@Croatia - Should have known posts mentioning Pidcock or Schomber are the way to get you to come back and comment
@Fabianski - Sure there will be. I'd obviously much rather people agree with your bit about OVL being looked at as the way to shed some of his wage - but even better than that would be him somehow justifying it It will take some thinking if it stays the same and we don't promote as next year nearly 400k tied up from him probably will make promoting with him ever a huge struggle if that's what we want to do.
A couple of days before the Xero squad presentation, men and women in Octagon or team polo shirts usher skinny young men with muscly legs into an electrically colourful room, a few at a time. Some look bemused by the whole act, a couple look nervous, some are mucking around and some are already cheerfully chatting with our cameraman. The format doesn't change, the background remains the same, the team design, back for another year because it works. It is the team's signature navy blue with streaks of red, white, light blue, and gren, just as with their jerseys. The props are there - the bikes, the bouncy balls, the deck of cards, the team caps. This isn't the madhouse it might look like, but it isn't your average team photoshoot either - Octagon always do their best to showcase the fun, likeable side of the team. This year the team has done their leaders presentation in multiple parts - next up is team legend Hugo Houle.
Hugo Houle 33 | Maxed | 170,000 | Xero since 2019
FLA
MON
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FTR
DH
PRL
77
65
74
68
75
70
78
64
78
77
69
68
68
Xero Palmarès
- GC Euskal Bizikleta ('22)
- 8th GC Benelux Challenge (’20)
- Stage Win Volta a Portugal (’19)
- 9th GC Tour of Northern Europe (’20)
- Stage Win Tour de Slovenie (’19)
- Points Tour de Suisse (’21)
- Stage Win Tour Down Under (’20)
- Points Tour of South Africa (’19)
- Stage Win Tour of South Africa (’19)
- Points Euskal Bizikleta ('22)
- Stage Win Euskal Bizikleta ('22)
- 2nd Points Jelajah SKL (’19)
- 28x Other Stage Podiums (’19-21)
- 2nd Points Tour of South Africa (’20)
- Canadian RR Championships (’21)
- 4th Points Tour de France (’21)
- 2nd Frankfurt Eschborn ('19)
- Lead GC Tour de France (’21)
- 2x 2nd GC Tour Down Under (’20, '22)
- Lead GC Volta a Portugal (’19)
- 2nd GC Tour of South Africa (’20)
- Lead GC Tour Down Under (’20)
- 4th GP Lugano ('22)
- Lead GC Tour of South Africa (’19)
- 4th GC Tour of South Africa (’19)
- Lead GC Euskal Bizikleta ('22)
- 7th GC Jelajah SKL (’19)
Rankings History
Year
Points
Division Rank
Team Rank
Division
2019
457
42nd
2nd
PCT
2020
442
54th
5th
PCT
2021
652
53rd
2nd
PT
2022
590
19th
2nd
PCT
Xero Stats
Best
Rank
Best
Rank
Seasons
4
=6th
Points/€
€588
€383 ('21)
10th
Points
2142
653 ('21)
3rd
Jerseys
3
1
3rd
Wins
6
3 ('19)
4th
RDs
191
57 ('21)
=15th
Wage
€1,259,000
€409,000 ('19)
3rd
RotM
6
3 ('22)
4th
This time last year I wrote a piece trying to show why, in their great post-relegation firesale, Hugo Houle was the leader kept next to George Bennett and Joseph Areruya. It seems silly now, but it was a question many were asking. One year later and with his best rankings season of his career, coming 19th in the individual standings, he has more than answered that question and cemented his status as one of the team's greatest. Now entering the twilight of his career, and finally with a GC win under his belt, the question turns to: what more can he still give to his team before his legs give out?
"It's great to be back for another year. Obviously both of the last two seasons the team has been selling so I'm happy for the faith. I know I'm getting on a bit but I know I have more to give. In my first year we finished 12th and last year we finished 12th -by the time I go, I want to leave the team better than I found it." says the man himself. Age has no doubt dampened his talents slightly, but he should have enough about him with his unique skillset to wring plenty of points out of his expanded calendar.
