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[PCT] Team UBS - 2024
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| Gustavovskiy |
Posted on 30-08-2022 23:30
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Team Leader
Posts: 6036
Joined: 20-07-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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Some big signings there. Keeping a strong depth in almost all terrains should prove useful for pointscoring purposes. Barbio should fit in well with the team's concept, even though Im upset with him I hope he shines for you!
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| Croatia14 |
Posted on 30-08-2022 23:36
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 9099
Joined: 13-03-2013
PCM$: 2100.00
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Damn you spent the big bucks and signed two of the biggest FAs there. I think the prices were very high, but no other options this year. If you survive then you have done a mad good transfer period, if not then it probably backfires that you didn't spend money/ressources on bringing in a big time leader. It could be a difficult season and go down the wire, but I'm rooting for you to make it. Your great depth could be the key for you to survive.
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 31-08-2022 02:01
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16429
Joined: 27-07-2011
PCM$: 10438.70
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Definitely a tad light at the top compared to the best PT leaders, but as others have noted, the depth is phenomenal and you have a great core of young Swiss talent still. You can stay up, but it will rely on good planning and matchups for Buchmann in particular. Looking forward to seeing how you plan out the year.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 31-08-2022 06:56
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4669
Joined: 29-09-2018
PCM$: 185.00
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Really hoping you'll be able to stop the elevator at the right level this year!
Obviously no PHL, Phinney or Herklotz for you, but with two stage race and puncheur leaders each you should at least be able to cover pretty much all uphill races with a Top10 candidate - if not more. I really like Baguil's statline - especially his nice little Acc, and if you pick the right GT for him and are lucky, he could do better than expected.
Also good to see you didn't have to sell Müller in the end - although I'm not a fan of one-dimensional puncheurs (and PCM in its latest versions isn't, either), he should still get some points from races that suit him.
Your TT squad has always been impressive; let's hope Dillier can lead your TTT setup to some nice points in his final maxed year.
Spengler is another one-stat-wonder, let's see if he can improve on his latest RvV/P-R results. At least the cobbles support is good, but the leader is not the most versatile rider, let's put it like that 
And ever since you sold me Reinhardt, you're going sprinterless - we'll see if that's the right call; without a true flat beast either, you're really lacking scoring options for flat races. This is your truly weak spot - let's hope you'll score enough on other terrains (or via breakaways) to make up for it!
Good luck for the year - and you better stay up if you want to max Schmid next year 
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| redordead |
Posted on 31-08-2022 07:16
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4881
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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I'm not a big fan of Buchmann and Barguil needs to have a better season than last year. The rest of the team is solid, but will that be enough?
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 31-08-2022 12:28
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World Champion
Posts: 11392
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1020.00
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Tough FA market and you emerged bloody but victorious on the Bs there - hope they can deliver you to the promised land of a second consecutive PT season 
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
5x  x5
2x  x2
2x  x2 |
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| Bushwackers |
Posted on 10-01-2023 18:11
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Sprinter
Posts: 1907
Joined: 07-02-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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With the recent completion of the Giro d'Italia and most of the Spring classics, I figured I would give an update on the team and our results so far. It has been a mixed bag with several highlights and at this point, we are sitting on the cusp of the relegation battle.
The team saw early success in the Volta a Portugal with  Warren Barguil landing 3rd on 2 stages as well as the final podium. Our first victory, however, came from fellow new signing  Emanuel Buchmann, who won stage 4 of  Tirreno Adriatico on his way to securing 2nd overall.
Emanuel Buchmann celebrates winning Tirreno Adriatico Stage 4.
Our next big result came from homegrown talent  Martin Schäppi, who won the prologue of  Praha - Karlovy Vary - Praha. This has been one of the highlights of the season so far, given his status as a prolific underdog in the race.
Martin Schäppi storms to a win in the prologue of Praha - Karlovy Vary - Praha.
