whitejersey wrote:

Don't think it comes as a surprise to anyone that this is an unreal talent crop. If you manage to stabilise this year in PCT you should be able to have one of the most amazing young rosters with a strong regional focus moving forward, fantastic work!

knockout wrote:

Some interesting wildcards. Im most curious to see your team in ToNE and who will be treated as the leader by the AI with Zepuntke being the better cobbler for the early cobbles stage that could be crucial but Kung being the one with the best shot at a GC position imo.

AbhishekLFC wrote:

Packed start of the season, along with an early wildcard. Exciting!

seancoll wrote:

Rajovic is obviously a great option in the two sprint classics, but what a flat demon duo of Katrasnik and Quispe. I expect one of them to make a huge difference in at least one of the races. For you, hopefully both!

Good luck to start the year!

Start	End	Race	Cat
01-Feb		Omloop Het Nieuwsblad	HC

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Matis Louvel	77	64	68	72	73	75	78	70	76	67	67	67	66	73	26
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Alain Quispe	81	52	53	53	61	63	61	65	53	67	74	85	55	61	31
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32
	Ruben Zepuntke	72	56	63	69	65	79	72	64	82	72	65	66	68	65	32

We send our (nearly) best setup to the traditional cobbles opening weekend with only Kung missing. With Zepuntke among the division’s best cobblers we hope for a podium and some depth.

Start	End	Race	Cat
03-Feb		Viana do Castelo	C1

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Stefan Kung	73	70	72	73	77	74	72	73	72	63	71	73	78	78	32
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Matis Louvel	77	64	68	72	73	75	78	70	76	67	67	67	66	73	26
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32
	Ruben Zepuntke	72	56	63	69	65	79	72	64	82	72	65	66	68	65	32

Cobbles part 2 and now we have our best lineup including Kung. The profile is pretty unique with its mix of cobbles and big hills. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Swiss will be our best rider here.

Start	End	Race	Cat
14-Feb	16-Feb	Tour of Eritrea	C1

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Alan Boileau	67	75	76	77	65	68	71	73	62	67	76	68	67	64	26
	Arman Garibian	70	76	74	71	73	74	75	78	55	60	71	66	70	73	25
	Lenny Martinez	65	72	71	70	65	70	72	71	57	56	72	70	70	64	22
	Thibaut Pinot	68	76	73	70	61	70	73	66	54	58	63	68	63	61	35
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Dusan Rajovic	72	58	61	64	59	70	76	70	55	78	82	57	57	62	28
	Suranga Ranaweera	67	80	77	73	76	75	75	74	52	58	65	57	69	73	30
	Kevin Vauquelin	69	77	73	69	74	70	74	73	58	68	69	72	71	73	24

We send Ranaweera here to aim for the GC and he’s got plenty of help with him. Vauquelin could get a good result in the U25 classification and Rajovic is here for the mass sprint in stage 1.

Start	End	Race	Cat
19-Feb		Le Samyn	HC

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Matis Louvel	77	64	68	72	73	75	78	70	76	67	67	67	66	73	26
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Alain Quispe	81	52	53	53	61	63	61	65	53	67	74	85	55	61	31
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32
	Ruben Zepuntke	72	56	63	69	65	79	72	64	82	72	65	66	68	65	32

It’s the same lineup as in Omloop and so are the goals: getting Zepuntke on the podium and adding some depth.

Start	End	Race	Cat
25-Feb		Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne	HC

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Matis Louvel	77	64	68	72	73	75	78	70	76	67	67	67	66	73	26
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Alain Quispe	81	52	53	53	61	63	61	65	53	67	74	85	55	61	31
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32
	Ruben Zepuntke	72	56	63	69	65	79	72	64	82	72	65	66	68	65	32

It’s the third HC cobbles classic of the month, it’s the same squad once again and so are the goals for this race.

Start	End	Race	Cat
28-Feb		Gent - Wevelgem	C2

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Gabriel Grozev	66	65	68	70	63	67	67	67	60	62	64	66	67	63	22
	Alexandre Kess	66	68	69	69	65	67	68	70	57	62	64	65	66	64	22
	Jesse Kramer	70	57	59	61	60	65	67	66	67	68	66	69	62	63	22
	Lenny Martinez	65	72	71	70	65	70	72	71	57	56	72	70	70	64	22
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32

The final classic of the month is our first C2 outing of the season. Our lineup will be the same for all our C2 races with our five neo-pros to gather XP, Costiou to do so as well as being a decent domestique for our two captains Mestric and Roosen. With the weak cobbler field in the CT we have some hopes to get a nice result here, though that’s far from a given.

