Start	End	Race	Cat
01-Mar	03-Mar	Ronde van Nederland	PT

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
Belohvosciks	Kristians	70	60	62	67	69	71	65	62	59	67	69	65	72
Delbove	Joris	65	74	72	58	67	72	74	62	60	69	71	72	58
Garibian	Arman	69	74	70	71	72	73	76	55	60	70	66	70	71
Hadi	Janvier	68	74	72	74	73	70	71	61	74	71	68	69	74
Juntunen	Antti-Jussi	68	63	72	61	67	70	65	61	68	71	68	61	60
Lund Andresen	Tobias	66	56	60	60	68	68	62	60	71	73	57	63	59
Oliveira	Rui	70	67	76	70	77	72	72	66	75	78	65	67	71
Paret-Peintre	Aurelien	72	76	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72

We’re in the Netherlands for our second PT wildcard race of the season. 5 out of 8 riders are here for the XP, but APP and Oliveira could be good options for some stage results and even more for an okay GC result. We won’t get any points out of the race anyway, so it’s mostly about seeing how well our hill leaders can cope with a strong competition.

Start	End	Race	Cat
03-Mar		Lillestrom GP	C1

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
Askey	Lewis	67	63	70	58	69	65	69	72	66	73	60	67	67
Costiou	Ewen	71	66	72	68	71	68	63	66	70	72	68	69	69
Daniel	Maxime	72	55	68	55	75	75	72	79	75	71	68	73	63
Dunne	Conor	66	74	74	69	71	72	73	70	62	69	74	69	69
Lapeira	Paul	73	69	71	61	70	70	67	71	72	73	75	70	64
Louvel	Matis	75	64	71	71	73	76	69	74	67	67	67	66	71
Mestric	Matija	73	63	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67
Pithie	Laurence	72	66	72	71	73	73	70	73	72	73	67	72	69

While our puncheurs are riding in the Netherlands our cobblers head towards Norway. With a high percentage of cobbles Daniel should be among the favourites once again, especially with the deep support he once again has with him.

Start	End	Race	Cat
05-Mar	10-Mar	Vuelta a Colombia	PTHC	-

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
Chevrier	Clement	65	75	74	57	69	69	69	50	60	67	77	60	57
Delbove	Joris	65	74	72	58	67	72	74	62	60	69	71	72	58
Garibian	Arman	69	74	70	71	72	73	76	55	60	70	66	70	71
Hadi	Janvier	68	74	72	74	73	70	71	61	74	71	68	69	74
Hodeg	Alvaro	72	53	65	67	69	74	70	51	79	78	53	64	73
Pinot	Thibaut	70	78	72	63	73	76	70	56	60	66	70	65	63
Ranaweera	Suranga	67	80	73	76	75	75	74	52	58	65	57	69	73
Vauquelin	Kevin	68	73	67	72	68	72	70	58	68	68	71	70	71

The travel to Colombia is also Ranaweeras first outing as GC captain in a race where he can score points. He has a full support cast with him which also has some nice options for the breaks with riders like Chevrier, Hadi or Pinot. And home rider Hodeg is here to once again get us some nice result in one of the two sprint stages where we hope for a weak competition due to the four mountain stages.

Start	End	Race	Cat
12-Mar	16-Mar	Tour of Norway	HC

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
Belohvosciks	Kristians	70	60	62	67	69	71	65	62	59	67	69	65	72
Boileau	Alan	67	73	75	65	68	70	72	62	67	74	66	67	64
Le Gac	Olivier	70	69	77	60	73	74	71	52	64	69	74	73	60
Lund Andresen	Tobias	66	56	60	60	68	68	62	60	71	73	57	63	59
Oliveira	Rui	70	67	76	70	77	72	72	66	75	78	65	67	71
Paret-Peintre	Aurelien	72	76	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72
Paulus	Daniel	69	74	77	64	71	68	73	56	62	71	73	67	64
Pithie	Laurence	72	66	72	71	73	73	70	73	72	73	67	72	69

Our second trip to Norway this month is for the puncheurs. Oliveira is our sprinty option, but it’s mostly about APP here, who could do well in the GC if the last two stages are hard enough to drop the time trialists.

