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[PT'26] Ekoi | Renewals
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 25-06-2026 16:17
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2284
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
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Welcome to the HQ of the only French PT team in the MGUCI universe – at least for the moment. We had a really strong last season winning the PCT division and now face our first year at the highest level.
Once we entered the MGUCI stage in 2022 we made it clear we were here to stay in the long term. And so we already signed a bunch of talents in our rookie season, most of whom are still with us – and as we’re part of the peloton for 4 years some of those talents signed in the past years have already finished their development and actually played a notable role in our promotion campaign (Garibian, Louvel). Some more will start contributing even more in this season (Vauquelin, Lapeira) and our future captain (Martinez) will be ready to take a leading role from 2027 onwards.
We made it a central part of the team philosophy to sign and develop talents – preferably French ones, but we don’t discriminate there and are (and were) home to talents from many countries and continents. Part of this philosophy is also to help other teams in developing their riders, resulting in a constant flow of loan-ins over the years.
Overall most of our plans are long-term, so we usually also look for younger team leaders who can help us for multiple seasons and could also be further developed once we find the funds to do so – while at the same time allowing us to plan for the year(s) to come without having to chase new leaders every transfer season, focusing on strengthening our weaknesses instead.
We aim to be competitive in all kind of races and terrains, not only because it is a good way to repay the investments of our sponsors by TV time as well as results, but also because it’s more fun for the riders, the fans and not the least the management to follow the races if there is something in it for us – and also it has shown to be a good way to accumulate the points needed for a successful season. But nonetheless we have our favourite terrains: we love the classics (especially the cobbled ones) for their unpredictability and the classic stage races for the variability of riders they address. On the other hand flat races and TTs are a necessary evil – at least until we finally are able to sign some specialists for them.
Le Creuset was our solitary main sponsor in our inaugural season and was joined by Ekoi a year later. Our set of sponsors has been stable for the next three years, as all our partners know about the team’s long-term approach and approved and supported it – but the surprisingly strong last season with the promotion to PT and the need for higher funds saw another shift in the sponsor line-up with Renault taking over as our second title sponsor from Le Creuset who took a step back while still supporting the team.
As a French team it’s no surprise we not only have French main sponsors, but also use the knowledge and experience acquired by the manufacturers of a country with such a long and thriving tradition in cycling as far as possible.
| main sponsors: |  Ekoi (equipment & jerseys) | | Renault (logistics) | | secondary sponsors: | Le Creuset | | Lapierre (frames) | | Corima (wheels) | |  Shimano (components) | |  fi’zi:k (saddles) |
Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 08-07-2026 11:00
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 25-06-2026 16:21
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2284
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
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as of end of 2025 season
| season | team name | division | points | position | wins | 2nd | 3rd | goals | | 2026 | Ekoi - Renault | PT | tba | tba | - | - | - | tba | 2025  | Ekoi - Le Creuset | PCT | 3473 | 1/24 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 3/5 | 2024  | Ekoi - Le Creuset | PCT | 2445 | 12/24 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 1/5 | 2023  | Ekoi - Le Creuset | CT | 1160 | 6/20 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 2/5 | 2022  | Le Creuset | CT | 580 | 17/19 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 0/5 |
Spoiler
| rider | race | classification | result |
Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 25-06-2026 20:00
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 25-06-2026 16:21
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2284
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
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Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 25-06-2026 20:01
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 25-06-2026 16:22
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2284
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
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Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 25-06-2026 20:01
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 08-07-2026 18:34
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Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 25-06-2026 16:31
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2284
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
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With a new sponsor there also comes a new jersey and we are more than happy to be able to already present it to you! We thank the very talented Jakstar22 for designing this beauty in the classic Renault colours black, white and yellow, although the last one is actually gold for the 2026 season to commemorate both our first stint at the top level as well as winning the PCT title. We hope we’ll celebrate our first wins in PT and hopefully also in GT stages in this jersey.
Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 25-06-2026 20:02
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| Heine |
Posted on 25-06-2026 16:49
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4823
Joined: 08-04-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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I like it! I really like it! Sexy jersey. It feels like «speed» if you understand what I mean
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| ember |
Posted on 25-06-2026 17:21
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Team Leader
Posts: 7240
Joined: 27-03-2008
PCM$: 900.00
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Beautiful jersey, the combination of colours look really good in my eyes, at least.
Must say I also love that you get Renault as a main sponsor... With the other French car company who shall not be named here, I must say I'm looking forward to see you both figure it out and also battle it out for certain riders, I hope! If the latter, it's popcorn time  |
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| whitejersey |
Posted on 25-06-2026 18:25
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3355
Joined: 07-08-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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Great work from Jakstar!
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 25-06-2026 19:33
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 17913
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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Very nice jersey, PT just got a lot more stylish
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| Jakstar22 |
Posted on 25-06-2026 21:47
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7690
Joined: 11-04-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Thanks for the nice words on the jersey! Probably one of my favourite ones I have made in a very long time!
Good luck this season in the PT! Much deserved promotion.
