Well, here we are again and following a hectic transfer season we have 30 registered teams ready to do battle over the 90 Continental Tour races this year. We already have Heine's FIRST PREVIEW of the teams as well as his thoughts about the overall team rankings
New teams have a second mini preview to have a look at as well with Roturn's NEW TEAM PREVIEW .
Before I go through my own team by team preview I thought I would look at a few lists of a differing variety to the excellent top ten's BY CATEGORY as compiled once again by Heine.
Everyone likes lists and I thought we could add a few more:
I guess the usual machismo of my guys got a bigger mountain stat than your guy goes here. The price paid for the top two looks ridiculously disproportionate, is Valverde really worth more than Van den Broeck and Roche for example. Three Italian climbers on the list is interesting and will likely lead to one or two of those guys disappointing.
Top fifteen highest transfer fees paid by Continental Tour teams
Here we see the advantage perhaps of completing your goals with Pokerstars and Vespa having huge spending power to bring in the top leaders. Marzano is another to add to the list of excellent Italian climbers in the CTour!
Anyway enough chitter chatter onto the team by team. I am going to do it in instalments as there is probably far too much to read in one go.
Day 1: Rapha, Focussed,Cerne, Bianchi, Pokerstars and T.CS Bank
Day 2: Red Bull, CalBerry, Hollister, VolksWagen, Pirelli and Vespa
Day 3: Proximus, Emu, WWE, Venchi , Aker and Saab
Day 4: Cyclevox, Rothaus, Bpost, Koppert, Trilux and Oz Cycling
Day 5: CSC, Ferrari, Meiji,Puma, Unicredit and Bimbo Nutella
Day 6: Overall prediction, who will be Smowz's predicted winners and losers?
Edited by Smowz on 31-07-2011 09:08
Team in Brief:
British team with a new African element, more of an all terrain team this year following the sale of Cavendish and Swift to improve on climbs.
Top earners: Adam Blythe - 340,000
Top CTour cobbler who was frustrated by IKEA's domination in the previous year, has noted that whilst IKEA have disappeared similar challenges lay ahead. Managed to plunder the two tours with cobbles in last year and has a very decent sprinters kick. Still only 23 years of age, but will be disappointed that he will not have any protour cobbled classics to aim at. Peter Kennaugh - 260,000
The last of the sprint pack left and perhaps the weakest of the three from last year in terms of stats and results. This is a bit misleading because as it stands he remains one of the top ten sprinters in the CTour and as such should improve on last year's meagre showings. Andrew Tennant - 240,000
A decent chrono man with solid climbing skills honed from experience in the protour, its time for Tennant to come to fruition. Jonathan Bellis -200,000
Tour of Britain champion from last year swapped with Cavendish and is rescued from the Priximus Trek franchise. Failed to fire in the classics but did well in the hilly tours, partly due to his finishing kick that gains precious bonification seconds. Bargain in the basement Alex Dowsett - 50,000
Another returning loanee, even more low profile than Tennant, but for a minimum wager a very strong hill climber following a transfer season where similar riders went for four or five times as much. Hot prospect: Tsgabu Gebremaryam Grmay
With Ian Bibby out on loan, it is this 21 year old Ethopian climber who should redress the East African climbing balance which has seen Kenyans and Eritians in the spotlight.
Transfer highlights:
Ben Swift sold to the highest protour bidder, with money then pumped back into training and Cavendish released to bring top British punchaer Bellis in. Other than that it was mainly a scouting exercise in Africa.
Wild card prospects
Rapha Condor will get a shot at the Tirreno Adratico and with greater climbing talent at their disposal they should give the Protour teams nearly as much of a headache as Wiggle did last year. Look for Belllis and Kennaugh to shine.
The Smowzdown
It's a bold step into the unknown with the African talent with the squad under 100% Me already proving that it is more than capable of promoting if they so wished. It would be a mistake to think that Rapha were not capable of a high position however.
Blythe will still likely be there and abouts in the cobbled classics though I rather think with his faithful companion Thomas missing it will be more abouts than there. Kennaugh will surely do better in the sprints though expectations overall in the bunch gallops will be far lower. It is in the climbs that we will see Rapha shine more effectively this year, indeed it should be intriguing to see what sort of races Bellis, Froome, Dowsett and Kenyan Ndbri take on.
I feel due to the competitive nature of the CTour this year Rapha will drop down to a far from disgraceful position between 10th and 20th this year.
Transfer highlights:
Snapped up Roy and the Feillus early on at a decent price and started to loan in riders at an alarming pace. Finished things off with a big Mehr Wenige loan deal which saw three of the better prospects come in to Focused loving embrace.
Wild card prospects
The Tour of Oman should give young Sicard a chance to see what he can do in Protour company, meanwhile the Fleche Wallonie will be likely a tough reminder of how far whichever talents get to go of how hard life at the very top is.
The Smowzdown
The Feillu boys will be cheered on as will the plucky French attacker Roy. All three along with the developing Sicard should give Focussed some results and excitement this season. We can add sprinter Drujon and pretty decent cobbler Gaudin to the potential points scores also.
We may need to scroll down the youth rankings to see whether any of their other youngsters can do something significant, most look a little too raw this season. But that is part of this teams aim to smooth over those rough diamonds. I think the team manager will somehow tease out a top 20 finish out of the France based youth club.
Team in Brief:
Relegated protour team turned into Portuguese development squad with Luis Leon Sanchez as figurehead. Top earners: Luis Lean Sanchez Gil - 550,000
Struggled to make his mark in the Protour, though the step to the CTour is a downgrade at the end of the day. Should be a factor in whatever he decides to go for may even upset the likes of Valverde on his day. Rafael Reis - 180,000
Huge climbing 20 year old prospect from Portugal, will want to work on his attacking and sprinting skills. Bruno Borges - 160,000
Very strong 21 year old hill climbing prospect with a decent finishing kick, one to watch in the classics in the coming years. Bargain in the basement Bruno Santos- 55,000
Some training money went into making Santos a real sprint threat and at his price will likely attract the attentions of protour teams in next year's transfer season. This year should get Cerne some wins in the group gallops. Hot prospect: Elia Viviani - 100,000
Couldn't develop last season as much as would have liked, the CTour will give ample opportunity for this promising sprinter to start to gain a bit more speed.
Transfer highlights:
The big sale of Pozzovivo to more ambitious CTour team Vespa captured most attention, being at a massive 2,375,000 for his services. Also offloaded Italian sprinter Corioni to up and comers Venchi ProCycling. That money though seemingly was frittered away on low yield training will likely disappoint Cerne fans.
Wild card prospects
Luis Leon Sanchez should show his face near the front of L-B-L, but his lack of support from his fairly weak squad will weaken his chances. Will also rely heavily on LL Sanchez in the Vuelta a Pais Vasco and once again the Spaniard will probably be on his own.
The Smowzdown
Having promoted as Energie Diesal to the Protour two years ago, put up a brave fight to stay up there. But having relegated and changed sponsorship there is a big shift of emphasis for the squad, now it is a huge developmental squad for mainly Portuguese talents.
Following renewels it may have appear as if Cerne could have chances of regaining promotion, but the big sale of Pozzovivo changed that and now the team will be largely reliant on LL Sanchez for results. Brazilian climber Nicacio and sprinters Santos and Biondo could show themselves also but make no bones this team compared to others are weak. This year will be a tough one in terms of results but the youngsters should develop and we will have a new Benfica in our midst.
Team in Brief:
Blended Spanish flair with Northern European muscle this looks like one of the front runners for the Ctour with several top riders.
Top earners: Juan Jose Cobo - 402,000
Spanish climbing all rounder already partially replaces the fading Spanish champion Koldo Gil as the team's top Spanish star. Snapped up from Santander in a late 500,000 raid looks good value for a top 20 individual performance, unfortunate perhaps that both LL Sanchez and Valverde are in the CTour. Maxime Monfort - 300,000
Was a useful classics rider for Bianchi's previous incarnation Team LEGO last year, taking a top 10 individual ranking and the HC rated Tour of the Mediterranean along with numerous high finishes. Good enough to match that performance with a number of the best punchaers from last year promoting to the protour. Manuel Lloret - 250,000
The best stage racer on Bianchi's books in terms of riding against the clock, Lloret a star of the departed Petronas squad had a slightly off year for them last time out. However he remained consistent and its difficult to see with the right schedule how he will not be consistent again. Gerald Ciolek - 175,000
The classic sprinter issue, on paper Ciolek is a top sprinter but seemed inconsistent last year spectacularly winning at one moment and failing to finish in the top twenty in others. Improvement demanded this year and should do so though still may struggle against the very best fast men. Bargain in the basement Dimitri Claeys - 70,000
Capable of delivering a more profitable season than Monfort but it depends how he is used. Looks a strong punchaer for those medium hilly classics. Hot prospect: None
Italian punchaer Tommy Zaini is one of four riders loaned out the protour this year, Team Lego have bought no new raw talents in a promotion chasing year.
Transfer highlights:
Looked a very decent promotion prospect before the transfer season started, the addition of De la Fuente and Lloret from the free agents pool added to their strength. This was before one of the transfer signings of the transfer season in JJ Cobo for just 500,000 from Santander.
Wild card prospects
No wild cards for Bianchi this year.
The Smowzdown
Many peoples favourites for promotion, it's hard to argue with that assessment with the likes of Cobo, Monfort, Lloret, Gil, De La Fuente, Schwab, Ciolek, Rabon, Aramendia and Claeys all with characteristics that would make them leader material elsewhere.