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
08-Jan	10-Jan	Tour of Tasmania	-	-

Stage 1 was rather unspectacular after Pringle wasn’t able to join the break. But our loaned in Kiwi was rewarded for his effort nonetheless by taking the white jersey after a 25th place in the stage. Stage 2 saw Pringle on the attack again, this time joined by Akhmaevi. Both weren’t able to really compete for KoM points (let alone the stage win), so we had to put or hopes on APP for stage glory and Kung to hold on for a good GC result. But in the end the stage was to unselective for our puncheur who finished in 25th and just that bit too selective for Kung who lost a minute. The final TT was rather anonymous and so were the GC results with a 29th and 38th place.

points:

n/a

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
08-Jan		Down Under Classic	-	Top 5; Top 25

We weren’t able to join the break, but with the short distance the peloton didn’t really allow anyone away anyway. In the end we had to rely on Rajovic in the sprint and our loaned in sprinter did really well to finish 5th in a stacked field and get us a good start to the season. Our rouleur duo also got some minor points in the end.

points:	71
Dusan Rajovic	61
Gasper Katrasnik	5
Alain Quispe	5

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
13-Jan	20-Jan	Volta a Portugal	-	GC Top 5; Stage Top 10

We had high hopes for this races once we saw the startlist. The prologue had Ranaweera in the middle of the GC riders. The flat stage 2 was totally anonymous for us. Ranaweera finished in the second group in stage 3, losing some seconds on some of the GC rivals. The next three stages were quiet for us which was a good sign as it also meant that Ranaweera didn’t lose any further time while gaining some time on some of the other GC guys in stage 6. Our GC leader managed a 8th place in the ITT, putting him in a good 5th place before the decisive mountain stage with only weaker climbers in front of him. Unfortunately the last stage wasn’t hard enough to gain much time on the other riders, so he ended 4th in the GC, being only beaten by some better TTers from the PT.

points:	145
Suranga Ranaweera	119
Arman Garibian	15
Kevin Vauquelin	3
Thibault Pinot	2
Lenny Martinez	2
Sulkhan Akhmaevi	2
Alexandre Kess	2

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
30-Jan		Great Ocean Road Classic	-	3 Top 25s

To make it short: it was another anonymous race for us, but Rajovic in 17th and Quispe and Katrasnik in 22nd and 23rd at least got us some solid points out of the race.

points:	10
Dusan Rajovic	6
Alain Quispe	2
Gasper Katrasnik	2

Start	End	Race	Cat
05-Mar		Strade Bianche	HC

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Matis Louvel	77	64	68	72	73	75	78	70	76	67	67	67	66	73	26
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Thibaut Pinot	68	76	73	70	61	70	73	66	54	58	63	68	63	61	35
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32
	Ruben Zepuntke	72	56	63	69	65	79	72	64	82	72	65	66	68	65	32

It’s a mix of cobbles (or more precisely gravel) and hills, so it’s no surprise we send our cobbles squad here. It’s probably another profile not optimal for Zepuntke, but the likes of Louvel or Lapeira could do well as well.

Start	End	Race	Cat
10-Mar		Macskako Kerekparverseny	HC

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Gasper Katrasnik	81	61	62	63	69	72	76	69	63	63	72	81	73	69	30
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Matis Louvel	77	64	68	72	73	75	78	70	76	67	67	67	66	73	26
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32
	Ruben Zepuntke	72	56	63	69	65	79	72	64	82	72	65	66	68	65	32

IT’s essentially the same here as in Strade Bianche, so we send essentially the same squad as well (just with Katrasnik replacing Pinot).

Start	End	Race	Cat
12-Mar		Lillestrom GP	C1

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Gasper Katrasnik	81	61	62	63	69	72	76	69	63	63	72	81	73	69	30
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Matis Louvel	77	64	68	72	73	75	78	70	76	67	67	67	66	73	26
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32
	Ruben Zepuntke	72	56	63	69	65	79	72	64	82	72	65	66	68	65	32

It’s cobbles part 3 and the exactly same squad as in Hungary. This time the profile should suit Zepuntke much better, so a podium is the hope.

