Fablok's long history in the ManGame continues and with sad news. For the first time, we're the sole Polish team in the 3 upper tiers of the ManGame. This also means it's our responsibility to represent this proud cycling nation. We've also expanded our focus of expertise, this time to Belgium. Another proud cycling nation and we'll be led here by our two captains, Tim Wellens and Tiesj Benoot.
Our goal is to solidify our position in the PCT, after having experienced our first PT season last year. This time however, we will try and rebuild our squad. This also comes with a shift in focus, where our usual mix of focusing on hills, sprints and TT's will be formed into stage races and cobbles for this season. This also means that we're looking to find talented riders, who can help us achieve our goals in the highly competitive tier, that is the PCT.
Thanks for reading, hopefully our first transfer updates will come soon
Chocolate and trains? Need to call four year old me because he's got a new favourite cycling team
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
Your 1-2 stage win at the Tour was one of my more unique reporting moments last season, pity that the rest of the season wasn't quite as successful. Wishing you the best for your rebuild in PCT, I really like the new approach to go part Belgian with those two leaders. I also love the new jersey!
jandal7 wrote:
Chocolate and trains? Need to call four year old me because he's got a new favourite cycling team
who doesnt need to find new ways of introducing people into the world of cycling, eh?
cunego59 wrote:
Your 1-2 stage win at the Tour was one of my more unique reporting moments last season, pity that the rest of the season wasn't quite as successful. Wishing you the best for your rebuild in PCT, I really like the new approach to go part Belgian with those two leaders. I also love the new jersey!
Yes that was quite a moment yes. But if you know our team history, those are the kind of results we specialize in. In our first season we had 4 concurrent stage wins, 3 of those occurences? we finished 2nd on the 3rd consecutive stage.
Yeah I'm happy with the new jersey, its a bit different, but the same great, black, white was getting a bit stale. Thanks
New exciting talent on the block. But first of all a big thanks to Juraj Sagan, Welle Jallays, Vojtech Hacecky, Giorgi Nareklishvilli and Andrea Guardini for their service to the team. They have left for new challenges and we wish them their best. Lets see our new signings:
Mathias de Witte
27 years old
71,93
€ 50.000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FI
DH
PR
73
60
68
61
73
71
66
73
70
69
64
65
61
74
60
68
61
75
72
67
75
71
69
64
65
61
Mathias de Witte joins us from the Free Agent markets. He will assist Benoot throughout the season. Hopefully he'll be of assist to his countryman.
Christophe Noppe
26 years old
72,71
€ 50.000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FI
DH
PR
74
61
68
62
73
72
67
71
75
73
65
68
63
75
61
68
62
75
73
75
73
76
73
65
68
63
Christophe Noppe also joins us from the Free Agency. He will, like de Witte, assist Benoot. He can also function as a leadout for Stepniak, so he brings multiple facets to the team. Benoot will struggle in the flatter classics, so Noppe gives him helps there, too
Clement Venturini
26 years old
74,33
€ 75.000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FI
DH
PR
75
63
68
65
74
74
79
72
75
77
63
73
69
Clement Venturini is the 3rd from the Free Agency. He however will be more to the help of Stepniak. He is our biggest signing so far, and he'll be able to solidify the team, in multiple terrains.