Also LEGO were in amongst the chasing for promotion pack last time out with a decently designed season their letdown was really in the flatter races. That remains the question mark this time out, there seems to be some faith in Ciolek, which is a concern to how much priorty is faithed on his abilities. Bianchi's distinctive jersey will likely be all over the classics and hilly stage races they have superb strength in depth there.
However do they actually have the winners on the squad required to get them a promotion spot? - I am not so sure they could find themselves edged out in what I think will be a tougher pool of teams than ever to get out of. Still strength in depth should win out, Bianchi would deserve their spot having just missed out last year.
Team in Brief:
Formerly high class sprint/cobbled squad with an allergy to any sort of gradients, now a high class sprint/cobbled team with Jose Rujano!
Top earners: Jose Rujano - 473,500
Vuelta podium last year was perhaps the peak of Jose's career, the Venezualan champion rider leads a new adventure for the team in green over the mountains this year. Should be interesting to see where Jose rides, there is some debate even as to which Pro Tour wild cards he goes for. Mountains is his playground, but can handle himself in a time trial reasonably well. Eric Mohs - 220,000
Continues to ply his trade snapping up stage wins aplenty for Pokerstars last year, knows here that he gets high class sprint train support even took a protour stage win in Ireland last year. Does not climb particularly well but should have enough flat parcour races to go around for him. John Degenkolb - 160,000
Already prominent in his first year look for the supremely fast German young speed merchant to get to the podium places in sprints this year. Unlike Mohs, Degenkolb is capable of getting over most of the hilly stuff. Roger Kluge- 140,000
Last year's cobbled leader the 26 year old German looks a decent prospect against the clock and still on cobbles this year. Also sprints pretty well, though could have done with a protour berth this year. Bargain in the basement Jurgen Van Goolen - 60,000
At the CTour level should be capable of top 10's in the right company. Time trials and climbs well adds much needed to support to the often isolated Clement last year and also of course Jose Rujano. Hot prospect: George Atkins - 50,000
21 year old British sprinter seemingly overlooked from the number of British squads a decent rouler already should turn into a very decent lead out/ cobbled domestique.
Transfer highlights:
The big headline move was the 1,000,000 Euros and sprinter Guarnieri for the big climber Rujano. Though also managed to snap up cobbler Nolf and well waged Van Goolen at 800,000 from Festina and French climber Kern from the Free agency.
Wild card prospects
Some confusion as to what Pokerstars have entered for, they look set for at two stage races led by Jose Rujano. Always a threat on the sprint stages they are eager to see whether they can work out where to place Rujano in the lumpy stuff.
The Smowzdown
One of the new team revelations of the season previous the team in green have added the climber Rujano to their mainly sprint focussed squad this season. He has at least some low level support but if he is entering the high level mountain stage races he will be largely on its own. Usually when things go up it is usually the cue for mass shelling of green jerseys out of the back! It will be the case of carefully selected the right races for the Colombian, he is of course a superb rider at this level but there are a few riders of his class around.
Pokerstars will be more reliable in their comfortable sprint terrian, the likes of Mohs, Dumoilin, Degenkolb and Guillen are highly effective sprinters who will know they have expert lead outs around them. On cobbles, it appears a real star name in Nolf has joined Kluge, Geslin and Van Impe gives them at least a chance of taking a victory in any of the cobbled classics. Also Stef Clement will continue to graft as he did last year in those stage races with a TT.
It remains a good squad at Pokerstars, though despite the signing of Rujano I am not sure that they have quite enough to promote. Selection of the right schedule for him is key to their hopes.
Team in Brief:
All Russian (with two Belarusians) strong man team, led by CTours Time trial demon Ignatiev.
Top earners: Mikhail Ignatiev - 600,000
For the third season in succession Mikhail Ignatiev looks set to dominate the short stage races with a time trial in following the much discussed loan swap deal with Wiggle. A very strong rouler who climbs hills well and is capable of placing well in field sprints. It is against the clock where the Russian TT champion comes into his own at this level and surely will go close to matching his 5 stage race wins haul of the previous season. Vladimir Efimkin - 380,000
With Kritskiy going to the protour for experience and Evgeni Petrov getting on a bit, the signing of Efimkin from the free agency ensures T.CS Bank have a top level presence in the mountain stages. Climbs well in general, but tends to struggle to live with other stage racers against the clock. Aleksandr Kolobnev - 175,000
A decent punchaer who may well find himself into a higher positions due to better riders promoting to the Protour, goes up hills well and a decent amount of stamina should keep him involved in most classic races and small hilly tours. Sergei Kolesnikov - 135,000
A real bargain for T.CS and with money invested in his training the climber/stage racer who can sprint could be a real threat in numerous races. Could be one of the stars of the season if his schedule goes right. Bargain in the basement Denis Galimzyanov - 60,000
Could have picked any number of decent looking sprinters that Tinkoff possess and none of them break the bank. Here is a rider with protour experience capable of winning any field sprint, excellent value. Hot prospect: Petr Ignatenko - 65,000
A late bloomer, this 25 year old does have the makings of a very good climber.
Transfer highlights:
Yet another determined Russian talent gathering exercise from T.CS Bank's manager, just about priced out of signing Vladamir Gusev, only to pull of the surprise (to everybody else) Ignatiev loan deal. The top signing for them for me though was free agent Kolesnikov at 135,000 a rider of his talents and age was a real steal.
Wild card prospects
No wildcards this year for T.CS Bank as they try and push toward gaining automatic entry for protour races next year!
The Smowzdown
The signing of Ignatiev seems to push T.CS Bank with a very talented back pool of riders into strong promotion contention. The TTer who can win hilly classic Ignatiev reeked utter dominence in stage races with a TT and races such as the Bayern Rundfaht will likely have Ignatieve towards the top step once again.
Numerous other riders in the squad are capable of scoring high finishes including mountain man Efimkin, punchaers Kolobnev and Kirylenka and sprinters Markov, Trusov, Timofeev, Galimzyanov and Korzh. With so many talents it is hard not to see this team deep inside the top ten teams by the end of the season.
Edited by Smowz on 29-07-2011 07:08
Team in Brief:
My pride and joy, headlined by its first Tour de France in 2012 but hoping to sneak in a sneak promotion bid sneakily. Top earners: John Gadret - 425,000
Complained like a baby when it looked as though Pendletons may steal him away - funnily Gadret looks like a 33 year old bald baby with earrings himself. The guy used to be a very good climber and as he was the best French one got close to something brilliant at the tour, instead won a couple of Dauphine's. Looking forward to racing against that whining Irish brat Nicolas Roche. Kim Kirchen -180,000
Unable to come up with his own strategy, the team manager decided to steal Kami's brilliant Bacardi plan and buy old timer Kirchen for half a million. Early training seems to confirm that Kirchen likely no longer has the sufficient qualities to make the impact of last year, still maybe he can finally land the Tour of Luxembourg. Sylvian Calzati - 175,000
Why sign two 32+ leaders when you can have three, Calzati gets to race the Tour de France and team manager hopes can rider to numerous high finishes in his last team leader season. Bargain in the basement Mikael Cherel - 60,000
Okay he came as part of the Ji/Suitsou <-> Cherel, Moinard and Vorganov deal and he did little of note last year. Still one of the few younger riders in the squad (hey 26 years old is young to me) and a very decent punchaer represents good value. Hot prospect: Carlos Alexandre Manarelli - 60,000
Painfully close to maxing out at 95 exp from last season, likely to be seen in the odd protour race or two in 20th place in field sprints and rarely in Ctour races. Will likely be sold ridiculously cheap next year in another crazy transfer move.
Transfer lowlights:
Made about 10 transfer moves in the first 10 hours of transfer season, foolishly believes he got the best end of most deals but even my one eyed analysis knows that green bar empty at finish Sonnery for Matthews + 500,000 + training some useless Greek lump was a howler.... or was it!
Wild card prospect
Vuelta a Colombia, Tour de France and Paris Roubaix and it would seem the occasional brown envelope dropping on Man Game supremo SN's doorstep. Still Gadret may be a decent top ten shout in the two stage races and may break the top 50 at the Paris Roubaix!
The Smowzdown
Damned to another year in the CTour again by the looks, though I obviously hope that I can conjure up miracles with outrageous luck or weak fields where my riders are racing or even a bunch a buggers with great teams leaving mid season (a la Petronas + Ikea) or a combination of the three.
Though let's be fair there is an awful lot of green colours in my team stats (admittedly light green stats). Gadret should give some demonstration of his forgotten climbing abilities and despite offloading almost every climber I had, I still bought in Danny Moreno. No outstanding punchaer but why buy one or two top ones when you can get six or seven half decent ones (Kirchen, Calzati, Gerrans, Mori, Cherel, Vorganov, Moinard) eh? Loads of top ten sprinting options (Impey, Giuax, Sutton, Sonnery, Priamo, Manarelli) and thanks to the new points scoring system that may rack up plenty o' points also.
Oh and the season will be an overwhelming success whatever happens if Graeme Brown manages to win at some stage.
