This was our squad for 2023, our eighth season, the fifth in the Pro Continental Tour, and the third team to achieve promotion. They came together brilliantly to come back from the bottom half of the table at the midway point to finish on the podium, securing promotion to cycling's highest tier. They did it all as a team, but now we're going to break it down and review all of their individual seasons, from A to V. Damn, we need somebody with a Z surname! The leaders of the squad will have their own slightly longer reviews after.
Morne van Niekerk
Winning the real rainbow jersey - South African TT Championship
Highlights: Winning the South African Time Trial Championship. Lowlights: Not a lot of individual success. Points: 6 (425th in Division/14th in Team) Rider of the Month: 0 Victories: 0 Breakaways: 5 Verdict: Probably our weakest ever PCT TTT squad meant it was a thankless season for Morne van Niekerk, not able to shine by dragging us to surprising Top 5 results as he had in years past. He didn't manage much individual success either, but was a key domestique as always who also managed five breakaways and NC success, so we can't complain too much!
Ilan Van Wilder
Assisting Plapp for The Conglomerate - Tour de l'Avenir
Highlights: Got a decent number of points somehow. Lowlights: No breakaways and a dissapointing Avenir. Points: 12 (380th/12th) Rider of the Month: 0 Victories: 0 Breakaways: 0 Verdict: A season of hard knocks and great learning for our young Belgian stage racer, who should come into 2024 a much-improved rider. We have no idea where he picked up those 12 points, but well done to him for that.
Johann van Zyl
Sprinting to 9th - Viana do Castelo
Highlights: A great 16th at the Tour of the Battenkill during our promotion charge. Lowlights: Never any for this man. Points: 75 (187th/9th) Rider of the Month: 0 Victories: 0 Breakaways: 0 Verdict: The jack-of-all-trades before Pidcock made it cool, Johann van Zyl had an off-year in 2022 like most of our domestiques, only scoring 7 points after his brilliant 2021 in the PT. In 2023 he was back in form with 75 points, a very good contributor to our total and coming up big in races where we might have expected 0, exemplified by his gutsy ride to 16th (not from a breakaway either) at the PTHC Tour of the Battenkill, grabbing points and some belief that were key in our promotion effort in the last few months.
Florian Vermeersch
Controlling the peloton to set up Areruya's GC win - Balkans International
Highlights: Being an absolute workhorse even in the hills, constantly mentioned in reports for his effort. 17th in the Torshavn GP. Lowlights: Deferred to Novardianto, van Zyl and Tesfaye in the flat and cobbled classics. Points: 13 (375th/11th) Rider of the Month: 0 Victories: 0 Breakaways: 0 Verdict: Our soon-to-be-great cobbler had a quiet season individually, with no breakaways and usually acting as a leader in the peloton while others attacked in our races with no leader, seeing him pick up a few sprint results but nothing major. However, he might have been our most-mentioned workhorse in races of all kinds, showing his massive engine off and being a key part of Areruya's success, a surprising and promising effort for a classics rider. He heads into 2024 a much better rider, and pre-transfers looks like our cobbles and sprint leader!
James Fouche 25 | Maxed | 140,000 | Xero since 2019
FLA
MON
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FTR
DH
PRL
66
78
75
69
72
73
77
62
61
75
75
65
69
2023 Palmarès
- Stage Win Giro d’Italia
- 2nd U25 Vuelta a Colombia
- 10th GC Vuelta al Pais Vasco
- 2nd U25 Vuelta al Pais Vasco
- 18th GC Vuelta a Colombia
- 2nd U25 Tour of Eritrea
- 20th GC Tour of Eritrea
- 3rd U25 Tour of East Java
- 25th GC Giro d’Italia
- 3rd U25 Tour de Romandie
- U25 Giro d’Italia
Rankings
143
James Fouche
NZL
Xero Racing
115
A tough, tough season for James Fouche. His biggest success came in the Giro d'Italia, taking a lovely breakaway victory on Stage 11 for the team's first ever win in the race, being a fantastic lieutenant for George Bennett as he came 4th on GC, and following in Areruya's footsteps by winning the U25 classification as well - a clear sign of his promise, a classification win at a Grand Tour. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the rankings, none of that happened. So what did the rest of the season have in store?