Start	End	Race	Cat
18-Mar	19-Mar	Franceville Classique	PTHC

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
Askey	Lewis	67	63	70	58	69	65	69	72	66	73	60	67	67
Belohvosciks	Kristians	70	60	62	67	69	71	65	62	59	67	69	65	72
Daniel	Maxime	72	55	68	55	75	75	72	79	75	71	68	73	63
Dunne	Conor	66	74	74	69	71	72	73	70	62	69	74	69	69
Juntunen	Antti-Jussi	68	63	72	61	67	70	65	61	68	71	68	61	60
Lapeira	Paul	73	69	71	61	70	70	67	71	72	73	75	70	64
Louvel	Matis	75	64	71	71	73	76	69	74	67	67	67	66	71
Mestric	Matija	73	63	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67

The Gabonese race is one of our personal favourites because who could not love a cobbled stage race? Daniel is clearly our biggest hope for a GC result, though he clearly won’t be among the top favourites with the PT competition. But we also hope for some U25 points here.

Start	End	Race	Cat
18-Mar	23-Mar	Tour of South Africa	C1

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
Berhe	Welay Hagos	67	71	69	69	71	68	71	60	61	66	67	64	67
Boileau	Alan	67	73	75	65	68	70	72	62	67	74	66	67	64
Costiou	Ewen	71	66	72	68	71	68	63	66	70	72	68	69	69
Garibian	Arman	69	74	70	71	72	73	76	55	60	70	66	70	71
Hadi	Janvier	68	74	72	74	73	70	71	61	74	71	68	69	74
Oliveira	Rui	70	67	76	70	77	72	72	66	75	78	65	67	71
Paret-Peintre	Aurelien	72	76	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72
Vauquelin	Kevin	68	73	67	72	68	72	70	58	68	68	71	70	71

This one is another chance for our puncheurs. The TTT is clearly a handicap, but our squad isn’t too bad there actually. And with 5 hilly stages there are plenty of opportunities for APP and Oliveira to score in the stages and the GC.

Start	End	Race	Cat
25-Mar		Strade Bianche	HC

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
Belohvosciks	Kristians	70	60	62	67	69	71	65	62	59	67	69	65	72
Berhe	Welay Hagos	67	71	69	69	71	68	71	60	61	66	67	64	67
Boileau	Alan	67	73	75	65	68	70	72	62	67	74	66	67	64
Costiou	Ewen	71	66	72	68	71	68	63	66	70	72	68	69	69
Daniel	Maxime	72	55	68	55	75	75	72	79	75	71	68	73	63
Lund Andresen	Tobias	66	56	60	60	68	68	62	60	71	73	57	63	59
Mestric	Matija	73	63	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67
Oliveira	Rui	70	67	76	70	77	72	72	66	75	78	65	67	71

Oliveira is our leader here with a supporting cast consisting mostly of our cobblers – our hopes aren’t too high here realistically.

Start	End	Race	Cat
27-Mar		1 Jour de Dunkerque	C1

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
Askey	Lewis	67	63	70	58	69	65	69	72	66	73	60	67	67
Costiou	Ewen	71	66	72	68	71	68	63	66	70	72	68	69	69
Daniel	Maxime	72	55	68	55	75	75	72	79	75	71	68	73	63
Dunne	Conor	66	74	74	69	71	72	73	70	62	69	74	69	69
Lapeira	Paul	73	69	71	61	70	70	67	71	72	73	75	70	64
Louvel	Matis	75	64	71	71	73	76	69	74	67	67	67	66	71
Mestric	Matija	73	63	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67
Pithie	Laurence	72	66	72	71	73	73	70	73	72	73	67	72	69

A cobbled classic and a home race: there is no doubt we have high hopes here for Daniel. He has his usual support cast with him.

Start	End	Race	Cat
29-Mar	31-Mar	Tour of Eritrea	C1

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
Belohvosciks	Kristians	70	60	62	67	69	71	65	62	59	67	69	65	72
Delbove	Joris	65	74	72	58	67	72	74	62	60	69	71	72	58
Garibian	Arman	69	74	70	71	72	73	76	55	60	70	66	70	71
Hodeg	Alvaro	72	53	65	67	69	74	70	51	79	78	53	64	73
Lund Andresen	Tobias	66	56	60	60	68	68	62	60	71	73	57	63	59
Pinot	Thibaut	70	78	72	63	73	76	70	56	60	66	70	65	63
Ranaweera	Suranga	67	80	73	76	75	75	74	52	58	65	57	69	73
Vauquelin	Kevin	68	73	67	72	68	72	70	58	68	68	71	70	71

This is probably the first race where Ranaweera could really be in contention for a high GC result. He has Pinot, Delbove, Garibian and Vauqulin here as support. And Hodeg is there once again, hoping for another weak field of sprinters.

