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Magna-Ryanair [CT]
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| Firefly21 |
Posted on 22-10-2012 16:19
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Today with the announcement of the those teams that have been accepted into the 3rd division of the Man-game, we are please to announce that the bid of  Magna-Ryanair is successful and will be competing in the upcoming 2013 season.
Our Sponsors:
 Magna International is a world renown automobile part manufacturer. Formed by Frank Stronach in 1956 in Toronto, Magna International has had a plant in Austria since 1986, and it's European division, based in Austria is named Magna Steyr. Magna is one of Canada's largest companies, but given Frank Stronach's interest in promoting his home country the team will be focused on the Austrian side of the business, but do not count out the idea of signing a few Canadian based rides to appease the Austria-Canadian business. Frank Stronach has been passionate about horse racing for many years and he will look to bring his success in horse racing into the cycling world. Stronach's horses have won the Queen's Plate in 1994 and 1997, the Belmont Stakes in 1997, and the Preakness Stakes in 2000. His horse Ghostzapper won several major races including the 2004 Breeders' Cup Classic, was voted the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year, and named the World's Top Ranked Horse for 2004. Though Mr. Stronach will not be as hands on as he is with his horse racing company (Magna Entertainment), it is expected that Magna will expect the same sort of success from it's cycling team that it has achieved in every other avenue in which it has competed.
Ryanair is a discount airline that is based in Ireland. Founded in 1985, the company has experienced rapid growth and now operates a fleet of nearly 300 planes. Starting from humble beginnings, Ryanair now is arguably the leading European discount airline. A strong proponent of Irish tourism, Ryanair's entry into the world of cycling is said to be to promote Irish born riders as well as promote the various destinations that can be traveled to via Ryanair. Considering Ryanair's more controversial advertising this co-sponsorship of a cycling team can be seen as a direction from senior management to take a more 'conventional' advertising stance.
Lululemon Athletica is the clothing sponsor of the Magna-Ryanair cycling team. Another Canadian based company, Lululemon came to the fore as a yoga inspired clothing brand. Formed in 1998, the company has quickly risen to be a Canadian success story, now operating in branches in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Lululemon's foray into cycling has been surprising a number of analysts, considering Lululemon isn't a traditional sportswear provider. The general thinking is that this an avenue that Lululemon would like to explore, plus the ability to get it's name into the European theater will be beneficial to set up further expansion to the European continent.
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| Firefly21 |
Posted on 22-10-2012 16:20
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An Interview with the Team Leader, Firefly21
Q: First of all, congratulations on receiving a licence to operate a CT team this year.
A: Thank you, we are, as you imagine, quite pleased as to the results. We hope to be able to use our time in the CT division to found a solid base onto which we can grow in the future.
Q: You're two main sponsors are from very diverse areas, and many people have already commented that Austria and Ireland don't seem to have much in common. They don't share a common border or even a language. How do you see the two major team sponsors getting along considering these differences?
A: Ah, but they are two countries that share a love of good beer! (laughter). I actually think that there is a great deal of similarity between the two nations. Both are considered to be almost satellites of their larger, more prominent neighbours – for Ireland, the UK obviously and for Austria, there is Germany. I feel that being close to these powerful sporting nations has harmed the development of Irish and Austrian riders. Instead of being the focal points for these regional teams, both of these nationalities are being seen as cheap domestiques. This has lead to the talent from these countries not being developed and not being brought to the fore. Ireland has Dan Martin, Nicholas Roche and Sam Bennett, and Austria has Bernhard Kohl, Stefan Denifl and others, yet these riders are the exception rather than the rule. I would like to be able to fully develop the cycling infrastructure in these two countries, and I think there is a lot of talent that can be extracted from it. No longer will Irish or Austrian riders be ignored in favour of British or German riders, we are going to develop these regions.
Q: What about the Canadian connection? Magna is originally a Canadian company, you're clothing sponsor is Canadian, and you yourself are Canadian. What role do you see Canada playing at Magna-Ryanair?
A: I think that the Canadian connection will probably be evident the cycling roster at Magna-Ryanair, but the focus is going to be on Austrian and Irish riders. And to be quite honest there are enough North American based teams that most Canadian talent will be hoovered up without a second thought. To be honest neither Lululemon nor Magna have demanded a certain number of Canadian riders, but with the composition of our sponsors, it is likely that a couple of Canadians may be signed to appease all parties.
