Makes perfect sense to keep Vansevenant (obviously) and Groenewegen as thay are the only riders worth building around. Olivier can have another year at max in PT, while De Bie might not be significantly worse after immidiate decline, but it makes sense to see if you can keep the leaders core based around riders not declining in the 1st or 2nd season of PT (Which I obviously think you'll get to).
2023 was a small rebuild only as the main goal is the direct promotion to PT and so the needed wage cap was reached by letting our top riders Sean De Bie and Tim Wellens go. This basically was the main part of our transfers as they were replaced with loan ins and two young talents.
Though also a small change has been made later on, which sees long term rider Giovanni Carboni join another team for more chances on his own.
Climbers
The mountains are all about Daan Olivier. Riding with us for almost 10 years now, he will be our top guy for any climbing races. His hybrid skills though might also see him in couple of classics and hillier events.
He is often supported by the duo Steff Cras/Harm Vanhoucke. The Belgians have a small advantage in TT heavier races and might have a chance themselves here and there. For both it`s the first season on full potential and it will be interesting to see how they do.
Sprinters
One of the most consistent riders in our team for many years on any level. Dylan Groenewegen is our second Dutch leader and should be one of the very best on PCT level. He can win basically any race on the flat and has shown to do so couple of times. His support team is mainly new with us as both Michael Matthews/Michael Vingerling joined on minimum wages from FA. While the Dutch was in fact aim for couple seasons already, the Australian has been given a 1-year deal to help in our promotion run. Last but not least Arvid De Kleijn must be named as punchy sprinter and often there for the flat support as well.
Cobblers
Nathan Van Hooydonck is the lucky one. He had a good winter training camp and has improved on the cobbles. He should be a top5 cobbler in the division and can hopefully take a win or two and more important become a consistent scorer.
His support team is basically same as before in the trio Robeet/Bovenhuis/Van der Hoorn.
Puncheurs
Clearly the team won`t have the dominant puncheur as we had in the last couple years. But therefore a young prospect, not yet on full potential but already giving us a lot of opportunities. Mauri Vansevenant is a future great and combines a great punch on smaller hills with a very decent ability to also climb some longer uphill sections. He is supposed to learn this season but also go for couple results and showing a great spirit all season. The hybrid races might suit him best in 2023, while we see great potential for him in the years to come. With Barbin also leaving, the main support in the hills has changed a bit as Nico Denz is now the hybrid support needed, while also De Kleijn clearly can be named in addition to his sprinter tasks.
Talents
The team added two young prospects of which Michel Hessmann stands out a bit. Not yet 100% decided, what way he is going in the next years but his main strength is the ride against the clock and this comes with a big engine and also some decent uphill skills. Rick Pluimers joined as final and only 20th rider to the team late in transfers. His talent might not be as big as others, but we see some potential as allrounder and good support guy for different terrains.
Loaned In
Five young talents join us for one season only and will fill our rosters mainly. Some of them can already contribute nicely and should be of nice support such as Debesay for the hilly events or Duric on the cobbles. Renard/van Sintmaartensdijk will surely be seen couple times in the chasing trains while Fisher-Black is a decent prologue specialist but as youngest of our riders in 2023 he has still a lot to learn as well.
Goal
Clearly reaching the top5! Therefore we must show strength with our leaders surely. Olivier and Van Hooydonck must come back to scoring levels in PCT, while Groenewegen is expected to do well and Vansevenant is a questionmark with lots of potential to already score regularly.
Cras and Vanhoucke just like our cobbled depth and Denz have lots of opportunities to show themselves and shine here and there, including some of those in C2.
Unlike bbl, I can't really see anything cool about that training
Obviously puts him another level higher, but I do hope that Theuns' superior hills and sprint skills will still see him ahead most of the times
Given that relegation was extremely unlucky - and unlikely - last year, I don't see how you wouldn't bounce back with this squad. You've got three terrains covered with a high-level PCT leader, and I guess Vansevenant could often kick the asses of some better pure puncheurs as well with his great acc & ftr stats. As far as I see, he's got the highest OVL of all unmaxed riders, which - while the OVL is clearly skewed for puncheurs - should say something about his scoring potential as well.
Your only weakness - and not a small one, to be honest - are TTs, where you might lose quite some points in PCT. But I'm sure you found a way to navigate around most TT events, so that still shouldn't hold you back too much
Looking forward to some nice Mauri vs. Mauro battles in the future, but already this year I guess!
A very solid team that should be in the fight for promotion but there are some little areas which I’d have a bit of concern.