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
01-Mar	03-Mar	Ronde van Nederland	-	Stage Podium; Stage Top 10; GC Top 10

We came to the Netherlands hoping for a better PT appearance than in Paris-Nice, but stage 1 began much the same way as our first wildcard race: no one in the break, not even being mentioned in the report for anything. At least until the very end of the stage when we got noted once when Oliveira rocketed out of nowhere to finish second in the sprint, only beaten by the thinnest of margins. That clearly was a great debut for the Portuguese in our team. He also did well on the flatter finish of the second stage where he finished 8th. He nearly stayed with the first group in the last stage too, finishing 11th there. All of that was enough for our Portuguese to get a 7th place in the final GC and a 6th place in the points classification. It’s been a great race from him!

points:

n/a

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
03-Mar		Lillestrom GP	-	Top 5

Our first trip to Norway this month was another show of good team tactics. Costiou and Askey joined the break and spared their teammates from chasing. In the finale Daniel was attentive and followed a potentially decisive attack. This one lead nowhere, but he still managed to sprint to another 4th place in the end.

points:	41
Maxime Daniel	41

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
12-Mar	16-Mar	Tour of Norway	-	GC Top 25; Stage Podium

The first two stages were about Oliveira snatching something from the sprints. He finished 11th in the first stage and 13th in stage 2, though it looked like a much better result until 300 m to the line. Our two top puncheurs lost quite some time in the ITT, though they still had some chances to climb in the GC in the final two hilly stages. APP did his best with a 3rd place in stage 4, but still only stayed around 20th place in the GC. The final stage saw a win from the break with some GC upsets as well. At least Le Gac was part of that break and managed a 4th place in the stage, while APP fell to 24th in the final GC. All in all the race was one of our weakest this season.

points:	38
Aurelien Paret-Peintre	24
Rui Oliveira	10
Olivier Le Gac	4

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
18-Mar	19-Mar	Franceville Classique	-	GC Top 25

Stage 1 was rather unspectacular for us, but with Mestric in the big break of the day and him as well as Daniel and Louvel in the first group in the end all was well. So it came down to stage 2 and Daniel managed a 17th place in the stage and a 16th in the GC. Mestric, Louvel, Lapeira and Dunne added some minor scoring, making it another good race for us.

points:	49
Maxime Daniel	33
Matija Mestric	7
Matis Louvel	5
Paul Lapeira	2
Conor Dunne	2

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
18-Mar	23-Mar	Tour of South Africa	-	2 GC Top 10s; 2 Stage Podiums; Teams Win; 2nd U25

Stage 1 saw APP and Oliveira finishing in the top 10 despite missing the decisive attack. Our Portuguese did even better with a 3rd place. Stage 3 was rather anonymous. Stage 4 saw a TTT where we at least had hopes to not lose too much time after sending a well-rounded and decent TTT squad – and we actually did pretty well! We finished in 5th, making it our best ever TTT result. Even more important this put Oliveira and APP in 5th and 7th in the GC. Costiou was 2nd in the U25 and 13th in the GC by then, putting us also in 2nd in the team classification. So all was set up for a great result. APP added a 2nd place in the 5th stage to climb even further in the GC. The team was able to convert this good setup to a great overall result in the final stage (though it looked like Oliveira would lose some time for quite a while): APP finished 5th in the GC, Oliveira 8th and Hadi in 18th. 3 of our young riders finished in the top 5 of the U25 classification with Garibian best among them as 2nd. And most of all we managed to win the team classification – a historic result marking another “first time ever” moment for the team. Add some more depth points in the various classifications and you get some very nice scoring.

points:	126
Aurelien Paret-Peintre	56
Rui Oliveira	42
Janvier Hadi	10
Arman Garibian	10
Kevin Vauquelin	5
Ewen Costiou	2
Alan Boileau	1

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
25-Mar		Strade Bianche	-	Top 25

Mestric initiated the break of the day so the team didn’t have to work in the pleoton. Oliveira took advantage of this and finished in 11th against an armada of better puncheurs.

points:	22
Rui Oliveira	22

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
27-Mar		1 Jour de Dunkerque	-	Top 10

After Daniels great cobbles campaign we had some hopes for one of our few home races. And our veteran added another top 10 result as 8th, though it seemed like he could get an even better result before fading in the final km. But the depth scoring clearly made up for this with Pithie, Louvel, Mestric and Lapeira adding nearly the same amount of points as our captain, making this race a success indeed.

points:	44
Maxime Daniel	24
Laurence Pithie	9
Matis Louvel	5
Matija Mestric	3
Paul Lapeira	3

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
29-Mar	31-Mar	Tour of Eritrea	-	GC Top 10; 2 Stage Top 10s

Hodeg finished 9th in the stage 1 sprint which is okay. Ranaweera and Pinot survived the hilly finish in stage 2 in the group of favourites, thus giving them a good platform for a nice GC finish. And they both delivered with a 6th and 16th place in the final stage, resulting in places 7 and 13 in the final GC.

