ember wrote:
Must say that's an interesting post considering potential moves, both regarding permanent deals and loan deals. We'll surely talk, after all we've also got Denmark as our secondary nationality for the first time ever, meaning it would be very wrong to not talk when transfer season opens up
I will be very happy to hear from you. It's no secret on our team bus that everyone there holds your team in very high regard, and would much rather ride for it than mine.
We'll definitely need a bus, then! Looking forward to talk to you, that's for sure
I see three talents there among the yes and maybes who could definitely be of interest, though like cio I'm disappointed that Kamna is a no
Interested to see how you get on in transfers as you're taking a similar approach to me, albeit a division lower. Think you should get some good deals, even if you don't necessarily trust in your own transfer ability
jph27 wrote:
I see three talents there among the yes and maybes who could definitely be of interest, though like cio I'm disappointed that Kamna is a no
Interested to see how you get on in transfers as you're taking a similar approach to me, albeit a division lower. Think you should get some good deals, even if you don't necessarily trust in your own transfer ability
Never say never - it doesn't look like cio is going to, so why should you?
Indeed, we have very similar relegation paths, although I am doing it at a lower scale. Hoping it pays off for both of us as we deal with bloated squads and a lot of fines.
And to be fair, I think I've earned the right to not trust my transfer ability at this point. It's been horrendous pretty much without exception for many years. It's probably premature to assume I can sell any leaders at all.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
With their relegation, it is no suprise that Carlsberg said goodbye to a lot of familiar names this offseason as they cut roster size and wage. Included also are riders who left in renewals but had a chance to come back, only to sign elsewhere. We see 4 original members of the Danish core, along with former leaders and talents, all leaving the team.
Team Manager baseballlover312 spoke on each departure as well.
Niki Ostergaard - Cobbles - 2014-2019
Niki Ostergaard WAS Carlsberg for six years. He was their first rider signed, their first leader, and the first guy to attack when hope seemed lost. A cobbles specialist, he signed as Carlsberg's absolute leader for the classics in 2014. Over time, his role with the team shifted, and he was placed on the backburner as a domestique for cobbled leaders like Nolf and Vanspeybrouck. But on that fateful day in 2019, he returned to C2 to claim what was his, and took his iconic GP Herning victory in front of the home fans.
Unfortunately, relegation meant he could not agree on a contract with his team during renewals. While the team still wanted him back, he decided that if he was going to be a domestique, he wanted to do so at a higher level. He returns to Mapei, where he rode long ago as a youngster, to complete his last season at full strength.
"Niki... what can I even say about Niki. He's such a fighter. Always there when you need him, always attacking when no one else showed up. For 6 years, he was the heart and soul of this team. Truthfully, we wanted him back. But we respect his decision, and everything he did for us since our inception. No Carlsberg fan will ever forget Herning. He is one of a kind, and we wish him the best going forward.
Marc Christian Garby - Climber - 2014-2019
There was a slightly less ceremonious exit for Marc Christian Garby, another member of that original 2014 Carlsberg squad. Garby burst onto the scene at 25 and was a key player in Carlsberg's promotion campaign. His two stage wins in the Tour of the Middle East made him looked poised for a bright future. Unfortunately, he never really made the jump to PCT, and couldn't stick it as a leader. With new guys coming up in the wings, he wouldn't get a second chance at CT leadership at Carlsberg. Instead, he'll hope for a new start at BNZ Cycling Team, where he transferred for 600k.
"We supported M.C. for so long. On some level, I still believe in him. The kid has a lot of fight and is willing to put himself out there even when he's struggling. Unfortunately, he just had too many opportunities to still keep him over Niklas or Matteo. We had to make a tough decision, and he was lost to the roster crunch. We wish him all the best, except when competing against us!
Christian Ranneries - Sprinter - 2014- 2019
For many years, critics asserted that Christian Ranneries had no place on a pro roster. Despite his incredible burst of speed, they felt he didn't have the all around skill set to compete. Last year, he proved them wrong, with several top finishes, not only in C2, but in PCT races as well. Unfortunately for Carlsberg, this went to his head a little bit in renewals. No longer wanting to live in the shadow of another sprinter, he ends up signing with Europcar, where he'll lead them in the sprints.
