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[PT23] Cedevita | NC Recap
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 13-09-2023 21:40
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Not a single clash with maxed Pogacar, but therefore probably some with trained Tao 
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| Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 14-09-2023 02:42
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Directeur Sportif
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I don't have to hate Pog for showing up in Ukraine! My assumptions were bad.
This statement perhaps set me up to fail.
redordead wrote:
Tour of Ukraine covers the mandatory win goal. We couldn't really seriously hope to achieve any win goal, but thought the race could potentially suit his all round ability.
Although the TDF appearance is unfortunate but . . . . no points! (at least for me)
Man Game: McCormick Pro Cycling |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 23-11-2024 16:42
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| redordead |
Posted on 14-09-2023 07:40
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jandal7 wrote:
Very colourful NC jersey for Habtemichael - not sure it's as sexy as his Xero one but it's nice still Looking forward to seeing him in it
To each his own. Also I'd trade a bit of sexyness for better performance every time
jandal7 wrote:
Was hoping you'd go TGH to Dauphine but you went with the right choice really. Still, glad it's only one time in the season Fouche (and indeed Xero as a whole) has to see your wonderkid - hope we can beat him in the GC at least 
Even I can make the right choice from time to time. I hope for the opposite
jandal7 wrote:
Excited for the McNulty duel in the TDF and just to see how he goes in general 
I'm excited as long as we crush McNulty. Otherwise what's the point of having +1 OVL, I'm sure you know all about that 
baseballlover312 wrote:
We're obviously gonna conflcit with Tadej a lot in terms of our team as a whole, but happy to see he's going to the Tour and not the Giro at least.
I think we'll stay away from your Giro goal, but will try to beat you in some other races
Fabianski wrote:
Not a single clash with maxed Pogacar, but therefore probably some with trained Tao
Stay tuned
Could be lots of no points for me too. Hopefully McNulty spends his best days in HC/C1 and wets the bed at the Tour
"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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| redordead |
Posted on 14-09-2023 10:27
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Leader Race Schedules 2/3
 Tao Geoghegan Hart | Role: Hybrid Time-Trialist| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FT | DH | PR | | 70 | 79 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 74 | 75 | 62 | 62 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 76 |
| Start | End | | Race | Category | | 09-Jan | 11-Jan |  | Tour of Tasmania | 2.PT | | 02-Feb | |   | Copenhagen - Malmo TTT | 1.PT | | 13-Feb | 20-Feb |  | Paris - Nice | 2.PT | | 22-Feb | 24-Feb |  | Tour of Ukraine | 2.PTHC | | 11-May | 31-May |  | Vuelta a Espana | 2.GTM | | 08-Jun | 14-Jun |  | Tour de Suisse | 2.PTHC | | 26-Jun | 28-Jun |  | Scandinavia Open Road Race | 2.PT | | 25-Jul | 29-Jul |  | Tour of Slovenia | 2.PTHC | | 17-Aug | | | Chrono des Herbiers | 1.PT |
Tao has a few more race days than Pogacar so he was a bit more flexible to plan, but it also became clear that there aren't enough races for him to have a programme without a Grand Tour. So the crux was which one to choose. The Tour de France seemed like a decent match with the ITT kilometres, but that race was already set for Pogacar.
In the end we decided on the Vuelta a Espana as the next best option. Tao isn't really a stage hunter and we have a sponsor goal to win a stage there. Far from ideal, but we'll be relying on our newly acquired time-trial prowess for both the stage win and to support Tao as best as we can. The other races are quite self explanatory, mostly focused on time-trialing with a modicum of climbing.
Bostjan Mervar,
team representative and general manager of Cedevita |
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 14-09-2023 21:01
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As I expected, I like Tao's schedule far less than Tadej's
As you commented in my HQ, you'll obviously crush us in Suisse and Slovenia, plus very likely in Ukraine (except if Hill stat has far more impact in the new PCM than before on the same course...). And we'll face Tao in Copenhagen, Paris - Nice and Herbiers as well - fortunately there are no points at stake for us
All in all, regretting more than ever not having been able to go high enough on Tao during transfers
Will he actually score even more points than Pogacar? I wouldn't be overly surprised at least...
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 14-09-2023 21:13
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No Giro from either leader, consider me a happy man.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| redordead |
Posted on 15-09-2023 07:54
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Fabianski wrote:
As I expected, I like Tao's schedule far less than Tadej's
As you commented in my HQ, you'll obviously crush us in Suisse and Slovenia, plus very likely in Ukraine (except if Hill stat has far more impact in the new PCM than before on the same course...). And we'll face Tao in Copenhagen, Paris - Nice and Herbiers as well - fortunately there are no points at stake for us
I'm sure there will be quite a few better riders than Tao at all of those races.
