Surprised you could sign Pithie at such a managable wage. Great starting stats and way more usable during his developmental years. Even his lvl1 stats would already make for a valuable roster addition.
Yeah I expected he'd probably end up in the 300k-400k wage and planned on that basis, so 190k feels like a steal. It's a shame he couldn't be developed in PT as he definitely would have been useful, but the prospect of a useful Level 3 and Level 4 rider added to his value as well.
Lots of depth added to the stage racing area plus a great talent addition. Good start to transfers I'd say!
Thanks, was definitely a priority going in and pleased how it has worked out so far! Without a top stage racer I figured the key thing would be to rack up depth points in the GTs, and hopefully it works out that way.
Have fun Burke! Go get some GT breakaway wins while you are still in your prime You will be missed here, but fondly remembered.
Here's hoping! Obviously very glad to have signed Burke, but very much a shame that you had to sell him - hopefully the funds from his sale help you get back to PCT at the first attempt
After announcing our first six new signings yesterday, three more have joined the party. However, before we introduce them we have another round of saying thank you and goodbye. Nikita Razumov has finally made a long awaited move to Tinkoff – La Datcha for 775k, while Jodok Salzmann and Alexandor Cataford were included in rider swaps (more on those later), with 250k coming our way as part of the deal for the latter. We wish them and their new teams all the best for the future!
In their place come three riders we’re very excited to have on board:
Jose Fernandes
4.100
29yo
Stage Racer
€130,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
71
75
70
77
78
77
76
53
62
67
60
68
77
Joining us as part of the deal that saw Salzmann join King Power in return for an additional 500k, Jose Fernandes is a long term target we’re very glad to have been able to acquire. With the departure of Cataford he’ll have a big role to play in the TT races we ride featuring hills, and we also think he’ll be a huge benefit to our stage race squad. While he’s not a top class TTer, we think his point scoring potential is excellent for his wage and what he cost us to sign.
Leo Vincent
4.100
29yo
Puncheur
€55,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
70
71
77
68
79
72
70
65
67
71
69
70
69
Every transfer period there are riders who go under the radar in free agency, and we think Leo Vincent is one of those. We debated making a move for the Frenchman last season, and now we’re delighted to have brought him on board on a wage of only 55k, given his skillset. He’ll provide support for De Bie (barring a surprise last minute sale) and get opportunities for himself as part of our wider hill squad.
Benjamin Thomas
4.100
29yo
TTer
€70,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
73
56
66
78
75
73
70
64
74
79
64
66
79
The deal that saw Cataford leave came about because we saw an opportunity to bring in a rider we were keen to sign in Benjamin Thomas. While he’s a different style of Time Trialist to those we have previously prioritised, we think what he adds to our sprint train at a low wage and with plenty of available racedays compensates for his weakness on the hills. Add in his solid prologue ability as well, and we didn’t have to think twice when the opportunity came to bring him on board.
I got confused for a moment as I didn't remember selling Thomas your way but he's landed at a team where he will be appreciated and where he should be able to continue being the great rider that he is. He did incredibly well for me at CT level and also scored well at PCT level, the step up to PT was a bit more challenging. A real team player with his wage though!
Have to agree with Vincent being one of the steals of the window tbh. I saw him sitting at that wage and was tempted to pop a bid in for my former rider but again I'm glad he's with Thomas and your team!
Quality signings to set the team up on top of the previously announced ones.
I got confused for a moment as I didn't remember selling Thomas your way but he's landed at a team where he will be appreciated and where he should be able to continue being the great rider that he is. He did incredibly well for me at CT level and also scored well at PCT level, the step up to PT was a bit more challenging. A real team player with his wage though!
Have to agree with Vincent being one of the steals of the window tbh. I saw him sitting at that wage and was tempted to pop a bid in for my former rider but again I'm glad he's with Thomas and your team!
Quality signings to set the team up on top of the previously announced ones.
I can imagine the confusion, have had similar before when seeing riders be resold! Very happy to have had the chance to bring Thomas on board, as soon as he was an option in the deal I was ready to let Cataford go. While he might not be an incredible PT scorer I think he's at the right balance of wage and RDs to still be very useful, particularly for a team like mine that isn't overly TT focused.
Was very surprised that Vincent ended up at that price, fully expected a late bid from somewhere. He's another rider I've had an eye on for a while - like many of your talents over the years - so it was a bonus that he ended up fitting my plans this time around.