In the Spring classics, team leader Lukas Spengler has had a mixed bag of results. While he flashed brilliance at Paris - Roubaix by coming in 4th, his campaign has been pretty lackluster otherwise. Most of his results landed between between 10th and 20th in the other classics. Similarly in the Giro d'Italia, Warren Barguil landed 7th in the GC overall. This was somewhat disappointing as we had hoped for higher.
| Rider | Race | Result | | Warren Barguil |  Volta a Portugal - GC | 3rd | | Warren Barguil | Volta a Portugal - Stage 5 | 3rd | | Warren Barguil | Volta a Portugal - Stage 8 | 3rd | | Warren Barguil | Giro d'Italia - GC | 7th | | Warren Barguil | Giro d'Italia - Stage 16 | 3rd | | Warren Barguil | Giro d'Italia - Stage 4 | 5th | | Warren Barguil | Paris - Nice - GC | 9th | | Emanuel Buchmann | Tirreno Adriatico - GC | 2nd | | Emanuel Buchmann | Tirreno Adriatico - Stage 4 | 1st | | Emanuel Buchmann |  Fleche Wallonne | 3rd | | Patrick Schelling |  GP Liechtenstein | 10th | | Lukas Spengler | Paris - Roubaix | 4th | | Lukas Spengler | Strada Appia Antica | 9th | | Lukas Spengler |  Cheshire Cycling Tour | 11th | | Lukas Spengler | Ronde van Vlaanderen | 14th | | Lukas Spengler | E3 Prijs | 16th | | Lukas Spengler |  Macskako Kerekparverseny | 18th | | Patrick Müller | Giro d'Italia - Stage 14 | 4th | | Martin Schäppi | Praha - Karlovy Vary - Praha - Stage 1 | 1st |  Muhammad Abdurrahman | Giro d'Italia - Stage 11 | 2nd |
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 10-01-2023 20:48
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16429
Joined: 27-07-2011
PCM$: 10438.70
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Spengler's 4th in Roubaix showed that on a pure cobbles attrition course he really is one of the best. Roubaix is kind of it's own animal though, and I'm not sure he'll ever get over the hump in bumpier or less selective races.
Always fun to see a homegrown talent get his due as well. Congrats to Schäppi!
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 10-01-2023 21:10
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4669
Joined: 29-09-2018
PCM$: 185.00
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Some nice results for sure, but I don't like the current rankings tbh... Spengler's results were pretty frustrating in general, but as bbl pointed out, he's just too weak in everything but cobbles to keep up in bumpier races.
Barguil's Giro performance was definitely disappointing. Iirc he was up to 4th at some point, but then never even tried again, instead dropping a couple of spots. I hope you'll have some more success in the other GTs - I guess we'll see Schelling at some point, and otherwise you'll have to hope for some breakaway luck.
Buchmann has been very solid so far, but I guess he'll have to do even more to make you stay up. Müller has been disappointing, but he might be too one-dimensional for the current game version unfortunately.
All the best for the rest of the season - and I sure hope we won't meet in PCT next year
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 23-11-2024 16:32
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Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
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| redordead |
Posted on 11-01-2023 06:30
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4881
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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Those are some nice highlights, quite a few podium results.
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| Bushwackers |
Posted on 10-06-2023 19:13
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Sprinter
Posts: 1907
Joined: 07-02-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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The 2022 season has drawn to a close and with it our most recent stint in the ProTour division. The year had a lot of ups and downs for us and we achieved some truly great results at the least expected times, but ultimately we didn't have consistent enough performances to remain in the top division. Since the last update, we've had a number of races including the two remaining Grand Tours. Patrick Schelling lead the team in both races, finishing just outside the top 10 in 11th overall after a quiet race in the  Vuelta a Espana and slightly better in 10th overall at the Tour de France.
For the remainder of the year, our highlights included Patrick Müller taking a win on the uphill sprint finish on Stage 2 of the Tour of Northern Europe, and team leader and our most consistent rider this season, Emanuel Buchmann, winning the  Japan Cup.