A win at Montvergine di Mercogliano - Giro d'Italia
Well, there's an argument he was set up to fail. Only three races as a clear leader, the rest in service of Bennett or occasionally Areruya. However, last year Habtemichael managed such a schedule just fine. This year, Fouche was relentlessly beaten by weaker riders both on GC and in the U25 category (particualrly Primozic), making for an unfortunately slow start to his career as a leader. He was also beaten by his teammate Pidcock, who was in the races as a sprinter, in two of his leadership opportunities - the Hong Kong Challenge and the Vuelta al Pais Vasco (the latter was one of Fouche's best races, finishing 10th on GC behind Pidcock's 4th). The Tour of Japan didn't go how anybody planned, but Pidcock winning the U25 while Fouche was 11th is not a good look.
Fouche's biggest race of the season, the Tour of California, saw solo leadership and a weak startlist. However he decided to protect Nils Schomber in the mountains. WHAT THE FUCK.
In the history books - Giro d'Italia
The Pro Tour will no doubt suit James Fouche better - more leadership opportunities, and less of a marked man now he no longer qualifies for the U25 categories, and is a small fish in a big pond. The Giro showed he is a natural attacker, and we hope he can use than in 2024. A tough year for James Fouche - but Xero haven't lost the faith.
Not a great season for Fouche, but he has improved further and should be a good asset for the climbs. Expecting to see him bring a lot more points next season.
AbhishekLFC wrote:
Not a great season for Fouche, but he has improved further and should be a good asset for the climbs. Expecting to see him bring a lot more points next season.
Hope you're right that he has improved further and PCM recognises his increased experience since his stats haven't changed I agree though, as seen with Smith who is a very similar rider struggling too in the PCT this year, there's a niche of climber that is more suited to the PT with a free role, and hopefully his Giro d'Italia is a sign that Fouche can do that for us next year with some more opportunities to ride his own races.
A sparse palmarès for Xero legend Hugo Houle in his final season with the team. Disappointment across the flat classics saw him outscored by his domestiques, and he failed to make an impact in many of his favourite stage races - the Tour Down Under, Tour of South Africa, Pais Vasco.
But when he turned up he turned up big - grabbing some key results including the biggest points haul in October as the team secured promotion, giving him one final Rider of the Month award. We wrote in our pre-season piece on Houle:
"...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."
His GC podium in the Euskal Bizikleta effectively sealing the deal for the team he loves, his final act in a Xero jersey - yeah, Hugo Houle signed off in the best way any cyclist could dream of, securing promotion back to the promised land, carving his name once more into Xero history. The tributes and proper reflections on his time with the Lionhearts will come in due time, of course, but for now we can safely say that, while 2023 is inarguably his weakest season in a Xero jersey by some margin, it only added to the legend of Hugo Houle.
Nice overviews of the riders so far. Personally I can only admire what Fouche did for Schomber, as he believed in him where nobody else did. Just like you did for some years, before he really started turning up.
Nemolito wrote:
Nice overviews of the riders so far. Personally I can only admire what Fouche did for Schomber, as he believed in him where nobody else did. Just like you did for some years, before he really started turning up.
Would like to say I never believed in Schomber's climbing abilities, don't put that onto me But yes I definitely feel vindicated by Schomber's recent successed, I think one of only two stagiaires I kept on with the team because I had a vision that he now has definitely met.