Unfortunately Olivier not so great in TTs but the calendar should have enough for him to avoid too many of them. I’d expect Cras to score some solid depth points for you in Stage Races too.
I do like young Mauri but we’ll have to see what kind of results he can bring you in what is going to be a very competitive PCT division in that terrain. I’d expect a few surprise results from him though!
Dylan obviously one of, if not, the best Sprinters in the division. My only concern for you is his support. I’d expect your team should be tasked with putting together lead out trains but with 2 sprinters lacking energy back ups and no real TT/FLA beasts, it’ll be interesting to see how the team and Dylan adapt.
Van Hooydonck was sometimes frustrating to report on last season as it always felt like he had more in the tank but tactically would just get it wrong. I’d expect he sorts that out this season and he should be very good for you, especially with that training!
Overall, a team that should be up there in the fight! Good luck and race well
It's a very good team, but it feels very top heavy and those teams haven't been the best in recent memory. But if Mauri is good then all terrains except TTs are well covered. Olivier is the clear MO leader now which means he should be planned optimally.
baseballlover312 wrote:
Van Hooydonck training is very cool to see. He should be great in PCT now. And hopefully only in PCT.
Sure. Well. Not in all my wildcards...
I expect him to show himself a bit better than last year now.
Fabianski wrote:
Unlike bbl, I can't really see anything cool about that training
Obviously puts him another level higher, but I do hope that Theuns' superior hills and sprint skills will still see him ahead most of the times
Given that relegation was extremely unlucky - and unlikely - last year, I don't see how you wouldn't bounce back with this squad. You've got three terrains covered with a high-level PCT leader, and I guess Vansevenant could often kick the asses of some better pure puncheurs as well with his great acc & ftr stats. As far as I see, he's got the highest OVL of all unmaxed riders, which - while the OVL is clearly skewed for puncheurs - should say something about his scoring potential as well.
Your only weakness - and not a small one, to be honest - are TTs, where you might lose quite some points in PCT. But I'm sure you found a way to navigate around most TT events, so that still shouldn't hold you back too much
Looking forward to some nice Mauri vs. Mauro battles in the future, but already this year I guess!
I hope so at least. The leaders are all in top3-5 ranges terrain wise. Olivier obviously depends on planning and how to avoid the TT races. Vansevenant also a lot is working out in the planning part as he won`t stand a big chance on many pure hill events vs. the 80+ puncheurs, but his backup stats and better mountain skills, might see him go for couple top10s here and there on the more hybrid but hill prone stages. Surely I would be disappointed, if he can`t really show himself a few times already this season.
Luis Leon Sanchez wrote:
A very solid team that should be in the fight for promotion but there are some little areas which I’d have a bit of concern.
Unfortunately Olivier not so great in TTs but the calendar should have enough for him to avoid too many of them. I’d expect Cras to score some solid depth points for you in Stage Races too.
I do like young Mauri but we’ll have to see what kind of results he can bring you in what is going to be a very competitive PCT division in that terrain. I’d expect a few surprise results from him though!
Dylan obviously one of, if not, the best Sprinters in the division. My only concern for you is his support. I’d expect your team should be tasked with putting together lead out trains but with 2 sprinters lacking energy back ups and no real TT/FLA beasts, it’ll be interesting to see how the team and Dylan adapt.
Van Hooydonck was sometimes frustrating to report on last season as it always felt like he had more in the tank but tactically would just get it wrong. I’d expect he sorts that out this season and he should be very good for you, especially with that training!
Overall, a team that should be up there in the fight! Good luck and race well
Olivier surely is happy to be in PCT, where you can find ways to avoid the TTs different to all the TT heavy races in PT, Cras though a questionmark. He is not as good as many others, but I hope you are right, that he will show up couple times.
Agree on the other leaders. In especially Dylan should step up or continue to perform as he did last year. He should be one of the top2-3 top favourites in most races he is in, for sure in C1/HC but also in any PTHC event he can fight for the win. Support is always a gamble. Obviously Matthews/Vingerling are no perfect leadouts but as it`s PCM, you never know anyway.
redordead wrote:
It's a very good team, but it feels very top heavy and those teams haven't been the best in recent memory. But if Mauri is good then all terrains except TTs are well covered. Olivier is the clear MO leader now which means he should be planned optimally.
I agree, the depth behind the top isn`t as scoring able and the lack of TT riders might hurt. Though as said above, planning this in PCT is at least not too bad as you can avoid a lot of races or a single terrain fully. And while the recent top heavy teams struggled, I hope to still be around the top in the end as I hope it`s a bit different being top heavy on multiple terrains at least.
