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Forever Fighting | The New Pro Conti Team
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 06-12-2015 18:21
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I never liked the idea of retirement! I mean who wants to sit on their bum doing nothing for the rest of their life? Certainly not me! I love the bunch. The comradery! The banter! And the unpredictable nature! I lasted a whole 11 months!
But then I had an idea. What if little old Jensie was to become a team manager, I mean I'd still be in the bunch, but I could help out young riders to develop and flourish.
So I picked up the telephone and rang Andy Schleck, who had also retired recently.
I said, "Hey Andy, It's Jensie. I've got a cracking idea! How about we set up a pro team?"
He replied, "Jensie have you been drinking again?"
"No I just think we could make a difference. I mean and we've got such great experience, why waste it?"
"Well I mean if your being serious, then yeah I'd be interested in being involved."
"Cheers Andy See You Later Mate"
"See You Jensie"
So the next day I sat down at my computer, and opened 'Google.' But what do I search? I can't just type in 'Cycling Team Sponsor' and just pick a sponsor. I needed a sponsor that would do something more than just give me money. I wanted to have a wider impact, I searched 'MTN Qhubeka' as I wanted a team that would help people.
The next day I was looking through my emails, and there was one that caught my eye.It had the subject of, "Unicef Team Interest." I clicked on the email, and I immediately knew that this was the sponsor I'd wanted. They said they wanted to help sponsor a team, and that to use the media to help promote the charity. They said that they could only offer a small budget, but it didn't matter too much, as I was more interested in the message of the team. I guaranteed them a headline sponsor role, despite the small budget. They said they were interested in promoting their work in Africa, so obviously I wanted an African team. I searched for Eritrean companies, as they have a great cycling talent that I want to promote. Eritel were the next sponsor to fall into line, and then Qhubeka followed suit.
From then on the charities started to come into the picture. Medecins sans frontieres and the World Bicycle Relief came onboard. Then I started to think about the other sponsors we needed. Bikes would come from Ridley, Wheels from Mavic, Helmets from Giro and Team Cars from Mercedes. My team had taken shape, and I was very proud of the message behind it and what we were trying to promote. Riders and staff would have to be able to promote this, so I wanted no controversy in the team, so that the message would be the main thing.
The riders were the next thing, and they were perhaps even more important than the sponsors!
Edited by JoeArmstrong13 on 06-12-2015 18:33
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 06-12-2015 18:21
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1244
Joined: 16-02-2014
PCM$: 200.00
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| Aguilar | Héctor | URU | | Benoot | Tiesj | BEL | | Berhane | Natnael | ERI | | Boasson Hagen | Edvald | NOR | | Chabane | Hichem | ALG | | Craven | Dan | NAM | | Geoghegan Hart | Tao | GBR | | Hannachi | Abdelbasset | ALG | | Janse Van Rensburg | Jacques | SAR | | Kudus | Merhawi | ERI | | Latour | Pierre-Roger | FRA | | Meintjes | Louis | SAR | | Phinney | Taylor | USA | | Russom | Meron | ERI | | Schleck | Andy | LUX | | Schleck | Fränk | LUX | | Swift | Ben | GBR | | Tekeste | Yonas | ERI | | Teklehaimanot | Daniel | ERI | | Teshome | Meron | ERI | | Thomas | Geraint | GBR | | Van Asbroeck | Tom | BEL | | Velits | Peter | SVK | | Velits | Martin | SVK | | Voeckler | Thomas | FRA |
Edited by JoeArmstrong13 on 08-12-2015 13:36
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 06-12-2015 18:21
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Joined: 16-02-2014
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Team Manager
Jens Voigt, GER
Former pro who rode for GAN, Team CSC and Leopard Trek.
Best Known for: Saying, "Shut Up Legs!"