9/1
Down Under Classic
HC
13/1-18/1
Tour Down Under
C1
5/3-10/3
Vuelta al Pais Vasco
C1
22/3-27/3
Tour of South Africa
HC
20/4
Badaling International
C1
28/4
Lisbon Classic
HC
13/5-16/5
Tour of Lithuania
PTHC
27/5-31/5
Tour of Norway
HC
1/6
Hanko Classic
C1
18/6
Frankfurt Eschborn
C1
1/7
Torshavn GP
C1
13/7
Philadelphia International Championship
PTHC
20/7
Paris-Tours
C1
20/8-22/8
Ras Taillteann
PTHC
28/9
GP Lugano
C1
12/10-15/10
Euskal Bizikleta
C1
Of course, the biggest news for Hugo Houle, even if his skills weren't yet on the decline, is the arrival in the division of his old rival Arnaud Demare (with Tryg Racing). Back in his RBC days he was routinely in the side of Demare's victory photos, and they resumed their rivalry with Houle in Xero colours at the 2021 Tour de France - with the Frenchman claiming stage wins and the green jersey, but Houle gaining some small victory with a run of days in yellow.
Defending his jersey - 2022 Euskal Bizikleta
"For sure he's going to be a big name in a lot of the same races we are targeting and he's one of the best riders in the world. At the end of the day there are great riders at every race who you have to try and finish in front of so we aren't going to do anything different, just trying to get the best result as always." Houle says of facing up against his old rival on the regular.
A calendar full of suiting races, from his favoured stomping grounds of South Australia and South Africa, to defending his crown in the Basque Country, to a variety of flat races and even testing out some properly hilly stuff in China and the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. It's a dream calendar on paper - but how much does Hugo Houle have left to give - is it one last ride to glory, to help his beloved Xero Racing back to the Pro Tour? Life is rarely so kind - but cycling is nothing if not romantic.
A couple of days before the Xero squad presentation, men and women in Octagon or team polo shirts usher skinny young men with muscly legs into an electrically colourful room, a few at a time. Some look bemused by the whole act, a couple look nervous, some are mucking around and some are already cheerfully chatting with our cameraman. The format doesn't change, the background remains the same, the team design, back for another year because it works. It is the team's signature navy blue with streaks of red, white, light blue, and gren, just as with their jerseys. The props are there - the bikes, the bouncy balls, the deck of cards, the team caps. This isn't the madhouse it might look like, but it isn't your average team photoshoot either - Octagon always do their best to showcase the fun, likeable side of the team. This year the team has done their leaders presentation in multiple parts - next up is "Mr. Xero" himself - George Bennett.
George Bennett 32 | Maxed | 410,000 | Xero since 2017
FLA
MON
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FTR
DH
PRL
67
81
76
65
75
74
79
58
65
73
55
63
65
Xero Palmarès
- 2x GC Tour of Japan ('19, '20)
- Stage Win Giro del Trentino ('17)
- GC Tour of America ('22)
- 2x National RR Champs ('17, '19)
- Apex Mountain Classic ('22)
- 2nd GC Tour de Romandie ('20)
- Gisborne GP ('17)
- 3rd GC Volta a Portugal ('19)
- 3x Stage Win Tour of Japan ('19, '20)
- 3rd GC Tour of Romandie ('19)
- 2x Stage Win Tour de Pologne ('20)
- 3rd GC Tour of Cyprus ('19)
- Stage Win Tour de France ('21)
- 2x Points Tour of Japan ('19, '20)
- Stage Win Criterium du Dauphine ('22)
- 2x KoM Tour of Japan ('19, '20)
- Stage Win Tour of the Middle East ('18)
- Points Tour de Pologne ('20)
- Stage Win Tour of America ('22)
Rankings History
Year
Points
Division Rank
Team Rank
Division
2017
197
25th
2nd
CT
2018
366
63rd
3rd
PCT
2019
670
23rd
1st
PCT
2020
716
21st
1st
PCT
2021
473
79th
4th
PT
2022
584
20th
3rd
PCT
Xero Stats
Rank
Best
Rank
Best
Seasons
6
=3rd
€/point
€451
4th
€201 ('19)
Points
3006
1st
716 ('20)
Breaks
1
=42nd
1 ('21)
Wins
15
1st
5 ('20)
RDs
288
4th
55 ('18)
Wage
€1,360,000
3rd
€420,000 ('21)
RotM
10
1st
3 ('19)
Jerseys
5
2nd
3 ('20)
One day, we're sure, the phrase "by any metric, Joseph Areruya is the greatest rider in Xero Racing's history" will be uttered - perhaps, prosaically, by myself. But today is not that day. Because, by any metric, the greatest rider in Xero Racing's history is George Bennett. For another year at least. Though "Mr Xero" would make no bones about his younger teammate's undoubted potential to take advantage of his greater number of seasons with the team (and, most would say, greater skillset) to grab #1 on all the relevant leaderboards, it is still George Bennett who has scored the most points, won the most races, won the most of each type of race, lead the team to the Pro Tour, and even in two years of slight struggle in 2021 and 2022, taken two of the team's greatest ever victories (a stage win at Le Tour de France, and the GC at the Tour of America).
