Fabianski wrote:
Congrats, that's a truly amazing signing! With not even 500k wage an absolute bargain for that quality, and he's only 30 years old, so has still three full-power years ahead! Not really looking forward to racing against him, but well, will still be something special to see him race in PCT

Eden95 wrote:
Awesome signing! But please keep him far away from us please

knockout wrote:
...Snip...

the_hoyle wrote:
HUGE SIGNING! He will blow the division apart! Not looking forward to those hilly classics now...

AbhishekLFC wrote:
That really is an awesome signing!

liefwarrior wrote:


Well, looking back on the off season it seems that you managed a very impressive sale here. That, or from our perspective a horrific overspend. Hopefully his potential comes true and we forget the fact that there were similar riders for under $1M.

Tim Wellens	Daniel Hoelgaard
Casper Pedersen	Tobias Halland Johannessen
Mikkel Honore	Bjorn Tore Hoem
Mathias Norsgaard	Torjus Sleen
Andreas Kron	Toms Skujins
Frederik Rodenberg	Andris Smirnovs
Magnus Bak Klaris	Max Kanter
Rasmus Iversen	Felix Groß [Loanee]
Joris Nieuwenhuis [Loanee]	Nur Aiman Zariff
Stagiaires
Yesid Albeiro Pira	Xabier Mikel Azparren
Juri Hollmann	Oier Lazkano
Loaned Out
Georg Zimmermann

Tim Wellens	72	82	75	72	79	80	76	62	63	68	64	70	72	30
Bjorn Tore Hoem	67	77	72	67	74	69	74	53	58	62	61	72	67	30
Tobias H.J.	66	71	68	64	67	70	69	60	67	71	65	71	63	22
Torjus Sleen	68	69	69	71	67	70	71	60	63	68	70	64	69	24
Yesid Albeiro Pira	62	72	66	62	64	65	68	60	60	64	63	60	61	22

Our original group of stage racers was heavily dominated by Danes; with the departure of Jonas Vingegaard last season and Magnus Cort Nieslen this time round, it has transformed into more of a Norwegian area. Coming in to replace the Cort Nielsen/Skjostad Lunke duo is Tim Wellens, our second marquee signing of the season. Wellens excels in the mountains, has a relatively solid punch, and can survive on a timetrial bike; all we ask is that the Belgian repeat his previous season's performance. That might be a tough ask, given the lack of support; Bjorn Tore Hoem will be the only rider capable of somewhat following up the longer climbs, but the future is assured with the likes of Pira and Halland Johannesen coming through the ranks.

Toms Skujins	70	70	83	59	80	77	73	67	68	76	66	66	59	30
Daniel Hoelgaard	72	74	77	65	72	72	72	62	68	74	73	69	65	28
Andris Smirnovs	68	68	77	56	74	69	67	68	72	78	78	70	56	31
Mikkel Honore	70	67	75	66	72	72	70	67	65	73	71	70	66	24
Andreas Kron	71	66	74	65	72	72	68	64	65	69	70	69	64	23
Oier Lazkano	64	64	69	59	64	67	63	60	64	68	71	61	59	22

Daniel Hoelgaard and Andris Smirnovs were disappointing last season, to the point that negotiations with Smirnovs took till nearly the end of the transfer window to be completed. They won't be leading us in the PCT; instead that role goes to our first marquee signing ever: Toms Skujins! He's fallen off slightly in recent years, and with the rise of Miguel Angel Lopez he had become surplus to requirements at Evonik - ELKO. He'll face some stiff competition, but we are confident that he will be able to dominate in lower category races throughout the season.

Max Kanter	73	63	67	67	74	71	76	70	77	78	65	71	66	24
Nur Aiman Zariff	68	58	60	60	70	65	76	60	78	78	60	67	70	24
Casper Pedersen	74	61	67	67	73	75	71	63	75	75	71	69	76	25
Frederik Rodenberg	70	60	62	63	68	73	63	59	74	75	63	63	69	23
Joris Nieuwenhuis	73	63	68	60	67	72	63	68	70	73	62	75	60	25
Felix Groß	68	60	60	62	64	71	65	60	72	73	60	60	62	23

Sprints aren't going to be pretty for Tryg this season, as our riders are only as capable as Yamamoto was in 2019, and we are now in the ProContinental Tour. That's alright though, it is an area for future improvement, with all of our permanent riders here still having some development to come. None of them are likely to become world beaters, but there is time yet.

Magnus Bak Klaris

70

61

67

64

68

69

66

71

64

66

61

64

64

25

There were many long discussions held with Nikolas Maes about securing him a ride for the 2021 season. He had only one request: that he have one final attempt at winning the Tour du Faso. Unfortunately, we are barred from entering the race due to its classification, and none of the Continental Tour teams that could've taken him there were willing to offer him a contract. This means that the Belgian legend retired with a strong final season for us; coming through in his place is Magnus Bak Klaris, who still has quite some way to go before we can really put much faith in him.

Mathias Norsgaard	72	62	65	77	68	73	64	62	57	66	56	59	75	24
Rasmus Iversen	69	62	63	68	65	66	65	65	62	64	65	64	68	24
Juri Hollmann	68	62	65	69	66	68	62	68	61	63	61	65	67	22
Xabier Mikel Azparren	65	61	63	70	65	65	65	60	62	63	65	62	68	22

Mathias Norsgaard managed an amazing performance in the Herald Sun Tour last season, and is truly coming into his own as an impressive timetrial specialist. He has been reinforced by a myriad of talents, who we hope will come to form the core of a TTT squad in the not-to-distant future.