Cristian Cominelli
32 years old
71,23
€ 50.000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FI
DH
PR
70
55
67
64
74
73
68
75
59
58
62
66
64
The last rider we'll sign to assist Benoot in the cobbles is Cristian Cominelli, coming from assisting Kasperkiewicz last season. It is however limited, how much he'll race outside of these races, but domnestiques are important for every team
New exciting talent on the block. But first of all a big thanks to Juraj Sagan, Welle Jallays, Vojtech Hacecky, Giorgi Nareklishvilli and Andrea Guardini for their service to the team. They have left for new challenges and we wish them their best. Lets see our new signings:
Cees Bol
25 years old
71,95
€ 120.000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FI
DH
PR
72
63
68
67
71
75
69
65
74
73
68
66
69
75
65
71
67
75
77
79
67
78
77
68
66
69
Cees Bol is our star talent signing of the season, we're unsure how he will look maxed, but above seems to be the route we're gonna go for. Cees Bol will be the sprinter of the future for us. While Stepniak will be leader, he hasnt got long and in 2 years, Cees will start looking to secure that leader spot. Really exciting times ahead for us and Cees
Aviv Yechezkel
26 years old
71,95
€ 50.000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FI
DH
PR
72
55
63
64
70
71
69
75
63
72
69
69
64
73
55
64
64
71
72
69
76
63
72
70
69
64
Aviv joins us from Carlsberg, in fact hes the sole signing we're gonna do all season. While we certainly didnt prepare for it or plan it, Israel is the most represented country for us this season.
Tomorrow we will reveal our full team lineup for 2020
@Aquarius: indeed, with how the FA market is this season, certainly makes Venturini a solid signing
New exciting talent on the block. But first of all a big thanks to Juraj Sagan, Welle Jallays, Vojtech Hacecky, Giorgi Nareklishvilli and Andrea Guardini for their service to the team. They have left for new challenges and we wish them their best. Lets see our new signings:
Kristofer Gunnlaugsson
25 years old
68,79
€ 50.000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FI
DH
PR
70
67
64
69
68
74
61
66
70
69
60
60
68
Track Sprint:
77
67
65
70
69
79
70
67
77
76
60
61
75
Track TT + TT:
77
67
66
76
73
80
66
66
74
72
61
60
75
Time Trial:
77
68
67
76
73
81
66
66
70
69
65
60
75
Kristofer is our very last signing of the season. While being an older talent, his potential will make him able to reach a commendable level. We're unsure what type of route we will take his talent, but we've listed 3 paths we'll consider. He will spend the season loaned out to McCormick Pro Cycling, and will ride for the in the CT
Final Roster 2020
We're proud to present our 2020 roster! To summarize, we've said goodbye to 5 riders, and instead gained 7 riders. So a lot of changes to the roster. Here the focus has been to train Wellens MO stat, while getting some support for Benoot in the cobbles. We were close at getting a pure cobble leader early in the window, but financially, it wouldnt have worked. We officially say goodbye to a proper puncher, a position we've tried to master with Chris Froome and Simone Ponzi.
Now we set our focus toward stage racing and cobbles. Benoot is quite capable in the hills and Stepniak will lead the sprints, though by saying goodbye to Guardini, his role will be a little different. Most of our TTT structure has been sacrificed for cobble support. We also have a new big talent in Cees Bol, who we look forward to signing. On the negative side, polish riders like Kasperkiewicz and Kaczmarek was available, but not within the reaches of our transfer capabilities. With this, we will have to reconsider our position as a Polish team, and our partnership with Fablok. A curse of getting a proper polish leader reigns back to failing to get Kwiatek in our 2nd season and then missing out on Wisniowski, due to wrong priorities.
Fablok - Chocolate Jacques hopes for a good season, that hopefully can mark a position within the Top 15. This also concludes our transfer season, so next post, will be posting our leader schedules.
DaveTwoBob wrote:
Your free agency signings look like bargains considering what went on.
Our bidding war for Vermeersch got quite intense
Good luck for the coming season.
Yeah, it was intense. Free Agency was crazy and it cost us the dream of getting the likes of Vermeersch, Kaczmarek and Kasperkiewicz. Venturini at 75k is definitely a bargain, and the rest, is solid 50k riders. So overall I'm happy, but it sucks that I was forced to sell Guardini, in order to train Wellens.
I feel the team wouldve been stronger, looking at some of the deals that were made, if we decided not to train Wellens. So I see a lot of routes, I couldve taken the team in
Mathias de Witte 
Clement Venturini 
Cristian Cominelli 
Cees Bol 
Aviv Yechezkel 
Kristofer Gunnlaugsson 