Time will tell, but ideally the team is off to a good start and can take the mood till the season end.
I think promotion should be a clear lock for this team, but obviously Groenewegen in the sprints will be a bit random even though he should have a season comparable to Jonas Ahlstrand last year, but as others have said some leadout issues could be present depending on how the races are ridden.
Olivier could be the scorer that lacks a little bit when push comes to show, on paper he's a great rider and he has a few races that really should suit him perfectly well but he could end up lacking scoring opportunities in some PTHC races. His lack of ability in terms of creating opportunities for himself with his low fighter and acceleration could also be a big hindrance for top end scoring.
Van Hooydonck is going to cost me a ton of points this year as I believe we share at least two PTHC bands and his training makes perfect sense!
Mauri Vansevenant should score very close to what Meurisse did last year, if not more due to U25 eligibilty. Only issue wíth the U25 is that Rob Stannard probably will take most of the white jerseys in the hills races I'd fear.
@whitejersey: Let`s hope you are right. Ideally not as much randomness with Groenewegen and as much consistency for the leaders in general.
2023 Calendar
Quite typical for the team, the season becomes very important in the last 1-2 months as lots of PTHC racing will take place in that period. Ideally the team is already in a good position by then and can then take profit from having more scoring opportunities left than others.
And while the relegation meant, no season start in Tasmania, we decided to still stay in Down Under after the training camp and perform in the Classic and Tour Down Under to hopefully start nicely into the season in some of our favourite races.
Leader wise Olivier takes some time to start his season and then having a balanced schedule for the rest of the year while Vansevenant is opposite having a nice early schedule but then being pretty much done at halftime except for some events.
Groenewegen and Van Hooydonck are racing all year around and should see lots of opporunities to win.
Start
End
Race
Category
09-Jan
Down Under Classic
HC
13-Jan
18-Jan
Tour Down Under
C1
17-Jan
22-Jan
Tour of Qatar
PT
25-Jan
27-Jan
Hong Kong Challenge
C1
---
01-Feb
08-Feb
Volta a Portugal
PTHC
04-Feb
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
HC
06-Feb
Gent - Wevelgem
C2
10-Feb
Le Samyn
HC
22-Feb
26-Feb
Circulo de Juarez
HC
26-Feb
Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne
C1
28-Feb
Milano - San Remo
PTM
---
01-Mar
Geraardsbergen - Bosberg
C2
11-Mar
16-Mar
Vuelta a Colombia
PTHC
17-Mar
20-Mar
Tour of Guadeloupe
C1
18-Mar
Strade Bianche
HC
22-Mar
27-Mar
Tour of South Africa
HC
30-Mar
GP Izola
C2
30-Mar
Lillestrom GP
C1
---
01-Apr
Paris - Roubaix
PTM
06-Apr
10-Apr
Baltic Chain Tour
C1
12-Apr
18-Apr
Tour de Pologne
HC
20-Apr
Badaling International
C1
28-Apr
Lisbon Classic
HC
30-Apr
Amstel Gold Race
PT
---
01-May
Cheshire Cycling Tour
PTHC
03-May
Fleche Wallonne
PT
13-May
16-May
Tour of Lithuania
PTHC
19-May
1 Jour de Dunkerque
C1
27-May
31-May
Tour of Norway
HC
---
01-Jun
02-Jun
Franceville Classique
PTHC
01-Jun
Hanko Classic
C1
04-Jun
Pro Hallstatt Classic
HC
05-Jun
08-Jun
Tour of East Java
PTHC
18-Jun
Frankfurt Eschborn
C1
---
01-Jul
Torshavn GP
C1
03-Jul
06-Jul
Arab Tour
HC
09-Jul
11-Jul
Tour of Eritrea
C1
13-Jul
18-Jul
Benelux Challenge
HC
20-Jul
Paris Tours
C1
25-Jul
29-Jul
Tour d'Andorra
C1
---
10-Aug
15-Aug
Tour du Maroc
C1
11-Aug
15-Aug
Post Danmark Rundt
HC
17-Aug
Chrono des Herbiers
PT
19-Aug
East Midlands Cicle Classic
PT
20-Aug
GP Kigali
C1
23-Aug
31-Aug
Tour de l'Avenir
U23
---
01-Sep
05-Sep
Tour of Britain
C1
02-Sep
Riga - Jurmala GP
PTHC
08-Sep
13-Sep
Balkans International
PTHC
15-Sep
21-Sep
Tour of Northern Europe
PT
24-Sep
Chrono d'Arenberg
PTHC
26-Sep
Rheden GP
PTHC
28-Sep
Milano - Torino
C1
---
01-Oct
06-Oct
Tour of Japan
HC
09-Oct
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
PTHC
13-Oct
Japan Cup
PTHC
18-Oct
Giro dell'Emilia
HC
Season Goals
Team Standings - WIN
Well, the obvious. We want to promote, we must promote, why not go for the win? Last time down in PCT we quickly cane up again by taking the title in a very close duel with Gazelle (iirc).
