|
[PT'26] Ekoi | The Romain Empire
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 19-07-2026 20:48
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Gustavovskiy wrote:
Interesting list of availability. May have a word with you come transfers if Heine doesn't manage to purchase your whole squad 
The entire plan was that Heine uses his entire money on my riders so I can snatch the talents meanwhile 
jandal7 wrote:
As others have said, what a job you have been doing and continue to do through renewals. Very interested and definitely nervous about your plans for the Pro Tour. Definitely have all the talent and the potential in your squad to make it a long stay
Spoiler Or you can just put Martinez and Gregoire together... that's maybe even more scary for me long-term 
Thanks for the warm words (and not only to you)! I have a clear plan for the next year(s) - and am in the position to stick with it during transfers probably for the first time. And yes, I hope the result will be scary!
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 19-07-2026 21:04
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|

We thought it would be nice to give everyone interested a deeper look into our available riders, so you can better plan your start of transfers and don’t miss anything in the hectic first hours and days.
available
These riders are clearly available for a decent offer.
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage | Asking Price |  | Jesse Kramer | 70 | 57 | 59 | 61 | 60 | 65 | 67 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 66 | 69 | 62 | 63 | 1.63 | 23 | 50000 | 200000 | | Fighter | 76 | 60 | 62 | 64 | 63 | 70 | 72 | 71 | 70 | 71 | 70 | 78 | 65 | 66 | | Sprinter | 76 | 57 | 60 | 62 | 60 | 70 | 71 | 74 | 70 | 75 | 73 | 69 | 63 | 63 | | Cobbles | 76 | 57 | 59 | 62 | 60 | 72 | 72 | 69 | 74 | 73 | 69 | 72 | 62 | 63 |
Kramer was with us as a stagiaire and gathered enough experience to be levelled up to lvl. 3 in one season in every division. He can develop into a rider for any kind of flat race with a focus either on the cobbles, leadout duties or versatility – and as an upside you still have the full choice!
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage | Asking Price |  | Stefan Kung | 72 | 69 | 71 | 72 | 76 | 73 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 62 | 70 | 72 | 77 | 77 | 4.100 | 33 | 90000 | 350000 |
Even after his first decline Küng is still his old versatile self, making him a valuable asset for contenders in any division. Mostly as a helper for all kind of terrains, but he still should be able to get some results of his own in races like Benelux Challenge or Tour of Northern Europe.
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage | Asking Price |  | Matija Mestric | 73 | 63 | 67 | 70 | 63 | 69 | 70 | 68 | 76 | 55 | 65 | 71 | 75 | 67 | 4.100 | 29 | 55000 | 200000 |
Mestric is a nice cobbles domestique for PCT or PT or even a (co-)leader for CT teams, especially if you have a (South-)Eastern European focus region.
 
probably available
We will probably sell two of our team leaders and both are really good value for their money!
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage | Asking Price |  | Aurelien Paret-Peintre | 72 | 76 | 77 | 77 | 72 | 73 | 75 | 73 | 63 | 72 | 74 | 72 | 70 | 72 | 4.100 | 30 | 280000 | 800000 |
APP is just a great rider for every team and division. He’s finished 4th in the CT individual standings as well as 29th and 17th in PCT in the last three seasons. He’s incredibly consistent in PCT and CT hilly stage races and his TT and SP abilities regularly put him ahead of riders stronger in the hills on paper, making him especially interesting for CT promotion contenders as his C1 and HC scoring potential is strong.
And on top he still has three years in his prime, so he’s actually not only a short-term investment but can lead a team for some seasons!
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage | Asking Price |  | Suranga Ranaweera | 67 | 80 | 77 | 73 | 76 | 75 | 75 | 74 | 52 | 58 | 65 | 57 | 69 | 73 | 4.100 | 31 | 280000 | 1000000 |
Ranaweera had a stellar last season, finishing 12th in the PCT individual standings (after a 28th place the year before). Stage racers with a weaker skillset have won the CT individual standings in in two of the last three seasons, carrying their teams to promotion. And on top he still has two years in his prime, sparing you the trouble to search for a replacement next season, in contrast to most GC captains that went to CT in past years.
But all that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be a good fit for PCT or PT teams as well!
 