Thomas Pidcock 24 | 4.86XP | 330,000 | Xero since 2021
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FT
DH
PL
76
74
75
71
74
77
72
73
73
80
72
82
71
2023 Palmarès
- GC Benelux Challenge (HC)
- 32nd GC Giro d’Italia (GTM)
- Stage Win Benelux Challenge (HC)
- Points Benelux Challenge (HC)
- Stage Win Vuelta al Pais Vasco (C1)
- U25 Benelux Challenge (HC)
- 3x Other Stage Podiums
- U25 Tour of Japan (HC)
- 3rd Viana do Castelo (C1)
- U25 Vuelta al Pais Vasco (C1)
- 4th GC Vuelta al Pais Vasco (C1)
- 2nd U25 Balkans Int. (PTHC)
- 11th GC Hong Kong Challenge (C1)
- 2nd U25 Hong Kong Challenge (C1)
- 16th GC Tour of Japan (HC)
- 3rd U25 Giro d’Italia (GTM)
- 19th GC Balkans Int. (PTHC)
Rankings
23
Thomas Pidcock
GBR
Xero Racing
573
It was well worth the wait. Thomas Pidcock, a marquee signing for the team in 2021 as he began his professional road cycling career, already being the 2020 Olympic Champion in Mountain Biking. While he was away he had great seasons with Project: Africa in the 2021 PCT and cycleYorkshire in the 2022 PT, coming close to his maiden victories while garnering many points, finishing not far outside the Top 100 in the rankings both years. In other disciplines, he became World Champion in cyclocross and European Champion in mountain biking in 2022, and during this season took time off to become World Champion in mountain biking too. In 2023 he finally joined Xero Racing, who had already sunk 920,000 into his wages without riding a day - much of that paid by his loaning-in teams, of course.
The stage and the GC lead - Benelux Challenge
He proceeded to prove he's got what it takes as a leader on the road, too. Though it's not quite World Championship gold, his varied palmarés speaks for itself. The highlight, of course, the Benelux Challenge - a stage race made for someone like him with skills in ever discipline. Fantastic teamwork lead to him claiming yellow on Stage 3, and then he brought the GC victory home like a seasoned pro - winning every peloton sprint behind an escape that he knew he could concede time to on the GC days, and then enjoying his victory on the flat Stage 6. This also brought him the Points classification win, and one of three U25 victories - the others being in a hilly stage race (4th in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, which would be impressive for a 24-year-old specialist) and a mountainous one, showing his versatility.
A first career victory - Vuelta al Pais Vasco
He also had to pay his dues, as any young talent does, and he did so magnificently. He was a great asset to George Bennett in the Giro d'Italia, nearly winning a stage himself while also placing 32nd in the GC and 3rd in the U25 competition. He was Joseph Areruya's right-hand man, piloting him perfectly to his Stage 3 and 6 victories en route to the Balkans International win, while also scoring points in 19th on GC himself. Only two races were real duds - the Tour of California, a disaster for everyone where he still managed some stage placings in sprints, and the Lisbon Classic, an attempt at co-leadership with Houle where Pidcock finished a lowly 79th.
A great debut season for Pidcock as he finishes his development, heading into the Pro Tour to prove his worth in the division he and the team want to make their home. He's a better rider now, sure, but will be demanding more wages and less proportional race days in a division that probably has a less-suited calendar. After a very promising debut season it seems unfair to say that he's back to square one and must prove himself again, but it does feel a bit that way. All in good time, though.
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
2023 Palmarès
- New Zealand RR Championships (NC)
- 4th GC Tour du Maroc (HC)
- Stage Win Tour du Maroc (HC)
- 5th Pro Hallstat Classic (HC)
- Stage Win Tour de Romandie (C1)
- 5th GC Tour d’Andorra (C1)
- 4x Other Stage Podiums
- 10th GC Tour of East Java (PTHC)
- 4th GC Giro d’Italia (GTM)
- 10th GC Tour de Romandie (C1)
Rankings
40
George Bennett
NZL
Xero Racing
401
A season of an incredible high and many incredible lows for George Bennett. Certainly his worst PCT season since the team began investing in training camps for him, with mysterious dips in form, terrible race tactics from the team and horrendous luck with countbacks. If we go through his PCT calendar:
- Lack of form in Colombia
- 89th in the MTT in Romandie after winning the previous GC stage. What the fuck
- 5th in the Pro Hallstatt Classic - pretty solid!