Directeur Sportif
Ivan Basso, ITA
Former Pro Who Has Won The Giro On 2 Occasions. Ridden for Fassa Bortolo, Team CSC, Discovery Channel, Liquigas and Tinkoff-Saxo
Best Known For: Winning the Giro
Juan Antonio Flecha, ESP
Retired Cyclist who rode for iBanesto.com, Fassa Bortolo, Rabobank, Team Sky and Vacansoleil-DCM
Best Known for: Finished in the top 10 of Roubaix 8 times
David Zabriske, USA
Retired Pro Cyclist who rode for US Postal, Team CSC and Slipstream-Chipotle
Known for: Winning the prologue of the TDF in 2005
Stuart O'Grady, AUS
Former Pro who raced for GAN, Cofidis, Team CSC, Leopard Trek and GreenEDGE
Known for: Winning Roubaix 2007
Edited by JoeArmstrong13 on 09-01-2016 08:30
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 06-12-2015 18:21
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Posts: 1244
Joined: 16-02-2014
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| Race | Best Rider Overall | Victories | Other Notable Results | Report | | San Luis | F. Schleck, 6th | Y. Tekeste, S. 3 | A. Hannachi, 2nd, S. 7 | Here |
Edited by JoeArmstrong13 on 09-01-2016 09:07
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 06-12-2015 18:21
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Joined: 16-02-2014
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Transfer News.
General News
Race Reports
Edited by JoeArmstrong13 on 07-01-2016 08:01
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 06-12-2015 18:32
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We are very happy to announce that the Golden Boy of Eritrean Cycling, Daniel Teklehaimanot has joined the team for the 2016 season. The MTN Qhubeka rider has had his best year ever this year, winning the KoM jersey in the Dauphine and wearing the KoM jersey at the Tour. A man after my own heart with his attacking nature and refusal to say no, no matter how many times he may be knocked back. Daniel will form a fundamental part of the team, being a strong rider on any terrain, and a rider that really encapsulates the message of the team, that anyone can achieve amazing things.
More signings to come!
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| NikVis28 |
Posted on 06-12-2015 18:59
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Amateur
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Good luck with this story, i am surely gonna follow it.
An african team should be very interresting, hope you can win the tour with an african rider one day. That would be awesome. |
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 06-12-2015 19:11
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Merhawi Kudus Adds More Talent To The Team.
Future Grand Tour contender Merhawi Kudus has joined the team for the 2016 season, after a number of years at MTN the young rider has made the step across to our team, as he aims to find his climbing legs and to find his talent, which we believe could see him win the tour in the next few years. Natnael Berhane also joins the team to make it 3 Eritreans on the team, Nat is a great talent and another climber, as we start to assemble a team that just shouts future potential. Nat has ridden on Europcar in the past alongside the legendary Tommy Voeckler, who has also been linked with the team. Watch This Space!
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 06-12-2015 23:29
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
Joined: 22-08-2010
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Good Luck Joe !! |
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 07-12-2015 08:24
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More Eritreans Join The Squad.
We are glad to announce the arrival of 3 more promising Eritreans to our team. The first is Meron Russom, who is an Eritrean talent that rode for MTN Qhubeka for 3 years up until 2014. The 28 year old will be a strong worker for the team, and a rider we can rely on in any situation.
The second rider is Meron Teshome, a superb talent from Eritrea. He's only 23 years old, so has plenty of time for development. This is his first pro contract and we hope we can help him to find his feet in the prop peloton.
The final rider is Yonas Tekeste a 20 year old Eritrean, who is perhaps a future grand tour winner. This is his first pro contract, but it won't be his last. HGe's been prolific in Eritrean races and African races. He's raced as part of the strong national team, and now wants to make the next step up.
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 04-12-2024 08:35
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 08-12-2015 08:37
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Joined: 16-02-2014
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They're Back! And They're Ready For Action!
We are so pumped here at Team Unicef, as we can now reveal that Frank Schleck will be joining our team for the 2016 season. Frank is superb climber that has won stages on Alpe d'Huez, and finished 3rd in the Tour De France. Frank is going to be a big rider for us, with a key role in mentoring our young riders.
Another stellar signing is Andy Schleck, who was already a part of the management, has decided to return to the pro peloton after a year out. Andy said that he felt the knee injury that made him decide to quit is healed, and that he feels he can still challenge for the big races. We hope to support him in this role, while he still maintains a key role in the Directeur Sportif team, and the overall management.
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 08-12-2015 11:52
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Geraint Thomas is a potential Tour de France winner, as he showed in this year's Tour De France, where he defended 4th position up until the very last mountain stages. This was whilst supporting Chris Froome, so this year we hope that by coming onto the team we will be able to defend him to a grand tour title.
Geraint Thomas is a rider who we feel will be able to promote our cause on a mass scale, and as we want to show he is our leader he has brought with him a number of riders he feels will best support him.