maybe available
We don’t plan to actively sell these riders (yet), but there might be the need later in transfers – or we get an offer too good to refuse.
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage | Asking Price |  | Ewen Costiou | 74 | 67 | 71 | 74 | 68 | 73 | 71 | 65 | 66 | 74 | 76 | 69 | 69 | 71 | 4.28 | 24 | 85000 | 400000 | | Track-Sprint | 75 | 67 | 71 | 74 | 68 | 74 | 72 | 73 | 66 | 76 | 77 | 69 | 69 | 72 |
Costiou is on his way to become a nice hilly sprinter and/or leadout rider. He had a good Tour de l’Avenir and scored nearly 50 points in PCT last season as a lvl. 3 rider. We prefer to keep him in the team and will probably only sell him if cap issues occur.
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage | Asking Price |  | Gabriel Grozev | 66 | 65 | 68 | 70 | 63 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 60 | 62 | 64 | 66 | 67 | 63 | 1.63 | 23 | 50000 | 250000 | | Hills 1 | 69 | 68 | 73 | 78 | 63 | 74 | 71 | 68 | 60 | 67 | 69 | 71 | 68 | 63 | | Hills 2 | 67 | 66 | 76 | 77 | 64 | 71 | 74 | 71 | 60 | 65 | 71 | 71 | 68 | 63 |
Grozev is still a lvl. 1 rider after his rookie season as a stagiaire, but similar to Kramer he can get to lvl. 3 in one season in all divisions. He will develop into a useful punchy domestique and we won’t mind keeping him around on minimum wage and develop him ourselves.
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage | Asking Price |  | Paul Lapeira | 77 | 69 | 71 | 72 | 61 | 74 | 73 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 74 | 76 | 71 | 64 | 4.100 | 26 | 150000 | 500000 |
Lapeira is newly maxed and a cool rider for all kind of flat races. He’s a good cobbles domestique (or even leader in CT) and his FL and sprint abilities allow him to also work in a leadout. On top he’s a possible training prospect from next season onwards – but sadly we probably won’t be able to make the best use of him in the years to come, so this might be the one time he’s available!
 
probably not available
We don’t plan to actively sell these riders, but maybe there’s an offer we can’t refuse?
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage |  | Sulkhan Akhmaevi | 68 | 71 | 70 | 68 | 77 | 69 | 69 | 71 | 60 | 61 | 65 | 63 | 63 | 73 | 4.100 | 29 | 55000 |
Akhmaevi is the prototype of a cheap allround domestique and that’s why we plan to keep him on board.
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage |  | Alan Boileau | 67 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 65 | 68 | 71 | 73 | 62 | 67 | 76 | 68 | 67 | 64 | 4.100 | 27 | 115000 |
Boileau is planned to stay as a domestique for the mountains and hills, not the least because he’s homegrown.
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage |  | Gasper Katrasnik | 81 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 69 | 72 | 76 | 69 | 63 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 73 | 69 | 4.100 | 31 | 70000 |
We want to keep Katrasnik for the flat classics and as a stage hunter. Given the direction we’re heading for this season we can use any fun rider.
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage |  | Alain Quispe | 81 | 52 | 53 | 53 | 61 | 63 | 61 | 65 | 53 | 67 | 74 | 85 | 55 | 61 | 4.100 | 32 | 50000 |
We want to see Quispe race a GT (and gain an early KoM jersey), so keeping a fun rider on nearly minimum wage is part of keeping the team happy.
| Nat. | Name | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | XP | Age | Wage |  | Ruben Zepuntke | 71 | 55 | 62 | 68 | 64 | 78 | 71 | 63 | 81 | 71 | 64 | 65 | 67 | 64 | 4.100 | 33 | 160000 |
Ruben will lead us in the cobble classics – and may well end as our only actual leader. We also want to see him race in his NC colours for us, so there’s no intention to part ways with him.
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 27-07-2026 09:29
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
We welcome back Alex Baudin who was with us as a stagiaire back in 2023 and rejoins us after some private training. He’s on minimum wage and still has some potential to develop into an attacker for the flatter terrains and a multi-terrain domestique.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age |  | Alex Baudin | 71 | 66 | 69 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 71 | 72 | 64 | 64 | 69 | 70 | 72 | 67 | 25 |
Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 27-07-2026 13:47
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 27-07-2026 09:29
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Emanuel Castro does not have the biggest potential, but he’ll develop into a nice hills and TTT helper which is exactly the kind of rider we like, especially on minimum wage.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age |  | Emanuel Castro | 67 | 66 | 70 | 73 | 72 | 68 | 68 | 70 | 60 | 66 | 71 | 65 | 65 | 72 | 23 |
Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 27-07-2026 13:48
|
| |
|
|
| Ad Bot |
Posted on 28-07-2026 10:53
|
Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
|
|
| IP: None |
|
|
| Nemolito |
Posted on 27-07-2026 09:37
|