- 5th best in the mountain stage of Tour of East Java, 10th on GC due to sprint stage countbacks. What the fuck
- Terrible lack of form in Eritrea as one of the top favourites, 20th on the mountain stage.
- A good Andorra in the road stages, but 27th on the MTT, which is not quite as bad as Romandie but still behind far worse climbers when he is normally great at MTTs. what the fuck
- A solid but not overachieving Maroc, winning one stage and lacking top form on the other
- Loses a minute protecting Schomber in Tour of Japan. What the fuck. Then lost three minutes randomly on a flat stage. What the fuck What the fuck WHAT THE FUCK
If this world was a simulation, the results of everything including cycling races decided on by some sort of AI, some would suggest it was completely broken, demand that time rewind and the races were played out again, or even suggest that the AI be changed to an older version.
However to the best of our knowledge we have no higher power to blame, and have to face the facts that the last season of our greatest ever rider's peak was simply one catastrophe after the next, snowballing into an even greater catastrophe culminating in the horrendous Tour of Japan, a race he had a previous record of: 2x Participations, 2x GC win, 2x KOM win, 2x Points win, 3x Stage Win. It'd be naive to suggest he should have had a cakewalk to repeating such success, but 17th in a probably weaker field than those editions just demonstrates the awful luck of George Bennett this year. So bad that he finished... 40th in the division? Well, that's not the consistent Top 20-25 scoring we are used to, but hardly a disaster. A mark of the quality of the man that his disaster, his scoring nearly halved, is still 401 crucial points to get his team back to the Pro Tour.
And then, much like James Fouche, much of the anger and the disappointment goes away when you consider what he did when the lights were brightest, however paradoxically the one race where his scoring would have no permanent effect, his performance not remembered for the true benefits or reward he could get, but only for how permanently he could write his name into history. Our wildcard entry into the Giro d'Italia.
Originally the team wanted to enter the Vuelta a España - a route suited perfectly to Bennett and Areruya, and one in which they could co-lead together, one last time, with no PCT race clashes. That wasn't possible, and we were sent to Italy - a race Bennett had never lead for us before - with slightly diminished hopes. What we got was maybe Bennett's, and maybe the team's, finest hour - the one casual cycling fans will best remember us for, maybe even the one they really learned our names.
We don't have space to do it justice here, but despite (or perhaps in spite of) the ITT, George Bennett was all over this Giro d'Italia. Nearly winning four stages (three 2nd places, one 3rd) hurt, as did nearly winning the KoM but being denied it by GC responsibilities. Echoes of Areruya's 2021 effort where he had a similar time, animating the race but with little to show for it. However much like Areruya's rise to the Top 10 in the final week in 2021, Bennett kept fighting back, before two magnificent solo rides - from the breakaway on Stage 19 and then attacking the peloton from range on Stage 20 - lifted him to an unbelievable 4th on GC.
A result we knew he was capable of his whole career, this was no ridiculous overachievement, but one we didn't think he'd quite ever get to pull off. Read our full recap here to really do this race justice. The best GC result by a New Zealander at a Grand Tour by some margin, our best result in one of cycling's major races... the list of records probably goes on. And so even though he earned hundreds of points the MGUCI will never credit him for, at the age of 32 George Bennett continued to achieve new heights in his legendary career. He's come a long way from a Continental Tour-level leader in 2017 to 4th in a Grand Tour in 2023. And as the twilight years of his career begin, it's easy to believe that Mr. Xero isn't done yet.
