains was as forgetable as stage 1. None of the Swisslion riders were involved at the head of the race as Panayotov took the stage while König took the GC. Briceno finished 32nd on the stage and Reus got some minor points for finishing 23rd overall.

Tour of Turkey

21.03 - 26.03

C2HC

Goals: GC Top 15; Stage Top 5/KoM Top 5

Tour of Southland

24.03 - 28.03

C1

Goals: GC Top 10; GC Top 20 2x; Stage Top 5

Geraardsbergen-Bosberg

18.03

C2HC

Goal: Top 5; Top 20

One-day race

Another beautiful day in Belgium for another cobbled classic. The Swisslion boys looked in good spirits at the startline, probably from the great result on the cobbles last time. The riders face 200km that feature 11 ascents on the famous cobbled climbs.

A breakway of 8 riders form early with some interesting names like Siskevicius and Umerbekov. The breakaway split on the 2nd pass of the hills and therefore the group was reduced to 5 riders. With 130km to go the break had a healthy 7 min advantage with ourselves, Cerverica and Delvaux working at the front.



The breaks gap to the peloton was about 3 min, with 75km to go. Shortly after there was an attack from Abraha. Eugert Zhupa responded, but the pair were not allowed to get away as they were caught after a few km's. The peloton regrouped and Swisslion returned to the front to control the race.



The peloton continued getting smaller and smaller and with around 30km to the finish it contained as few as 39 riders. After the latest hill pass it was Breen on the attack. He quickly reached the two remaining escapees, but they were all realed in quite soon. The pivotal move would happen soon after, as Roger Kluge attacked with 25km to go. Zhupa goes with him!



Soon after Kluge and Zhupa are joined by Ferreira and Breen. The four of them work together and open a gap towards the rest. As the riders behind continued to fracture, the leaders built around a minutes lead. Then Kluge attacks again, clearly feeling great he quickly distances the other three and starts soloing towards the finish line.



There is no chance for Kluge to be caught, so the fight for the remaining podium spots ensues. Ferreira is the strongest of the four chasers, while Eugert Zhupa rounds out the podium with an excellent 3rd place finish. Thymides 23rd and Frankovic 25th complete the scoring for Swisslion.

Tour of Turkey

21.03 - 26.03

C2HC

Goals: GC Top 15; Stage Top 5/KoM Top 5

Stage 1

Tour of Turkey started with 200km stage for the sprinters, the long stage also featured 2 categorized climbs (cat 2 and cat 4) and 2 intermediate sprints. For us we didn't bring any sprinters to the race so it was a chance for some TV time in the breakaway. Young loanee Rui Oliveira got himself in the break, won both intermediate sprints and finished with the peloton. That for a day gave him the white jersey and 3rd place in GC. Stage winner and overall leader was Coutinho from Rothaus - Aegon.



Stage 2

Another long slog of a stage, but this time also much hillier. A total of 7 category 3 climbs we are a big incentive for the breakaway to acquire KOM points. Stage win wise it was always going to be a day for the punchers with final climb of the day providing the perfect platform for an attack. Teuns launched an attack that only Kadri could follow. The two raced across the climb and were together through to the finish. There it was Kadri with a stronger sprint beating Teuns and taking the GC lead. A dissapointing day for Pibernik who finished only 29th.

Stage 3

The race got even tougher for the riders on stage 3. 206km with with some hills and mountains to boot. Wahydui was in the break again picking up more KOM points. After the early climbs the pace really picked up on the long flat section as the break was caught there before the two final climbs.



An early attack by König and Pomoshnikov on the penultimate climb is eventually realed back in before the final 5km that have an average slope of 7,7%. Bardet, Kiserlovski and Teuns are the first to breakaway. A 2nd group contains Cataldo, Kadri, König and Kebede. Brajkovic with a strong effort joins the 2nd group. The race splits in to many small groups as Kiserlovski beats Teuns on the finish, then a gap to Bardet and König. Brajkovic finishes strongly at 5th, Kadri 6th with more gaps further down. Seibeb finished 18th while Brajkovic moves to 6th overall.



Stage 4

After 3 long gruelling stages there appeared to be some respite for the peloton. A shorter stage, but with a category 2 in the latter part, it was a stage that offered much intrigue. For Swisslion it was a stage where we wanted a breakaway and we got it. Again it's Rui Oliveira in the break, which allows the rest of the team to relax in the bunch.



On the final climb it was Vichot who showed his allround prowess. Oliveira fought hard to stay connected, but the youngster lost contact on the final climb. With great descending skills Vichot was able to hold of the peloton and celebrate a deserved victory. It was a bunch sprint for the other podium spots, from where Pibernik finished a decent 7th. No changes on the GC front.