Q: I know this is a very broad question with so much still up in the air, but what are you're goals for this season and the next five years for Magna-Ryanair?
A: We are going to have to take things slow. We realize that there are 24 other teams in the division and that a few of them are going to be able to build on an established base of riders where as everything will be new for us. We expect to make mistakes in the first few years. We are fortunate that Magna International has so far committed to being a long-term sponsor for the team, and from their history in horse racing they know that success does not come overnight. Instead of setting a goal like 'we want to finish in the top 10 in the CT' we have set broader goals more on developing and harnessing the talent from Austria and Ireland. Slow and steady will win the race.
Of course we still have ambitions, we do not want to be considered a back of the pack team, even at the beginning and we will certainly look to get our share of stage wins and yellow jerseys. This year we are targeting being a top half of the table team, but we have to admit in building a team from scratch, that this might not be possible.
Q: Are there any riders right now that you are interested in?
A: I think it is far to preliminary to name specific targets, but we have been made aware of names such as Andreas Matzbacher and Christian Pfannberger potentially being released or available on the cheap, and to get that kind of veteran rider in to the team would certainly be of interest. Perhaps it is a pipe dream, but the young Austrian sprinter Marco Haller would be a great addition, but he may be picked up by a higher division team as he is quite a promising young rider. There are also a few young Irish sprinters that are free agents that have caught our attention. In short, we are not about to narrow our search for riders down quite yet, as we are waiting to see how our finances are shaping up before we look to invest some into riders.
Q: So nothing you can confirm yet?
A: Correct, but you can assume if the rider is Irish or Austrian (or perhaps Canadian) we will be considering such riders for our team.
Q: Are you going to have a specific focus for the team, like cobbled races or sprints?
A: Ideally we'd like to be an all-round team, but we know that if you try to be good at everything you often end up being average at everything instead! I don't have a specific mindset as to the type of team we will be building, but considering the strength of Austrian climbers that could well become a focus, but knowing the wonderful up and coming sprinters from Ireland and Austria we will certainly try to compete in that area as well.
Q: Any last words to the fans?
A: Thank you for supporting us, we will hope not to disappoint you in this upcoming season, we may not be the best team on the block, but if you are Irish or Austrian, we are hoping you'll be cheering for us this season.
Q: Thank you for this interview.
A: No problem, anytime!
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| Firefly21 |
Posted on 22-10-2012 16:20
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Domestique
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2013 Jersey Revealed!
Austrian TT jersey:
Thanks to ANFreeman for the designs
Thanks to OlegTinkov for the 3D render!
Edited by Firefly21 on 18-12-2012 21:25
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| Firefly21 |
Posted on 22-10-2012 16:20
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Domestique
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2013 Team Roster:
Thomas Rohregger
 Carl Naibo
 Perkiles Ilias
Isaac Speirs
 Manuel Belletti
Markus Eibegger
Alexander Schrangl
Antoine Matteau
Andreas Graf
Paidi O'Brien
Andreas Hofer
Daniel Paulus
Marco Haller
On Loan at Magna-Ryanair:
Arnaud Demare (from Puma-SAP)
 Zico Waeytens (from HTC Nieuwsblad)
 Petr Vakoc (from Milka-AVG)
 Michal Kolar (from Milka-AVG)
Edited by Firefly21 on 18-12-2012 21:32
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| Firefly21 |
Posted on 22-10-2012 16:21
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Domestique
Posts: 506
Joined: 15-09-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Top 10 - CT Team Standings
WIN - Oberosterreichrundfahrt
Top 5 - FBD Éire Tour
Top 5 - Tour de Beauce
Top 5 - Tour de Pologne
Team Calendar
January
 Clasico San Cristobal
 GP Kathmandu
 Trofeo Luis Puig
February
 The Emerald Race
 GP Postojna
 Tour of the Middle East
March
 Vilnius GP
 Scandinavia Open Road Race
 Kwita Izina
April
 Volta ao Alentejo
 Glava Tour
May
 Rund um den Eschborn-Frankfurt
 Turul al Romaniei
Tour of the Czech Republic
Barcelona Classic
Ronde van Belgie
June
Transfagarasan GP
GP Onda-Boavista
 GP Tokyo
Tour de Beuace
Oberosterreichrundfahrt
July
Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt
 Tour de Pologne
 Tasol Tour to the Sun
August
FBD Éire Tour
Volta a Portugal
 Jelajah Malaysia
Tour Alsace
September
Grand Prix de Quebec
Grand Prix de Montreal
 Cauberg Classic
 Cartago - Irazu
October
 Clasico RCN
 GP Yekaterinburg
 Tour of Utah
 Zuri Metzgete
Edited by Firefly21 on 04-01-2013 17:15
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| Pellizotti2 |
Posted on 22-10-2012 16:27
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World Champion
Posts: 10121
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I assume that it's okay to post now? Otherwise just tell me, and I'll delete the post. 