For the last season at his peak skillset, Bennett will surely be looking to repeat the trick of taking the team back to the Pro Tour, and improve on his slightly dissapointing last two years. Though we're sure nobody is expecting him to lead the team in scoring as he did before this spell, he is coming to the year with a different approach ("I'm just gonna be a climber, mate") and a very different calendar. While in the last 24 months he has rode just seven different races, this year alone he has eight - plus a PT wildcard.
11/3-16/3
Vuelta a Colombia
PTHC
3/4-23/4
Giro d'Italia
GTM
3/5-8/5
Tour de Romandie
C1
4/6
Pro Hallstatt Classic
HC
5/6-8/6
Tour of East Java
PTHC
9/7-11/7
Tour of Eritrea
C1
25/7-29/7
Tour d'Andorra
C1
10/8-15/8
Tour du Maroc
C1
1/10-6/10
Tour of Japan
HC
We start with that wildcard - possibly the headline. Though the team originally applied for the Vuelta a España (a more suiting route for both Bennett and Joseph Areruya, who would have shared leadership in one chance at a race together at their peak powers), they were only awarded their second pick - the Giro d'Italia - the one Grand Tour George Bennett hasn't lead the team at, with Joseph Areruya taking the mantle in 2021.
"I'm really looking forward to it. Obviously both me and Joseph were really excited about the idea of the Vuelta, but it wasn't to be. The main focus for this season is all about the PCT races and fighting for promotion, but I am excited to do another GT while I'm feeling as good as I ever have. I had some great form in the Grand Tours in 2021 but didn't execute in the time trials and lost attention once or twice. After America last year I really feel ready to have another crack at one of the big ones."
Bennett winning in his most recent GTM appearance - Tour de France 2021
The rest of his calendar is one classic (Pro Hallstatt - surely a talking point that he gets the nod over Areruya, but calendar construction is a funny thing) and seven stage races. Almost all of them are new to him, but two aren't - and they are perhaps his two greatest stomping grounds. He's been twice a bridesmaid in the Tour de Romandie (3rd in 2019 then 2nd in 2020 - can he keep the sequence going?), and of course in his two Tour of Japan experiences has won the GC-Points-KOM combo as well as picking up three stage wins. A fitting spot for his final race as a maxed rider, and he'll be hoping to follow teammate Hugo Houle's lead last year by winning his final race before decline.
"I'm very excited to return to Japan, I love the crowds there as well as the race itself. We've done well there over the years and obviously it's not going to be easy to repeat it, but I know the roads well and I can't wait." he smiles.
We should stress he isn't dying at the end of October - George Bennett will return in 2024 still a fearsome rider and a leader at Xero no matter their division. But it would be a fairytale ending for his peak to take victory there - but ever the team talisman, his focus is on how he can best use his next 38 race days to help the team achieve a storybook finish.
Winning for his home crowd in his third ever race with the team - Gisborne GP, 2017
"I came to the team in 2017 in the Continental Tour. I've grown up so much with the team and there's so many names just as responsible as me or more for where we built to - all the staff obviously, but Anthony [Roux] in that first year was unbelievable, Hugo, Luke [Rowe], Joseph, Mekseb [Debesay], Peter [Velits], so many more... But yeah, I do feel responsible for setting an example for the team. I came here as a pretty young guy who hadn't really lead many races before and now I'm almost the oldest here. I owe Xero so much. I want to leave the team in the best possible place and I'll do everything I can to help get us there." he says with steel.
Few riders get the privilege - and George Bennett so clearly does think of it as such - of leading a team for so long, of coming so far. It comes as little surprise to hear him talk that way. Few would fault him - now, at this stage of his career, after everything he's done for the team - if he can't quite achieve his word. He will always be a legend - he will always be Mr. Xero. But somehow, after all this time, there's still a definite sense of unfinished business when it comes to George Bennett and Xero Racing.
@both - Well yeah, no doubt PT teams were happy with the situation that we couldn't get into the Vuelta to be able to send Areruya as well. But hopefully Bennett can still put in some great rides in Italy
Xero Squad Presentation 2023 | Superstar (but they didn't get far)
A couple of days before the Xero squad presentation, men and women in Octagon or team polo shirts usher skinny young men with muscly legs into an electrically colourful room, a few at a time. Some look bemused by the whole act, a couple look nervous, some are mucking around and some are already cheerfully chatting with our cameraman. The format doesn't change, the background remains the same, the team design, back for another year because it works. It is the team's signature navy blue with streaks of red, white, light blue, and gren, just as with their jerseys. The props are there - the bikes, the bouncy balls, the deck of cards, the team caps. This isn't the madhouse it might look like, but it isn't your average team photoshoot either - Octagon always do their best to showcase the fun, likeable side of the team. This year the team has done their leaders presentation in multiple parts - and we arrive at the final one in the form of the team's superstar, Joseph Areruya.