Califiornia Giant Berry Farms Presented by Specialized
Last year: 16th as Mercedes Benz
Team in Brief:
Safely under the wage cap this time, look a dangerous team in the climbs with 20 year old Ryan Eastman their huge prospect. Top earners: Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez - 350,000
One of the top stars in Man Game history, it was probably time for Sanchez to step down to the CTour as his skills start to fade. He is still a very decent punchaer who will likely nab a couple of wins in his twilight years. After the teams disappointment in Pozzato last year Sanchez has should me a more reliable bet. Kristjan Koren - 300,000
Talented Slovenian time triallist who climbs pretty well, should interesting to see where Cal Berry place the 26 year old, likely in races whereby mountains play a part but are not overly decisive. Ryan Eastman - 150,000
Very talented 20 year old climber who has developed rapidly and now makes him a very attractive development prospect. Strong all round skills with his climbing of the high mountains being the first place where CalBerry's management have put some effort into improving. How long before the vultures at Wikipedia come calling from the protour? Juan Jose Haedo - 140,000
A couple of years ago Haedo was a real star in the CTour, but that star dimmed last year after starting okay sort of faded to the background. This was really the story for Mercedes Benz's season as whole, will look to regenerate his interests this time out and remains a fine sprinter capable of winning any field sprint. Bargain in the basement Benoit Sinner - 60,000
Dangerous French sprinter likely to strike in stage races where CalBerry have a big mountains leader also. Hot prospect: Ben King - 50,000
One rider Wikipedia allowed to get away, at 23 years of age a professional contract is a welcome sight for this attacking rider with a decent kick.
Transfer highlights:
Brought in two riders in Sanchez Gonzelez via the complicated Pozzato loan move and Koren from the free agency to replace the expensive Pozzato. CalBerry actually are still paying Pozzato 300,000 for riding for Festina this year, though they will get him back next year.
Wild card prospects
None, meaning Sammy Sanchez has disappeared completely from the Protour this season.
The Smowzdown
Whilst TTer Koren, sprinter Haedo and punchaer Sammy Sanchez are going to pick up strong results it is the climbing squadron of CalBerry that will likely be the major attention here. In particular the trained up 20 year old Ryan Eastman who will be looking for that breakthrough result. His back up will come from long time franchise duo Stetina and Peterson along with Brandt and the newly drafted in French 26 year Jeannesson.
Look an improved squad from last time out, where shrewd race planning could not cover the cracks of missing riders. With this in mind CalBerry have top ten credentials with a possible outside promotion tilt, should be interesting how Sammy Sanchez goes.
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Hollister Pro Cycling
Last year: 17th as Quiksilver Kraft
Team in Brief:
All round squad continuing to improve, though not quite there yet.
Top earners: Robert Kiserlowski- 500,000
Battled hard, often on his own to save the falling apart Starbucks Protour team last year gained a decent wage to sign for CTour growing team Hollister. Needs to curb attacking instinct as now the expectation is on him for consistent high GC performances, lacks finishing speed but other than that is a high quality stage racer at this level (and a massive improvement on last years bomb Delgado) Allan Davis - 215,000
Raised expectations after winning the early season Down Under Class, only to struggle to consistently deliver throughout the season. It is possible that Davis may need to work for the right wheels again with the lack of a dedicated sprint train. Still Down Under Classic proves he is capable of beating any sprinter, though with Bennati around these sorts of wins will be that little bit harder. Bargain in the basement Alessandro Proni - 55,000
Transfers between teams can often be the key to unlocking a bargain in terms of wage as Hollister showed with the 475,000 purchase from Vespa. Set to be the teams lead punchaer could strike in low level hilly races. Hot prospects: Yonathan Monsalve - 100,000
Hollister managed to add to their useful youngsters pool with two strong South American climbing prospects, the best of those looks like Venezualan Monsalve who will likely make a very attractive loan prospect to protour teams next season.
Transfer highlights:
After a fairly successful contract renewels where dead wood was cleared out had a fairly effective transfer season. Once again pushed to the limit trying to find a stage racer and landed a decent long term rider in Kiserlowski, interesting snapped up Ochoa Quintero who destroyed their Vuelta a Tachira hopes in 2011. Transferred in Proni and Serebriakov adding depth to the team.
Wild card prospects
Recieved the nod to race the Tour of California and with Kiserlowski leading could challange for some high GC honours there.
The Smowzdown
Like so many of the teams from last year particularly the ones newly formed in 2011, this team have certainly the look of an improved squad. Though with so many improving it is a matter of who has improved the most. Not sure Hollister are one in the improved the most category, so will have to make up for that in race planning. Did okay last year despite not having the look of anything special that bodes well. Riders such as sprinter Davis, TTer Dempster, stage racer Yasmani Martinez, rouler Scheirlinckx and sprinter who can climb Damian Martinez scored well last season. It'll be a question of how to blend Kiserlowski, Serebriakov and Proni in there whilst maintaining the others success.
I have this team on the fringes of a top ten place but certainly on their way upwards.
Team in Brief:
Much changed franchise with some big transfer moves, bigged themselves up as promotion candidates with some impressive leaders.
Top earners: Kai Reus - 520,000
Part of the all conquering Jack Wolfskin promoting outfit in 2010, is back again to do battle in TT races. Climbs better than most TTers, though team boss will have been frustrated that fellow Dutchman Boom and Russian 2011 TT dominator Ignatiev are around on CTour teams. Aleksander Flugel - 280,000
Former Ikea men did not exactly go cheap this year and their punchaer threat 26 year old German was one that invoked some competition. Could not quite make the mark in last years overcrowded CTour punchaer field but could do better this time out, though squad look a little weak on support. Marco Marzano - 270,500
Did well in the Giro last year and step down to CTour has not forgone the opportunity for another decent assault at that this year with Volkswagens receiving the wildcard. A couple of decent Italian stage races for Marzano to plunder also and should be a factor in any mountain stage. Vadim Ratiy - 114,500
Good value Ukrainian climber, looks a real long term investment project though yet to do anything super of note as yet in his young career. That should change this season, the youngster can go pretty well against the clock for a CTour top mountain climber. Bargain in the basement Lucas Schadlich - 90,000
Top quality TTer from Germany looks set to join Reus in plundering the tester CTour circuit. Hot prospect: Rick Zabel - 175,000
With a surname (and father) like his Rick Zabel was always going to attract attention, looks like he has the capabilities of matching his father also in later years. This year the 19 year old will be in development but a huge prospect.
Transfer highlights:
Always promised big changes and much like my own squad it was often difficult to keep track of how many changes the team manager had made. Received a reasonable price for most of their former riders with Kessiekoff (400,000), Kvist (400,000), Vaitkus (230,000) and Rohregger (700,000) giving them a fairly sizable war chest. Much of it went on the 1,300,000 signing of Ratiy but some was kept for the interesting 'middle man' Hugenhaben shuffle. Ultimately Marzano was gained for the net loss of 750,000 and Spanish domestique Florencio.
Busy in the team transfers Volkswagen also worked hard in the free agency making determined moves for TTer Reus and German punchaer Flugel as well as adding to their youth development and German nationality stocks.
Wild card prospects
Landed Giro application, a race that grabbed the headlines because of 5 time champion Cunego not racing. Marzano will go into the possible Italian contenders though a top 5 spot would probably represent success. Also landed Paris Nice and Chrono des Herbiers invites that should see Kai Reus lead the squad.
The Smowzdown
Cannot disagree with this teams promotion credentials, though and it may seem bizarre to say this considering the relatively high amount of leaders... one concern is lack of depth.
Then again I may be looking for hope in my own squads ambitions as behind the star climbing dup Ratiy/Marzano there lies decent climbers such as Pfannberger and Noval. We also have Muller and Veikkanen to back up the TT duo of Schladlich and Reus. Let's factor in also sprinters Loddo, Sabatini and Forster (though the latter two were fairly disappointing in 2011) there should be some conisderable scoring potential behind the very strong leaders.
Punchaer Flugel looks a bit of a stab in the dark and I wonder where team manager will race him, he should be fairly attacking and will lack high quality classics support. Bottom line I think VolksWagen will of course be in the promotion reckoning but I can see some barren runs which could see themselves fall short of the top spot.
Team in Brief:
Bouncing back from a disappointing 2011 with a marquee signing of Pozzovivo, Italian squad are back to their best in 2012.
Top earners: Dominico Pozzovivo - 600,000
Will return to tackle Giro once again and will also plunder the CTour circuit in likely mountain races and perhaps occasionally as second to Ginanni in hilly ones. An excellent climber who does well in long tours as well as shorter ones. Not so good against the clock which is the main reason for missing the podium in 4th place in the last three giro's - with the absence of Cunego this year he has a shot at upgrading. Francesco Ginanni - 400,000
Vespa stay patient with their punchaer who endured a difficult time attempting big wins last year. As I have pointed out several times in this preview some of the star hill climbers have moved onto the Protour which suggests Ginanni should comfortably step up this season. I certainly expect him to dominate a number of classics. Fairly one dimensional in that respect though could secure a Giro spot as well. Matteo Carrara - 300,000
33 year old climbing tough nut, who with a decent sprint will be a threat in some of the lower down the food chain stage races with mountains in. Seemed to find the competition a little too tough last year but scored a string of consistent top 10 finishes for Petronas. Useless against the clock. Bargain in the basement Gabriele Bosisio - 60,000
Was even more disappointing that Ginanni in the year previous but in taking a very low wage is a sign that this rider wishes to stay with Vespa and turn negative opinions around. Showed glimpses of his ability last year to live with the best on climbs, surely will do better this year. Hot prospects: Davide Cimolai - 50,000
Have some highly rated loan stars racing for them this year including Mattia Cattaneo and Nikias Arndt. Vespa also have a very decent 23 year old Italian sprint prospect in Davide Cimolai, who climbs hills pretty well for a fast man.