Start	End	Race	Cat
14-Mar	18-Mar	Tour of Norway	HC

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Sulkhan Akhmaevi	68	71	70	68	77	69	69	71	60	61	65	63	63	73	28
	Alan Boileau	67	75	76	77	65	68	71	73	62	67	76	68	67	64	26
	Alexandre Kess	66	68	69	69	65	67	68	70	57	62	64	65	66	64	22
	Stefan Kung	73	70	72	73	77	74	72	73	72	63	71	73	78	78	32
	Lenny Martinez	65	72	71	70	65	70	72	71	57	56	72	70	70	64	22
	Aurelien Paret-Peintre	72	76	77	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72	29
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Dusan Rajovic	72	58	61	64	59	70	76	70	55	78	82	57	57	62	28

The first non-cobbled non-classic race of the month leads the squad to Norway once again. We have riders for all three terrains of the race: Rajovic for the flat stages 1 and 2, Kung and Akhmaevi for an outside shot at the ITT in stage 3 and APP for the final two hilly stages. Depending on how selective the hilly stages will be our GC hopes lie on Kung and / or APP.

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

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Gasper Katrasnik	81	61	62	63	69	72	76	69	63	63	72	81	73	69	30
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Matis Louvel	77	64	68	72	73	75	78	70	76	67	67	67	66	73	26
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Alain Quispe	81	52	53	53	61	63	61	65	53	67	74	85	55	61	31
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32
	Ruben Zepuntke	72	56	63	69	65	79	72	64	82	72	65	66	68	65	32

While our puncheurs and TTers are in Norway our cobbles squad is back together (this time with Quipse instead of Pringle) to challenge another hills-cobbles hybrid classic. It’s also a home race, so our sponsors are hoping for a good result.

Start	End	Race	Cat
20-Mar	22-Mar	Tour of Ukraine	PTHC

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Sulkhan Akhmaevi	68	71	70	68	77	69	69	71	60	61	65	63	63	73	28
	Arman Garibian	70	76	74	71	73	74	75	78	55	60	71	66	70	73	25
	Stefan Kung	73	70	72	73	77	74	72	73	72	63	71	73	78	78	32
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Thibaut Pinot	68	76	73	70	61	70	73	66	54	58	63	68	63	61	35
	Alain Quispe	81	52	53	53	61	63	61	65	53	67	74	85	55	61	31
	Suranga Ranaweera	67	80	77	73	76	75	75	74	52	58	65	57	69	73	30
	Kevin Vauquelin	69	77	73	69	74	70	74	73	58	68	69	72	71	73	24

A race with two TTs out of three total stages wouldn’t have been in our calendar in the past years. This year we send our TT squad to get us at least some depth points with Kung, Akhmaevi and Ranaweera. If stage two proves to be actually selective our Sri Lankan could be in for a good individual result as well.

Start	End	Race	Cat
20-Mar		E3 Prijs	PT

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Alexandre Kess	66	68	69	69	65	67	68	70	57	62	64	65	66	64	22
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Matis Louvel	77	64	68	72	73	75	78	70	76	67	67	67	66	73	26
	Lenny Martinez	65	72	71	70	65	70	72	71	57	56	72	70	70	64	22
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32
	Ruben Zepuntke	72	56	63	69	65	79	72	64	82	72	65	66	68	65	32

The fifth cobbled races of the month is a wildcard race. We hope for a good showing of Zepunkte, although he doesn’t get his whole support squad because the available XP is also needed for some youngsters.

Start	End	Race	Cat
22-Mar	26-Mar	Tour of Britain	C1

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Alan Boileau	67	75	76	77	65	68	71	73	62	67	76	68	67	64	26
	Alexandre Kess	66	68	69	69	65	67	68	70	57	62	64	65	66	64	22
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Lenny Martinez	65	72	71	70	65	70	72	71	57	56	72	70	70	64	22
	Aurelien Paret-Peintre	72	76	77	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72	29
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Dusan Rajovic	72	58	61	64	59	70	76	70	55	78	82	57	57	62	28
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32

Our second hilly stage race of the month is also our first goal race of the season. Like last year on paper we’re here for the win, but realistically APP should be able to challenge for a GC top 10 and some stage results in the last three stages. Rajovic is also here to get some results in the first two stages.