Fabianski wrote:
All in all, regretting more than ever not having been able to go high enough on Tao during transfers
Will he actually score even more points than Pogacar? I wouldn't be overly surprised at least...
I think he is a better bet to score more. More races and more better fitting races on his schedule. The only thing that I can see swinging it the other way are the Grand Tours. TDF has the highest points scale and if Pogacar does well there then maybe he scores more.
Anyway I'd be surprised if either of them crack the individual top 30.
Told ya
"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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| redordead |
Posted on 15-09-2023 10:58
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Leader Race Schedules 3/3
Sondre Holst Enger | Role: Sprinter | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FT | DH | PR | | 73 | 63 | 69 | 71 | 71 | 73 | 77 | 58 | 81 | 78 | 62 | 68 | 77 |
| Start | End | | Race | Category | | 17-Jan | 22-Jan |  | Tour of Qatar | 2.PT | | 12-Feb | 18-Feb |  | Tirreno - Adriatico | 2.PT | | 28-Feb | | | Milano - San Remo | 1.GTM | | 03-Apr | 23-Apr | | Giro d'Italia | 2.GTM | | 11-May | |  | Rund um Koln | 1.PT | | 13-Jul | |  | Philadelphia International Championship | 1.PTHC | | 02-Aug | 06-Aug | | Deutschland Tour | 2.PTHC | | 20-Aug | 22-Aug |  | Ras Tailteann | 2.PTHC | | 15-Sep | 21-Sep |  | Tour of Northern Europe | 2.PT | | 02-Oct | |  | GP Moscow | 1.PT |
In some ways planning a sprinter is the easiest. There are more choices than for other riders and since we couldn't find a better sprinter, Enger actually has a fair few race days available. On the other hand, more choices can just lead to more mistakes.
We tried to find a balance between finding his best races, but also those that we hope won't have overly competitive startlists. We decided to avoid Praha or Ronde van Nederland in exchange for races like Tirreno or Tour of Northern Europe. Then again the key to Enger having a good season will likely be with races such as Tour of Qatar, the Giro and all the flat classics.
Bostjan Mervar,
team representative and general manager of Cedevita |
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| redordead |
Posted on 25-09-2023 08:24
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A True Legend
Eduard Alexander Beltran
A rider that became synonymous with team first under the name Swisslion when they first entered PCT in 2019 and as part of the 2022 Cedevita squad that finished the season 4th and secured promotion to PT.
We wanted to publish this piece before the season starts, where we will look back at some of his most memorable moments as well as hear from team staff.
2019 - A debut for the ages
Bostjan Mervar: I look back at the transfer season in 2019. We didn't have a clear plan going into our first PCT season. We knew we wanted a puncheur and looked for one in free agency. Our top choice ahead of Eddy was actually Alexey Lutsenko who, if I remember correctly, led the PCT individual rankings the season prior. In the end both riders were signed for more than a million, but we were very lucky to come away from that bidding war with Eddy.
Beltran's Swisslion career got off to a rousing start as he won on his debut. And not just any race. He won the then 2 day Tour of East Java. Beating world class riders such as Angel Madrazo, Timofey Kritsky, Joseph Dombrowski and Justo Tenorio.
Eduard Beltran on the winning podium in East Java
Marko Polanc: We knew of Eddy's great ability on shorter and longer climbs. I saw it myself in East Java and then again in a different way at the Tour of Cyprus. He didn't have his best legs on the big mountain stage, but did enough to stick with the favourites. The next day he attacked over the top of the final climb and descended towards overall victory. Eddy had more than one way of winning!
Beltran finished his first season with two victories in one day races in Milano-Torino and Giro dell'Emilia. The first classics victories in the team's history. His palmares was expended by 8 wins totalling an incredible 1368 points. He scored 59% of Swisslion's points and was without a doubt the single most important reason that kept the team in PCT.
Eduard Beltran's last victory in an a Swisslion jersey
Year 2 wasn't as exciting as year 1. The wins didn't come by as easily with the only stage and GC success in the Tour of Lithuania. Still Beltran managed to score 781 points, enough to ensure the team remained in the PCT division and set the stage for the next chapter of the story.
2021 - A new winning streak
The 2021 season was a sort of a new start for everyone. With the team's title sponsor changing from Swisslion to Cedevita and going through a large rebranding it felt like a breath of fresh air for everyone. And as we saw no one felt that more than Beltran.
