Here I am talking to you for a 7th season in the Management Game. These media sessions are certainly a lot easier when we are coming off a successful season. Hopefully we can have a lot more of these in the future.
Last year we had a very busy offseason. We drastically reshaped the team in order to compete in the Pro Tour. And compete we did. To finish 8th in the rankings in our debut season was everything we could have hoped for. Still that doesn't mean we are allowed to rest on our laurels. We have had stability and constant growth for the last 3 years. That is something that is difficult to continue.
We have also reached a point where some of our long term projects are going to require more significant investment. It's a point where our commitment to developing regional riders will be tested. Can we compete at the highest of levels or do we continue to consolidate our position as currently the only Pro Tour team in the Balkan region?
For now we have the full support from our major title sponsor and it goes without saying that all our clothing and equipment sponsors are delighted with the exposure they've gotten.
Spoiler
We plan to hold another press conference after the renewal process. There we will discuss the ins and outs of the team in more detail, as well as answer your questions about the upcoming season.
Bostjan Mervar,
team representative and general manager of CedevitaEdited by redordead on 22-07-2025 06:54
I am a big fan of your team. Maybe because I have a very soft spot for the Balkans, but I guess all supporters have one such criteria.
The very best of luck in the new season!
Was a hell of a first season in the Pro Tour from your guys, excited to see what the next step is after that success. Such a great squad with talent and depth coming out of your ears, so the next step forward could be anything And as always looking forward to one of the consistently quality HQs around
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." [PT] Xero Racing
An amazing first season in PT, congratulations on the incredible teambuilding. Looking forward to see how your guys will do this season, and how you keep improving the quantity and quality of Balkan riders in the DB
Looking forward to see how you adapt to life in the next PT season. Already at the end of last season, how great of a season I thought you had in the promotion year
I am a big fan of your team. Maybe because I have a very soft spot for the Balkans, but I guess all supporters have one such criteria.
The very best of luck in the new season!
Thanks! I'm a fan of your team also!
Hopefully all my luck hasn't run out yet
Was a hell of a first season in the Pro Tour from your guys, excited to see what the next step is after that success. Such a great squad with talent and depth coming out of your ears, so the next step forward could be anything And as always looking forward to one of the consistently quality HQs around
I guess I did a bad job imitating Xero in PT
The talent is getting older now, but I'll try to keep developing them
An amazing first season in PT, congratulations on the incredible teambuilding. Looking forward to see how your guys will do this season, and how you keep improving the quantity and quality of Balkan riders in the DB
Thanks! The latter will probably be rough, but you know I'll try something
Looking forward to see how you adapt to life in the next PT season. Already at the end of last season, how great of a season I thought you had in the promotion year
In terms of performance, I think we might have peaked this last season. Hopefully we don't fall off the cliff now.
We are pleased to announce which riders have renewed their contract with the team. The time spent negotiating new contracts is always one of the most anxious parts of the year. Suffice to say I think we mostly have good news. All our important riders are back, in fact only one rider did not renew his contract. Feel free to pose any questions regarding our current situation and the upcoming transfer season.
With that I present the current Cedevita squad and open the floor up for questions.
Renewals Update
2023 Wage
2024 Wage
Change
Tadej Pogacar
485,000 €
475,000 €
-10,000 €
Santiago Buitrago
95,000 €
240,000 €
145,000 €
Tao Geoghegan Hart
700,000 €
450,000 €
-250,000 €
Sondre Holst Enger
275,000 €
250,000 €
-25,000 €
Steven Lammertink
160,000 €
180,000 €
20,000 €
Ivan Siric
135,000 €
140,000 €
5,000 €
Daniel Habtemichael
135,000 €
140,000 €
5,000 €
David Gaudu
120,000 €
120,000 €
-
Dusan Rajovic
140,000 €
115,000 €
-25,000 €
Damien Howson
105,000 €
140,000 €
35,000 €
Milos Borisavljevic
105,000 €
105,000 €
-
Matevz Govekar
55,000 €
105,000 €
50,000 €
Geoffrey Bouchard
110,000 €
100,000 €
-10,000 €
Lawson Craddock
90,000 €
95,000 €
5,000 €
Jernej Svab
105,000 €
0 €
-105,000 €
Giorgi Nareklishvili
130,000 €
80,000 €
-50,000 €
Michael Christodoulos
85,000 €
70,000 €
-15,000 €
Matic Groselj
65,000 €
65,000 €
-
Izidor Penko
55,000 €
50,000 €
-5,000 €
Miha Poljanec
50,000 €
50,000 €
-
Aleksa Crncevic
60,000 €
50,000 €
-10,000 €
Kristjan Hocevar
50,000 €
50,000 €
-
Fred Wright
50,000 €
50,000 €
-
Husein Selimovic
85,000 €
70,000 €
-15,000 €
Veljko Stojnic
50,000 €
65,000 €
15,000 €
Dorde Duric
50,000 €
50,000 €
-
Aljaz Jarc
50,000 €
50,000 €
-
Aleks Bechkov
50,000 €
50,000 €
-
Total profit:
240,000 €
Q:Geoghegan Hart is back on a reduced contract. How happy are you to have him back on what must have been one of the most negotiations?
Mervar: We actually didn't have any problems agreeing to a new contract. And you are absolutely right! We're delighted he's back with us, as it's no secret what an important member of the team he is. We would have been in big trouble if we didn't retain him.
Q:The other significant change in wages is with Santiago Buitrago going in the opposite direction. With that and the time spent developing him surely now is the time when you start looking for a return in that investment?
Mervar: If he stays with us, then yes. You never know what could happen. But if he stays then we have a role in mind for Santiago and we also see a long term future with him in the team.