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
2023 Palmarès
- GC Balkans International (PTHC)
- 1x Other Stage Podium
- GC Tour de Pologne (HC)
- 2nd GC C. du Dauphine (PTHC)
- Strade Bianche (HC)
- 3rd Japan Cup (PTHC)
- Giro dell’Emilia (HC)
- 3rd GP Wallonie (HC)
- Milano-Torino (C1)
- 11th Grand Prix Cyclistes (PTHC)
- Rwandan RR Championships (NC)
- Points C. du Dauphine (PTHC)
- 3x Stage Win C. du Dauphine (PTHC)
- Points Balkans Int. (PTHC)
- 2x Stage Win Balkans Int. (PTHC)
- Points Tour de Pologne (HC)
- 3x Stage Win Tour de Pologne (HC)
Rankings
1
Joseph Areruya
RWA
Xero Racing
1511
What can you really say about 2023 for Joseph Areruya that the above words don't already speak for themselves? Well, his season clearly wasn't perfect, so let's critique it. If you wanna live at the top, better get used to people dragging you down.
The 11th place in the Grand Prix Cyclistes sticks out like a sore thumb in his palmarès. A day where the undoubted competitive edge of Areruya led him astray - so incapable of letting Miguel Angel Lopez ride off into the distance the better rider on the day, and just fighting for 2nd place, Areruya chased the Colombian down and then paid a pretty price when his energy reserves were gone at the finish. Not a mistake the Rwandan will soon want to repeat - the only race all season where he missed the podium.
A win in his Rwandan jersey - Criterium du Dauphine Libere
So the big critique is out of the way - that was an out-and-out failure, and a learning moment for a rider who can still show flashes of the aggression of his younger days. Next on the list would be the GP Wallonie, he was outnumbered and outgunned by his PCT rivals. They isolated Areruya, made him chase down their attacks, and he could only manage third in the final dash to the line. His former teammate Stannard taking the honours, sprinting out of Areruya's shadow for one day at least. Then what?
At the Japan Cup he was beaten by the barest of margins by Lopez and Sagan, with their four Monument victories between them. At the Criterium du Dauphine Libere, he was beaten by four seconds by Lachlan Morton, with his five Grand Tour podiums. Areruya "only" won three stages and the Points jersey. And that one GC stage he only has a podium on, what's that about? Don't get me started on a missing stage at the Balkans International, where he was only 5th!
Sealing the GC after chasing down Lopez - Balkans International
Every other day of the season? Unimpeachable. Two stages, the GC, and the Points in the Balkans - his and the team's first ever PTHC race win. Three stages, the GC, and the Points in Poland. The Italian classics - Strade Bianche, Milano-Torino, and Giro dell'Emilia - won in three different fashions, his love affair with Italy continuing. The Rwandan cycling federation voted that the National Championships should be flat? He can win there too. 13 victories in 32 race days - more than the team had ever managed in a season. 1511 points - the team's first individual rankings winner, and the third-most points ever in a PCT season. He's behind only Aleksandr Pluchkin in 2018 and 2019, who rode in an age of bigger calendars (though proportionally still would have beaten Areruya, we must admit). The likes of Edvald Boasson Hagen, José Alarcón, Janez Brajkovic, and Timofey Kritskiy in their prime (and Rein Taaramäe before his final training) now sit just behind Areruya in the annals of PCT history.
There are a lot of question marks around Xero heading into 2024 - and, amazingly, we can't say there aren't any around Areruya. The PT rival he's spent the most time with is Lopez. So far we have a win, a loss, and a rather pyrrhic victory where the Colombian looked stronger. However, he's crushed the PCT and has proven he can at least hang with the guys in the PT. Xero are heading to the top tier with an ace already up their sleeve. Look out, world.
Great showing by Pidcock, even unmaxed last season. He should be one of riders to watch out for in the whole PT peloton next time. I know I'll be following his progress.
Sorry to see Bennett not having the best luck in his last full year at max. He still delivered important points, but the potential was for more.
Really not looking forward to Areruya in PT. Lopez should still be the stronger rider if there is no training (?) but i wouldnt have minded seeing him only in the occasional PTHC outing.
Hats off, nothing else to say.
Yeah, I don't like him anymore by now, after riding one year against him, as I don't like beasts in general, but great job for having made him the rider he now is!