Grand Tour Specialist

Posts: 4132
Joined: 20-04-2020
PCM$: 425.00
|
Two helpful future assets! One regional guy is already decent, but definitely nice to see you're also embracing the latino culture even more. Quispe will make sure he'll feel right at home!
|
| |
|
|
| knockout |
Posted on 28-07-2026 07:09
|

Grand Tour Champion

Posts: 8559
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 500.00
|
Castro was someone i noticed with a very interesting skill set likely to be cheap in wages for ever!
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters!
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:19
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
There was so much happening in the first days of transfers and most things went in our favour too, so it’s time for a wrap up! But first some words on the general plans and expectations before we have a look at the Dirty Dozen involved in this Big, Fat, French Transformation.
When it was clear Romain Gregoire would be available all plans were made around signing him. We knew the wage would be huge and most probably not compatible with a fight against relegation (at least not one with proper odds of success). But luckily his immense potential and his timeline as well as those of Lenny Martinez will actually make them capable PCT leaders for next season already and with riders like Vauquelin, Louvel and Zepuntke at their side should make a pretty competitive core to actually fight for a bounce back in the 2027 season. So we decided to embrace the fact that it will be a one-year stay in PT (for now) and use the opportunity (as well as the wage cap) to fully rebuild our team by saying goodbye to our prior leaders and bring in as much talent as possible to build the new core. And while there’s still some room to further follow this road we were already pretty successful so far and now have all the cornerstones for a new Romain Empire (kudos to Dippofix for the pun, sorry to everyone else) and happily accept the fact that Rome wasn’t built on one day, too!
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:20
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Romain Gregoire is our biggest FA signing ever (and it probably is ‘forever’ as well) and we hope he doesn’t just celebrate his second huge paycheck as a talent, but also being a cornerstone of our future (and not just by most probably relegating the second team in a row). There’s no doubt he’s the biggest talent on his terrain out there and will co-lead the team for probably a decade (starting next season). We planned the entire transfers and season (and actually the next one as well) around his signing, so you obviously can’t overestimate how happy we are (and his photo gives you a slight indication)! By the way, he’s earning 1,310,000 this season …
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age |  | Romain Gregoire | 71 | 68 | 72 | 75 | 62 | 74 | 73 | 69 | 65 | 67 | 74 | 71 | 73 | 58 | 23 |
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:20
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Noa Isidore was our second main target in Free Agency and we’re happy to have signed our future cobbles leader (or co-leader for some time) for a decent wage of 350,000 (at least compared to last season’s talent market). He’ll ride on loan for our friends at Duvel-Tsingtao to learn how to best tackle the cobbles in the Mecca of this terrain.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age |  | Noa Isidore | 68 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 62 | 70 | 67 | 63 | 71 | 67 | 73 | 71 | 71 | 68 | 22 |
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:21
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Pierre Gautherat joins us on minimum wage for a fee of 400,000 in a deal with Tafjord Kraft. We plan with him as a career-long lieutenant for Romain Gregoire and were determined to sign him for this role once we saw he was available.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age |  | Pierre Gautherat | 71 | 61 | 67 | 73 | 58 | 73 | 71 | 67 | 63 | 66 | 71 | 68 | 64 | 57 | 23 |
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:21
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Cameron Rogers continues our tradition of supporting Australian and New Zealand cycling, but this time we aren’t ‘just’ loaning in, but actually signing! He is also our first ever TT talent signed and will develop not only into a very good TTer, but also one of the best prologue riders in the world and a proper rouleur on top. We were actually surprised to snatch him for a wage of only 110,000. And we are happy to also have found him one of the most renowned TT teams of the MGUCI circuit to make his first steps as a pro as he’ll ride for Jura GIANTS next season.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age |  | Cameron Rogers | 73 | 62 | 65 | 68 | 71 | 72 | 70 | 68 | 65 | 65 | 67 | 71 | 67 | 74 | 22 | |
