After a quiet day yesterday, with a little training and a lot of positive remarks and comments from everyone. Noah was called to the manager’s office.

Florian: “Hi Noah, take a chair. I want to take you through the coming races for the rest of March. There won’t be much to talk about regarding the schedule you will get, it is all set and done.�

Noah: “Ok, fine with me.�

Florian: “I promised you to get some cobbled races and we got a few right now.�

Noah lighting up in a big smile, “wow great�

Florian: This is your full schedule for the rest of the month, we got so many races many will be with a reduced squad, as you can see here. Florian hand over papers with dates, the time tables, profiles, registered riders etc.

Noah: “Thanks, will look at this carefully�

Florian: “Lotto have asked us to hand out some bonuses for all the reminding races in March, hoping to boost the moral.
Classics:
Win €400 – Top 5 €175 - Top 10 €90
Stage races:
Overall Win €600 - Top 5 €275 - Top 10 €120
Stage/KoM/Points win €275
Overall Youth €50�

Noah was about to leave, thinking the meeting was over. Florian: “I can see you are about the leave now, that is fine but come back tomorrow, with all the races we got, better plan ahead a bit more from now on.�

Noah was hardly listening anymore, so excited about the prospect of racing his first cobbled race as a pro, something he had dream about for a long time, he was already on his way out to pick up his bike and look for the most technical routes he could find.



Boost from extra training of technical ability’s: +1 COB, +2 DHI

As Florian requested Noah came back the next day to the office, now sitting with the manager ready to talk about the races coming in the beginning of April.

Florian: We got two unusually long and overlapping races in this period. Vuelta Ciclista del Uruguay and Tour du Maroc, taking up 10 race days each. On top of that we also got a three days U23 race with a cobbled stage, and some one-day races.

I would like you to race either one of the long stage races or the U23 stage race, combined with some one-day races. This is the options.

We do not have bonuses in the adult races but we do have some in the U23 races from out sponsor DirtySox.

Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux:
GC : Win €500 – Top 5 €200 – Top 10 €75
Stage: €250

Liège–Bastogne–Liège U23:
Win €500 – Top 5 €200 – Top 10 €75

Other U23 one-day races:
Win €350 – Top 5 €175 – Top 10 €40

Fabianski wrote:
Quite disappointed to see Noah leave the cobbler track and probably get yet another stage racer...

Given the bonuses available, I'll go for Option A, too.

Sven Zurawski is feeling great today and Lotto - Kern Haus want to have a rider in the breakaway to avoid having to work hard in the pack, he joins the original break of four which later developed in a large group of 13 riders.

The breakaway never got more than three minutes and was over just prior to the last hill climb with about 20 km left. At this point the cobbled sections and hilly climbs has drained everyone and about 40 riders was dropped.

Turns out the cobbled sections is not that hard and the hill are worse than the cobbles.
We get a reduced sprint from a pack of 68 riders, Youcef Reguigui from Terengganu Inc - TSG Cycling Team opens first and that was decisive as he won the race.

Noah well equipped for this mixed profile was sitting perfect for the finish in about 4th position and even though far form a top sprinter he comes in as 5th.

With a reduced squad of just five riders Lotto - Kern Haus decides to hold everyone back in the peloton. In the breakaway Alvaro Trueba from Atum General / Tavira / Maria Nova Hotel took the overnight KoM lead, before the break was over with about 16 km left.

In a stretched pack of 99 riders Tobias Knaup was positioning Kim Heiduk and Noah Takaima as close to the front as he could, before the final uphill sprint, but the pace was very high and the Lotto - Kern Haus trio started the hilly climb from about 15th position. The sprint itself was timed fine, but the competitors was strong, Noah as best from the team finished 13th.

Eduard Sandmann from Dukla Banská Bystrica Cycling Team celebrated too early, it was Edgar Pinto from W52 - FC Porto crossing the line first.

26 riders in the same time as the winner including Noah and Kim.

Again Lotto - Kern Haus decides to sit tight back in the pack. From a breakaway of five Ranieri Formentini, Giotti Victoria – Palomar took 9 KoM points, enough to take the overnight lead.

It came to the expected mass sprint finish, Leon Brescher delivering Kim Heiduk to open for Noah. KiM was fast and Noah was not able to pass his teammate in the end, Kim with a quite impressive 5th and Noah ended 7th.

The stage was won by Žiga Jerman from W52 - FC Porto, teammate Edgar Pinto still leading the GC. Noah and Kim now 7th and 8th in GC.

Five rider form the breakaway of the day, Rúben Simão from Feirense took the most KoM points but not enough to threaten KoM leader Ranieri Formentini.

The Lotto - Kern Haus train was not working well today and was completely split during the last 3 km. Leon Eduard Brescher best as 9th, Noah 12th and Kim 13th.

Marco Maronese from Biesse - Arvedi – Premac won the stage.

Edgar Pinto, W52 - FC Porto still lead the GC.
Former GC 6th Marius Mayrhofer finished behind Noah and Kim and they improved to 6th and 7th in GC, but all rider from 5th to 24th has the same time so nothing is decided at this point.

Alvaro Trueba from Atum General / Tavira / Maria Nova Hotel was part of today’s breakaway taking 5 KoM points and with that taking over the KoM lead.

The breakaway was over in due time for the teams to organize the sprint trains, Lotto - Kern Haus train worked very well, just that other riders was faster sprinters. Noah came 9th, Kim 12th. Noah still 6th in GC, Kim fell to 8th.

The stage was won by Sergey Shilov from Aviludo-Louletano

Coming 2nd on today’s stage Cesar Martingil, Atum General / Tavira / Maria Nova Hotel took over the GC lead.