Stage 5

Probably the easiest stage of the race before the queen stage. Mostly flat and "only" 139km, but with a small kick up in the final few km's. Swisslions approach has not changed as they were able to get Gabor Kasa in the morning breakaway, again gives the team a valid excuse to stay tucked in the peloton.



The finish was chaotic as several teams were disorganised in their approach. The benefactor was Coutinho who timed his effort to perfection and came away with his 2nd stage win of the race. Pibernik for Swisslion came in 16th.

Stage 6

The queen stage of the race. The first 100km or so are rather tame, but then the riders face two HC category climbs. It is a stage for the purest of climbers and an almost impossible job for GC leader Teuns to hold on to yellow. This time no breakaway appereance for Swisslion as Wahyudi and Cuming fight for the KOM jersey. No attacks on the first HC climb as the breakaway is slowly getting caught.



The pace really picks up on the final climb. The break is caught and race leader Teuns is starting to show signs that the long climbs are taking their toll. Suaza, Kiserlovski and Anacona accelerate from the pack, Brajkovic barely holding to the group behind. The race splits completely, but it's Kiserlovski who is the strongest again, taking the stage and race victory. Brajkovic does his best to limit the defecit as he finishes 10th on GC. Briceno with a decent performance finishes 21st.

Grand Prix du Midi Libre

04.04 - 10.04

C2HC

Goals: GC Top 10; Stage win; 3x Stage top 5

Tour of Southland

24.03 - 28.03

C1

Goals: GC top 10; GC top 20 2x; Stage top 5

Stage 1

A 4.7km prologue to kick of the race. Coppel confirmed his status as the best time-trialist with the win. No TV time today for the Swisslion boys. Kovalev was the teams best coming in 13th. Reus 15th and Martin 20th.

Stage 2

The first of 3 sprints stages. Pretty much pan flat from start to finish. Some strong winds and a high pace kept us from the front, so no sprint for us which was dissapointing. On the bright side Kai, Ivan and Tony didn't lose any time. Cavendish took the win and race lead.



Stage 3

A longer stage this time round, but it's 207km of flat roads. On this occasion Guillen found himself at the front, but without any teammates to help him out. Free wheeling it Marco finished the stage 10th. Doubling his stage win tally was again Mark Cavendish.



Stage 4

35km flat time-trial the stage that should decide the GC winner. Coppel again excerting his dominance over the rest of the field. The Frenchman was the fastest on both the splits and came in 23s faster than 2nd place finisher Marlen Zmorka. Tony Martin was our best this time in 12th, with Kai and Ivan only a couple of seconds behind in 14th and 16th.



Stage 5

Last stage, not much is expected to change on the overall, but a chance for the rest of the sprinting field to take a win. A strong breakaway meant that it was caught only 3km from the finish. Guillen again on his own near the front, not much support for the Swisslion sprinter in this race. He did his best, but he again finished 10th outside of points scoring. The winner was Wouter Wippert, overall winner Jerome Coppel. Reus gained a place on GC due to stage positions and moved into 11th overall. Kovalev and Martin only a second behind were 13th and 14th.

Coppa Placci

08.04

C2

Goals: Top 10; Top 20

Grand Prix du Midi Libre

04.04 - 10.04

C2HC

Goals: GC Top 10; Stage win; 3x Stage top 5

The "mini Tour de France" stage race as it was dubbed got underway with a 6.7km prologue. With a few hills on the course, it had the potential to provide some gaps early on. Tony Martin was the first Swisslion contender on course and it was a day to forget, as the German was nowhere near the top.



A much better performance, by the this season very consistent Ivan Kovalev put him top and with Olman and Mottin already in the rear in looked good for his 1st win of the season. But his time was beaten by the unlikely ride of Lawson Craddock, of team Bangota.



The podium places didn't change until former Slovenian national TT champion Janez Brajkovic took the course. The veteran finished 3rd 5s behind Craddock. Reus like Martin had an off day finishing only 23rd. The double podium would have to be the consolation prize, as the team looked forward to the stage 4 TT, in search of a stage win.


A 200km flat stage where the team looked to stay out of any trouble. That's exactly what they did. Despite some splits Brajkovic stayed safely in the peloton. The stage was take by Hochmann from team Rothaus - Aegon.


The first of two big mountain stages, it's 200km with the first 100km being mostly flat followed by s Cat. 3 and two Cat. HC climbs, Col du Tourmalet and Gavarnie-Gèdre-les-Espécière. The summit finish line being on the latter. 3 riders formed a breakaway, but they never got much of a gap.



There was a steady pace up the Tourmalet as the break was caught on the descent. Just before the final climb we see a jump from Pinot and Pomoshnikov, but they are both reeled in a hurry. Warbasse from Andorra and Lehtinen from Valio are setting a hard tempo, only 25 riders left with 7km to go. Brajkovic on his own at this point.