Transfer highlights:
The huge 2,375,000 transfer of Domenico Pozzovivo was a massive outlay of cash for a rider who has limited race days in CTour company. But then it does give Vespa a strong contender for that Giro D'Italia. Alessandro Proni left Vespa for 475,000 though Vespa will feel they have adequate climbing domestique cover there. Belgian Verbist made his way to the Protour with Irish sprinter Speirs coming the other way.
Made the biggest splash in the free agency on Carrara who didn't come cheap at 300,000.
Wild card prospects
It's the Giro and Milan San Remo, the two biggest Italian races and they should go well in both. Pozzovivo and company will also go for the Tour de Suisse, the presence of a lengthy final stage Time Trial probably does the diminutive climber no favours.
The Smowzdown
Led by two very strong riders in Pozzovivo and Ginanni, Vespa look set to become one of the powerhouses of the CTour this year. Those two in addition to useful back up leaders in Carrara and Bosisio give the Italian team plenty of strength in the hilly races and the mountains to score heavily.
The squad also have a good presence in sprints with Gatto and Gavazzi from last season and young Speirs coming perhaps as a legacy of last year's Irish Caffreys sponsorship. It will be interesting to see how highly rated climbers Arndt and Cattaneo perform, the youngsters surely set to become rivals in future years.
I think with the resources Vespa have to play with this season they are good bets for a position inside the top ten, possibly even challanging with a little luck for winning the CTour team standings. Look for Pozzovivo and Ginanni to be challenging for top 10 individual berths.
Team in Brief:
Much changed team of veterans last year becoming one of the top stage racing teams in 2012.
Top earners: Jurgen Van Den Brouck - 600,000
Continues to ply his trade in the CTour, after winning the Vuelta a Colombia last year with Benfica moves to another high quality stage racing squad in Pirelli. Pirelli have invested heavily in his mountain ability, making him the star rider of the squad. At 29 years of age will likely see this year as a chance to attract attention of protour teams or alternatively help Pirelli toward promotion. One of the better TTers out of the stage racers in the CTour. Nicolas Roche - 495,000
Co leads the team and a really decent looking stage racer who possesses a half decent finishing kick. Comfortable in stage race climbs of varying degrees the Irishman will be a threat in the classics also, which he will be the definitive leader for Pirelli. Carlos Castano - 250,000
Has a fantastic Giro last year came in as a swap for former team leader Jose Serpa. Seen as a makeweight for that deal, though Carlos is a very fine climber in his own right that holds his own against the clock. Bargain in the basement Andres Saldarriaga - 50,000
Made some interesting lone moves and worked well as a luxury climbing domestique for Benfica last year. Should prove invaluable to Pirelli in this capacity in 2012. Hot prospect:
Other than loans, Pirelli have not really looked into the young riders market.
Transfer highlights:
Swapped out last year's highly priced team leader Jose Serpa for Castano, but it was the highly priced free agents double swoop for Roche and Van den Broeck that made the headlines. These two set Pirelli back some 1,100,000 or their budget and had them scrambling for bargains elsewhere.
Wild card prospects
No wild cards for Pirelli this year.
The Smowzdown
Improvements have been made to the old timer team of Pirelli, though still fair number of riders at or about 30 years of age, there has been decent raids made in the transfer market this year. They were rather Serpa or nothing last year and they got some pretty consistent results out of the climber proving that they should be able to find a good combination of races for Van den Broeck, Roche and Castano.
Managed to snap up very decent Kazach sprinter Bazajev who gives them far better sprint prospects than Di Nucci and Boggia. Though sprinting may well be a bit hit and miss for Pirelli.
It's rather lop sided onto stage racing this outfit for me and outside of those GC's and possible Roche led classics results I am not sure were the points will come from. Still the top trio look likely to deliver a team top ten performance and high individual results themselves.
Edited by Smowz on 30-07-2011 06:58
Team in Brief:
Team seemingly all about one rider, CTours number one rider in 2010 and 2011 Vuelta champion Alejandro Valverde.
Top earners: Alejandro Valverde - 1,150,000
One of two grand tour winners on the free agents market, the former world champion and last year's Votla a Catalunya and Vuelta a Espana winner would have expected many high bids. He would not have expected the highest bid to come from the ambitious Proximus Trek outfit, though will be relieved he gets to rider the Vuelta albeit without too much appreciable support. Should go well in any CTour race he picks, but if he goes outside Spain may not dominate as much as people expect. Mark Cavendish - 220,000
Raised optimism after an early Tour Down Under victory only to be a disappointment in the main last year as part of 100% Me's squad. Part of a swap deal with punchaer Bellis going the other way, should be part of Proximus's Vuelta team and will be their lead sprinter elsewhere. Hassen Ben Nasser - 103.500
One of the better performers from last year's Cillit Bang outfit an excellent punchaer who has a very decent finishing kick. No longer has to think about being a patsy for Jonathan Bellis though may be one for Valverde on occasion instead. Bargain in the basement Ismael Kip - 50,000
Sprinter who doesn't like hills but still got up to take some fine sprint results last year and may well do so this year as if he isn't dropped, is very fast in the last kilometre. Hot prospect: Davronjan Shatskikh - 50,000
22 year old climbing hope from Kazachstan making some decent improvements still needing to work on his all round skills.
Transfer highlights:
Dipped in to make a huge splash signing Valverde and later the Bellis - Cavendish exchange.
Wild card prospects
Valverde will start as a favourite for both Proximus's wildcards with The Giro de Lombardia and the Vuelta a Espana. Should recieve good support in the Lombardie hilly classic with the likes of De Maar and Ben Nasser, but squad will struggle to support their captain properly in the Vuelta.
The Smowzdown
Let's start with Valverde, who will no doubt be a factor and his race schedule will be up for debate, the sensible thing to give him the a fairly high number of HC classics and a few HC stage races with possible a couple of Spanish races added in there. Who knows where he will eventually end up racing, but he will be limited to a small percentage of Proximus's race days. In the other race days they will have to rely on punchaer Ben Nasser certainly a decent performer, sprinter Cavendish who will have fair competion annd possibly tough men De Maar and Kopp.
Seems not dissimilar to the issue Santander had when they had Valverde in the CTour a fews years back that he may dominate but to such a degree that the rest of the team gets put to the shade. Not that I believe the team really cares, after a fairly anonymous season last year they are back in the Protour at least for a few races and that's the best they can do. I don't think the team will place top 10 though in the team standings and how about this, I don't think Valverde will place in the top 10 in the individual and will struggle in the Vuelta.
Team in Brief:
Climb focussed team, seem to have jumped into the empty spot left by Benfica. Top earners: Magno Nazaret - 520,000
Brazilian climbing star who attracted great interest in the market, now 26 years old will look to step up onto winners rostrums. However there are plenty of decent climbers around so will need to be at his best. Mikayil Krasnoperov - 400,000
Great mountain stat and does pretty well against the clock, this would normally add up to a great rider. But is rather suspect on the flatter roads and was often used as a Benfica patsy for better all round riders last year. One suspects Emu will try and force the 25 year old Ukrainian into team leadership, expect entertaining results. John-Lee Augustyn - 110,000
Far better value than the top two riders in the squad, not even in the top five earners. Proved a fairly reliable earner for the largely useless Red Bull outfit last year. Has had investment and should be able to go even better this time out, will struggle against the best stage racers though. Bargain in the basement Victor Hugo Orozco - 55,000
Should serve his team well in the climbs, your classic Colombian climber who is hopeless below 1000m of altitude. Hot prospect: Gokhan Hasta - 50,000
Emu export have spotted a gap in the market with two young decent Turkish climbers given the chance to shine in the CTour. Hasta has the makings of being a very useful climber.
Transfer highlights:
Should be interesting to see who comes out better for the Impey/Priamo for Augustyn/Orozco deal between my team and Emu. Other than that rather expensive raids were made on the free agency as predictably climbers did not come cheap. Nazaret, Krasnoperov and Raisen (175,000) look overpaid, though experienced Daniel Navarro at 100,000 looks a bit of a bargain.
Wild card prospects
None.
The Smowzdown
Last season was a tough one for this team that seemed to be waiting for stand-out performances from Cadel Evans. He remains this year with Seeeldaeyers and Colombian Montenegro but these three will play a supporting role to a mainly climbs focussed squad this year.
The stars of the show here are Nazaret, Krasnoperov and Augustyn, who look likely to target the stage races on the CTour calander and look for Emu export to be present on all the big climbs. Whilst these three are very decent, it's hard to believe that they have enough quality to land a big HC race even on climbing terrian. Emu export also have little quality against the clock or for field sprints leaving this team with a very one dimensional look.
Still it is an improvement on last season, but one that still may struggle to see them lifted in to the top 10 squads around.
Team in Brief:
Decent climbers and a couple of sprinters, seemingly lacking a leader of real quality. Top earners: Fredrik Kessiakoff - 240,000
Couldn't do much to justify the wage paid to him by Telenor last year and the now 32 year old was offloaded here where once again expectations seem high. Does well on mountains and shorter climbs and rode well in last years Tour de Beuace, but was not a factor in the bigger HC races. May find those hard to crack once again this year. Andre Greipel - 175,000
One of the better sprinters in the CTour on paper, but wins last year were thin on the ground his big issue here is that he is rather alone and has to follow other sprint trains. Still if he finds the right wheel is the match for just about anyone as he proved going close to picking up Tour de France stage wins on a couple of occasions. Sergio Paulinho - 170,000
Good solid 32 year stage racer and current Portuguese TT champion, nothing to spectacular here but certainly capable of grinding out consistent top 10 performances. WWE are probably keeping their fingers crossed that Sergio can excel himself at some time or another. Bargain in the basement Michael Vingerling - 67,200
Very fast 22 year old sprinter gives WWE a second man for the final gallops, like Greipal not that great at getting over climbs but still possesses some fine all round stats. Hot prospect: Justo Mayo - 50,000
Ultra attacking Spanish rider who has a good climbing ability and could be a factor in KoM competitions in lower level stage races.