Anyway, I like your "different" region choices. Would be cool to have a rider like Kohl or Denifl riding in the Continental Tour, although it'll probably be hard to make reality, knowing how much they could go for. Best of luck with your team. 
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 22-10-2012 16:27
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
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From one newbie to another, good luck
And stay away from British Columbia
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| Heine |
Posted on 22-10-2012 16:31
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4116
Joined: 08-04-2007
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VolksWagen-Mapei are happy to see a team focusing on austrian riders, we feel that this is something that is needed and that the team should be a perfect point for young austrians to develop. We also see the chanses for a long lasting relationship between our teams. We would be glad to let Christian Pfannberger go to your team, where he should be a perfect mentor and road captain for your team.
Sincerely, Heine, VolksWagen-mapei sports manager
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Posted on 21-11-2024 22:36
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| Firefly21 |
Posted on 22-10-2012 16:34
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Pellizotti2 wrote:
I assume that it's okay to post now? Otherwise just tell me, and I'll delete the post.
Anyway, I like your "different" region choices. Would be cool to have a rider like Kohl or Denifl riding in the Continental Tour, although it'll probably be hard to make reality, knowing how much they could go for. Best of luck with your team.
Yup I'm done reserving posts .
I'm pretty sure that Kohl or Denifl will be out of my range in the Continental Tour, but the amount of strong Austrian free agents is impressive.
From one newbie to another, good luck
And stay away from British Columbia
Haha I'll do my best to stay away from BC (more of an Ontario man myself  )
And cheers, good luck to you as well!
VolksWagen-Mapei are happy to see a team focusing on austrian riders, we feel that this is something that is needed and that the team should be a perfect point for young austrians to develop. We also see the chanses for a long lasting relationship between our teams. We would be glad to let Christian Pfannberger go to your team, where he should be a perfect mentor and road captain for your team.
Sincerely, Heine, VolksWagen-mapei sports manager
Magna-Ryanair is pleased to hear that Pfannberger will be allowed to be released and certainly we will consider him amongst our top targets. We also look forward to a long and fruitful relationship between these two teams as the development of Austrian talents should be to the benefit of both teams.
Edited by Firefly21 on 22-10-2012 16:40
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 22-10-2012 17:44
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Team Manager
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I was hoping we would get an Austrian team in the game And Ireland makes for an interesting secondary nationality too
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| jt1109 |
Posted on 22-10-2012 19:34
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3214
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Trying to get a Canadian rider not on my watch!!!! Haha joking by the way great to have another slightly Canadian team good luck for the season |
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| Avin Wargunnson |
Posted on 23-10-2012 06:17
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World Champion
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Cool to have an austrian team in the game, i wish you the best of luck for the transfers and season 2013.
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| Firefly21 |
Posted on 10-11-2012 00:30
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Domestique
Posts: 506
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__________________________
Preview of Races of Interest for 2013
FBD Eire Tour
Oberosterreichrundfahrt
Tour de Beauce
Grand Prix Sudkarnten (C1)
 Tour do Rio
Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt (C1)
GP Quebec (C1)
GP Montreal (C1)
Glava Tour
 Trofej Porec
Tour Alsace
Tour of Sochi
__________________________
The FBD Eire Tour is certain to be a major goal for the team as it is the only race in Ireland this year. The 3 Austrian based races will be also be given great interest, if the team is fortunate enough to be able to join the C1 races of GP Sudkarnten and the Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt. Canada is also to feature as a secondary focus. The Tour de Beauce in the C2 calendar will be a must for clothing sponsor Lululemon as well as of interest for primary sponsor Magna. Two potential wildcards into the GP Quebec and Montreal would also seem to be on the cards.