Joseph Areruya 27 | Maxed | 790,000 | Xero since 2018
FLA
MON
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FTR
DH
PRL
72
81
81
65
76
78
79
53
68
76
75
60
65
Xero Palmarès
- GC Tour de Pologne ('22)
- 5th GC Hong Kong Challenge ('20)
- 2x Stage Win Tour de Pologne ('22)
- 5th GC Tour of Lithuania ('20)
- Stage Win Tirreno-Adriatico ('21)
- 5th GP Wallonie ('22)
- Stage Win Tour of Norway ('19)
- 9th GC Giro d'Italia ('21)
- Stage Win Balkans International ('22)
- 9th Giro di Lombardia ('21)
- Stage Win Hong Kong Challenge ('22)
- Points Tour de Pologne ('22)
- Stage Win Tour de l'Avenir ('19)
- Points Hong Kong Challenge ('22)
- 2x Rwandan RR Champs ('19, '22)
- Points Tour of Chile ('22)
- 2nd GC Tour of Chile ('22)
- U25 Giro d'Italia ('21)
- 3rd GC Tirreno-Adriatico ('21)
- U25 Tirreno-Adriatico ('21)
- 3rd Strade Bianche ('22)
- U25 Tour du Maroc ('21)
- 4th GC Balkans International ('22)
- U25 Int. Österreich-Rundfahrt ('20)
Rankings History
Points
Division Rank
Team Rank
Division
2018
38
281st
9th
PCT
2019
168
116th
5th
PCT
2020
473
52nd
3rd
PCT
2021
985
27th
1st
PT
2022
892
2nd
1st
PCT
Xero Stats
Rank
Best
Rank
Best
Seasons
5
5th
€/point
€642
11th
€338 ('20)
Points
2556
2nd
985 ('21)
Breaks
17
3rd
11 ('18)
Wins
7
3rd
5 ('22)
RDs
286
5th
90 ('18)
Wage
€1,640,000
1st
€540,000 ('22)
RotM
7
=2nd
3 ('21, '22)
Jerseys
4
=2nd
3 ('21, '22)
It's been two years since Joseph Areruya grabbed a firm hold of the mantle of Xero Racing's #1. With major breakthrough rides in the 2021 Pro Tour, and 2nd in the 2022 Pro Continental standings, he's made a name for himself and is now one of the world's highest paid riders - a fact of which he probably still has to do some justifying. The now 27-year-old's skillset continues to grow as he has blossomed into one of the most versatile climbers in the peloton.
2022 saw him compete in eight races, finishing in every position from 1-8 in the process, from the high of his first career GC win in the Tour de Pologne to the low of his 8th place in the season finale at the Giro dell'Emilia, failing to secure a Top 10 spot for his team in the standings. He was ably backed up by two other Top 20 riders in the division in the form of Hugo Houle and George Bennett, but a lack of depth scoring meant his superstar points haul (which, looking at the results spread, could have been even higher) would not be enough to lift the team who gave him his first pro contract back to the highest level.
"It was an up and down year for me, I was really proud of what we achieved a lot of the time but I know we could have done better in some races. I learned a lot and I want to come back stronger and score more points for the team in the standings." says Areruya. While last year it was Jonas Ahlstrand who denied him the individual title, this year the Swede is back in the Pro Tour - his star replaced, somewhat, by the arrival of Arnaud Demare, who is sure to be a threat both to Areruya's chance at being Xero's first ever Individual Standings winner, and a direct threat to him in some hilly classics.
"I don't think about who wins the individual standings that much - I'd rather score 1000 points and come second than score 900 and come first. But Demare is one of the best riders in the world in the hilly races, and it will be a great battle with him in some races I'm sure. I need to get rid of him before the finish!" he laughs.
18/3
Strade Bianche
HC
12/4-18/4
Tour de Pologne
HC
25/4
GP Wallonie
HC
14/6-20/6
Criterium du Dauphine Libere
PTHC
8/9-13/9
Balkans International
PTHC
28/9
Milano - Torino
C1
9/10
Grand Prix Cyclistes
PTHC
13/10
Japan Cup
PTHC
18/10
Giro dell'Emilia
HC
Not an entirely dissimilar calendar to last season for the Rwandan - nine races compared to eight, as he returns to Strade Bianche (where he was 3rd in 2022), Tour de Pologne (1st), GP Wallonie (5th), Balkans International (4th) and Giro dell'Emilia (8th), and adding Milano-Torino and three PTHC trips - the late-season Grand Prix Cyclistes and Japan Cup (a Top 5 Team Goal), and tastiest of all, a battle with some of the world's best mountain climbers at the prestigious Criterium du Dauphine Libere - a Win Goal.