And kudos for taking this path with Pidcock - you could've taken him down the same "boring" path as everyone else would have done, and created another monster, but he's much more fun like this
@Abhishek - Yeah very impressive work by Pidcock. Definitely sad to see that run of freak results for Bennett but as you say at least he delivered some key points, and in the Giro a special race even if it meant nothing in the rankings.
@knockout - Trust me I'm looking forward to Lopez even less I agree with you that Lopez looks stronger, particularly on the true hilly parcours where he seemed better in Canada and Japan. Then we have all the rest to worry about if Areruya and Lopez can take their eyes off each other
@DubbelDekker - Thanks! You know a lot about amazing riders
@Fabianski - It's something I've thought about a lot - I used to be a team with a bit of underdog/alt-y spirit with my leaders, even Areruya was a very well-liked rider up to 2021 in his Level 4 and Maxed seasons. And now he's a rider many people will be bored of or dislike really. Makes me a bit sad as I liked having a team it seemed like most people liked to see all our wins - but I'm sure I'll learn to live with it
And thanks, not an easy choice or a smart one I made with Pidcock really looking at how his wages aren't far off from the "good" path. Hopefully I'll have fun like I always wanted and not grow sick of the wage - though as redordead said he was good value for his 330k in PCT.
@redordead - He definitely delivered an acceptable season for his status in the squad structure. Exactly what we needed as a second scorer, maximising himself while Bennett had terrible luck. And on the road also that 1-2 punch looked so so good in Balkans, not that I expect to see it much ever again with the RDs and Pidcock not really scoring enough himself next to Areruya once he's no longer U25 eligible.
It is now time for our team awards winners to be announced - but first the results of our fan-voted award. Voted by many of our fans but none of you all (rumours that this was to stop the Schomberlovers are unfounded and should be stopped) over the past few weeks, there were many contenders but one stood above all to claim his second Octagon Fan's Rider of the Year Award...
Spoiler
Joseph Areruya
2nd: Thomas Pidcock 3rd: George Bennett
Sorry guys
Now for the rider-and-staff-voted official team awards. First up is our Wheelworks Young Rider of the Year. Not the strongest year in this department, though still pretty good. The winner was clear though, easily the strongest season by any eligible rider in our history...
Spoiler
Thomas Pidcock
We next are on to the Expedia Breakaway Rider of the Year. A decent showing this year in breakaways, even if there was only one victory courtesy of James Fouche at the Giro d'Italia. However one man stood above all for the quality and quantity of his adventurous escapes, and so going back-to-back in this award is...
Spoiler
Henok Tesfaye Heyi
Moving on now to our Stoney Creek Ride of the Year. This is an award for the most impressive individual ride on any given day. Usually it goes to a big, important and aggressive ride - often but not always a victory. Last year George Bennett had all three podium spots, and this year the 2021 and 2022 winner only had one ride on the podium (though it was really a selection of four, with his Giro Stage 19 just missing out), facing off against James Fouche's come-from-behind Giro stage win and Areruya's dominant solo win on the white roads of the Strade Bianche. Could he make it a three-peat?
And now we move on to the final award of the evening: the Xero Rider of the Year. After all the riders and staff had submitted their vote, two riders were shared with the fan vote, while a third snuck onto the podium. However, to the surprise of nobody, there was a clear winner. Ladies and gentlemen...
Spoiler
Joseph Areruya
2nd: Thomas Pidcock 3rd: Henok Tesfaye Heyi
And that wraps up another year for Xero Racing. Don't worry - next year's HQ will kick off with our annual update on the team's All-Time Statistics, always a highlight for us and for all the nerds and sickos out there. See you soon.
I agree though, as seen with Smith who is a very similar rider struggling too in the PCT this year, there's a niche of climber that is more suited to the PT with a free role, and hopefully his Giro d'Italia is a sign that Fouche can do that for us next year with some more opportunities to ride his own races.
I agree with you that Lopez looks stronger, particularly on the true hilly parcours where he seemed better in Canada and Japan. Then we have all the rest to worry about if Areruya and Lopez can take their eyes off each other 