points:	56
Suranga Ranaweera	40
Thibault Pinot	15
Arman Garibian	1

Start	End	Race	Cat
03-Apr	05-Apr	USA Pro Cycling Challenge	C1

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
	Alan Boileau	67	73	75	65	68	70	72	62	67	74	66	67	64
	Janvier Hadi	68	74	72	74	73	70	71	61	74	71	68	69	74
	Olivier Le Gac	70	69	77	60	73	74	71	52	64	69	74	73	60
	Matis Louvel	75	64	71	71	73	76	69	74	67	67	67	66	71
	Rui Oliveira	70	67	76	70	77	72	72	66	75	78	65	67	71
	Aurelien Paret-Peintre	72	76	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72
	Daniel Paulus	69	74	77	64	71	68	73	56	62	71	73	67	64
	Laurence Pithie	72	66	72	71	73	73	70	73	72	73	67	72	69

We start the month with our first goal race of the season. The redesign of the USA PCC route changed our view of the race from no-go (literally) to not-only-go-there-but-aim-high. With three hilly stages and three uphill finishes we send our complete puncheur squad here to make either APP work in his classic consistent way like in South Africa or get Oliveira to replicate his Ronde van Nederland performance. In any case the goal is a top 5 in the GC.

Start	End	Race	Cat
07-Apr	10-Apr	Tour of Lithuania	PTHC

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
	Welay Hagos Berhe	67	71	69	69	71	68	71	60	61	66	67	64	67
	Ewen Costiou	71	66	72	68	71	68	63	66	70	72	68	69	69
	Arman Garibian	69	74	70	71	72	73	76	55	60	70	66	70	71
	Janvier Hadi	68	74	72	74	73	70	71	61	74	71	68	69	74
	Paul Lapeira	73	69	71	61	70	70	67	71	72	73	75	70	64
	Matis Louvel	75	64	71	71	73	76	69	74	67	67	67	66	71
	Aurelien Paret-Peintre	72	76	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72
	Kevin Vauquelin	68	73	67	72	68	72	70	58	68	68	71	70	71

The trip to Lithuania is all about getting APP to a good GC result. We don’t have an intimidating TTT squad, but it’s an okay line-up if we can make the final stage hard enough to drop the TTers who are weaker in the hills. Let’s hope this works out better than in Norway

Start	End	Race	Cat
12-Apr	18-Apr	Tour de Pologne	HC

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
	Kristians Belohvosciks	70	60	62	67	69	71	65	62	59	67	69	65	72
	Alan Boileau	67	73	75	65	68	70	72	62	67	74	66	67	64
	Alvaro Hodeg	72	53	65	67	69	74	70	51	79	78	53	64	73
	Paul Lapeira	73	69	71	61	70	70	67	71	72	73	75	70	64
	Olivier Le Gac	70	69	77	60	73	74	71	52	64	69	74	73	60
	Tobias Lund Andresen	66	56	60	60	68	68	62	60	71	73	57	63	59
	Daniel Paulus	69	74	77	64	71	68	73	56	62	71	73	67	64
	Laurence Pithie	72	66	72	71	73	73	70	73	72	73	67	72	69

We come to Poland hunting stages. Hodeg is hoping for another weaker sprinter field and the other riders will be mainly looking for the breaks, though we surely won’t mind if one of our puncheurs gets a minor GC result.

Start	End	Race	Cat
28-Apr		Lisbon Classic	HC

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR
	Kristians Belohvosciks	70	60	62	67	69	71	65	62	59	67	69	65	72
	Ewen Costiou	71	66	72	68	71	68	63	66	70	72	68	69	69
	Alvaro Hodeg	72	53	65	67	69	74	70	51	79	78	53	64	73
	Antti-Jussi Juntunen	68	63	72	61	67	70	65	61	68	71	68	61	60
	Paul Lapeira	73	69	71	61	70	70	67	71	72	73	75	70	64
	Tobias Lund Andresen	66	56	60	60	68	68	62	60	71	73	57	63	59
	Rui Oliveira	70	67	76	70	77	72	72	66	75	78	65	67	71
	Laurence Pithie	72	66	72	71	73	73	70	73	72	73	67	72	69

We have to go to Lisbon anyway, so we chose to get Oliveira a home race. He could be a genuine thread if the profile proves to be hard enough. Otherwise we have Hodeg if the race turns out to be rather easy – but maybe our best chance is to hope for another surprise from the break.