"Obviously for me I have always thought of the mountains first even though I like all kinds of climbs. The calendar has to be a balance with George and so I'm focused more on the hills and medium mountain races currently. But I am looking forward a lot to the Dauphine. It's an important race historically and for us this season." he says. And balance with Areruya and Bennett is a tricky thing and a sure talking point. The way the cards fell has left Areruya not competing in either the Pro Hallstatt Classic or the Tour of Eritrea - two of the races on the team's schedule which suit him the best.
"It's hard to find out you aren't going to some races - especially Eritrea for me as an African representative. But at the same time what would they be traded for? I'd be upset to find out I wasn't doing Strade Bianche, or the Dauphine, or Pologne, or Emilia. The team do a great job making it work with the bands we get and the races on the calendar with our race days. If we both went to all the races that best suit us we'd ride together a lot and not be maximising the other races." he explains when we ask. Surely the time will come for the Tour of Eritrea to have Africa's finest PCT rider take the crown - but this year would have been special, particularly in Areruya's Rwandan Champion jersey (below).
Last year now provides a benchmark of what Joseph Areruya can do. Nearly 900 points, 2nd in the standings, five victories. He's another year wiser, another year more confident, and freshly trained in the high mountains. And questions of whether it's an ideal calendar, whether he has an ideal supporting cast, whether the team has enough depth scoring are all valid - but real superstars - the ones worth the nearly million-euro salary they demand - deliver results with or without those factors. Can Joseph Areruya live up to the billing?
Our season began, as it often does, in Albert Park (no not that one) for the Down Under Classic.
We can't fault Houle for lack of trying but the peloton were too alert for any late attacks - the big names new to the division like Groenewegen and Dainese are commanding efficient sprint support teams. Our man attacked twice and didn't have the energy for the sprint, finishing outside of the points in a very disappointing start to our 2023 season.
Hugo Houle has finished second on GC here in his last two attempts. After he finally broke his streak of near misses at the Euskal Bizikleta last year, there was a hope he could repeat here and finally get his ochre jersey.
Unfortunately, illness would prevent our man from reaching his form and all we have to show from one of our traditional strongest-scoring races is a podium on Stage 6 from a slightly better-feeling Houle in the sprint. Not good.
25-27th of January | Top 10 + 15 + Stage Win Race Goal | C1
An Areruya race last year which saw the points jersey, a stage win and 6th on GC, this year we hoped Pidcock and Fouche could manage something not too much worse in terms of GC and stage results between them, as well as hoping to feed off the scraps McNulty would leave in the youth classification.
Pidcock made a decent start on Stage 1, showing his turn of speed taking the bunch sprint behind two late attackers.
The TTT obviously saw some time losses and the loss of the white jersey, but a solid 20th on the hilltop finish of the final day saw Pidcock slot into 11th on GC and taking the runner-up spot in the U25 classification for a decent enough race overall. Fouche meanwhile was a complete no-show for a worrying start to his season of leadership.
Three races where we should have been very competitive and not a lot to write home about. A very poor start to the season and with just Viana and a pair of cobbled classics before a five-week break it could see us right at the bottom of the rankings after the first quarter of the season.
Rider of the Month
Only one rider did anything at all...
Winning the sprint for third - Hong Kong Challenge, Stage 1
Thomas Pidcock Total RoTM Wins | 1 RoTM Wins This Season | 1
It will take some thinking if it stays the same and we don't promote as next year nearly 400k tied up from him probably will make promoting with him ever a huge struggle if that's what we want to do.
Hugo Houle
Down Under Classic
Vuelta al Pais Vasco
Tour of South Africa
Badaling International
Lisbon Classic
Tour of Lithuania
Tour of Norway
Hanko Classic
Frankfurt Eschborn
Torshavn GP
Philadelphia International Championship
Paris-Tours
Ras Taillteann
GP Lugano
George Bennett
Vuelta a Colombia
Giro d'Italia
Pro Hallstatt Classic
Tour of East Java
Tour of Eritrea
Tour d'Andorra
Tour du Maroc
Tour of Japan
Joseph Areruya
Tour de Pologne
GP Wallonie
Balkans International
Hong Kong Challenge
Pidcock already starting to show glimpses of what he can do!