Patrick Müller takes the stage in convincing fashion on Stage 2 of the Tour of Northern Europe.
Emanuel Buchmann takes the top step of the podium after his win in the Japan Cup to cap his season.
Second Half Season Results
| Warren Barguil | Tour de Suisse - Stage 6 | 3rd | | Warren Barguil | Tour de Suisse - Stage 3 | 5th | | Emanuel Buchmann | Japan Cup | 1st | | Emanuel Buchmann |  Scandinavia Open - GC | 6th | | Emanuel Buchmann | Scandinavia Open - Stage 2 | 3rd | | Emanuel Buchmann | Classica San Sebastian | 8th | | Patrick Schelling | Vuelta a Espana - GC | 11th | | Patrick Schelling | Tour de France - GC | 10th | | Patrick Schelling | Tour de France - Stage 12 | 5th | | Patrick Schelling | Criterium du Dauphine - Stage 4 | 5th | | Lukas Spengler |  Tour of the Battenkill | 6th | | Lukas Spengler | East Midlands Cicle Classic | 8th | | Patrick Müller | Tour of Northern Europe - Stage 2 | 1st | | Johan Jacobs | Tour of Northern Europe - Young Rider | 5th | | Johan Jacobs | Tour of Northern Europe - Stage 4 | 4th | | Silvan Dillier | Chrono d'Arenberg | 2nd | | Silvan Dillier | Tour de France - Stage 1 | 5th | | Antonio Barbio | Tour de France - Stage 6 | 2nd | | Antonio Barbio | Tour de France - KoM | 8th | | Team | Tour de France - Stage 5 TTT | 4th |
So with that, the season draws to a close. We ended up finishing a dismal 20th in the total PT rankings with a grand total of 4 total wins throughout the year. We accomplished only 1 of our 5 goals ( Lukas Spengler taking 4th in Paris Roubaix). You hate to see that as a manager, but I don't thing the result was too shocking. With our relegation, team sponsor UBS has decided to take a step back as sole sponsor of the team and we will see a sharp decrease in our budget. However, I can announce that we have recruited Swiss watchmaker and long-time cycling sponsor Tissot to come onboard as a co-title sponsor. We will no doubt keep our national focus on Switzerland and the surrounding regions in 2023 and look forward to making a run at returning to the PT, in line with our tradition as an elevator team. Stay tuned for the reveal of the 2023 kit after the conclusion of the national champsionships!
Edited by Bushwackers on 11-06-2023 16:40
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 10-06-2023 22:57
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4669
Joined: 29-09-2018
PCM$: 185.00
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Sorry to see you relegate once more 
You definitely had some cool results - Buchmann winning in Japan was one of those, but also Spengler's strong Paris - Roubaix, finishing just outside the podium spots. But in general, it was another rough season for you.
In my opinion, one reason was that you had to spend big time on both Barguil and Buchmann, leaving not much room for depth or even some secondary leaders.
I'm also afraid you do have some pretty one-dimensional leaders (Müller, Spengler), who may have worked well with previous versions of PCM, but no longer do. At least not consistently.
And one more thing I see is that you neither have a sprinter, nor a strong rouleur for late attacks - so you're basically left with nothing in flat races.
But I'm sure you'll use this PCT season well to trim some fat, strengthen your core - and then go back up again to hopefully stay this time  Good luck, and may we get enough good Swiss additions for not having too many bidding wars
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| liefwarrior |
Posted on 11-06-2023 09:41
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Breakaway Specialist
Posts: 864
Joined: 04-07-2019
PCM$: 300.00
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Never a good thing to be going back down again but there are some good things to take away. I concur with Fabi that you suffered most greatly from the wages of Barguil and Buchmann. The underperformance of the former was especially painful; Spengler nearly managed the same points return for less than ⅓ of the wage bill. The good news is that, if I am correct in assuming you signed both from free agency, you'll be able to undertake some severe cost cutting. With the losses saved there and from Bagioli you might be able to keep ahold of one of them even with the tighter restrictions. If you sell the other and reinvest that money in the squad (perhaps some sprinters?) then you should be in a strong position to rebound with immediate effect.