Start	End	Race	Cat
28-Mar	29-Mar	Franceville Classique	PTHC

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Gasper Katrasnik	81	61	62	63	69	72	76	69	63	63	72	81	73	69	30
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Matis Louvel	77	64	68	72	73	75	78	70	76	67	67	67	66	73	26
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Alain Quispe	81	52	53	53	61	63	61	65	53	67	74	85	55	61	31
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32
	Ruben Zepuntke	72	56	63	69	65	79	72	64	82	72	65	66	68	65	32

And back to the cobbles for our second goal race of the month and season. The targeted top 10 won’t be a given, but should be a realistic goal for Zepuntke nonetheless.

Start	End	Race	Cat
31-Mar		Geraardsbergen - Bosberg	C2

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Gabriel Grozev	66	65	68	70	63	67	67	67	60	62	64	66	67	63	22
	Alexandre Kess	66	68	69	69	65	67	68	70	57	62	64	65	66	64	22
	Jesse Kramer	70	57	59	61	60	65	67	66	67	68	66	69	62	63	22
	Lenny Martinez	65	72	71	70	65	70	72	71	57	56	72	70	70	64	22
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	[b]76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32

And the last race of the month is the 7th and final cobbled one. This time we don’t expect a result from Zepuntke as he’s not C2 eligible, but we have some hopes for a good result from Mestric or Roosen nonetheless.

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
01-Feb		Omloop Het Nieuwsblad	-	Top 10

As one of the pre-race favourites we obviously didn’t send someone into the break. But apparently the work in the peloton was too tiresome for our helpers to be still around when the favourites began attacking. Zepuntke even was dropped at some point but came back just in time to participate in the final sprint. He got a decent 6th place out of it, making for an okay start of his cobbles season.

points:	53
Ruben Zepuntke	53

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
03-Feb		Viana do Castelo	-	4 Top 25s

On paper Zepuntke is our leader in every cobbled race, but it was clear this parcours wouldn’t suit him overly well. The team worked hard, but Ruben was ultimately dropped from the group of favourites once he was on his own. 11th isn’t great, but also no catastrophe. In addition Louvel, Lapeira and Küng finished in 15th to 17th and added some good depth scoring while also showing we might better go with the two Frenchmen as our leaders here next year.

points:	33
Ruben Zepuntke	12
Matis Louvel	8
Paul Lapeira	7
Stefan Küng	6

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
14-Feb	16-Feb	Tour of Eritrea	-	Stage Podium; GC Top 25; 2nd U25

Stage 1 was one for the sprinters and Rajovic did his job well by getting our first podium of the season with a 3rd place. Ranaweera did well in the hilly second stage where he finished 11th (and more importantly in the group of favourites) and lost no time to his main rivals. Stage 3 was near to a disaster with Ranaweera only in 27th place, resulting in a 20th place in the GC. At least our youngsters got us some U25 points with Garibian in 2nd and Vauquelin in 4th in this classification.

points:	21
Dusan Rajovic	7
Suranga Ranaweera	6
Arman Garibian	6
Kevin Vauquelin	2

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
19-Feb		Le Samyn	-	Top 25

Zepuntke was part of a fruitless attack late in the race, but in the end ended well within the pack in the final sprint, only finishing 13th. On top we scored no depth points, making this race a rather disappointing one.

points:	15
Ruben Zepuntke	15

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
25-Feb		Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne	-	Win; Top 25

After the last cobbles results got more and more frustrating Zepuntke finally showed what we signed him for. He was attentive, followed attacks, chased down the other favourites and launched the decisive attack in the end, winning the race solo. It’s not only been our first win of the season, but also the first one since February last season, making it all the sweeter. Louvel also had a great race working at the front of the peloton and scoring some points as well.

points:	149
Ruben Zepuntke	140
Matis Louvel	9

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
28-Feb		Gent - Wevelgem	-	Top 10; Top 25

We were active all race long with Pringle in the break and Roosen as part of a long range attack. And although both of them weren’t able to take anything out of their active racing it allowed Mestric to sneak a top 10 result as 8th.