Ben Swift is the first of these riders, a great sprinter who is a threat in the Ardennes, and will be one of our main sprinters. They are joined by Edvald Boasson Hagen, a rider that is a strong all rounder, and a rider that knows African teams having spent a year on MTN Qhubeka. Edvald was a rider that Thomas felt would be an important part of the team. Teo Geoghegan Hart is a rider that comes highly recommended as a future talent and he joins the team to help boost our development aim.
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 08-12-2015 12:04
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Dan Craven Joins The Squad
Namibian rider Dan Craven is the next rider to join the team for the 2016 season. He's a fighter that has a lot of power, and will be a key workhorse on the team. He will also provide a key figurehead for our campaigns in Namibia, and is a chramastaic character that is always popular with people.
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 08-12-2015 12:27
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Hichem Chabane Signs For Unicef
Algerian Hichem Chabane becomes the latest ride to sign for the team, we feel that he is a rider that is yet to reach his full potential, and as an African rider we hope to support him in his dreams of becoming a talented champion. The 26 year old is a talented climber that we hope will find his feet in the alps and major climbs.
Abdelbassat Hannachi has also joined the team a 29 year old Algerian sprinter who will form a key lead out man for flat races, and another rider who will form a strong African backbone to our team.
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 08-12-2015 12:47
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The next two signings for the team are Martin and Peter Velits, the two slovakian brothers are two very different riders. Peter is a superb climber who has finished 3rd overall in the Vuelta before, and then Martin is a strong rider who can sit on the front for hours on end.
Louis Meintjes is a future Climbing star, and the South African rider is the first of 3 South African additions to the team for the 2016 season. Louis is a future talent that we hope to develop and florusih at the team, and we'er looking forward to watching his progression. The second South African to join is Jacques Janse Van Rensburg, another stellar climber that at 28 years old is reachning the peak of his career. The final South African is Calvin Beneke another climber, that at 24 years old has his best years ahead of him.
American Taylor Phinney has had a tough year with injury and crashes setting him back, but we know he's going to bounce back and he joins the team from BMC, as he aims to fight back to the top.
Hector Aguilar is also joining the team the Uruguayan sprinter, will be a key lead out rider, but watch out for him in the breakaways as he has a better endurance and could be a threat for grand tour stage wins from the break.
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| JoeArmstrong13 |
Posted on 08-12-2015 13:12
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Final Rider Signings Announced.
So here we are the end of the transfer season for us here at Unicef, and we round out our team with a number of young talents. the first is Tom Van Asbroeck a young Belgium sprinter, who is a superb talent that we want to make sure gets the best development possible.
The next singing is French fighter Tommy Voeckler who has been linked with the team since its inception. However we can now confirm he will be joining the team, I don't think we need to say what type of rider he is. The French housewife's favourite will be a prominent rider for us.
Another French rider will be riding for us next season, his name is Pierre Roger Latour who is a talented climber that will be another important development target.
The final addition to the team is Tiesj Benoot a young cobbles riderwho will be a very interesting and promising talent for our team. We are very happy with this singing as it shows our wish to be seen as a super strong team that is based on developing young talent.
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| Croatia14 |
Posted on 08-12-2015 13:49
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 9100
Joined: 13-03-2013
PCM$: 2100.00
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what the hell is going on  this team will race in the WT right?
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 09-12-2015 06:30
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World Champion
Posts: 11398
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Croatia - I hope so, PCT is fun to follow, a WT worthy squad dominating is not so much  Awesome squad, is Qhubeka disbanding  or moving to CT? Srsly tho on both points.
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT]  Xero Racing
5x  x5
2x  x2
2x  x2 |
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| Adrim |
Posted on 09-12-2015 08:34
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Junior Rider
Posts: 33
Joined: 26-11-2015
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How much budget your sponsor gave you to start ?
Nice thread will follow  |
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| Croatia14 |
Posted on 09-12-2015 12:13
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 9100
Joined: 13-03-2013
PCM$: 2100.00
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jandal7 wrote:
Croatia - I hope so, PCT is fun to follow, a WT worthy squad dominating is not so much Awesome squad, is Qhubeka disbanding or moving to CT? Srsly tho on both points.
Riders like Thomas in PCT would be ridiculous...this has to be WT surely
I´m not sure if I like the team, Jandal is right Qhubeka is really bleeding out and I just don´t see the connection of some riders for now, but JA might prove me wrong, let´s see
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