Eduard Beltran dominated the Hong Kong Challenge with overall, points and two stage victories
Gorazd Stangelj: This was Eddy at his very, very best. In stage 1 he was perfectly positioned to follow attacks or counter. Working with others and for himself to end up in a two up sprint which he won. Everyone knows Eddy is good against the clock so he had no other option, but to attack the final stage. He was able to measure his effort and attack at the right time to open up enough of a gap to win the race. It was a pleasure to follow him from the car and let's say my job was pretty easy on that occasion.
The Colombian continued his strong form with more victories in Pologne and Balkans, finishing runner-up overall on both occasions. In terms of win count he added a stunning 9 victories to his name, even more than in 2019.
Furthermore he finished the season with 1171 points and top of the individual rankings. While many riders contributed to the team's best season to date he was clearly the most important factor.
2022 - A perfect farewell
Even before the 2022 season began there was a feeling that this was perhaps Beltran's last year with the team, as it was his last season before decline. Maybe that was a reason why his season got off to a slow start.
The tide started to turn at the Tour de France. There was no pressure there and Beltran was free to ride in a different way. He was able to come away with the famous polka dot jersey at the end in Paris. While it's hard to compare that to some of his other performances it was a great achievement to add to his palmares.
Beltran repeated his victory from 2019 at Milano-Torino
Beltran followed up his victory with another podium, finishing 2nd at Giro dell'Emilia, only narrowly missing out on the double. Before that he was also his customary great in Balkans International. His late season upturn in form gave the team the final push it needed to secure promotion.
Bostjan Mervar: It was great to see Eddy back at his best. Riding away from everyone on a final steep climb was something we all got used to and it is something that we will miss. But our journey together came to an end.
Words can't do justice to describe everything he has done for us. He carried us through the hard times when we were inexperienced and finding our feet. He delivered the final touch on gaining promotion. He has left the biggest mark on this cycling team and he will never be forgotten.
The article is brought to you by Sijaj,
team media sponsor of Cedevita Cycling Team
Edited by redordead on 27-09-2023 08:01
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 27-09-2023 07:50
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Fitting tribute to a legend. I'm glad I've been able to see Beltran reach several of his heights from close by as a reporter, after having reported on some bad races from him as well, such as the 2020 East Java for example. Winning the polka-dots in the biggest race in cycling in his final year was magical, and topping it off with some nice end of the season results like that M-T win was superb. Swisslion/Cedevita and Beltran have been a great fit in the last years, I hope other (future) legends will now take over his reigns and create a palmares as great as his at your team
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 27-09-2023 07:56
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Lovely piece on a truly special rider for your team. Glad he left the team with a big win in the promotion push in one of his final races and securing that spot in the Pro Tour. Do wish you'd kept him one more year though - less poetic maybe but I wouldn't have to see him anymore
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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| AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 27-09-2023 08:45
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Great write-up on Beltran, who was a real thorn in our side when Wilco was still around. The combination of Swisslion/Cedevita and Beltran was one that everyone came to fear and expect big things of. Was really fitting that he led the season ending charge towards promotion and signed off on a high
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| redordead |
Posted on 27-09-2023 13:09
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Nemolito wrote:
Fitting tribute to a legend. I'm glad I've been able to see Beltran reach several of his heights from close by as a reporter, after having reported on some bad races from him as well, such as the 2020 East Java for example. Winning the polka-dots in the biggest race in cycling in his final year was magical, and topping it off with some nice end of the season results like that M-T win was superb. Swisslion/Cedevita and Beltran have been a great fit in the last years, I hope other (future) legends will now take over his reigns and create a palmares as great as his at your team
I was fun while it lasted, but hopefully we have as much fun going forward
jandal7 wrote:
Lovely piece on a truly special rider for your team. Glad he left the team with a big win in the promotion push in one of his final races and securing that spot in the Pro Tour. Do wish you'd kept him one more year though - less poetic maybe but I wouldn't have to see him anymore
It was a great finish to his tenure
Also it's a bit of a quirk of fate that I signed Beltran and Pogacar both in 2019, with one's decline coinciding with the other maxing.