A quieter day of transfers for the team has seen only one arrival, as well as a few loan departures. Laurence Pithie has headed to Ekoi - Le Creuset to develop, while we felt that Stavros Theorpanous and Karel Camrda would get better opportunities this season at Genii Hyundai N Cycling and Cervelo Test Team respectively.
It may be a similar story for our only signing of the day depending on whether we can find a loan move for him, but for now the focus is on introductions:
Sarris Evangelos
3.15
23yo
Baroudeur
€50,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
71
63
65
69
73
69
65
70
71
71
68
71
70
…
76
65
67
71
76
72
68
72
73
74
72
73
72
Sarris Evangelos was a rider we were very close to making an offer for last season had it not been for a late change in circumstances. Like Leo Vincent, he was released in the offseason following ELCO - ABEA's relegation, and we decided not to miss our opportunity to sign him the second time around. We expect him to develop into a breakaway specialist who can also contribute to our cobble, sprint and TTT squads, though the specific direction we take may change when the time comes.
Another day passes, and a few more signings have arrived. This time only one departure has accompanied their arrival, with Scott Davies heading out on loan to Tryg - Eni, where we hope he will get more opportunities than he would have staying with us this season.
The three riders joining the team are presented below:
Kantaphon Kunkumpai
1.00
22yo
Climber
€55,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
64
67
68
61
69
65
72
56
64
70
63
74
61
…
65
76
76
63
73
69
79
56
64
76
70
75
63
The signing of Pithie limited our ability to dip into the market for talents as much as we may have liked, but in Kantaphon Kunkumpai we've added another rider who we think will be a useful contributor in future. His ability on both long and short climbs, combined with strong acceleration, should hopefully make him a useful member of our hills squad and a potential stage hunter when he reaches his full potential. He'll be headed out on loan this season to an as yet unconfirmed destination.
Thai Phan Hoang
3.00
26yo
Climber
€50,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
69
68
69
64
70
71
70
57
69
70
69
67
66
…
71
73
72
68
74
75
75
57
69
72
70
68
70
Thai Phan Hoang is not the most exciting signing we've ever made if only considering his headline abilities. However, we think that similar to Karel Camrda, he could prove to be a shrewd investment as a breakaway rider and domestique given his powers of endurance and recovery. We've listed him as a climber, but we hope his fast finish and solid ability against the clock could also come in useful. He'll be headed out on loan this season if we can find a deal in search of opportunities we may not be able to give him while he develops.
Leonardo Basso
4.100
31yo
All-rounder
€65,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
73
67
72
72
78
73
73
73
71
69
62
69
72
After signing Evangelos yesterday, we think we've signed the perfect mentor for him in Leonardo Basso, who joins us for a fee of 100k from MOL. A rider who can be a useful contributor on almost every terrain, we think he'll fit particularly nicely into our classics and TTT squads. Given the combination of wage and price, we felt signing Basso was an opportunity we couldn't refuse, even if it meant passing up on some bigger names.
Some solid signings you have there, actual contributers as well as talents. And though we would have loved to see both Thomas and Vincent at a French team we think they found a good home here! Also Pithie is a great signing and I've heard the good people at Ekoi are very pleased to take care of him
Some solid signings you have there, actual contributers as well as talents. And though we would have loved to see both Thomas and Vincent at a French team we think they found a good home here! Also Pithie is a great signing and I've heard the good people at Ekoi are very pleased to take care of him
Thanks, as a previously French team (albeit a long time ago) was nice to sign them from a nostalgia perspective as well! Hoping Pithie can contribute for you this season, and of course very excited to see how he develops.
I look forward to seeing the full squad, but I'm guessing there were steps taken to aim higher than mid table.
There were, and none of them worked out I'd be very surprised not to be in a relegation battle, so mid-table would be a success. Not being able to find a buyer for De Bie limited options, but to be honest I couldn't have afforded any of the riders who would have made a difference - Ganna got too expensive and other riders I enquired about were out of my price range. Similarly, I had nothing left for training so instead focused on depth and talents, to kickstart the likely rebuild a year early.
The final few days of the window were busy for the team, with 7 arrivals – albeit only 4 of them on full contracts – and 2 departures. Sarris Evangelos joined Stavros Theorpanous on loan at Genii Hyundai N Cycling for the upcoming season, while in a surprise move Barnabas Peak left for Aker – MOT in a swap deal (more on that later) with our thanks and best wishes for the future.