Q:After selling Ardila last year, can you really afford to let go another good young rider?
Mervar: It's not something we're actively pushing for, nor did we do that last year. But we have to be pragmatic about the situation and keep all our options open.
Q:You were very active during transfers last year, both with buying and selling riders. Do you anticipate another window with a lot of transactions?
Mervar: Any deal we make is one that is aimed at improving the team now or in the future. So from that perspective we would like to make as many deals as possible that can improve us. Of course not every transaction always pans out how you anticipate. As long as it makes sense for us we will be active.
Q:What will your policy be on acquiring and developing more young riders, especially the higher rated ones? The cupboard isn't exactly bare, but there isn't anyone that stands out.
Mervar: I think it's something we do have to look at. Young riders have almost become a part of our DNA and we are always looking to find value in the market. Young riders could fit the bill.
Q:The team finished higher in the ranking than most people expected last season. What are you aiming for this coming season?
Mervar: We always aim to avoid relegation, that is first and foremost on the agenda every year. It sounds boring, but that's how it is. After we feel secure in our position we try to finish as high as possible.
Q:Would you have done anything differently?
Mervar: Seen from the past, the future is always a series of coincidences. Seen from the future, the past always looks like it was inevitable. For the present, we just have to trust in our own choices. In short, it's not something I think about.
Transfer Availability
Rider
Level
Age
Pot
OVL
Wage
Availability
Tadej Pogacar
4.100
26
6
78.72
475k
Santiago Buitrago
4.100
25
5
77.17
240k
•••
Tao Geoghegan Hart
4.100
29
5
77.14
450k
Sondre Holst Enger
4.100
31
6
76.78
250k
••••
Steven Lammertink
4.100
31
4
76.30
180k
•••
Ivan Siric
4.100
26
6
76.03
140k
Daniel Habtemichael
4.100
27
4
75.92
140k
•••
David Gaudu
4.100
28
5
75.63
120k
••••
Dusan Rajovic
4.100
27
3
75.50
115k
•••
Damien Howson
4.100
32
5
75.28
140k
•••••
Milos Borisavljevic
4.100
30
6
75.22
105k
•••
Matevz Govekar
4.73
24
5
75.19
105k
••••
Geoffrey Bouchard
4.100
32
4
75.17
100k
•••••
Lawson Craddock
4.100
32
6
75.01
95k
•••••
Giorgi Nareklishvili
4.100
31
4
74.69
80k
••••
Michael Christodoulos
4.100
27
5
74.45
70k
•••
Matic Groselj
4.100
28
4
74.08
65k
•
Izidor Penko
4.100
28
5
73.98
50k
•
Miha Poljanec
4.100
29
2
73.70
50k
•
Aleksa Crncevic
4.100
28
4
73.68
50k
••
Kristjan Hocevar
4.62
25
5
73.40
50k
•••
Fred Wright
4.58
25
4
72.81
50k
••
Husein Selimovic
3.08
23
3
71.89
70k
•
Veljko Stojnic
4.18
25
4
71.58
65k
•
Dorde Duric
3.96
24
2
70.73
50k
••
Aljaz Jarc
2.99
25
4
69.85
50k
••
Aleks Bechkov
2.99
25
3
67.71
50k
••
• looking to keep | ••• open to offers | ••••• looking to sell
This is just a preliminary list of availability. More in depth information about our transfers as well as loans will be posted before transfer season starts in the adverts.
Bostjan Mervar,
team representative and general manager of Cedevita
Wow, looks like you did an awesome job during negotiations
All of Pog, Enger and Rajovic taking a pay cut despite some pretty good success looks surprising to me - guess it's the last pay cut Pog agrees to
Tao's lower wage was fully expected given how high you had to go for him in FA - I'm rather a bit unhappy that he isn't for sale We might still talk, though, as almost always during transfers (without getting a deal, usually )
And I guess one certain manager will be very happy about the three dots next to your Cypriot
Wow, looks like you did an awesome job during negotiations
All of Pog, Enger and Rajovic taking a pay cut despite some pretty good success looks surprising to me - guess it's the last pay cut Pog agrees to
Tao's lower wage was fully expected given how high you had to go for him in FA - I'm rather a bit unhappy that he isn't for sale We might still talk, though, as almost always during transfers (without getting a deal, usually )
And I guess one certain manager will be very happy about the three dots next to your Cypriot
Did I? I think it's just okay, nothing to complain or write home about. Pogi taking 10k less is pretty negligible. Enger was probably still overpaid and Rajovic didn't have a good season.
You'll need to wait at least one more season for Tao, but regardless I'm happy to talk about others
I'd second you that your renewals went okay, maybe even good. But especially in this 100k-150k area it probably doesn't matter this much anyway as it seems you'll try to get rid of most of those riders
But I think your main leaders are good enough for staying in PT already and still young enough to give you some options to spend your money on.
I'm pretty sure I'll hear from you this transfers
That roster looks very bloated, but I appreciate the loyalty to local talent. Plenty of wages freed up for a nice big upgrade to the roster to start climbing up the ranks (and sale of Buitrago). Ay, that's pretty good
Well, not sure what we can get done but as always we'll talk a lot I guess - and I need to at least figure out what offers you are open to to bring Habtemichael home
And yes, I had almost forgotten that you were thinking of imitating our PT strategy Hope we can do a better job imitating Cedevita this time around than you did imitating us
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." [PT] Xero Racing
Buitrago
Geoghegan H.
Siric
Lammertink
Habtemichael
Power
Christodoulos
Duyvesteyn **
Redy **
Fedorov
Salby **
Bechkov *
And as always looking forward to one of the consistently quality HQs around 
Giorgi Nareklishvili
We might still talk, though, as almost always during transfers (without getting a deal, usually 