points:	15
Matija Mestric	14
Ewen Costiou	1

Start	End	Race	Cat
01-Apr		GP Herning	C2

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Gabriel Grozev	66	65	68	70	63	67	67	67	60	62	64	66	67	63	22
	Alexandre Kess	66	68	69	69	65	67	68	70	57	62	64	65	66	64	22
	Jesse Kramer	70	57	59	61	60	65	67	66	67	68	66	69	62	63	22
	Lenny Martinez	65	72	71	70	65	70	72	71	57	56	72	70	70	64	22
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32

It’s the first of four (!) C2 races this month and you’ll quickly recognize them by the squad we send, as it’s exactly the same in every race. The plan is easy every time: Mestric and Roosen are here to fight for a result, Costiou is their main support (and gets some XP in return) and everyone else is here for the XP (and has to give some support in return). Both our leaders should be among the plethora of similar strong cobblers, so anything from a podium to a zero-pointer is in the books here. So if we get some action from our team it’s already fine and all points are a nice bonus on top.

Start	End	Race	Cat
03-Apr		Badaling International	HC

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Sulkhan Akhmaevi	68	71	70	68	77	69	69	71	60	61	65	63	63	73	28
	Alan Boileau	67	75	76	77	65	68	71	73	62	67	76	68	67	64	26
	Alexandre Kess	66	68	69	69	65	67	68	70	57	62	64	65	66	64	22
	Lenny Martinez	65	72	71	70	65	70	72	71	57	56	72	70	70	64	22
	Aurelien Paret-Peintre	72	76	77	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72	29
	Thibaut Pinot	68	76	73	70	61	70	73	66	54	58	63	68	63	61	35
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Alain Quispe	81	52	53	53	61	63	61	65	53	67	74	85	55	61	31

We send our hill squad to China to get APP some nice result, but that’s probably also the plan of the rest of the division (sending their leaders, not getting the result for APP …) so a top 10 would already be counted as a success.

Start	End	Race	Cat
19-Apr	21-Apr	Tour du Faso	C2

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Gabriel Grozev	66	65	68	70	63	67	67	67	60	62	64	66	67	63	22
	Alexandre Kess	66	68	69	69	65	67	68	70	57	62	64	65	66	64	22
	Jesse Kramer	70	57	59	61	60	65	67	66	67	68	66	69	62	63	22
	Lenny Martinez	65	72	71	70	65	70	72	71	57	56	72	70	70	64	22
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32

Back to C2 racing and one of the highlights of the calendar (at least for those loving the cobbles)! We originally planned to snatch an easy U25 win here with Askey, but as he left in transfers it’s once again on Mestric and Roosen to show themselves. Our only recollection of this race as a non-reporter is a heroic though fruitless long-range attack from Louvel in the carnage of stage 3 back in 2022 when we didn’t even had a cobbler (oh those days of happy ignorance for such things like planning), so we hope to add some more and happier memories this year.

Start	End	Race	Cat
25-Apr		GP Wallonie	HC

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Sulkhan Akhmaevi	68	71	70	68	77	69	69	71	60	61	65	63	63	73	28
	Arman Garibian	70	76	74	71	73	74	75	78	55	60	71	66	70	73	25
	Gasper Katrasnik	81	61	62	63	69	72	76	69	63	63	72	81	73	69	30
	Aurelien Paret-Peintre	72	76	77	77	72	73	75	73	63	72	74	72	70	72	29
	Thibaut Pinot	68	76	73	70	61	70	73	66	54	58	63	68	63	61	35
	Alain Quispe	81	52	53	53	61	63	61	65	53	67	74	85	55	61	31

While we send APP as our leader here he doesn’t have a particularly strong support cast, even lacking his only real puncheur domestique with Boileau and leaving open two rider spots at all. This makes this race to the nearest thing to a throw-away race in the season, also telling you a lot about the changes in our roster composition in the past off-season.

Start	End	Race	Cat
25-Apr		Lincoln GP	C2

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Gabriel Grozev	66	65	68	70	63	67	67	67	60	62	64	66	67	63	22
	Alexandre Kess	66	68	69	69	65	67	68	70	57	62	64	65	66	64	22
	Jesse Kramer	70	57	59	61	60	65	67	66	67	68	66	69	62	63	22
	Lenny Martinez	65	72	71	70	65	70	72	71	57	56	72	70	70	64	22
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32

Back to C2 racing, this time in England. It’s a hillier circuit than in the earlier races which could actually benefit both Roosen and Mestric. But as before we can’t really expect a result here although the hopes are there.