Last, but not least the team is expected to focus on some foreign locations such as Croatia, Norway, France, Brazil and Russia to the delight of secondary sponsor Ryanair who are keen to spread their brand worldwide.
Formatting blatantly lifted from aidanvn13's team page (great formatting btw!)
The team shirt has also been uploaded to the opening few posts
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| Firefly21 |
Posted on 18-11-2012 18:24
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Domestique
Posts: 506
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2013 Goals Revealed
In a brief press conference in Linz today, the Magna-Ryanair cycling team revealed their goals for the upcoming season.
1. Top 10 - CT Team Standings
In the 25 team CT division, a top ten place is somewhat amibitous yet somewhat cautious at the same time. Team Manager Firefly21 commented "In a division where most teams don't even have a single rider, it seems foolish to bet on where Magna-Ryanair will fall in the CTour table. Yet we must always have some ambitions and we feel that if some breaks go our way it is an achievable goal."
2. WIN - Oberosterreichrundfahrt (C2)
The 3 day Austrian stage race with the unpronounceable name is the only win target for Magna-Ryanair. It appears that the winner of this race will be someone comfortable on the hills, though with three flat finishes someone with a good final kick might be the one that takes home final victory here. "A natural fit with our Austrian focus, we feel that a solid puncheur with a chance to take victory here will be our top transfer target"
3. Top 5 - FBD Éire Tour or Tour of Ireland (C2)
While there is still some uncertainty about what specific route will be taken for this race (and sources say that Magna-Ryanair is lobbying hard for the hillier FBD Eire Tour route) the only Irish race on the continental calendar is unsurprisingly a targeted race for the team. The 8 day stage race will test the depth of the teams competing here and a team timetrial will set the pace for what teams can be competitive here. "Irish race for an Irish sponsor, and one that fits well with the idea of the team we are trying to build. We are going to expect results here."
4. Top 5 - Tour de Beauce (C2)
The 6 stage Canadian race will be one of the many stops in Canada in the ManGame calender. The person that will get results here will be one that can succeed in the timetrial stage and not lose touch with the leaders on the fateful climb of mount Megantic. Traditionally a very exciting race with successful breakaways the order of the day, Magna-Ryanair will expect a top finish. "Again a hilly stage race with an individual time trial section, we are aware of the history of breakaways at this race and thus a strong squad will be needed to either reel in breaks or to support one of our own."
5. Top 5 - Tour de Pologne (C2)
It is unclear what the organizers of race did to some of the man game admins to make the Tour of Poland a C2 race, but Magna-Ryanair has jumped at the chance to target one of the more traditional big tours as one of its goals. Again a hilly course, but without a timetrial, this one is more for a pure climber. "It was felt that the Tour of Poland might be one of the more overlooked races on the calender, especially with no Polish team to fly the home colours. Again it is a race for those that favour the hills and so anyone with half a brain can see the type of squad we are looking to build. If we are able to get some of our targets in the transfer season, a top result would be a boon for the squad."
Team Manager Firefly21 also commented on the lack of C1 goals.
"As a team we are still really interested in showing our colours at races like the GP Montreal or the Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt, but considering the competition may be much higher in the C1 races than in will be in the C2 races, we did not feel like we wanted to be that ambitious. Plus with the fact that we may not even be able to get into some of those races, it felt like an unnecessary risk to take in our first season. Nevertheless should be be able to compete in some C1 races, we will definitely be looking to show the big boys that we are not pushovers on our home soil."
"Overall, we are confident with our goals and now we turn to the problem of finding riders of being able to fulfill these goals."
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| DubbelDekker |
Posted on 22-11-2012 03:04
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Small Tour Specialist
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We are clearly targeting the same kind of races, so I think you will be one of my main opponents. I'll be following your team closely.
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| fjhoekie |
Posted on 22-11-2012 08:20
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4476
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Looks like even I will see you in alot of races, cool
Manager of Team Popo4Ever p/b Morshynska in the PCM.Daily Man-Game |
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| Firefly21 |
Posted on 22-11-2012 16:34
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Domestique
Posts: 506
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@DubbelDekker/fjhoekie
I see many teams taking the same sort of path in building a team, makes me wish I decided to build a sprint team instead . However an Austrian team has to have Austrians...and what are Austrians good at? Well climbing of course! Certainly the battles for a CT quality leader could be quite fierce.