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
03-Apr	05-Apr	USA Pro Cycling Challenge	Top 5	GC Top 10; Stage Podium; 2nd Teams

Our first goal race of the season was all about getting APP and / or Oliveira into the leading group in every single stage. The first stage saw the team working in the chase of the break and our both captains indeed finished with the leaders. APP actually finished second in the stage, thus also securing some precious bonus seconds. He added a 11th place in stage 2, thus missing out on the bonus seconds and dropping to 5th in the GC. A 10th place in the final stage resulted in a 7th place in the GC, missing our team goal by 2 places and 3 seconds. With Oliveira losing some time in the final stage he fell way down in the GC, though we got some minor depth scoring from a bunch of riders finishing around 30th in the GC and the resulting U25 points and a 2nd place in the team classification.

points:	71
Aurelien Paret-Peintre	58
Rui Oliveira	4
Daniel Paulus	3
Alan Boileau	3
Janvier Hadi	2
Laurence Pithie	1

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
07-Apr	10-Apr	Tour of Lithuania	-	-

Stage 1 would have been a good opportunity to get someone in the break and fight for some KoM points – the emphasis here is clearly at “it would have been”. In the end nearly the entire team was caught on the wrong side of some splits, but our most important rider in APP made it to the finish in the first group. In stage 2 our riders were totally anonymous. We got a shared 10th place in the TTT, so APP was only 45’’ down before the decisive final stage. This gave him all chances for a good GC result. But he was caught in a split in the final stage and thus was badly positioned once the big guns began the fight for the stage. In the end he ended 29th in the GC which is a bit of a bummer, especially when a top 15 would have been possible otherwise. In addition the depth scoring was rather poor too, with 3 riders missing just out in places between 102 and 110.

points:	15
Aurelien Paret-Peintre	13
Janvier Hadi	2

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
12-Apr	18-Apr	Tour de Pologne	-	Stage Top 10s

With no GC contender in our rows the stage 1 prologue was eventless for us as was stage 2. Hodeg was badly positioned in the sprint of the following stage but powered to a 6th place nonetheless. He seemed to do even better in stage 4, but ultimately faded to 10th position. The team chose total anonymity as our tactic for stage 5 - and stage 6 as well, while they were at it. At least Le Gac opted for a breakaway appearance in the final stage, resulting in a 5th place in the KoM competition and a stellar 45th place in the GC, thus getting us to a two-digit points haul, but only just …

points:	12
Olivier Le Gac	9
Alvaro Hodeg	3

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
28-Apr		Lisbon Classic	-	-

We got Belohvosciks into the break (once again) and so the team didn’t have to work. And it didn’t, by which we mean that Hodeg was dropped early (which was to be expected) and Oliveira missed the decisive split as well. In the end our young Latvian loanee managed to stay with the front group and at least score us some very minor points.

points:	5
Kristians Belohvosciks	5

Start	End	Race	Cat
01-May		Cheshire Cycling Tour	PTHC

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Lewis Askey	67	63	70	58	69	65	69	72	66	73	60	67	67	23
	Ewen Costiou	71	66	72	68	71	68	63	66	70	72	68	69	69	22
	Maxime Daniel	72	55	68	55	75	75	72	79	75	71	68	73	63	33
	Conor Dunne	66	74	74	69	71	72	73	70	62	69	74	69	69	32
	Antti-Jussi Juntunen	68	63	72	61	67	70	65	61	68	71	68	61	60	25
	Paul Lapeira	73	69	71	61	70	70	67	71	72	73	75	70	64	24
	Matis Louvel	75	64	71	71	73	76	69	74	67	67	67	66	71	25
	Matija Mestric	73	63	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	27

We start the month with another cobbled classic. Daniel might not be among the favourites in a PTHC field, but he should be able to get us a good result around the top 15 nonetheless. If the likes of Mestric, Louvel or Lapeira are able to add some depth scoring it should be a good race for us.

Start	End	Race	Cat
01-May		Pro Hallstatt Classic	C1

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Welay Hagos Berhe	67	71	69	69	71	68	71	60	61	66	67	64	67	23
	Clement Chevrier	65	75	74	57	69	69	69	50	60	67	77	60	57	32
	Joris Delbove	65	74	72	58	67	72	74	62	60	69	71	72	58	24
	Arman Garibian	69	74	70	71	72	73	76	55	60	70	66	70	71	24
	Janvier Hadi	68	74	72	74	73	70	71	61	74	71	68	69	74	32
	Thibaut Pinot	70	78	72	63	73	76	70	56	60	66	70	65	63	34
	Suranga Ranaweera	67	80	73	76	75	75	74	52	58	65	57	69	73	29
	Kevin Vauquelin	68	73	67	72	68	72	70	58	68	68	71	70	71	23

Next we head to Austria for the only mountain classic in the PCT. Ranaweera and Pinot are our major scoring options here, but for a big result both are probably not the right kind of rider (anymore).