Circulo de Juaraz - Win
Groenewegen loves any races with flat stages. He is going to go for the win in Mexico. He has done so already in several similar races and consistency always was a big strength of him.
Riga - Jurmala GP Top5
Same here. No matter the competition, Groenewegen usually was a clear shot for a top5 in flat classics. And while the goal probably is to win, the PTHC sees stronger competition and top5 it is.
Balkans International - Top5
Olivier lacks the TT skills of other stage racers but is pretty solid on shorter climbs as well. Balkans used to be a hybrid race in the past and the attempt to win it with puncheur De Bie failed twice. This year we remain to focus the event but it`s Olivier to do so.
Tour of Japan - Top5
Down in HC, the competition is probably a bit less strong. The Tour of Japan should suit Olivier again, no long TT, a bit of hills, a bit of climbing. The top5 seems realistic.
Conclusion
In total the goals are not easy with 2x PTHC and 2x HC but the team will send strong squads to reach this.
Post transfers I probably had swapped them a bit and also went for a Van Hooydonck goal in HC, but pre transfers it was safer to go for the sprinter/stage racer goals as it was always clear, that those two rider types would remain to 100%. In comparison to last year we avoided the hill goals as Vansevenant is still one year away from full strength plus we had very bad experience with it in 2022.
Indeed a bit surprising to not see any cobbled races among your goals, but going for two flat ones instead. Groenewegen should be the right rider for those, though - would've loved to get him because of his great consistency.
Oliver in Balkans is also kind of a gamble - a pure puncheur didn't work out for you, now trying with a climber - we'll see how it goes. He should definitely beat my riders there, though
Japan on the other hand should be a good call for him - if even Quintana could win it two years ago, Oliver should do well for sure!
And winning the team standings is the least surprising goal - I do indeed think you've got the best leaders of any team, the depth will decide on whether it's enough to top the 2023 PCT class.
Vansevenant maxed out last offseason and now asks for the big money, even a bit more than I was hoping but his allround skills obviously boost his OVL quite a lot.
And then there are Olivier, Groenewegen and Hooydonck, who all had solid seasons in the PCT and want a bit more after their wage reduction after a weaker 2022 performance.
The support team around Vanhoucke and Cras for the mountains or Van der Hoorn and Robeet for the cobbles remain similar, just like alrounders Denz and De Kleijn, while the only talent left in Hessmann luckily asked for a lot less, despite still being quite overpriced.
Regarding transfers the team might be in need to rebuild a bit. Just 11 riders left means, we need to do our job to form a PT worthy squad around new star Vansevenant and cobbler Van Hooydonck, while a change in long term duo Olivier/Groenewegen could be considered. They are no longer absolute guaranteed to stay. Seeing the team slowly changing Nations in the leadership, question is how the sponsor reacts once the transfer season is over and a full picture of the new squad is there.
Wow looking trimmed! Similar to us I guess but certainly have better PT ready leaders. Having those guys already and then over a million in cap space, even if it is for 9 riders, is a very scary team coming up from PCT
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
Indeed as jandal mentioned, that's a lot of space to play with, despite already having solid leaders for PT. Looking forward to see a major rebuild for your team after ages.
A very solid base to bring into PT. Need to supplement it with another leader or more depth, but also Vansevenant kinda needs to perform to justify that wage.
Tour of Qatar
Hong Kong Challenge
Volta a Portugal
Circulo de Juarez
Milano - San Remo
Vuelta a Colombia
Tour of Guadeloupe
Tour of South Africa
GP Izola
Lillestrom GP
Baltic Chain Tour
Tour de Pologne
Badaling International
Cheshire Cycling Tour
Franceville Classique
Pro Hallstatt Classic
Tour of East Java
Torshavn GP
Arab Tour
Tour d'Andorra
Tour du Maroc
Post Danmark Rundt
GP Kigali
Riga - Jurmala GP
Balkans International
Tour of Northern Europe
Tour of Japan
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
