Croatia14 wrote:
Interesting statements by Theo Bos and the others. Your HQ will be fun to watch throughout the season guessing from what I've seen so far. Good luck!

knockout wrote:
Love the quotes that follow each post. Keep it up please, its very entertaining

aidanvn13 wrote:
Great presentation so far!

Hopefully we don't conflict too much as there are a couple of Rwandan riders I have my eye on. Nonetheless, look forward to another African outfit!

SportingNonsense wrote:
Great to see a renewed interest in the African continent this season.

After having 4 riders plus a loan-in last season, I suspect it won't be worthwhile for me to aspire to increase that count this time around

jandal7 wrote:
A reasonable reply from AreruyaFan01? It can't be!

It is with great pleasure that Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes announces the first signings in team history! In the spirit of talent developments, they are three young riders at the beginning of their professional career, looking for opportunities to hone their skills - which we will gladly provide. Please welcome: Moise and Samuel Mugisha (no relationship) and Houcaine El Sabbahi! (s/o to SotD for the layout!)

Moise Mugisha

1.00

23yo

Puncheur

€50.000

Moise Mugisha loves it when the road turns uphill. He's more of a puncheur right now, but his skills are good enough that, if desired, he could become a decent climber as well - only is stamina is a bit concerning at this point. What stands out most about him though is his fighting spirit!

Samuel Mugisha

1.00

23yo

Puncheur / TT

€50.000

Samuel is a more versatile rider. While not as good of a climber, he's just as capable of a puncheur. In addition, he's a solid time trialist, a feature he may well focus on in the upcoming years. While neither Samuel nor Moise will become elite riders, they could be valuable domestiques for years to come, and role models for future Rwandan talents.

Houcaine El Sabbahi

1.00

22yo

Punchy Sprinter

€50.000

Houcaine El Sabbahi is without a doubt the most talented of the trio. He is very quick and also gets over hills really well, leaving the door open for a path as a sprinter or as a puncheur with a very strong finish. Either way, we hope that Houcaine can be a threatening rider on his prefered terrain once he is fully developed.

aidanvn13 wrote:
Great future prospects!

Quite a few permutations you have in training for them too.

cio93 wrote:
Great signings to start things off!

And thanks for letting me know they're not related...I signed them as a brother duo in my latest PCM career.

redordead wrote:
I love Moise's fighting spirit

Looks like 3 cool and talented riders to start you off on your journey

Nemolito wrote:
Was definitely interested in El Sabbahi as well, but I believe he will be happier at an African team

knockout wrote:
El Sabbahi is definitely the pick of the bunch. Would be an awesome leadout in every division but might even have the potential for slightly more.

After yesterday's announcement of the first riders for Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes, all of them talented youngsters, it is time to present the first established riders joining us. They will hopefully be able to provide top results, consistent depth scoring or at least solid support. And one of them is not only our most expensive, but with a look at our season goals potentially our most important rider of the year as well. Here are: Oliver Naesen, Mikiel Habtom, Rüdiger Selig and Christoph Mai!

Oliver Naesen

4.100

30yo

Cobbles-Allrounder

€250.000

Oliver Naesen needs to do only one thing this year and his signing would already be considered a success: conquer the mur de Kigali and give us a win on home soil. But while the GP Kigali was certainly one major motivating factor in our (costly) pursuit of Oliver, it was by no means the only.

There are going to be better pure cobblestone riders in the Continental Division this year, for sure. But you'll be hard pressed to find a more well-rounded one. His strong sprinting stands out most, of course, but he's also very good on hilly terrain and has great backup stats. We don't expect dominance from him, but Naesen should be a very consistent points scorer - and he has a few good years left in him as well.

Mikiel Habtom

4.100

29yo

Sprinter

€60.000

The second rider we exceeded the minimum wage for, although by much less, is Mikiel Habtom. The Eritrean is a very fast man, and while not the quickest among the best sprinters, he's got flat and resistance stats to compensate for it, making him an especially interesting option for longer flat classics.

Rüdiger Selig

4.100

31yo

Sprinter

€50.000

Complementing Habtom well is our second major sprinter, Rüdiger Selig. At a wage of 50,000, we believe he's an absolute bargain. Where Habtom lacks elite acceleration, Selig has it in spades, but in turn lacks the former's elite flat and resistance skills. We don't expect wins upon wins from Rüdiger, but we hope he brings in solid results with consistency.

Christoph Mai

4.100

32yo

Climber

€50.000

After all these quick men, here's a very slow one: Pictured to the right, next to fellow ManGame rider Danilo Kupfernagel in the year of the lord 2007, is Christoph Mai, who is the first addition to our climbing squad. At 32 years of age, Christoph is not a signing with the future in mind, but with his above average climbing and resistance, he should provide decent value on a minimum wage, either on his own or as support for other leaders. And let's not forget that both he and Rüdiger Selig add representation for title sposor Stevens Bikes - which is a German company, after all.