Then Pinot attacks again and this time it sticks and the peloton fractures even more. A group of 3 main poursuivants forms with Kiserlovski, Atapuma and Brajkovic! They aim to work together, but Pinot maintains a good 50s gap with the next group also around 50s behind.



Pinot holds his lead till the finish for another stage win by him this season. In the last few 100m Atapuma pulls away from Kiserlovski and Brajkovic for a 21s gap. Brajkovic comes in 3rd place. It's his 2nd podium of the race with which he takes the points jersey and moves into 2nd overall. A fantastic performance for Swisslion!





Another stage the team targeted beforehand. A massive 51km time-trial, a chance of redemption for not winning the prologue and also a chance for Janez to put significant time on some of the other climbers.

Olman from Sauber Petronas one of the main stage favourites sets an early best time at 1h05'41". Mottin another favourite loses a minute to Olman while Swisslions first option Kovalev slips even further with a 2 min gap. Clearly feeling yesterday difficult climbs. Next chance is Martin who does well, much better than in the prologue, but still 48s behind Olman.



It was Kai Reus next and with only 12s down on Olman by the split it looked promising. But Reus suffered in the second part finishing 40s behind, enough for 2nd place. Another double podium, but no stage win it appears.



With that the list of probably stage winners continued to reduce. It became a fight for GC, as Olman was able to relax, knowing the stage was his. König put in a strong time (1'48) finishing 9th on the stage, but Jani Brajkovic was not far behind at 10th (1'51).



The other two main contenders for GC were Kiserlovski and Pinot. The former lost 1'51 and the latter 3'25 on Jani. That means he takes the yellow jersey of race leader, the first leaders jersey in Swisslion history! He also hangs on to his green points jersey. Reus and Martin finish 2nd and 3rd, and despite not winning there were many celebrations in the Swisslion camp on that histortic day!





Another 200km+ stage with some bumps, but mainly flat. Last chance for the sprinters as the last part is flat/downhill. A 6 man break is formed and while a few are there to contest the four KOM's, some are there to try and outdo the peloton.

It's a relatively easy day for the Swisslion boys as the sprinter teams take up the chase. 10km to the finish and a group of 4 are still in front with about a minutes advantage, looks like it's going to be a close one. Before the peloton catches up Kulppi accelerates from the break and no one can come close as he solos to victory. No GC changes with Jani staying in yellow and green.


A stage for the puncheur's with undulating terrain throughout, a Cat 3 climb and another short sharp kick right at the end. Also the longest stage of the race, a whopping 233km. For Swisslion it's a stage where they have to remain vigilant and not lose any vital time.

Seven riders join the break early, but after 50km Pomoshnikov bridged across and with the talented climber being a GC dangerman, it was all hands on deck! The break was caught, but soon after another one formed, this time without a GC threat it was allowed to go.



But Pomoshnikov is a stuborn man as he joins the breakaway again and again he is reeled back in together with the other riders. They can't be happy with the way this stage is going. With 35km to go another group went away, will it stick this time?

It appears so, Aasvold (16th GC + 6.32) is no threat to Brajkovic while the other teams are also content. The break will decide the stage win. It comes down to sprint finish. Alizadeh launches his sprint first and no one can follow as he takes the stage victory for Oberfranken. No GC changes with Jani staying in yellow and green.




The last stage and the deciding stage. 200km with a total of 9 categorised climbs! While six of those are Cat 4 and another two are Cat 3 the stage then finishes on a 11.2km 8.2% climb to Puy de Dôme.

A breakaway of 5 riders established as they fought to secure the KOM jersey. Swisslion and Andorra did most of the chasing as the gap fell to 1'30'' with around 20km to go. On the penultimate climb we see an attack from Bangota's Parra Bustamente who quickly drops the breakaway riders. Another group featuring Hoem and Bardet attempts to breakaway, but they caught quickly by the peloton, lead by Andorra's Warbasse and Swisslion's Jimmi Briceno.



Parra Bustamente still leading with 3.5km to go when König attacks the peloton. Briceno tries to bring him back quickly, but König manages to open up a small gap. The pace is getting harder as riders continue to drop from the main group. Bustamente's advantage is also melting away.



With 2.5km to go the mountain goat himself Kiserlovski attacks. Brajkovic cannot respond and Briceno is done. Kiserlovski quickly bridges to König as behind Ratiy tries to set a pace.



Kiserlovski and König catch Bustamente, but then König runs out of gas. Bustamete tries to follow Kiserlovski, but the Croatian is too strong as he takes the win. What is the gap to Brajkovic? A number of riders pulled away from Jani in the last couple kilometres, he was clearly struggling. He eventually came in 11th, 3'00'' behind Kiserlovski. Losing the GC to Kiserlovski and at the same time also surrendering the points jersey. A bitter pill to swallow!

Tour of Ukraine

13.04 - 15.04

HC

Goals: GC Top 15; GC Top 25