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:22
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Markus Kopfauf joins as part of a swap deal for Suranga Ranaweera with our frenemies at Peugeot. He’s obviously very one-dimensional which usually is not what we aspire, but with a dire season ahead a rider who could actually lift the team spirit with an occasional good result seemed like a good idea. His rather low wage of 70k in combination with his three years left in prime didn’t hurt either.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age |  | Markus Kopfauf | 69 | 62 | 65 | 67 | 65 | 67 | 74 | 67 | 52 | 74 | 73 | 70 | 68 | 81 | 30 |
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:23
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Nathaniel Forbes joins us on loan from Bacharu Mamachari Faito! who will pay his wage in return for a fee of 100,000 and the opportunity to learn all the cobbles knacks from Ruben Zepuntke. And maybe he’ll be able to finally make us understand what a Hololive is. Otherwise we’ll just cruise across the sea, drink rum and rob people like in those old times we still understood.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age |  | Nathaniel Forbes | 74 | 63 | 67 | 70 | 63 | 72 | 70 | 69 | 77 | 69 | 70 | 72 | 67 | 63 | 24 |
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:23
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Jaakko Sillankorva is our second loaned-in rider for this season. He joins us from IESE ProCycling Team who’ll pay his wage in return for a fee of 100,000. He’ll join our cobbles squad to learn from Ruben Zepuntke.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age |  | Jaakko Sillankorva | 71 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 68 | 72 | 71 | 68 | 73 | 66 | 70 | 66 | 68 | 67 | 26 |
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:24
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Aurelien Paret-Peintre is the closest thing to a team legend we have in our rather short history and so it’s obviously a sad moment to see him leave. But his successor (and future team legend) is already there and so we felt it was only fair to give APP the opportunity to shine elsewhere as long as possible, because such a cool rider just deserves all the opportunities he can get. We found a nice new home for him in Luxembourg at Peugeot, who not only paid 800,000 to convince us but also signed his brother (and our former stagiaire) Valentin to fully convince him. It’s easy to tell both brothers are happy this way!
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:24
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Matija Mestric joined us two years ago to lieutenant our cobbles leaders and he did well there, even netting a Croatian NC title on his way. Now he leaves to Parmalat – Croatia for a 200,000 fee and we’re more than happy he’ll continue his career in such a fitting team.
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:24
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Stefan Küngs stint with us only lasted one season, but what a season it was! He leaves us to return to DK Zalgiris for 400,000 and maybe he’ll actually do a RD for them this time.
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:24
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Paul Lapeira was signed as a talent two years ago and will leave us freshly maxed for 600,000, heading to Bianchi Enel who just might give him the opportunity to shine according to his potential, something we couldn’t offer due to lack of a proper sprinter to lead out and other plans for the leadership on cobbles.
|
| |
|
|
| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:25
|

Small Tour Specialist

Posts: 2427
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 400.00
|
Suranga Ranaweera leaves us to fellow French team Peugeot who generously offered 900,000 on top of Markus Kopfauf to get themselves a proven PCT GC rider. He really fitted that bill for us in the past two years and we hope he’ll still have some good years in his legs!
|
| |
|
|
| Nemolito |
Posted on 28-07-2026 09:25
|

Grand Tour Specialist

Posts: 4132
Joined: 20-04-2020
PCM$: 425.00
|
What an amazing batch of signings!!!
Nice to see you found another local domestique with that Gregoire dude. A shame you had to pay so much, I wouldn't forgive the one causing this if I were you.
|
| |
|