With the departures covered, let us introduce our new arrivals:
Niklas Larsen
4.100
27yo
Sprinter
€75,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
77
60
68
74
74
73
78
64
77
76
65
66
80
The swap deal which saw Peak depart saw the arrival of Niklas Larsen. Some observers queried the logic of the deal, given their respective skillsets and previous point scoring, and we can see why they may think that. Our view was that the difference between the two riders was smaller than previous results might suggest, and that as much as we liked Peak the versatility offered by Larsen at a lower wage made it a worthwhile deal. As well as being a solid sprinter, he can contribute to our TTT team, gives us another option in prologues, and crucially is willing to join a lead out train for Kemboi – which was not always the case with previous secondary sprinters at the team.
Joel Ponce
3.82
27yo
Stage Racer
€50,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
67
70
70
70
68
70
72
64
62
66
68
68
70
…
69
75
73
74
72
73
76
64
62
67
69
69
74
After a few deals fell through late in the window, we had some spare cash and decided to move for a rider we’d long admired in Joel Ponce for a price of 200k from Everesting. A late bloomer, the Andorran will contribute to our stage race squad right away, but we’re particularly excited by the quality he will bring when he completes his development.
Nicholas Schultz
4.100
30yo
Climber
€160,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
68
76
76
64
74
80
75
53
58
71
69
65
64
Following the deal to sign Ponce we expected our business to be done, bar any offers that were too good to turn down. However, as we had spare budget we decided to invest in riders who didn’t necessarily fit our model, focusing purely on point scoring for the upcoming season over long term value for money. That saw Nicholas Schultz join the team as a free agent, to add depth to our climbing and hill squads. His wage is a lot higher than we would have liked, but given our options at the time we’re confident it was the best available use of our remaining funds.
Gaetan Pons
4.100
32yo
Puncheur/Sprinter
€50,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
72
66
73
67
73
74
69
67
74
76
65
67
69
After signing Schultz we still had some cap space available, so sought to invest in another rider. Our first choice didn’t work out, so we instead moved for Gaetan Pons who we hope will be a useful contributor to our hills squad, and potentially also our lead out train. Unlike Schultz, he wasn’t on our radar prior to the end of transfers, but of our options at that stage we felt he offered the greatest scoring potential and are glad to have him on board.
Our final move after signing Pons was to use our remaining budget to bring in three stagiaires. As such a move was never in the original plan we didn’t move for some of our preferred options, but as luck would have it there were three remaining eligible riders on our shortlist we moved to secure.
Zygimantas Matuzevicius
1.00
22yo
Climber
€10,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
68
67
67
63
66
67
64
62
65
69
74
67
63
…
69
73
73
65
73
73
68
62
66
73
78
72
65
Zygimantas Matuzevicius is a similar rider to Hoang and Camrda, a climber who we think can be a useful domestique and breakaway specialist despite his weaker headline abilities, and the most likely of the trio for us to keep long term.
Tobias Buck-Gramcko
1.52
23yo
Baroudeur
€10,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
65
55
63
65
73
70
68
63
66
69
65
71
66
…
73
58
66
68
78
75
73
66
69
73
72
75
69
Tobias Buck-Gramcko interested us due to his physical attributes and potential as a breakaway specialist, though we’re unsure how valuable he’ll be in the long term.
Pedro Figueiredo Leme
1.48
23yo
Time Trialist
€10,000
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
66
62
63
67
69
69
69
55
62
65
67
70
66
…
67
69
68
74
74
74
76
55
62
66
68
70
73
Pedro Figueiredo Leme will develop into a useful addition to a TTT squad who may also be able to add a little value in stage races, especially given his powers of recovery.
Good (and not surprising) to see Kemboi back on the Qatar start list. The annual will he try, won't he try suspense on each stage. Narrower finishes this year will make the late charge a little harder to pull off.
Good (and not surprising) to see Kemboi back on the Qatar start list. The annual will he try, won't he try suspense on each stage. Narrower finishes this year will make the late charge a little harder to pull off.
I believe it's a win goal, as it has been since Kemboi maxed - may be his last chance with the team to finally win it outright, so fingers crossed he decides to sprint this time around. After the no-show in the Tour last year I've changed his planning to hopefully minimise wasted RDs, so hopefully that works well with the narrower finishes!
You will be missed here, but fondly remembered.
Tour of Qatar 