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 11-06-2023 11:24
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World Champion
Posts: 11392
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1020.00
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Commiserations on the relegation but a scary looking team that is coming down and even with being slimmed a huge contender to go back up you'd think. Interested in the new jersey too, going to be strange seeing the team name with a co-sponsor but an iconic Swiss brand with sporting connections is cool to see involved
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
5x x5
2x x2
2x x2 |
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| Bushwackers |
Posted on 11-06-2023 16:59
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Sprinter
Posts: 1907
Joined: 07-02-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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What can I say, I agree with your assessment. I'm happy to have landed both Barguil and Buchmann, but their wages (and Barguil's anonymity throughout the season) really sealed my fate. Müller is good as a helper and occasional stage hunter, but never as a leader in his own right. Spengler's results are gradually improving with investment, but still don't live up to what you'd expect with an 83 COB rider. We'll see you in the PCT! I suggested some new additions for the DB so hopefully the bidding wars will be diffuse 
Thanks for the input! Yes a big goal will be getting both of their wages down and retaining them if at all possible, then the big question is whether or not to sell one. I have a feeling Barguil wouldbe much more successful in the PCT compared to in the PT, but he'd otherwise be the first to go. Congratulations on your own promotion as well, looking forward to seeing what you can do with the team in transfers.
Appreciate the comment! I'm not looking forward to seeing Buchmann against Areruya this year
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| Bushwackers |
Posted on 12-07-2023 16:49
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Sprinter
Posts: 1907
Joined: 07-02-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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I'm pleased to reveal our jersey for the upcoming 2023 season. With Tissot coming on as a title sponsor, the kit sees a significant change from the primary black/red to a primarily white design. It's made by me this year so don't look too closely
And below are the National Champion kits for the riders who have signed with the team thus far:
Switzerland Road: Lukas Spengler
Switzerland TT: Silvan Dillier
Norway TT: Phan Age Haugard
Kazakhstan TT: Daniil Fominykh
Thanks for stopping by, see you all during transfers!
Edited by Bushwackers on 12-07-2023 16:54
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| liefwarrior |
Posted on 13-07-2023 01:21
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Breakaway Specialist
Posts: 864
Joined: 04-07-2019
PCM$: 300.00
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I'm loving this design! Although it is a shame to see the iconic black & red disappear, I imagine you'll stand out in your new colours. I feel that the grey on the NC kits provides an excellent contrast as well, a nice inversion of the normal national colours on white background schematic.
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 20-07-2023 08:25
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World Champion
Posts: 11392
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1020.00
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Going to take a lot of getting used to the loss of the black and red 
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
5x x5
2x x2
2x x2 |
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 20-07-2023 08:38
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4669
Joined: 29-09-2018
PCM$: 185.00
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Sad to see you continue your elevator journey, was hoping B&B would be enough to stay up this time. But still looking forward to riding in the same division as you again - I just hope it doesn't end the same way it did in 2021 on my end (relegation)
Looking forward to meeting you in transfers already, although your situation is obviously pretty different than mine. And yeah, great to see you bringing in Tissot
Although I have to admit that I preferred the old jersey 
Good luck for your negotiations and 2023 racing
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| ShinyShinx |
Posted on 20-07-2023 09:38
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Free Agent
Posts: 125
Joined: 24-06-2015
PCM$: 200.00
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I think this jersey will look incredible ingame, very much looking forward to seeing it! I think we'll meet in free agency as I'm going to dip my toe into the Swiss market, but I've seen it will be one of the toughest.
I admire how strongly you're staying in your prefered market, yet difficult. As I'm making myself more familiar with the database, I notice how tempting it will be to ignore my previously set limits and the Swiss market seems way more cruel than the Italian. |
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