Start	End	Race	Cat
03-May	08-May	Tour de Romandie	HC

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Kristians Belohvosciks	70	60	62	67	69	71	65	62	59	67	69	65	72	22
	Welay Hagos Berhe	67	71	69	69	71	68	71	60	61	66	67	64	67	23
	Ewen Costiou	71	66	72	68	71	68	63	66	70	72	68	69	69	22
	Conor Dunne	66	74	74	69	71	72	73	70	62	69	74	69	69	32
	Tobias Lund Andresen	66	56	60	60	68	68	62	60	71	73	57	63	59	22
	Laurence Pithie	72	66	72	71	73	73	70	73	72	73	67	72	69	22
	Suranga Ranaweera	67	80	73	76	75	75	74	52	58	65	57	69	73	29
	Kevin Vauquelin	68	73	67	72	68	72	70	58	68	68	71	70	71	23

A big mountain stage, a MTT and a TTT. It’s clear we’re all in for Ranaweera here. Our TTT squad might not be among the best, but it’s proven to be rock solid this season so we hope for a really good result here. Top 10 should be a given, top 5 is the hope.

Start	End	Race	Cat
26-May	31-May	Vuelta al Pais Vasco	C1

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Kristians Belohvosciks	70	60	62	67	69	71	65	62	59	67	69	65	72	22
	Alan Boileau	67	73	75	65	68	70	72	62	67	74	66	67	64	25
	Ewen Costiou	71	66	72	68	71	68	63	66	70	72	68	69	69	22
	Olivier Le Gac	70	69	77	60	73	74	71	52	64	69	74	73	60	31
	Tobias Lund Andresen	66	56	60	60	68	68	62	60	71	73	57	63	59	22
	Aurelien Paret-Peintre	72	76	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72	28
	Daniel Paulus	69	74	77	64	71	68	73	56	62	71	73	67	64	31
	Kevin Vauquelin	68	73	67	72	68	72	70	58	68	68	71	70	71	23

4 days of hills, an ITT and a TTT. It’s clearly a setup where APP could do great. The biggest flaw could be the TTT as we’re here with a rather weak TTT lineup.

Start	End	Race	Cat
01-Jun	03-Jun	Scandinavia Open Road Race	PT

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Alan Boileau	67	73	75	65	68	70	72	62	67	74	66	67	64	25
	Clement Chevrier	65	75	74	57	69	69	69	50	60	67	77	60	57	32
	Antti-Jussi Juntunen	68	63	72	61	67	70	65	61	68	71	68	61	60	25
	Paul Lapeira	73	69	71	61	70	70	67	71	72	73	75	70	64	24
	Olivier Le Gac	70	69	77	60	73	74	71	52	64	69	74	73	60	31
	Matis Louvel	75	64	71	71	73	76	69	74	67	67	67	66	71	25
	Aurelien Paret-Peintre	72	76	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72	28
	Daniel Paulus	69	74	77	64	71	68	73	56	62	71	73	67	64	31

We head to the North for our second to last WC race of the season. It’s three days of hills, so we send APP with some support to see what he can get out of it. With the top PT puncheurs probably there too he’ll be rather down the list though.

Start	End	Race	Cat
05-Jun	08-Jun	Tour of East Java	PTHC

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Maxime Daniel	72	55	68	55	75	75	72	79	75	71	68	73	63	33
	Alvaro Hodeg	72	53	65	67	69	74	70	51	79	78	53	64	73	28
	Antti-Jussi Juntunen	68	63	72	61	67	70	65	61	68	71	68	61	60	25
	Paul Lapeira	73	69	71	61	70	70	67	71	72	73	75	70	64	24
	Matis Louvel	75	64	71	71	73	76	69	74	67	67	67	66	71	25
	Matija Mestric	73	63	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	27
	Thibaut Pinot	70	78	72	63	73	76	70	56	60	66	70	65	63	34
	Suranga Ranaweera	67	80	73	76	75	75	74	52	58	65	57	69	73	29

We send Hodeg for the three flat stages, hoping for another rather weak sprinter lineup. He actually has some support from our cobbles squad, so maybe he can get some better positioning than in the last races. And then there are Ranaweera and Pinot for the mountain stage and GC. Our hopes will heavily depend on the others climbers on the startlist though.