"I always believed in Christian. He can't teach pure acceleration - it's a gift. It took him a very long time to get to a place where he could be comfortable using that kick effectively, but he got there. While we hoped he would continue to use it for us, he deserves a chance to lead after 6 years of waiting for his chance, especially given his age. All the best to him and his family!
Jesper Hansen - Puncheur - 2014-2019
Jesper Hansen was the quintessential role rider for Carlsberg. Not flashy, not sticking his neck out for media attention. Just doing his job. He is the last of five original riders to leave the team this transfer season. Hansen's individual exploits were few - here is shown his sole win, from a breakaway in 2014. But it would be impossible to tell the story of Marc de Maar, or Christpher Juul-Jensen, without Hansen. His guidance and sheltering allowed them to have success beyond expectations for years, and his will surely be missed on the hills. He signs with Strava for the 2020 season.
"Jesper is a guy you just respect. He leads by example. He's vocal with his teammates but not the media. He does his job and is the happiest guy on the bus when his leaders succeed. I know it will be hard for JJ in particular to see him go. Unfortunately, our restrictions were too great to keep him on, and we had to think towards the future. He will be sorely missed.
Pieter Vanspeybrouck - Cobbles - 2018-2019
For the last two seasons, Vanspeybrouck has been Carlsberg's top finisher in the PCT standings, and their absolute leader. His cobbles success was consistent and valuable, especially last season, when he finished 17th overall. Nonetheless, his wage made him one of the more predictable departures this season, and he leaves for Andorra for a fee of 1.15 million.
"Pieter is a consummate professional, and he made it clear to me early on that he wanted to be protected from the open market, so we kept him on - which ultimately benefited both parties. He now gets a chance to ride without the pressure of absolute leadership as he ages, which I know will relieve him. He had some big wins for us and never sat up - look at that Maroc win. We respect everything he did for us, and wish him the best of luck!"
Davide Appollonio - Sprinter - 2017-2019
Appollonio joined Carlsberg after their promotion in 2017 and immediately defied expectations by winning big races and scoring well all year. That success continued in 2018. Unfortunately, 2019 was a down year for the Italian, and it affected his value on the open market. He left to Volvo for 400k and Remco Broers.
"Appo had a tough year last year, but we know what he's capable of. We thought others would too, but a saturation of free agent sprinters made the market for his services difficult. Ultimately though, we found the perfect spot for him and us, a Scandinavian PT team where he can be a prime leadout for Jonas Ahlstrand, and still get his own chances as well. It was a great fit and we wish him the best"
Aviv Yechezkel - Cobbles - 2017-2019
Because he was loaned out the past two seasons, Yechezkel only actually rode with Carlsberg in 2017. A young cobbles talent, he is still yet to reach his full potential, which he hopes to do this year. He join Fablok's Israeli contingent this year for a fee of 200k.
"It wasn't exactly in our plans to sell Aviv, especially before he could even reach his full potential with us. But ultimately wage and loan cap restrictions reared their ugly faces, and we were forced to make tough decisions on what to do. We couldn't max him ourselves, and we couldn't loan him anymore, so that put us in a tough spot. Keeping him would hurt his future, so we had to sell him and let him thrive. Knowing that he will be riding for Fablok, where he can find a strong Israeli presence, made selling him a lot more comforting. I spoke with him as negotiations were going, and I know he was excited to ride with his compatriots at a high level.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One notable rider surprisingly not on this list in Christopher Juul-Jensen. After his poor season last year, Carlsberg originally intended to sell him off. But after he was understanding in renewals negotiations, they eventually decided to give him a second chance as a CT leader.
The men above deserve a proper send off. They all contributed to Carlsberg with sweat and tears for many years, and will be missed by fans, riders, and management alike.
Of course, this leaves us with a second question: where did all this money earned go? For that answer, you will need to wait for our next update.
While Carlsberg's transfer season mainly consisted of clearing house, we did see a few new arrivals to the team this year. Some are not even so new when considering their history. Four will be considered in this section, as the rest will be previewed in our column on talents.
Christian Bertilsson - $50,000 - Grieg (FA)
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fig
Dwn
Pro
73
54
69
64
72
71
76
60
79
77
61
70
65
This is not the first time Bertilsson has ridden for Carlsberg. Back in 2017, he was the team's secondary sprinter in their first PCT campaign. Now he aims to fill that same void here, while also often being the top leadout man for Asbjorn Kragh Andersen. After asking for too much in renewals (a habit he's had for many years), he was signed from free agency, and will ride for Carlsberg on a minimum wage contract.