Transfer highlights:
Seemed to be spending most of their time searching for a rider of leader capabilities. Ended up making a 400,000 purchase of Kessiakoff and a low level swoop for the improved Chris Anker Sorenson.
Wild card prospects
None.
The Smowzdown
Considering the fairly major sponsor change, many of the team previous were kept which was surprising considering a relatively lean season. Perhaps it is the race schedule that may change with a greater emphasis on stage racing in particular the longer variety. The likes of Paulinho, Kessiakoff, Astarloza, Sorenson, Txurruka and Diniz may stand a better chance in this sort of company.
WWE possibly have chances in the hilly races also with Pineau, Mollema and Voeckler added to Kessiakoff and Paulinho to create an fairly decent squad in that area. Some success also will be expected in the sprints, particularly with Greipel though look out for Vingerling particularly in the longer stage races.
Definitely some improvements have been made at WWE, I wonder though whether they have enough to move out of the lower reaches in the CTour. I think an improvement just inside the top 20 for the wrestling sponsored team.
Team in Brief:
Desperate to improve on second last in 2011, maintained a Scandanavian feel with Hushovd, Breschel and Lovkvist at the centre of their team.
Top earners: Matti Breschel - 330,000
One of the hotter free agents around a decent sprinter cum cobbler who has the skills to strike at a number of races, though could (as was the case with Steegmans) struggle to find decisive wins. Spent last year struggling to make an impact in the Protour, should do far better in the CTour. Thomas Lovkvist - 256,000
Not really going to make it as a major stage racing star dropping down to ride for Saab - Scania is about right but may find even here a struggle against the very best. The sort of rider who last season went either way, he has all the skills with strong climbing stats backed up by decent TTing and recovery. Will rarely win a group sprint so needs to break away and he lacks the bite to do that. Still should be a decent top 10/top 5 performer and will wear the Swedish national champions jersey with pride. Thor Hushovd - 200,000
Did well for Milka last year and moves North to Saab as he gets that little bit older. Still a very decent sprinter and could make a very dangerous combination with Breschel in the cobbles (especially when there are not too many cobbles). TT's well for a sprinter and the reigning Tour of Denmark champion will captian the large amounts of sprinters on this squad well. Bargain in the basement Marcel Wyss - 65,000
Attractive wage turned the eye of a few ProTour teams, climbs and descends smaller hills well and has the acceleration to make a difference could be a surprise performer. Hot prospect: Glenn likhaya - 50,000
19 year old Swede will take a bit of time to come through but has the looks of a dangerous punchaer in the future.
Transfer highlights:
The big signings of Thomas Lovkvist from Team Spyker Cars and Thor Hushovd set Saab back 900,000 and 250,000 Euros respectively. Managed to sell a few of their medium riders to help balance the books including Chrisoff Van Heerden for 200,000. Biggest free agent move was for Breschel who looks a bit pricey at 330,000 wage.
Wild card prospects
Managed to persuade authorities to award them no less than three wildcards, Thomas Lovkvist will lead the team to the Tour of Romandie and the Dauphine. He is unlikely to do too much there so the team should be aiming for stage wins. Got the last minute nod to the Tour of Flanders, which should be a nice swansong for Hushovd and Breschel could go okay.
The Smowzdown
Really nice to see the squad stick around after what can be best described as a learning year in 2011. Drafted in three new leaders that give Saab-Scania renewed optimism and indeed some hope moving forward in the future. Lovkvist and Breschel are nice riders and should score well if raced correctly and Hushovd is still a very capable rider. Stars of last year (and they were thin on the ground!) Eltink, Wyss and Chicchi remain with further depth added with the signings of climber Bjellmark, TTer Van Aelbroeck and sprinter Westling.
Saab's star is on the rise and it could possibly even get as far as a top 15 position if things go well, their manager should be relatively pleased with the improvements made.
Team in Brief:
Fancied to be the best of the new teams, the Italians with star climbers Pellizotti and Duarte as well as the dangerous youngster Di Maggio could be the surprise package of the season.
Top earners: Franco Pellizotti - 560,000
Winner of the Volta a Portugal and the Tour of America in 2011, the Italian stage racer is good value to go well again in 2012 despite his age of 34 years. Perhaps beginning to fade as a classics threat will likely concentrate on the mountains, one wonders whether he will try the more competitive shorter stage races this time out. Fabio Duarte - 500,000
Held out for a big contract at Cafe de Colombia and managed to find another team will in to pay the half a millian wage. Colombian TT champion who has taken the step into the CTour to get onto winning form. Brilliant climber of mountains and a very decent chrono rider should do well if team can get him through flat and hilly stages. Claudi Corioni - 205,000
Italian sprinter who couldn't quite breakthrough with any consistency in the protour. Still managed to sign a fairly hefty contract with relegated Cerne who were probably relieved to be able to offload him. This could turn round to bite them in the back as the 30 year old is well capable of landed a number of stage wins. Bargain in the basement Cesare Di Maggio - 50,000
Very attractively waged punchaer transferred in for 535,000 from Lipton Iced Tea. A definite classics man with not particularly great recovery, flat or TT stats, if his team can get him to the finale in top shape could be the surprise of the season. Hot prospect: Peter Sagan - 200,000
Venchi paid a large wad of cash for the sprinter who can climb Peter Sagan, the Slovak is not yet the finished article so a bit overpriced at the moment. Will be in the need of protour experience next year also but very high hopes of being a future star.
Transfer highlights:
Highly ambitious new team that have made the signings to possibly match those ambitions. Free agent swoops of Duarte and Pellizotti took no prisoners, but two high priced team to team transfers showed what this team is about 535,000 for Di Maggio and 365,000 for Corioni.
Wild card prospects
None.
The Smowzdown
Grabbed three really threatening looking leaders, little arguement from me that this is one of the better new squads. Aging Pellizotti and super hill statted Di Maggio are slight gambles really both could have brilliant or underwhelming seasons in equal measure. Fabio Duarte looks a more reliable purchase and I think very decent TTer Bodnar could be a good buy also. Italian sprinters Corioni and Marinangeli will go well if they avoid the best sprinters in the division.
Team Venchi could well break the CTour's top 10, though it remains to be seen if they can do a Bacardi. I have a feeling Di Maggio could possibly be a bit of a dud in which case Venchi will end up outside of the top 10.
Team in Brief:
Stunned the Man Game with the one million Euro wage offer for star Venezuelan climber Jose Alarcon. Built a decent team around the climber.
Top earners: Jose Alarcon - 1,000,000
24 year old IKEA sensation who has an amazing climbing ability to match some of the very best in the world. Continues to grind away in the CTour where he took second on the individual standings to teammate Rain Taaramae in the individual standings and also won 4 races (being very unlucky not to win a 5th0. He is earning the wage of a champion this year, will he perform like one? Jairo Agudelo - 300,000
No expense was spared finding Alarcon a high quality domestique and the 26 year old Colombian was bought in probably for just that but may get the chance to lead a few races. Former Gazzetta man has no key weaknesses and could do well in his own right. Gustav Larsson - 200,000
Very useful against the clock and at a reasonable wage, the 32 year old Swede should keep the Scandinavian sponsors happy. Larsson was rather used as a domestique last season by Ikea, should have chances to team lead this year. Bargain in the basement Lucus Sebastion Haedo - 50,000
Giving a shout out to the younger Haedo brother here who was one of the best riders not to receive a contract in 2011, he is probably the second best sprinter in the squad and unlike Jorgenson does not have hill and stamina issues. Hot prospect: Anders Lund - 50,000
Splashing out on unproven youngsters didn't seem this teams style, low level climber Norwegian Anders Lund, I guess is a personal project as the 24 year old doesn't really look like he will make it to anything special.
Transfer highlights:
Whacked in a huge bid for Alarcon to put off Protour suitors who have long looked on with envy at the star climber. Ambition was not dented by this huge gap in wages and pulled off some loans and stagieres to squeak over the rider limit. Punchaer Anthony Roux came in at high expense (855,000), sprinter Jorgensson was less expensive (49,500).
Wild card prospects
No Protour races for Alarcon to test himself on this year.
The Smowzdown
You know last season Kami caught everyone out with a huge free agent signing and went on to promote and given Alarcon's season last year, the superstar signing could see Aker Solutions do great things. Bacardi though were more than Ricco, but then so are Aker Solutions, with punchaer Roux, stage racer Larsson and slightly less high profile climbers Agudelo and Vasquez this should be an exciting year for the big spending team.
Not too much for the sprints, which is a worry because most stage races will see plenty of these gallops and too many absent days at the office could hurt this teams point tally. Should be well set for their goals though and a real name to watch in the future. I predict a confident top 20 place.