Start	End	Race	Cat
28-Apr		Lisbon Classic	HC

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Gasper Katrasnik	81	61	62	63	69	72	76	69	63	63	72	81	73	69	30
	Alexandre Kess	66	68	69	69	65	67	68	70	57	62	64	65	66	64	22
	Paul Lapeira	75	69	71	72	61	72	72	68	74	74	74	76	71	64	25
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Alain Quispe	81	52	53	53	61	63	61	65	53	67	74	85	55	61	31
	Dusan Rajovic	72	58	61	64	59	70	76	70	55	78	82	57	57	62	28
	Ruben Zepuntke	72	56	63	69	65	79	72	64	82	72	65	66	68	65	32

We have to hope the constant up and down in the profile doesn’t hurt our rouleurs and /or Rajovic too much so they can compete in the finale. Otherwise Lapeira and Costiou could be options for a reduced sprint, but that’s already quite a gamble.

Start	End	Race	Cat
30-Apr		Dwars door Vlaanderen	C2

		FL	MO	MM	HI	TT	ST	RS	RC	CB	SP	AC	FG	DH	PR	Age
	Ewen Costiou	73	66	69	72	68	71	70	64	66	73	74	68	69	71	23
	Gabriel Grozev	66	65	68	70	63	67	67	67	60	62	64	66	67	63	22
	Alexandre Kess	66	68	69	69	65	67	68	70	57	62	64	65	66	64	22
	Jesse Kramer	70	57	59	61	60	65	67	66	67	68	66	69	62	63	22
	Lenny Martinez	65	72	71	70	65	70	72	71	57	56	72	70	70	64	22
	Matija Mestric	73	63	67	70	63	69	70	68	76	55	65	71	75	67	28
	Nate Pringle	69	60	63	66	69	68	67	64	65	63	64	70	64	68	22
	Timo Roosen	74	59	65	71	63	71	73	74	75	66	71	76	64	67	32

It’s the final C2 outing of the month (and the season) and it’s a classic Flanders profile (what else would you expect from a race with this name?). So we stay with our classic hopes for a nice result.

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

Zepuntke suffered a puncture just before the action began and was never able to make it back to a useful position, finishing at our worst rider in 170th even behind neo-pro Pringle who once again showed himself in the break. The results showed our cobbles approach wouldn’t have worked anyway and so Lapeira in 23rd was not only our best rider but also our only scorer.

points:	5
Paul Lapeira	5

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
10-Mar		Macskako Kerekparverseny	-	Podium; Top 10; Top 25

We came here for Zepuntke who did well enough and finished 8th after an anonymous race. But our hero of the day was his usual lieutenant Louvel who not only chased down some attacks and was also part of the decisive one himself. He also managed to make the podium in the end as 3rd of the day after this great ride. In addition our cobbles prospect Lapeira also finished well and came in 12th.

points:	138
Matis Louvel	82
Ruben Zepuntke	38
Paul Lapeira	18

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
12-Mar		Lillestrom GP	-	Top 10; Top 25s

It was a hectic start to the race and in the end we managed to get Roosen into the break of the day. This proofed to be crucial as all the other favored teams did exactly the same, so no one felt obligated enough to actually catch the break. So Roosen finished in 8th and though we clearly had our bets on Zepuntke that probably even was the best result here as Ruben only finished in 9th position behind the break (and 19th overall). Louvel in 21st added some depth as well. We obviously hoped for more, but points-wise it was an okay race nonetheless.

points:	35
Timo Roosen	28
Ruben Zepuntke	4
Matis Louvel	3

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
14-Mar	18-Mar	Tour of Norway	-	GC Top 10: GC Top 25; Stage Podium; Stage Top 10s

The first two stages were for the sprinters and Rajovic got some mediocre results in a good field with 10th and 11th. The TT saw Küng, Akhmaevi and APP in positions with some hopes to climb in the GC although they lost quite some time. Stage 4 finally brought the hills and APP repeated his 3rd place in this stage from last season. Even more importantly the stage was selective and propelled Küng into 6th in the GC. The last stage saw APP just missing the podium in 4th, but he climbed to 16th in the GC and even more importantly Küng stayed in 6th overall. This amounted to another nice points haul in total.