Laurens De Vreese - $50,000 - From: Kraftwerk
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fig
Dwn
Pro
74
66
72
60
72
70
70
74
70
70
67
64
62
De Vreese's path to Carlsberg was an unconventional one. After the team acquired Remco Broers in the Appollonio deal, they decided they needed someone a bit more versatile to match Ramon Sinkeldam's skillset. That led them to swap Broers with De Vreese. De Vreese is a classics rider first and foremost, but is not a terrible climber or sprinter either. He will be quite useful in many races as a prime domestique this season.
Rasmus Quaade - $50,000 - From: Podium Ambition
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fig
Dwn
Pro
71
54
63
78
72
70
65
59
61
63
66
60
76
In a funny twist of fate, Quaade returns to Carlsberg just one year removed from his sale last offseason. Now the Danish time trial champion, his skillet hasn't changed. He is a one dimensional rider who like time trials. But nevertheless, he will be useful in multiple races. The influx of CT TTT kilometers will make him a GC asset for Warbasse, and he can do early stage work for AKA on the flats.
Sandis Eislers - $0 - From: King Power (Draft)
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fig
Dwn
Pro
74
64
72
60
71
68
74
62
76
75
67
68
60
Our final rider today finds himself contracted with Carlsberg through the Continental Tour draft. Eislers is another sprinter, but is more versatile than others on the team. He both climbs well and has a good engine for the flats. This should make him an important leadout man for his leaders, and will allow him to perhaps score some points for himself in bumpier stage races.
Team Manager baseballlover312 spoke on the additions:
"It's quite obvious to anyone looking at our team that we didn't add any huge names this year. Relegating to CT made that impossible without sacrificing our future. Nevertheless, I think we've added a good crop of guys on cheap wages that can help us win and score. Since we have minimum riders this season, they will all be soaking up a lot of race days for us. Our success relies on them as much as our leaders, and I think they will be more than up to the task."
While the team technically signed no young talents to full contracts this transfer season, they did sign four stagiares and a draftee that fit this classification. They will be covered in our next report.
This year wasn't a huge one in terms of Carlsberg signings talents. With a full roster and CT salary restrictions, they had to watch from the sidelines as the prospects with the most potential signed elsewhere. Nevertheless, they added one rider through the draft and four stagiares who may have a future with the team when maxed.
Gyasi Sulvaran - $0 - All-Around - Pot. 2
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fig
Dwn
Pro
71
68
72
71
66
75
65
54
65
72
76
67
72
After Schlumberger infused money into the team to keep it afloat a few months ago, management promised they would sign a rider from Curacao this transfer season. For a while, it didn't seem like that would happen, but luckily the team was able to draft Gyasi Sulvaran in the CT draft. Sulvaran came to cycling late and was a product the De Maar era, when he first came to love the sport. He still has some development to do at 26, and while he'll never be a world beater, he has the skillset to be a helpful domestique with a long lasting engine on several terrains.
Erlend Blikra - $10,000 - Sprinter - Pot. 4
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fig
Dwn
Pro
66
60
61
60
68
71
61
57
71
72
59
63
62
Blikra ia stereotypical pure sprinter talent, noteworthy to Carlsberg mostly because of his Norwegian nationality. He could be a good leadout man once he matures.
Joel Suter - $10,000 - Fighter - Pot. 5
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fig
Dwn
Pro
71
62
68
65
70
69
66
66
65
67
68
68
65
Suter is a cool young rider because of his balanced skillset. There is no terrain or attribute that he is particularly deficient in. He's also a beast on the flats. One could see his development going in multiple directions, and it will be interested to see what is eventually decided in that regard.
Laurens Huys - $10,000 - Climber - Pot. 4
Flat
Mtn
Hill
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Cob
Spr
Acc
Fig
Dwn
Pro
64
69
67
61
68
66
67
56
56
64
58
59
62
Huys projects to be a solid climber, both on shorter and longer inclines. His lack of a kick and ambition will limit his breakaways opportunities, but he will still likely be a good domestique to have around for stage race leaders.