Start	End	Race	Cat
20-Jun	26-Jun	Tour of California	HC

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Clement Chevrier	65	75	74	57	69	69	69	50	60	67	77	60	57	32
	Joris Delbove	65	74	72	58	67	72	74	62	60	69	71	72	58	24
	Arman Garibian	69	74	70	71	72	73	76	55	60	70	66	70	71	24
	Janvier Hadi	68	74	72	74	73	70	71	61	74	71	68	69	74	32
	Matis Louvel	75	64	71	71	73	76	69	74	67	67	67	66	71	25
	Thibaut Pinot	70	78	72	63	73	76	70	56	60	66	70	65	63	34
	Suranga Ranaweera	67	80	73	76	75	75	74	52	58	65	57	69	73	29
	Kevin Vauquelin	68	73	67	72	68	72	70	58	68	68	71	70	71	23

It’s another race where we’re going for the GC with Ranaweera. The prologue and ITT should play in his favour here. We also don’t send Hodeg and waive the flat stages to achieve a good GC result.

Start	End	Race	Cat
21-Jun	24-Jun	Tour of Luxembourg	C2

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Alex Baudin	65	66	66	66	68	66	67	63	63	66	67	65	63	23
	Kristians Belohvosciks	70	60	62	67	69	71	65	62	59	67	69	65	72	22
	Welay Hagos Berhe	67	71	69	69	71	68	71	60	61	66	67	64	67	23
	Ewen Costiou	71	66	72	68	71	68	63	66	70	72	68	69	69	22
	Olivier Le Gac	70	69	77	60	73	74	71	52	64	69	74	73	60	31
	Tobias Lund Andresen	66	56	60	60	68	68	62	60	71	73	57	63	59	22
	Daniel Paulus	69	74	77	64	71	68	73	56	62	71	73	67	64	31
	Laurence Pithie	72	66	72	71	73	73	70	73	72	73	67	72	69	22

The Tour of Luxembourg was a late addition to the calendar and when we chose to go for hilly races in our mandatory C2 appearances it seemed a good opportunity to get some stage results and most of all a good GC result out of it. With Paulus and Le Gac we have two options for those goals and hope to rob some nice points from the CT teams here.

Start	End	Race	Cat
28-Jun		Clasica San Sebastian	PTHC

		FL	MO	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Alan Boileau	67	73	75	65	68	70	72	62	67	74	66	67	64	25
	Joris Delbove	65	74	72	58	67	72	74	62	60	69	71	72	58	24
	Antti-Jussi Juntunen	68	63	72	61	67	70	65	61	68	71	68	61	60	25
	Paul Lapeira	73	69	71	61	70	70	67	71	72	73	75	70	64	24
	Matis Louvel	75	64	71	71	73	76	69	74	67	67	67	66	71	25
	Rui Oliveira	70	67	76	70	77	72	72	66	75	78	65	67	71	28
	Aurelien Paret-Peintre	72	76	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72	28
	Daniel Paulus	69	74	77	64	71	68	73	56	62	71	73	67	64	31

We end the month with a hilly PTHC classic. APP or Oliveira could do well, but with the expected PT competition they could also fail big.

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
05-Mar	10-Mar	Vuelta a Colombia	-	GC Top 25s; Stage podium; Stage Top 5; Stage Top 10s

The race began with a pleasant surprise when Hodeg used his home advantage to sprint to a good 3rd place in the first stage. Day 2 went to the last survivor of the break which was also joined by Chevrier, but Vauquelin showed himself with a 9th place. Stage 3 saw the GC battle begin and Ranaweera finished 14th there, pretty much where he could be expected. The next stage was the last opportunity for the sprinters and Hodeg finished 5th, adding another fine sprint result in a PTHC race. The last two stages were reserved for the GC fight – and Ranaweera took a day off in the first of them, finishing 63rd and losing more than 7 minutes, entering the last stage as 30th in the GC. So our hope for the final stage had to be to get him (and maybe some others) in the break. In the end only Pinot joined the break though, at least he finished 7th in the stage and jumped to 25th in the GC – two places behind Ranaweera who at least made up some ground.

points:	61
Alvaro Hodeg	20
Suranga Ranaweera	18
Thibault Pinot	18
Clement Chevrier	3
Kevin Vauquelin	2

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
01-May		Cheshire Cycling Tour	-	Top 25

Dunne made it into the break – and he was our best finisher in the end in 19th place. The hills were just too much for Daniel who finished well down the ranks, so it was even more important that our Irishman got us something out of the race.

points:	17
Conor Dunne	13
Paul Lapeira	2
Maxime Daniel	2

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
01-May		Pro Hallstatt Classic	-	Top 5

This time Berhe was our man in the break. He was among the last riders caught, allowing us to not work in the chase and keep Ranaweera in a good position. He actually was on the attack in the finale and led the race with 200 m to go. He still finished 4th, a result we would have taken happily pre-race, so his attacking spirit just adds to this good result.