points:	124
Stefan Küng	77
Aurelien Paret-Peintre	42
Alan Boileau	5

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
18-Mar		1 Jour de Dunkerque	-	Top 10; Top 25s

It’s been a rather anonymous race from our riders but we got some good results out of it nonetheless. Zepuntke repeated his 6th place from last season while Louvel in 15th and Lapeira in 21st added some depth.

points:	43
Ruben Zepuntke	32
Matis Louvel	8
Paul Lapeira	3

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
20-Mar	22-Mar	Tour of Ukraine	-	GC Top 10; GC Top 25s; Stage Top 5, Stage Top 10; 3rd U25

The race began with a big surprise (a positive one for once) when Ranaweera finished 4th in the opening hilly prologue, also putting him in a good GC position prior to the only road stage of the race. He did also well in stage 2 and finished 7th there. All our riders did well in the final TT as well, securing Ranaweera a great 7th in the GC while Küng (17th), Garibian (24th), Vauquelin (48th), Akhmaevi (51st) and Pinot (95th) also added some nice depth. On top Garibian also finished 3rd in the U25 classification. In total this was our best scoring race of the month so far.

points:	167
Suranga Ranaweera	101
Stefan Küng	30
Arman Garibian	24
Kevin Vauquelin	8
Sulkhan Akhmaevi	2
Thibault Pinot	2

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
20-Mar		E3 Prijs	-	Top 10; Top 25

We were here on a wildcard and our cobbles squad showed they could also persist in PT. Zepuntke finished in 6th despite a (presumed) puncture, Lapeira did well in bringing him back (and finished in 34th himself) and Louvel came in 19th after being part of a long-range attack. We would have scored over 150 points here.

points:

n/a

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
22-Mar	26-Mar	Tour of Britain	Win	GC Top 10; Stage Podium; 3 Stage Top 10s; 3rd U25

The first two stages were for the sprinters and so we focused on Rajovic. He finished in 6th and 8th. The last three stages were for the puncheurs and so APP was on duty to deliver and at least get us somewhere near our season win goal. He added another stage top 10 with a 6th place in stage 3 and more importantly didn’t lose any time there in contrary to some others of the top puncheurs. APP lost some time in stage 4 and dropped to 10th in the GC prior to the final stage. He was able to get some redemption with a 3rd place in the final stage, although he didn’t gained positions in the GC nonetheless. So we obviously missed our win goal here, but it was always clear this was our most unrealistic goal anyway.

points:	40
Aurelien Paret-Peintre	34
Paul Lapeira	3
Dusan Rajovic	3

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
28-Mar	29-Mar	Franceville Classique	Top 10	GC Top 10; Stage Top 10; 3rd U25

It’s a cobbled stage race and a top 10 goal, so we had high hopes here with Zepuntke. We were really scared when he was caught in a split in stage 1, but he ultimately finished in the peloton. In stage 2 we send Louvel and Katrasnik (who was already in the break in stage 1) to the break which probably cost Louvel too much power to be of help later in the race. But in the end Zepuntke finished 9th both in the gruel stage 2 and in the GC, achieving our first goal of the season (on top on some nice scoring)! Lapeira got another U25 podium too as part of our depth scoring.

points:	103
Ruben Zepuntke	68
Paul Lapeira	14
Timo Roosen	12
Matis Louvel	7
Matija Mestric	2

Start	End	Race	team goal	results
31-Mar		Geraardsbergen - Bosberg	-	Podium; Top 25

It’s been a great month even before our only C2 race of the month and though the scoring there wouldn’t stand out anyway our C2 squad really put on a show in Belgium. Our breakaway king of the season so far Pringle joined the break as well as our future team leader Martinez who clearly wanted to show himself in one of the handful of cobbles races he’ll do in his career. Later Costiou and especially Mestric were active in long range attacks. The latter payed for this by finishing only in 19th, but the efforts were well spent anyway as Roosen nearly finished the job perfectly and was only narrowly beaten in the sprint for the win. His 2nd place was not only the second best individual result of our season, even more so we finally saw the active racing we hoped for pre-season and missed in many races this season (although there’s no reason at all to criticize what the team has achieved points-wise so far).

points:	37
Timo Roosen	35
Matija Mestric	2