Kristensen was the only Danish talent signed by Carlsberg this year, and he was not their first choice for that position. But after being outbid on more impressive talents, the team placed their faith in Kristensen. He is a pure time trialist who can also help during sprint stages, but likely only projects to get contracts for teams focusing on TTT's.
Of course, Carlsberg still has many older, more impressive talents that were signed in previous years. The team wished to thank all the managers who took on their riders as loanees this year!
Lennard Kämna will ride for Adastra.
Alex Aranburu will ride for Aker - MOT.
Kasper Asgreen will ride for Volvo.
Mathias Krigbaum will ride for Grieg.
All but Kämna will be maxed after this season, after long development cycles with the team.
Other Carlsberg talents will continue to develop while riding in Carlsberg colors.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So those are the changes Carlsberg made this transfer season... almost. We will be back later to outline the final roster and let you in on one last surprise in its final composition.
Well, it's that time of year again. With the transfer season complete, our scouting department has released their report of the Carlsberg - Danske Bank squad for 2020.
The team is certainly worse than last year. although with relegation this was to be expected. Losing Vanpeybrouck, while inevitable, makes it so that no one on this team is truly formidable. On the other hand, they have maintained a squad that will at least contend on every terrain, and many of their formerly subpar PCT leader will now be decent CT leaders.
Stage racing is a new focus, and Warbasse's success last season lends evidence to the idea that he might do well. Success isn't a given, however, knowing the strength of climbers and stage racers in CT this year. Plus, his versatility cannot be truly realized in the CT calendar. The same cautious optimism can be had for most other terrains. Juul-Jensen hopes to bounce back in weaker fields. Sinkeldam will hope to excel on cobbles, particularly when hills are involved. And Kragh Andersen leads the sprints with Appollonio gone.
Holding them back from a surefire promotion and even title contention seems to be their determination to keep their talents. They lost just one this offseason despite relegating, but necessary loans meant that 165k of an already small wage cap is being dedicated to riders not contributing to the team this year. In order to manage this and keep their leaders, they had to sacrifice a lot of depth. useful domestiques are few in number. The team needed to add 4 stagiares to meet the minimum rider requirement this season, and will struggle to fill out all their races even if avoiding clashes.
There is one change that has yet gone unmentioned. Our scouts have reported a visible improvement in Asbjorn Kragh Andersen this season. Following his poor PCT campaign last season, there were rumors that he might actually leave. Instead, he and the team put full faith in each other, and he got to work. His top speed is noticeably improved, which should help him a bit at this level. He even put in some work in the mountains this year. Although the results were marginal, he hopes this will help him to survive in more stage races.
The goal for the team is promotion. Their future, and the risks they've taken for it, rely on doing so. Will they do it? We'll just have to wait and see. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Mr. Pickles
Sporting News
Edited by baseballlover312 on 13-10-2020 23:38
Strong CT squad! i think Philips is the favourite for the title but i havent seen another team that looks stronger (maybe carrefour) so i think you should have good chances to promote!
Well, I think that the competition will be tough. Sure, Warbasse is great, but as you say, the calendar doesn't really fit his skillset. With Fabbro, you've got a great backup, as well as some good domestiques. You should score well in stage races.
For the hills, Juul-Jensen's acceleration and fighting spirit are amazing. I can imagine there will be some tough battles between him and Moscon, advantaging the former on shorter and the latter on longer inclines.
And then there's AKA, who should be a beast in CT. Add Bertilsson as a leadout, and you've got a killer duo.
I think you'll be in contention for promotion; then, it's mostly luck if you actually do it or not. Wish you all the best, and some good fights on the hills
I think your team is more well-rounded than ours (which is top-heavy) and expect you to be up there in title contention this season. Love your climbers and AKA should also do very well in the CT. Looking forward to the racing
Wow this is a super duper CT team, your top leader may be a sprinter but they only way is up for Carlsberg surely
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
knockout wrote:
Strong CT squad! i think Philips is the favourite for the title but i havent seen another team that looks stronger (maybe carrefour) so i think you should have good chances to promote!
I agree that Philips and Carrefour are probably better teams. As long as I can get top 5 and promote I'd be more than happy though, so that's not too big of a deal to me. Hope you're right about our chances!