points:	41
Suranga Ranaweera	41

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
03-May	08-May	Tour de Romandie	-	GC Top 10; 2 Stage Top 10s

The first two stages were kind of a prologue in this race. We finished 15th out of 24 in the initial TTT which was about the best we could expect, only losing 33’’ to the winners. For some reason we dropped our leader and best TTer Ranaweera at the end who lost 3’’ more. We weren’t involved in anything happening in stage 2 which was fine given we had no sprinter anyway and would always have to focus on the following three stages. The first of those was rated hilly, so we could live with Ranaweera finishing 11th in the front group. He finished two places better in the following mountain stage, but he lost some time there. The following MTT saw him in 7th place, only 7’’ behind the winner. This resulted in a 9th place in the GC which was also his final result. We missed the big winning break in the last stage, but Pithie showed his talent by finishing 3rd in the sprint of the field.

points:	55
Suranga Ranaweera	55

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
26-May	31-May	Vuelta al Pais Vasco	-	GC Top 5; Stage Podium; Stage Top 5; Stage Top 10s; 2nd Points

The race began with a TTT and we did okay with 14th given our line-up. APP had to gain some time in the GC though and he started right on the next day with a second place and some bonus seconds after the team worked all day. He added a 7th place in the third stage after altering tactics and sending Belohvosciks (once again) into the break. The next stage was a 18 km ITT where APP lost some more time, so he entered the final two stages in 42nd with a gap of 2 minutes. And though he missed the decisive attack in stage 5 he finished 6th there after a late counter attack, moving into 5th in the GC and 2nd in the points classification. This also were his final positions after a 5th place in the final stage.

points:	88
Aurelien Paret-Peintre	85
Alan Boileau	2
Kevin Vauquelin	1

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Lewis Askey	16	170	10,6	2

Lewis already had his big moment early in the season, winning the Great Ocean Road Race from the break and thus clearly making his signing worth the money. He wasn’t signed for his results anyway, so it’s no surprise there weren’t any more. But he was also part of the cobbles squad and has his fair share in their good results.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Alex Baudin	2	0	0,0	0

Alex was only allowed to race in one C2 classic as a stagiaire, but the team did well there and that’s about as good as we could expect from him.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Kristians Belohvosciks	43	5	0,1	7

Kristians didn’t score any points yet, but he’s been very active in the breaks and was single-handedly responsible for one third of our breakaway appearances thus far. quadsas has clearly another nice young talent for his team here.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Welay Hagos Berhe	32	0	0,0	1

Welay was rather anonymous so far, but as part of our TTT lineup he’s doing his work for Ranaweera and APP when needed.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Alan Boileau	29	6	0,2	0

Alan is another of our talents just doing his work. He also adds some minor points here and there, but will grow into a bigger role next season once maxed.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Clement Chevrier	16	3	0,2	1

Clement was a late addition to work for Ranaweera and go for the occasional break. He did the former, but we wouldn’t mind him to be more active in his final maxed season.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Ewen Costiou	48	2	0,0	2

Ewen is doing well for a neo-pro, working at the front of the peloton mainly for APP. He’ll clearly get his own opportunities when further developed.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Maxime Daniel	18	356	19,8	0

Maxime was signed to lead our cobbles squad – and how he did that! He made a huge entrance with some top results (including our first cobbles win in Le Samyn). And though he had some worse races lately we would be entirely satisfied if he got his results in another order, so we choose to be entirely satisfied with him. But we’ll clearly also need another cobbles leader for next season after his second decline.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Joris Delbove	23	0	0,0	0

Joris was completely anonymous until now. We’ll see if he actually can step into the Chevrier role once maxed.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Conor Dunne	18	15	0,8	2

Conor was signed as a helper for all terrains and he does his work well with his breakaway appearance and good result in Cheshire Cycling Tour as his highlight so far.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Arman Garibian	29	11	0,4	0

Arman is another of our level 4 talents who’s riding rather under the radar this season while doing his work mainly for Ranaweera and in the TTT squad, but will have to step up after being maxed.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Janvier Hadi	31	14	0,5	0

Janvier is another part of the TTT squad, but he’s also getting some minor depth results for his own. He could actually be on his way for another contract after his first decline.

rider	RDs	points	PpRD	BotDs
Alvaro Hodeg	34	67	2,0	0

Alvaro is our main sprinter this season for the flat races and stages, hoping for the occasional upset in the sprint lotteries. He got those (including a win in Portugal) especially in the PTHC races, giving him a good points tally for now.