Edited by Smowz on 31-07-2011 09:27
Team in Brief:
British team whose star performers look set to be a pair of Lithuanians and a pair of Aussies! Top earners: Ignas Konovalovas - 370,000
TTer with a strong hill climbing ability will likely join the merry band of TTers in their circuit trailing in the wake of Ignatiev. Probably didn't take the results he should have last year, competition looks tougher this year with Reus and Boom around along with the Russian powerhouse. Still a decent purchase at 27 years of age still has plenty of years left in the clock. Tomas Vaitkus - 270,000
Seems a bargain at 250,000 Euros, which was the transfer fee Cyclevox paid for Lithuanian sprinter. Has good all round stats, however didn't pick up a huge amount of wins last season very much a rider for one or two races in a season. Will be hard to find a consistent schedule for him. Mitch Docker - 210,000
Double Giro stage winner in 2011 for disbanded Protour team Lafarge, climbs both hills and mountains well for a fast man so price is not too bad. Has a very decent sprint with the right lead out though stamina is a bit suspect. Bargain in the basement Graham Briggs - 50,000
Considering the price others paid for lead out riders, Briggs with decent sprint and flat stats is a nice signing for the British based team. Hot prospect: Dan McLay
20 year old could develop into the next big British sprinter behind Swift, the Rowes and Cavendish.
Transfer highlights:
British riders signed mainly as 50,000 domestiques, focussed their high end transfers pushing prices for selected riders fairly high. Saved their transfers with fairly late team to team buys of Knees and Vaitkus.
Wild card prospects
Landed the British based East Midland Cycling Classics, will be hoping for a sprint finish with Vaitkus but will be aware that the parcours for this one are tough.
The Smowzdown
A couple of very decent sprint performers in Vaitkus and Docker though at 480,000 for the pair it is quite a lot to pay considering the competition in this area. Konovalovas didn't come cheap either should give some return though with the hill climbing ability to surprise the top chrono men.
Did well the bring in the team transfer deals, certainly Casar and Knees caught my eye as good solid riders with free agents Van de Velde, Lowe, Mandri and Richardson giving them some presence on climbs though these riders may be struggling for a top ten against the best riders. Indeed shortlist was not quite as ambitious as other new squads, possibly hampered by a slight overfocus on anglophile riders.
A top twenty would be a real achievement for this team, this will only be accomplished through a well planned season.
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Rothaus - Aegon
Team in Brief:
German team of sprinters headlined by Belgian Maxime Vantomme, also containing TT/Hilly threat Lars Boom and Ben Hermans Top earners: Maxime Vantomme - 700,000
A whopping price tag for a sprinter but one who is probably one of the top five in the division rivalling Bennati, Mohs and Napalitano. Had a misfiring season with bottom of the table Highroad last year, feels the weight of expectation again. A shockingly overpriced rider. Lars Boom - 350,000
Excellent Dutch TTer who has great all round abilities over the climbs and cobbles. Not perhaps the best at any terrian will probably be raced in short stage races with TTs against Reus and Ignatiev. Step down from the Protour should put Boom in the spotlight. Ryder Hesjedal - 125,000
Has a decent enough season for Pirelli last season, but as they looked to upgrade he had to shift to new team Rothaus for 400,000 Euros. Stull a pretty decent buy as his wage is fairly generous for a fairly good stage racing type with a demon descent. Bargain in the basement Claudio Cucinotta - 50,000
Decent trying sprinter from the Intesa outfit last year the Italian should give good value with a slightly more generous scoring system this year. Hot prospect: Thomas Koep - 50,000
Decent looking German rider who climbs and TTs pretty well, a rider needing to define his skills going forward hoping for an active season.
Transfer highlights:
Made a bold big bid for Vantomme, and needed to follow that up with some shrewd moves elsewhere. Did well to snare Lars Boom for 350,000 his price could have got much higher and a very nice loan deal for Ben Hermans.
Wild card prospects
Involved in two classics, the Vattenfalls Classic gives Vantomme a half decent chance of something special, meanwhile Luxembourg's Grand Duche classic sees young Ben Hermans go up against his Wiggle overlords.
The Smowzdown
Vantomme is backed up by four or five mid level sprinters in Baumann, Gajek, Cucinotta, Iglinski and Van Heerden. These riders look a bit hit and miss, even Vantomme and the team manager will have to study the dark arts of pcm sprint trains to get the best out of them
On the hilly stuff prospects may be brighter, Hermans, Boom, Ruijgh and Hesjedal should be good enough in c1 races to find their way to a podium or two.
However Rothaus have made some of the mistakes I made last season in signing far too many mid to low level talent along with too many youth riders. Loan contracts will force them into using three of their youngsters on loan to their maximum giving them either scant opportunity to train others or fairly weak teams at races. Going to struggle to break the top twenty.
Team in Brief:
Decent cobbled team with a number of high profile Testers and sprint talent.
Top earners: Tom Veelers - 235,000
A cobbler who has a very decent sprint, a late 150,000 swoop by Koppert could surprise Blythe, VanSpreybrouk and co by overwhelming them at the finish. Sebastian Langeveld - 150,000
Cobbler who can get up hills, will be interesting to see the teams strategy in the cobbles with four strong cobbled men. Rick Flens - 110,000
Very decent Chrono man, formally one of the Gazzatta time trialling troupe. Could surprise the more high profile riders against the clock though struggles out on the road stages. Bargain in the basement Hans Dekkers - 60,000
Another decently waged sprinter who could easily topple far higher earners in any given sprint as long as it is not too hilly! In a team full of sprint talent has a lightening acceleration and will be difficult to overhaul if he gets ahead. Hot prospect: Tome Jelte Slagter - 80,000
Had competition for young Dutch climbers signature, but won out the day and offers the 23 year old valuable experience in smaller races. Should become a top protour rider in his day.
Transfer highlights:
It proved a struggle to find leaders, lacking the headlines of other new teams. The cheap transfers of Veelers (150,000) and Dekkers (100,000) proved the smartest deals. Three youngsters coming in on loan hampering their own youth development.
Wild card prospects
Cobbled quad get to compete at Gent - Wegulum and could possibly end in a sprint which would suit Veelers.
The Smowzdown
Koppert seemed to be fishing around for a team leader after the first three or four days of transfer season which is always a bad sign. This is what this team lacks, a guy who looks good for consistent high finishes, particularly as part of the focus here is on cobbled riders. Veelers, Langeveld and Taillefour should be to the fore in those rough road races and perhaps Veelers can surprise the slightly better specialists with his sprint.
Sprinter Dekkers should go okay and riders like Traksel, Hopman and possibly veteran Freire could pop up occasionally to involve themselves in sprints. There does seem like good lead out material here. The TTers, Flens, Wiestra, Van Zandbeek and Ligthart will go pretty well against the clock but only Van Zandbeek looks capable of surviving when the road goes up.
Certainly not the worst team around will ply their trade on flatter races on the circuit, cannot see the team inside the top twenty but with a number of younger riders the team can build in following seasons.
Team in Brief:
New German team that actually signed star Germans as leaders, challengers for title of best new team.
Top earners: Matthias Kessler - 455,000
Highly waged 33 year old punchaer who sat out last season, should be a factor this time out as he continues to look a threat in classics and hilly stage races. Getting on in years so this could be the last season at the top. Heinrich Haussler - 275,000
German sprinter who climbs and rides cobbles okay, a bit of a all rounder really but his best chances of results will be in the sprints. He isn't the fastest but got consistent enough results in the Protour last year, will not find the CTour sprints that much easier but there is more variety to the fields. May struggle to justify his price tag. Fabian Wegmann - 260,000
Much more reasonably waged then the other big German stars could be a good bet to go well as he has done before in the CTour. Excellent attacking punchaer who has a very decent sprint to finish things off, a top 10 individual place beckons. Bargain in the basement Gregory Rast - 60,000
A high quality punchaer's domestique who scored a string of useful results for El Al last year. Should prove good value once again this time out. Hot prospect: Patrick Bercz - 55,000
Fairly high average age in Trilux but 23 year old German hill climbing prospect Bercz bucks that trend looks like he possesses a decent finishing kick also means that he could develop into a sprinter also.
Transfer highlights:
Landed three big German leaders trumping the competition with big bids, then shopped around for high quality domestiques muscling out Latvians Smukulis and Saramotins, French cobblers Coyot and Tronet and Swiss strongman Rast. Also transferred in German all rounder Eichler for 250,000.
Wild card prospects
Pair of German punchaers deservedly land Rund um Koln wildcard and both have decent chances of making at least top 10's in their homeland.
The Smowzdown
The big question about Trilux is how to get the best out of both Kessler and Wegmann simultaneously and whether Trilux attempt to find seperate programs for them or will ride them together? The other question mark is on how effective Haussler will be, a fine rider but does he have the necessary skills to score heavily? There is some fairly strong back up for their three German leaders and this is why I rate Trilux fairly highly along with Wegmann's good CTour pedigree.
Should be a fairly successful first year for the German squad and I am backing them to break into CTour's top 20.
Team in Brief:
Australian squad with a high percentage of Australians, great nationality focus but riders are short of top end quality.
Top earners: George Bennett - 375,000
One of a clutch of youngsters to attract massive wages, will take time for the 21 year old Kiwi to show his strong climbing pedigree. Jack Bobrdige - 360,000
Australian TT hope, who has the potential to be one of the best men against the clock in the world. Climbs hills well too, but still at 23 years of age a little too raw to land top class victories. Mark Renshaw - 280,000
30 year old lead out specialist who will likely have to sprint on for his own ambitions from time to time this year. Rides okay over cobbled stones where he will hope to cause a surprise. Bargain in the basement Baden Cooke - 60,000
He may be 34 years of age and did little of note last year in the Protour but Baden is a excellent sprinter as long as the terrian is not too hilly. Also known as a half decent cobbler. Hot prospect: Luke Durbridge - 100,000
Another rider from the Australian school of track, as you would expect is projected to be a very fine tester.