AbhishekLFC wrote:
I think your team is more well-rounded than ours (which is top-heavy) and expect you to be up there in title contention this season. Love your climbers and AKA should also do very well in the CT. Looking forward to the racing
Well rounded a little more leader wise maybe, but we lack much depth in any of those disciplines besides climbing. We certainly don't have a proven scorer that we can count on for automatic points like Kelderman, so we'll have to hope the AI is favorable to us. In any case, I'm really looking forward to our competition this year. Hopefully it goes better than last year for both of us!
Fabianski wrote:
Well, I think that the competition will be tough. Sure, Warbasse is great, but as you say, the calendar doesn't really fit his skillset. With Fabbro, you've got a great backup, as well as some good domestiques. You should score well in stage races.
For the hills, Juul-Jensen's acceleration and fighting spirit are amazing. I can imagine there will be some tough battles between him and Moscon, advantaging the former on shorter and the latter on longer inclines.
And then there's AKA, who should be a beast in CT. Add Bertilsson as a leadout, and you've got a killer duo.
I think you'll be in contention for promotion; then, it's mostly luck if you actually do it or not. Wish you all the best, and some good fights on the hills
I think I agree with your assessment here. I think I have the potential to promote, but it depends on my guys executing that plan, which you can never count on. I'm most anxious to see AKA race I guess, given sprinters are at this point probably the most risk/reward. With Bertilsson leading him out he should be good - but will the game have my leadouts work? Who knows
In regards to the hills, I really think you have the better rider in Moscon. Back in PCM where acceleration was overvalued, Juul-Jensen might have dominated in CT. But now, I'm just hoping he can score points. Whatever happens in our battles, at least we know they won't be for wins with Kelderman in the division.
jandal7 wrote:
Wow this is a super duper CT team, your top leader may be a sprinter but they only way is up for Carlsberg surely
Well, the only way is definitely up, but that doesn't necessarily stop my guys from standing still.
I'm definitely a bit worried about having AKA be my best rider with how much of a crap-shoot sprints can be. But I'm gonna do the best I can to plan for that!
redordead wrote:
This team will score a fair amount of points in every race they enter. I can't see how you don't promote back to PCT
I'm hoping that preparing for every terrain will be a little bit of a fail safe if certain guys underperform. Hoping you're right!
Edited by baseballlover312 on 14-10-2020 16:08
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
baseballlover312 wrote:
I'm hoping that preparing for every terrain will be a little bit of a safe fail if certain guys underperform. Hoping you're right!
Your team reminds me of my promoting team, only far better
TheManxMissile wrote:
Anyone else get anxiety from the .500 wage for Fabro? Or the 99 for Juul?
Was trying to cut as many corners as possible with a CT cap. Also, it was my original intention to sell Juul-Jensen, and I thought if I could push him to a 5 figure salary he would look more appealing. Honestly, I never expected him to accept it.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
Impressive team according to me, being able to win a race on any terrain. I don't think I even have to wish you good luck, as you'll bounce straight back to PCT anyway
the_hoyle wrote:
Really nice looking team you have re-built for the CT - should do well this year
Thank you! I hope you're right.
Nemolito wrote:
Impressive team according to me, being able to win a race on any terrain. I don't think I even have to wish you good luck, as you'll bounce straight back to PCT anyway
Well, feel free to wish me luck anyway. I'm not convinced.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
Having reported a few of your struggles last season, I wish you the best for a better time this year. As many have said before, that feels like a given, but I understand your reluctance Looking at the DB, AKA could honestly perform similar to Holloway last year. If any sprinter can perform consistently in CT, it's going to be him. Hopefully Selig can get the best of him a few times anyway
Niki Ostergaard - Cobbles - 2014-2019
Pieter Vanspeybrouck - Cobbles - 2018-2019
Davide Appollonio - Sprinter - 2017-2019
Aviv Yechezkel - Cobbles - 2017-2019
Christian Bertilsson - $50,000 - Grieg (FA)
Sandis Eislers - $0 - From: King Power (Draft)
Gyasi Sulvaran - $0 - All-Around - Pot. 2
Erlend Blikra - $10,000 - Sprinter - Pot. 4
Joel Suter - $10,000 - Fighter - Pot. 5
Lennard Kämna will ride for Adastra.
Alex Aranburu will ride for Aker - MOT.
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