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| Firefly21 |
Posted on 23-11-2012 23:46
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Domestique
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Transfer Rumors #1
Vienna, Austria
The brain trust of Magna-Ryanair met for hours today in preperation for the upcoming transfer season, said to be approaching ever closer. With the challenges of building an entire squad from scratch rumors are that the shortlist for the team is not short at all!
Management is remaining tight lipped but there have been a few rumours emerging as to potential targets for Magna-Ryanair in the upcoming window.
Marco Haller is considered to be a 'must have' prospect and the heir apparently to Bernard Eisel as Austria's top sprinter. While he lacks Eisel's ability on the cobbles he appears to be a bright sprint prospect, and Magna-Ryanair considers him to be the potential leader of the sprint train for years to come, while being able to contribute in the lead out until he develops.
Antoine Duchesne has also caught the eye of management and is prepared to fight off other North American teams for the signature of the young Canadian. Duchesne is a very balanced rider and demonstrates the ability to turn into a solid helper at the very least.
Daniel Paulus is seen as one of Austria's up and coming climbers and thus is a natural target. Extremely well rounded he could become an outstanding stage racer or perhaps a devastating puncheur
Markus Eibegger is a free agent that perhaps could slip under the radar of some other teams and is thus a natural target. The rumor out of camp is that he would not be a team leader but perhaps a key domestique for the team.
Daniel Clifford is an Irish rider that is being targeted as perhaps a lead out man for a better sprinter
Management has remained tight-lipped about potential leaders only indicating that that they are prepared to 'go foreign' to get a leader capable of fulfilling the goals set for the team
Edited by Firefly21 on 23-11-2012 23:54
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| Firefly21 |
Posted on 10-12-2012 00:57
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Domestique
Posts: 506
Joined: 15-09-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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First Wave of Signings Revealed
While the management at Manga-Ryanair is waiting for confirmation on several riders, and battling for the signature of others, Magna-Ryanair has been able to confirm the signings of 7 riders.
The first rider to sign for the team is fittingly an Austrian. Andreas Hofer is a 22 year old time trialist with plenty of potential to improve. The management expect that he could become a top flight time trialist capable of great results and potentially becoming Austria's time trial champion. For this season he will be expected to serve as a domestique and will be used in team time trials.
Isaac Speirs is an Irish sprinter and at 25, he could have a few years with the team after being released by Vespa, where he failed to produce results. At Magna he will be one of the top sprinters on the team and will be almost certainly sent to the Tour of Ireland to be the main sprinter there. While he might not be the best sprinter, he should be pretty solid in the CTour.
Marco Haller was one of the priority targets of the team coming in to the transfer season and the team was pleased to get his signature without competition. Haller is certainly a sprinter for the future and some are tipping him to be the heir apparent to Berhard Eisel. His development will be a priority for years to come for Magna-Ryanair. This season will certainly see him used as a lead out for our bigger name sprinters
Daniel Paulus is a 20 year old with a bright future in front of him. Already he would be a solid domestique and he has room to grow. The management at Magna see him as a future team leader, though for now, he will be helping out his teammates.
Markus Eibegger is one of the better climbers in Austria, which is saying something! We are pleased to add him to our team where he will be a super domestique for one of our leaders, or perhaps a leader for a smaller race. Able to climb hills and Mountains with equal aplomb, he is also a decent time trialist.
Dominik Hrinkow is another solid Austrian helper. A level below Eibegger, he is also younger, at 25. He is excited to join an Austrian team and will be looking forward to racing in Austria in the Magna-Ryanair colours.
Andreas Graf, easily confused with the other signee with the name Andreas, is also a time trialist. More solid than spectacular Andreas Graf is nonetheless the type of rider that every team needs.
Management has remained tight lipped on a rumored deal that will see Austrian star Thomas Rohregger be purchased from Pro Tour team Milka-AVG for a large fee. The only insight that this reporter could find was that the 'Pennies for Rohregger' jar was empty, whether that was from lack of donations or they had been all shipped to the Czech Republic remains to be seen
More signings to come!
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 10-12-2012 01:04
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Team Manager
Posts: 33046
Joined: 08-03-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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You've made some top signings there - especially when considering they are all at 50k. Youve got to be one of the biggest winners in the early stages of free agent biddings.
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![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