Transfer highlights:
Determined to nab shortlisted Australian and youth talent led to Oz Cycling manager getting into several crazy bidding wars. Best value signings were sprinters Cooke (60,000), Haider(100,000 transfer) and Simon Clarke (50,000)
Wild card prospects
Likely to get blown away by the Protour in the Eire Tour, though Baden Cooke does stand a chance in those sort of parcours.
The Smowzdown
Hot favourites for the wooden spoon, when your best rider is a 34 year old sprinter who has seen better days you know you are in for a rough season. Still being one of the weaker teams about will likely see Oz cycling in plenty of breakaways and this may see them grab some surprise wins or two.
Cooke, Renshaw, Haider, and Simon Clarke lead the sprinters though all struggle on steep gradients. Climber Lewis will battle hard on climbs if he survives the flat, meanwhile Laidler, Ford and Bobridge should give this team chances of top 10's in the stage races with TTs.
Though these names are really nothing to shout about, it is a season of development for Oz Cycling, the project is long term!
Team in Brief:
Bpost are a powerful cobbled outfit who will also be a danger on hilly classics.
Top earners: Pieter Vanspeybrouck - 330,000
Was a massive success for IKEA on cobbles last year and many would have thought he was set for a protour berth. However it is another year in the CTour for the 25 year old albeit with a Omloop Het Volk wildcard entry. Handles the cobblestones effortlessly and seems to have a knack for knowing when to attack, climbs hills pretty well though is not as fast a sprinter as some of the other big cobblers. Nikolas Maes - 270,000
The second of the tripled cobbled threat and a powerful rouler with a bit of protour experience. Having finished in the top ten of both the Paris Roubaix, Strade Bianchi and Gent Wegulum in 2011, will probably not apprieciate having to work for others! Not quite as super on cobbles as Vanspeybrouck but brilliant on the flat. Jelle Vanendert - 220,000
Excellent value buy, a very good punchaer with good high mountain and TT skills, should be a good bet to go well on hilly classics and short stage races. Bargain in the basement Johan Vansummeren - 85,000
Will be a very useful utility support rider in both the hilly stuff and over cobblestones, perhaps can surprise the best by getting in a breakaway or two! Hot prospect: Joeri Stallaert - 150,000
No expense spared in getting the later Belgian cobbled/sprinter prodigy on the books, the 21 year old is full of potential will need to decide whether he is a sprinter or cobbler!
Transfer highlights:
Snapped up a dizzying array of top class cobblers but also nabbed two very decent punchaers in Vanendert and Gautier. Lots of youngsters to be used as domestiques.
Wild card prospects
Gained entry into the Omloop Het Volk which will strike fear into the hearts of the Protour clan, then again they probably don't have anyone to threaten the podium there. Could crack the top 10 at Amstel Gold with Vanendert though he would have been better suited to the Belgian races!
The Smowzdown
With over a third of this teams wage bill invested in cobbled riders Vanspreybrouck (330,000), Maes (270,000), Albert (160,000) and Broers (68,000) there will be huge expectation of results over this terrain. The trouble with these four riders is they are all highly specialist for those sorts of races with the other possibilities of success being in wind ripped classics and stages on the circuit.
Hilly duo Vanendert and Gautier may well eclipse the cobbled quad and both should figure in top tens even winning the odd low level race. I am concerned that the purchase of Stubbe and De Greef both very low level stage racers may see Bpost in mountainous stage races for which the squad simply isn't suited. 14 young riders is really at least twice as many as a team can support and some of the youngsters will be disappointed about the amount of races they miss out on.
As a Belgian team you can understand Bpost's thirst for classic success and that seems pretty much guaranteed, may find the rest of the season a case of watching from the peleton though. Will strengthen in future seasons this year I think will end up at around 20th place which is a pretty good start.
Edited by Smowz on 01-08-2011 06:04
Team in Brief:
Spanish based team full of climbers with the occasional sprinter.
Top earners: Rui Costa - 400,000
Fairly hefty price tag for the punchaer with a very decent TT ability should be set for a fairly successful year and perhaps a stage race win or two. Might be seen as a classics leader for which he could go pretty well in also. Igor Anton - 375,000
Was horribly wasted at Youtube last year and gets a good chance of redemption leading the CSC Spanish legion. Strong climber with very decent stage racing type skills, probably not quite skillfuil enough to take on a Vuelta but will be a favourite to go well and challange the Sanchez's and Valverde's of the CTour. Roman Maksimov - 350,000
A lot will be expected from this undeniebly speedy Russian whose big doubt is his obvious lack of climbing ability if the CSC team can get him to the finish expect a Russian rocket to be unleashed! Bargain in the basement Moses Duenas - 50,000
Amazingly cheap purchase from the free agency pool for the climber who has good skills against the clock. Hot prospect: Caros Verona
Seemed to pass the view of all conquering Spanish squad Santander, CSC - Orbea have snapped up this 20 year old time trialling prodigy.
Transfer highlights:
The highlight was snapping up team leader Igor Anton for a pretty reasonable price early on in the transfer season, this gave CSC the luxury of affording some more leaders though Rui Costa and Maksimov look risky ventures. Used some transfer money to bring in Colombians Parra and Rodas and invested slightly in training for Rui Costa.
Wild card prospects
With heavy investment in hill training for Costa no wildcards were afforded.
The Smowzdown
Igor Anton leads a team that will be mainly known for its decent bunch of climbers. The Spainard himself is one of a clutch of world class Spanish climbers in the CTour this year and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. His supporting cast of Soler, Colorado, Duenas, Parra, Rodas and Perez Cuapio have all had some nice results in the past in stage races so will give CSC plenty of excitement.
Portuguese TTer/punchaer Rui Costa will be relied upon in classics and hilly stage races, not at the very best but showed last year he can be a danger in sprints also. Talking of sprints I wonder how hill allergic Maksimov will do, if he is paired with decent lead out Kovalev he could do okay on the really flat classics. Bruno Lima and Eloy Teruel are other sprinters probably not likely to win much but give CSC a chance.
Team in Brief:
Nationalistic Italian team centred around their national road champion Gianpaolo Caruso.
Top earners: Gianpaolo Caruso - 700,000
Very strong climber who rode well at last year's Tour de France taking a solo win in the Pyrenees. Will relish the chance to lead a team on the CTour circuit and will likely be a big factor in the Italian stage races and any mountainous race he is entered for. Okay against the clock though may be surprised by the high level of competition around in the CTour. Przemyslaw Niemiec - 350,000
The only non Italian on the books, the stage racer type with good mountains and TT ability coupled with fine recovery. Not really the type to win races more scrambles for the best GC postion he can find and depends how good a position he can find to justify his wage. Bargain in the basement Crescenzo D'Amore - 65,000
Probably the fastest of Ferrari's sprinters, doesn't climb particularly well but will be their leader for bunch gallops in stage races. Hot prospect: Luca Sterbini - 50,000
Decent TT rider full of potential, the 20 year old will not do much in his first couple of seasons but could be one to watch in the future.
Transfer highlights:
Made a big splash to outbid potential suitors for Caruso who was likely on a few protour teams shortlists. Went completely Italian with the rest mixing it up taking many types of riders.
Wild card prospects
Gained entry for the GP Leichtenstein, which is a mountain classic though likely to attract the very best climbers in the Protour. Caruso will need to look for a Italian championship style break!
The Smowzdown
I fear that this season could be all about Caruso for Ferrari because looking at the rest of the talent I am concerned whether they are strong enough. Niemec will need a sufficiently weak field to strike high and the sprinters D'Amore, Dall Antonia and Rizza don't look any better than anybody else's fast men.
Something may be hoped for from punchaer Salerno but he was the sort of rider that got left behind last year. Nice to see an all Italian team and this shows manager has an eye on the future trying to create the Italian version of Santander a tall task given the many Italian teams already established!
Will likely be one of the lower ranked teams, though at least do have one genuine star talent in Caruso.
Team in Brief:
Japanese based team who look a threat in sprints but may struggle when road starts to go up.
Top earners: Matthew Lloyd - 320,000
Didn't do a lot for Portuguese based squad Benfica last year, but still attracted a lot of attention in the free agents market. Meiji Fuji had the biggest wallets and snapped up the 29 year old punchaer, climbs pretty well and should go pretty well in hilly stage races. Probably a bit weak for high finishes in the classics though. Jack Bauer - 200,000
Decent attacking TTer, a bit of a late bloomer to road cycling Bauer is one of those chrono men who climbs and sprints okay. Will do well in his home races but probably step back down the field in European based races. Yukiya Arashiro - 135,000
Part of the big Arashiro/Beppu double move that was an important signing for the Japanese based squad. A decent sprinter who survives hills well, will do well to replicate Tour Down Under success could struggle under the pressure of being the teams golden boy. Bargain in the basement Sung Baek Park - 60,000
Very decent sprinter who possibly represents Meiji Fuji's best chance of regular victories. Has a number of riders to lead him out so should go well. Hot prospect: Chen Shikai - 150,000
With Jianhua Ji making the Protour this year, Chinese climbers is a growth market. In comes another 20 year old climbing talent from the most populous country in the world.