The management are very happy with the outcome of the 2021 Transfer Window. The new signings fit very well into the set up of the team, although we are slightly anxious regarding our lack of stage racing depth. This is a significant change from last season, where depth - especially in the mountains - was a key component of our success. The entirety of Tryg's hopes and dreams of surviving in the ProContinental Tour, essential to retaining all the gains made this season, are pinned on the shoulders of Tim Wellens, Toms Skujins and, to a much lesser extent, Mathias Norsgaard.

Fabianski wrote:
...snip...

whitejersey wrote:
The double leadership is strong here, should be fun to watch if it's enough to stay up, experience says it should, but this is not a traditional season with how the transfer window has turned out!

quadsas wrote:
Two strong riders which should net you a solid base of points, if you get decent enough depth pieces you should be safe, but at very least you can dab on people cause you got two sweet riders

knockout wrote:
...snip...

baseballlover312 wrote:
...snip...

redordead wrote:
Terrific job getting both Skujins and Wellens. Those two should keep you firmly in the top half of the ranking table.

TheManxMissile wrote:
Yep, this is another back-to-back promotion team. I have nothing else to add

cio93 wrote:
Obviously I'd much prefer you as a solid PCT team that can be a long-term loan partner, instead of having 3.5 million to spend on German riders.

But I agree that you've done a brilliant job this transfers, and I'm very happy to contribute two riders to your squad this season, wherever you will end it!

AbhishekLFC wrote:
Yo, where's Skuijns?

Nemolito wrote:
If Skujins indeed decided not to show up, your season might be a bit harder as anticipated But in all honesty, with both him and Wellens on the squad, things are looking very bright for you, well done

HISTORY

Year	GC	Pts	KoM	Yth
2020	Van der Sande	Gaviria	Jaramillo	Svab
2019	Holloway	Holloway	Gautier	Brockhoff
2018	Gautier	Goss	Zielinski	Ewan
2017	Schreurs	Kump	Walker	Mohoric
2016	Flügel	Kump	Di Maggio	McCarthy

EXPECTATIONS
The past two seasons have seen the general classification secured by whatever member of the sprinting cohort best survives the heat of Australian sun. That might beg the question as to why the team would elect to bring their sponsors all the way across the world when they lack a sprinter decent enough to compete for a Top 10, let alone a victory.

The answer is surprisingly simple, the profile has changed. Before the sprinters had their way over the previous two years, the Tour Down Under was the domain of puncheurs. This year, the first two stages and the final stage remain unchanged from previous years, where the sprinter's teams were more than capable of controlling the field. Stage 5, the double ascent up Old Willunga Hill, was present last year; it fell to a puncheur (Bruno Borges) but wasn't sufficient to dislodge Van der Sande.

However, the Corkscrew (featured on Stage 4) returns after being absent last season - it produced a ½ minute gap in 2019; it is joined by the new addition of Paracombe to the route. This reduces the number of stages for the sprinters to just three, and means there are three opportunities for the puncheurs to score time. Skujins ability to successfully attack the rapid inclines he will be presented with will set the stage for the rest of his season, so a good result is essential.

EXPECTATIONS
Our only goal at a higher classification, but also our only goal that doesn't demand victory. Bizarrely enough, I feel that that probably makes it the one where we are most likely to be met with success. The double climbs leading into the final few kilometres have been relatively selective the only two times this race has been run; with those who managed to stick to the front then duking it out on the final ascent. Hopefully the number of elite puncheurs who attended last season is enough to convince some managers to seek easier rides elsewhere. Although there is some room for error, Skujins will still have to be on decent form if he is to snag one of the required positions.

EXPECTATIONS
Pluchkin's reign of terror has been felt across the breadth of the ProContinental Tour, and as much as we prayed to the MG gods to see him promoted up and out of the division come our arrival, they have managed to let us down. Thankfully Tim Wellens, who will be targetting this race, managed second in last year's general classification, just over a minute behind the Moldovan monster.

There were some murmurs at the opening of last season that 2020 might well be the year that Pluchkin falls from his pedestal atop the ProContinental Tour. They were quickly silenced by a multitude of triumphs against the very best the division had to offer. However, Pluchkin isn't getting any younger. Given that the majority of the time Wellens lost was from bonus seconds from Pluchkin's dual stage victories, and the Moldovan is unlikely to be quite as dominant this time round, the management have faith that Wellens can pull off a victory.

EXPECTATIONS
Someone has to bring the curtain down on the season, and with a number of contemporary PCT riders included in the annals of this prestigious race, who better to play host. Oleksandr Prevar has managed a Top 20, a podium, followed by a win in three successibe races. Kelderman won here back in 2015; since then he has added a podium and a Top 5 to his palmarès. Eduard Alexander Beltran is another former winner. Tomihiro Kinoshita, Jack Bobridge, Simone Ponzi, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Bruno Borges - they have all achieved at least one Top 5 at this race. Toms Skujins has attended once: a 10th place in 2014.

Management certainly believe that seven years more experience has molded the Latvian into a cyclist capable of winning here. Unlike in the Ardennes, Skujins won't have to concern himself with competitors from the Pro Tour - although the likes of Kinoshita and Bobridge are nothing to scoff at. Similarly, the season opener will have required beating out the sprinters and their dastardly bonus seconds. Here, it is just Skujins and his colleagues, five times up the final climb in San Luca. The story of the season will have been written, and the pressure is on the Latvian to provide a praiseworthy closing chapter.