viking90 wrote:
Some very likeable signings so far for you!
I hope Wellens will do some good for you, with a bit of training sometime he will take a step forward!
Thanks, we're gonna struggle to stay in the PT, but honestly PCT and PT gives the same amount of enjoyment and we're still gonna be able to keep both Wellens and Benoot if we relegate. The bank is empty for this season, but I plan on training Wellens to 83 MO next season. Also gonna be the first rider we're ever gonna train!
Vojtech is the first of our final 3 signings this season. Vojtech will be an important part in our TTT setup and will also be of use to our sprinters. Overall we at Fablok value having a TTT setup to support our leaders, as losing seconds to a detail can be very hard to come back from. Vojtech also fills our east european focus nicely, however his age might be of hindrance in the future
Martin Hacecky, 85k wage, 4.100
Fl
Mo
Hi
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Cb
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67
77
70
68
71
76
76
55
66
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68
Vojtech's brother Martin joins our team aswell and his primary role will be to support and assist Tim Wellens in the ventures into GT areas, however planning might see him join a jolt leadership in one GT. Overall he is a climber with strong support stats, that both can be used defensively, but also offensively. It is however also very likely that he could become our KoM rider in the GT races, but overall he will fit into our mountain train just nicely
Josip Rumac, 50k wage, 4.16
Fl
Mo
Hi
TT
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Cb
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Fi
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70
71
73
64
70
69
67
55
73
74
65
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66
Yet another talent to add into our ranks. This time we have a new young rider at age 25, who can fill the void of being a punchy sprinter or a sprinty puncheur. He'll fill this void, that the great Kamil Zielinski once had, with many chances to show off his skillset. This will be transition period for him and next year he'll get even better
Transfer In/Out
IN
OUT
Final Team
Joining ManGame our goal was always to reach PT and reaching it as fast as possible. This set some ground rules on how to build our team, where we put our budget into experienced leaders, that we knew could perform from the get-go. Now joining PT our goal is stay in ProTour, but that goal has two strategies attached; go for experience or go for both experience and talent. We chose for the first time in our team history to mix it up for a change and this is how it all ended up!
We're really happy with our team, all considering how ill equipped we were joining PT. The transfer market didnt really go into our favor, so we met hardship from the very beginning. We managed to find proven riders, along with riders just starting their career. We cannot say if retention is even an possibility and comparing with previous promoting teams like Hugo Boss, we don't see the same strength. However with this team we also have an backup plan if we don't stay in PT. That will ultimately get us back on our feet, perhaps not rightaway, but on the long haul we're finally covered
I also love the story of Hacecky brothers reunited on the same team. I see some similarities to how we both approached the transfer season. Hopefully Ponzi can keep you up.
Fablok is joined by a new co-sponsor, Belgium chocolate manufacturer Chocolate Jacques, whom have old ties with the Cycling World. Our ProTour venture introduced us to some new riders, among these were Tim Wellens and Tiesj Benoot, both of Belgium origin. Now we have decided to abandon our Isreali cycling project and instead put all our energy into boosting the renowned cycling nation of Belgium. A country that has offered so much for the cycling sport.
The shirt and gear are co-manufactured by Patrick (new sponsor) and our old supporter Salomon Group, with those pieces designed by head designer the_hoyle, also featuring in the ManGame and an old friend of the team. The team is also sponsored by Belaqua, and we hope that we can create awareness for climate change through their sponsor ship. While the jersey has obviously gained new colors, the green color will always feature on the team, forever.
Being relegated from the ProTour means that we'll have to say goodbye to Simone Ponzi, whom we cannot afford. We want to thank Simone in believing our project could be long term, but hence we must now depart his services. Now with that said, we must look for the future and that future is the team focusing on a joint Polish and Belgium project, that will hopefully see us back in the ProTour next season.
Our Renewals of contracts from the last season has been completed. We're back in the PCT and having to cut of 1M of our wage budget. This meant saying goodbye to ManGame legend, Simone Ponzi. We hope Simone will have a pleasant stay at his next team. Our secondary main focus will be to venture into Belgian cycling. This means prolonging our partnership with Tim Wellens and Tiesj Benoot, was quite essential.
Overall, we had to pay 40k more in wage, than what our 2020 roster would earn with last years pay (excluding Ponzi and Kalf of course).
We go into this season without a clear goal for transfers, so therefore all riders with the exception of Wellens, Stepniak, Bernard or Shapira will be available for bids. Yes, we're doing something different this year and we will therefore be looking to find suitable deals, that would be beneficial to both parties. Transfer season usually provides enough uncertainty, but know this, we're always open for a chat about a possible deal.
redordead wrote:
Not a great deal of cap space remaining, so having a lot of riders available and keeping your options open seems like the right approach.
Hopefully you're in for a fun season of transfers
Not a lot of cap space, but plan is to sell a lot of riders
the_hoyle wrote:
Ponzi leaving the team will be a big lose but you should be strong enough elsewhere to pick up the points this season
Yes, I think I got a good plan on how to adapt to the PCT with this squad. Ponzi is gone, my plan couldn't afford me to go into debt. However, that would probably been around the 1.6M in debt if I tried. It's fine really, cause I've had a focus on hills since joining the PCT first time and it's time to focus on other categories
Fabianski wrote:
Interesting list of names available, we might talk about one or two of them... You need cap space, I do have some - seems like a good fit
With transfers approaching, we have decided to go in more detail of how the availability of our roster will look like. When transfers start, plan is to have a list of minimum starting offers for each rider (also riders, that we're hesitant to sell), that way our transfer options are open. We've seen two Polish teams disband, so therefore there are some obligations as the sole Polish team, to showcase the nations strength. That also means if any teams have any poles on their roster, then consider us the first to show interest. Having just relegated from the PT, we will begin our restructuring process this season, therefore some riders, that could be considered irreplacerable, are still within grasp of those interested. Here's to Fablok succeeding and know that we're always open to hear propositions
Some great Polish riders available as Free Agents this year, so I expect you will be eager to get some of them! Interested to see how Benoot will do this year.
Vojtech Hacecky, 70k wage, 4.100
Josip Rumac, 50k wage, 4.16