Transfer highlights:
Spent most of their spare funds by signing Arashiro and Beppu early on, snapped up some decent Asian riders as well. Then expanded into Australian and New Zealand riders where they had to pay large wages for two leaders.
Wild card prospects
Gained two wildcards at the GP Mendrisio and TTT event in Scandinavia, hard to see them figure prominently in either though.
The Smowzdown
One of those 'aww ain't they nice' teams who you sort of pat on the head and give an occasional treat too. That is probably the best idea for the season they are going to have with sprinters Manan, Park and Arashiro likely to pop up on the podium every now and again.
Best Japanese climbers Sano and Doi could surprise along with hilly leader Matthew Lloyd on occassion but will likely struggle against the best classic and climbing company. Meanwhile Jack Bauer should go well in his home races, though removing a TT from the Tour of Wellington was cruel!
Will probably avoid the wooden spoon but will struggle to make the top 25 teams.
Team in Brief:
Italian sprinting team headlined by superstar fast man Bennati.
Top earners: Daniele Bennati - 550,000
One of the key men of the highly effective Gazzatta della Sport team, moved onto this new challange of helping out a small CTour team. Could be an interesting one to watch out for in small stage races as well has the flat classics as he climbs hills well. Then again high valued sprinters struggled to justify their worth last year, you have to say Bennati's squad have numerous potential high class lead outs for him. Enrico Gasparotto - 230,000
Difficult to define Gaspa who sprints very well but yet isn't really a sprinter, climbs hills well but isn't really a punchaer. Could be a very high quality lead out man or surprise with victories where he was unexpected to do well. Pierre Rolland - 160,000
Ex Auber stage race struggler but decent TTer from the Protour, should be a good bet for high places in races that involve a time trial as well as mountains/hills. Bargain in the basement Sebastian Minard - 50,000
High quality lead out rider who did a great job early on in the Giro last year for Mitch Docker, should be able to do the job as well here and perhaps pick up a podium or two for himself too? Hot prospect: Wilco Kelderman - 290,000
Huge wage for this highly fancied Dutch stage racer, still at the moment a bundle of potential should in a couple of years start to show real star form.
Transfer highlights:
Nabbed some good quality riders over transfer season, the big 550,000 signing of Bennati was the big target. Decent team to team transfers bringing in Kvist (400,000), Bol (175,000) and Martin (75,000) and nabbed a few nice riders like took advantage of the lack of all French teams to nab Minard(50,000), Delage (85,000) and Thire (55,000) relatively cheaply.
Wild card prospects
The sprinters get a shot at GP de Fourmies and do have strong chances of standing on the winners podium there with Bennati.
The Smowzdown
Sprint focussed team with the outstanding (and expensive) Bennati as its figurehead. He will notch up a number of victories and high finishes no doubt as will young guns Kvist and Croket. Enrico Gasparotto and Pierre Rolland are also likely to figure in some decent finishes also though perhaps not as consistently as the sprint trio.
The sprinters are not short of lead out style riders Minard, Thire, Delage, Bar and Bouhanni probably fit that category. Squad became more Franco - Italian as transfer went on which showed impressive adaptability.
Race selection will be key, last year Pokerstars had a not too dissimilar squad and placed well inside the top 20, because they knew their limitations. I wonder whether Puma have the same strength in depth as Pokerstars had, I still think they are a decent squad possibly challanging for the position of one of the better newer teams.
Team in Brief:
Sprint based squads with a couple of dangerous punchaers, could be a successful combination.
Top earners: Giovanni Visconti - 350,000
Cost a fair bit, but Italian based squad were desperate to land this attacking Italian hill climber. Just off the best punchaers, but with decent all round stats is always a threat. Though 350,000 looks a hefty wage that Visconti may struggle to justify. Danilo Napolitano - 325,000
Becoming one of CTour's most consistent and desirable sprinters should be a good bet to go well once again this year. Likely to come up against Bennati at some point this year and their clashes will be eagerly anticipated. Capable of getting over most hills. William Bonnet - 240,000
Loaned in from budget overloaded Spyker Cars, the 30 year old Frenchman could have a shot at winning a few TT's, though not really as good as the likes of Reus, Boom or Ignatiev. Bonnet is a pretty mean sprinter, though it is probably hoped he becomes a devestating lead out for some of the other sprinters. Pieter Weening - 182,500
Adds a to a dangerous double act with Visconti for the hilly stuff, will welcome step down from Protour to give him very decent victory hopes. Bargain in the basement Sergio Ortega - 70,000
Correctly raced Sergio could recoup very decent points for Unicredit, he climbs mountains well and is great against the clock. Suspect stamina on flat or hilly roads was his downfall last year so needs to pick his races carefully. Hot prospect: Boy Van Poppel - 175,000
Fully XP'd but certainly a rider that could be moulded further into a very fine stage race sprinter. Looks like he could be a devestating lead out this season and at 24 years of age has time to improve further.
Transfer highlights:
Pieter Weening was the high profile purchase at 800,000 from Jack Wolfskin, made an interesting loan move for Bonnet also offering to pay his hefty wage. Had a few high profile free agency targets and after some back and forth bidding stumped up a fair wedge of cash for Visconti
Wild card prospects
Nothing for the sprinters to get their teeth into this year.
The Smowzdown
A team that has kept the best elements of their team from the year previously, that is sprinters Napolitano, Borghesi, Borrajo and Lorenzatto and melded it with bringing in very decent puncahers in Weening and Visconti. I think their experience of their first season where had financial issues should enable them to carefully pick a decent schedule this time out.
Sprints seem a bit more stable in pcm11 and therefore they just might get more value out of their fast man legion, not sure though whether they are good enough to sustain a promotion challange more for the fringes of a top 10 berth.
Edited by Smowz on 02-08-2011 14:30
I guess we need to start with the promotion candidates, something I dearly hope my Jayco Red Bull mob can be challengers for.
The hot teams involved in the promotion hunt for me are T.CS Bank, Vespa, VolksWagen, Pirelli, Pokerstars and Bianchi. I am finding it difficult to place my own team, things will depend so heavily on race planning.
I would say Bianchi and T.CS Bank just shade things in the battle for top spot, I feel though that Bianchi may struggle to shuffle around the right races for their riders. I have this feeling that T.CS Bank may just sneak the rankings, though I could be wrong. Behind I am backing Vespa to trump the others for third ahead of a pleased to promote VolksWagen.
I fancy Jayco Red Bull to outmuscle sprinters Pokerstars and stage racing Pirelli into 5th place, but things are going to be close there.
1.T.CS Bank
2. Bianchi
3. Vespa
4. VolksWagen
5. Jayco Red Bull
6. Pokerstars
7. Pirelli
Behind them lets round up the rest of the top fifteen, let's start with SN's new African experiment Rapha Condor Qhubeka don't have the same strength in depth but do have more of a presence for hilly classics so should still have a fine season. Unicredit, Hollister, Emu export, CalBerry and Bimbo Nutella have improved their stock enough to move forwards also. Much as I may ridicule Proximus Trek for Valverde, Ben Nasser and Cavendish work as decent riders and should gaurentee a position of about 10th. Meanwhile at least one new team should be able to break the territory, I will go for Venchi as others have had to be that team.
Rounding out the next seven places, we see teams that may not have a successful season in terms of team standings but will be looking towards those goals. Of course Aker Solutions seem a perfect example of this, with figurehead Alarcon. I fancy Bpost, Trilux and Puma to go pretty well out of the new teams. WWE and Saab Scania have improved and whilst Focussed and Cerne are much changed their managers are still smart enough to nab goals and go reasonably well.
16. Trilux
17. Aker Solutions
18. Puma
19. WWE
20. Cerne
21. Saab Scania
22. Bpost
23. Focussed
Now we come to the lower places, I hope the team managers can prove me wrong! I fancy Rothaus, CSC and Ferrari to do well in selected races over the others.
The battle for the wooden spoon is between Meiji Fuji, Cyclevox, Koppert and Oz Cycling. Kinda makes me sad to place ANFreeman and BoogieBoogie's team but I think all these teams have invested in youth a bit so will improve massively next year. Cyclevox and Koppert should be able to something special at some point whereas Oz Cycling and Meiji Fuji are rather reliant on too few a rider.
24. Ferrari
25. Rothaus
26. CSC
27. Cyclevox
28. Koppert
29. Meiji Fuji
30. Oz cycling
Edited by Smowz on 02-08-2011 09:13
It will be interesting to watch Pokerstars. It will be a question of if Rujano ca be well-supported enough. Kern is the only real support rider I can see. On the other hand with their cobbled and sprint results they may not need all his potential points.
My bet is that Rapha make it into the top 10. SN always manages to put together a solid team, which he has, and he always manages to put solid teams in the right races. Pirelli are the out and out favorites for me, with Van Den Broeck my favorite to top the individual rankings.
I fully expect Proxiums Trek to be ejected from each race they have a chance at winning, either because of the kit, or because of the managers antics with the local wildlife.
I am looking forward to the other teams rated by you^^
Good to see that I am not one of these who are paying a lot of money for a big star as I think having many good riders could put that out in the end the teams with a superstar and some okish riders
I thought 300k for Monfort was too much but wow..^^
The star is the team (a bad saying but..)
I doubt that this team even if I could keep everyone be a good team in the PT with these great riders but I guess I would have some cap left to go for a superstar
Team Bianchi - 2012 Man-Game ProContinental Tour Champions