AbhishekLFC wrote:
Great write-up on Beltran, who was a real thorn in our side when Wilco was still around. The combination of Swisslion/Cedevita and Beltran was one that everyone came to fear and expect big things of. Was really fitting that he led the season ending charge towards promotion and signed off on a high
I think Wilco was the thorn all along
I feared Beltran as well, he had some big swings in form, but the good moments outweigh the bad by a lot
"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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| redordead |
Posted on 29-09-2023 07:24
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Tour of Tasmania | Race Preview | Race Date | Category | Sponsor Goal | | 09.01 - 11.01 | 2.PT | None |
Tadej Pogacar | Role: Co-Leader | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PR | | 70 | 80 | 76 | 76 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 51 | 63 | 72 | 69 | 66 | 75 |
Tao Geoghegan Hart | Role: Co-Leader | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PR | | 70 | 79 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 74 | 75 | 62 | 62 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 76 |
| MO | HI | TT | AC | | MO | HI | TT | AC |  Lammertink | 64 | 69 | 80 | 68 | Craddock | 73 | 74 | 76 | 68 | | Howson | 59 | 65 | 80 | 68 |  Nareklishvili | 68 | 69 | 78 | 67 |  Borisavljevic | 77 | 73 | 74 | 65 |  Christodoulos | 68 | 68 | 78 | 64 |
Marko Polanc:
Tadej and Tao are our two protected riders for this race. We need both of them to finish in a good GC position. Lawson and Milos will act as primary domestiques on stage 2. We don't have a sprinter for stage 1 so we'll try to conserve energy there and hopefully everyone has good legs for the time-trial.
The race preview is brought to you by Sijaj,
team media sponsor of Cedevita Cycling Team |
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| AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 29-09-2023 12:55
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That's a very strong TT focused team and I would expect a couple of good results at least!
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| redordead |
Posted on 02-10-2023 07:09
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Grand Tour Specialist
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Tour of Qatar | Race Preview | Race Date | Category | Sponsor Goal | | 17.01 - 22.01 | 2.PT | None |
Sondre Holst Enger | Role: Sprinter | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PR | | 73 | 63 | 69 | 71 | 71 | 73 | 77 | 58 | 81 | 78 | 62 | 68 | 77 |
Damien Howson | Role: Free Element | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PR | | 71 | 59 | 65 | 80 | 73 | 74 | 72 | 58 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 63 | 80 |
| FL | SP | AC | PR | | FL | SP | AC | PR | | Lammertink | 74 | 63 | 68 | 79 | Christodoulos | 72 | 53 | 64 | 79 | | Craddock | 71 | 62 | 68 | 76 | Groselj | 78 | 73 | 72 | 79 | | Nareklishvili | 74 | 66 | 67 | 76 | Penko | 71 | 65 | 70 | 76 |
Martin Hvastija:
We don't need to over elaborate here. Enger will debut as our leader and we'll be counting on him to deliver as many top 10 stage results as possible. There is no dedicated lead out rider, but we are plenty strong to look after him until the finish. Everyone else is here to put their all in the time-trial to provide as much depth scoring as possible.
The race preview is brought to you by Sijaj,
team media sponsor of Cedevita Cycling Team
Edited by redordead on 06-10-2023 09:34
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| redordead |
Posted on 03-10-2023 10:37
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AbhishekLFC wrote:
That's a very strong TT focused team and I would expect a couple of good results at least!
We somehow squeezed out a decent points total.
"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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| redordead |
Posted on 05-10-2023 09:03
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Tour of Tasmania | Race Result | Race Date | Category | Sponsor Goal | | 09.01 - 11.01 | 2.PT | None |
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time | | 1 | Taylor Phinney | MOL Cycling Team | 8h43'44 | | 2 | Mads Würtz | Grieg-Maersk | + 18 | | 3 | Tom Wirtgen | EA Vesuvio | + 29 | | 7 | Steven Lammertink | Cedevita | + 34 | | 15 | Damien Howson | Cedevita | + 41 | | 25 | Tao Geoghegan Hart | Cedevita | + 47 | | 27 | Michael Christodoulos | Cedevita | s.t. | | 36 | Giorgi Nareklishvili | Cedevita | + 52 | | 37 | Lawson Craddock | Cedevita | s.t. | | 44 | Tadej Pogacar | Cedevita | + 57 | | 82 | Milos Borisavljevic | Cedevita | + 1'30 |
Race Highlights
Steven Lammertink was the only in form rider in the time-trial
Marko Polanc:
The race didn't quite pan out like we expected. Stage 2 didn't cause any splits which worked against the likes of Tadej, Tao, Lawson and Milos. On the other hand it opened up an opportunity for our TT specialists Steven Lammertink and Damien Howson. In the end we couldn't quite capitalise on that opportunity as much as we maybe could have.
Race score: 6/10
The race report is brought to you by Sijaj,
team media sponsor of Cedevita Cycling Team |
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 05-10-2023 09:29
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An okay start I'd say. Could definitely be better, but could also be way worse. That TT bike looking juicy.
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| redordead |
Posted on 06-10-2023 09:36
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4881
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Nemolito wrote:
An okay start I'd say. Could definitely be better, but could also be way worse. That TT bike looking juicy.
Probably helps a lot if the reporter can run the game on reasonable graphics, but I agree that looks like a fun bike. Hopefully it's also faster in the future
"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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