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| Bjartne |
Posted on 25-06-2026 22:37
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3153
Joined: 15-07-2007
PCM$: 300.00
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That's an amazing jersey. Love it!  |
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| Ezeefreak |
Posted on 26-06-2026 09:34
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Domestique
Posts: 734
Joined: 06-07-2009
PCM$: 300.00
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Good Luck for your PT season.
One thing I can already say you have the best shirt in PT, in all MGUCI. Incredible work from Jakstar!
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| AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 27-06-2026 15:57
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 13099
Joined: 27-07-2015
PCM$: 1961.50
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Love the introduction of the bigger sponsor to go with the promotion (and the bigger budget  ). Really like the new jersey as well. I'm sure it'll be very prominent in the PT!
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 01-07-2026 09:38
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4065
Joined: 20-04-2020
PCM$: 425.00
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Sick jersey Welcome to PT, hope Zepuntke can lead the rest of the team to glory, just like he did in PCT last season!
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| Booker |
Posted on 05-07-2026 17:52
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1128
Joined: 03-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Have said it before and will say it again, after your stellar 2025 it looks like a very bright future for the Ekoi team, regardless of who the co-sponsor is. You clearly have got a great understanding of what the game is after and roster composition, so really looking forward to seeing how you maneuver to create a competitive PT roster, while also continuing the youth development you've started.
Will be watching eagerly!
And sexy jersey, well done Jakstar
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 06-07-2026 14:09
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2284
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
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@all: Thanks for all the jersey praise, Jakstar has done really well there!
Booker wrote:
Have said it before and will say it again, after your stellar 2025 it looks like a very bright future for the Ekoi team, regardless of who the co-sponsor is. You clearly have got a great understanding of what the game is after and roster composition, so really looking forward to seeing how you maneuver to create a competitive PT roster, while also continuing the youth development you've started.
I already have some ideas for transfers and there may be some bigger movement in the roster ...
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| redordead |
Posted on 07-07-2026 08:10
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Team Leader
Posts: 5725
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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Looking forward to see how you take over the PT this coming season
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 08-07-2026 11:01
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2284
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
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After such a strong season we kind of feared the demands of our riders, so renewals was all about balancing out the riders’ expectations with what the management thought a fair reward. We even ended round 1 with only a single rider agreeing to our offer. So there were some really tough negotiations and without spoiling too much we didn’t come to terms with everyone.
Captains:
We were able to re-sign all of our three captains and in total are paying them the same as last season. Both Ranaweera and APP got some smaller raises given their strong seasons while Zepuntke accepted a cut given his first decline.
Youngsters:
First of all Martinez accepted a huge pay cut of 290k, although we hoped for even more. The newly maxed Vauquelin and Lapeira each got a raise of 70k and 40k. Costiou was also a costly re-sign for 85k. In addition both of our stagiaires Grozev and Kramer join us full time on minimum wage.
Domestiques:
Re-signing our domestiques was a difficult affair as well as nearly no one accepted the first offer (and thus minimum wage). Both Küng and Quispe accepted a cut of 10k and 15k while we kept Katrasniks wage on par. But everyone else wanted their share from our title run.
The likes of Akhmaevi, Boileau and Mestric were content with rises of up to 10k.
Garibian got a raise of 15k which was decent enough given his really strong season.
But the big winner here was Louvel who got a raise of 40k to avoid FA.
And two domestiques will leave us after this season. Roosen will test out FA after declining an offer of 60k after his first decline. And Pinot didn’t get an offer after his fourth decline, but maybe we’ll see him back in another position.
Conclusion:
We effectively reduced the wages of those riders staying with us by 15k, but the big reduction for Martinez alone puts this into perspective as we actually had to give some rather big rises especially to our newly maxed riders.
We still have a free cap space of 1,205,000 before entering transfers, so there’s still plenty of room to add some new leaders and/or talents.
| 2025 wage | 2026 wage | difference |  Sulkhan Akhmaevi | €50,000 | €55,000 | +€5,000 | | Alan Boileau | €110,000 | €115,000 | +€5,000 | | Ewen Costiou | €50,000 | €85,000 | +€35,000 |  Arman Garibian | €95,000 | €115,000 | +€20,000 |  Gabriel Grozev | €10,000 | €50,000 | +€40,000 |  Gasper Katrasnik | €70,000 | €70,000 | €0 |  Jesse Kramer | €10,000 | €50,000 | +€40,000 |  Stefan Küng | €100,000 | €90,000 | -€10,000 | | Paul Lapeira | €110,000 | €150,000 | +€40,000 | | Matis Louvel | €100,000 | €140,000 | +€40,000 | | Lenny Martinez | €690,000 | €400,000 | -€290,000 |  Matija Mestric | €50,000 | €55,000 | +€5,000 | | Aurelien Paret-Peintre | €270,000 | €280,000 | +€10,000 | | Thibault Pinot | €50,000 | released | -€50,000 |  Alain Quispe | €65,000 | €50,000 | -€15,000 |  Suranga Ranaweera | €250,000 | €280,000 | +€30,000 | | Timo Roosen | €60,000 | rejected | -€60,000 | | Kevin Vauquelin | €80,000 | €150,000 | +€70,000 |  Ruben Zepuntke | €200,000 | €160,000 | -€40,000 | | | total change | -€125,000 | | | effective change | -€15,000 |
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Rajovic
