Following a decent first season in the Man-Game last year, Team Schuh p/b Wiggle returns with a new title sponsor and a new secondary sponsor, as well, in Wiggle and Boardman Bikes respectively. This year, the team is looking to improve their perfomances in the Continental division by buying better riders and by training promising riders who were already with the team.
Ahead of the new season, the team were unfortunately informed that 3T had withdrawn their sponsorship of the team due to a lack of good results in races, and this unfortunately left the team without a sponsor to provide bike equipment such as pedals, chainsets and wheels, so the search for a new equipment sponsor was on. After a few weeks of talks with different sponsors such as SRAM and Campagnolo, a deal was reached with Shimano for them to provide the team with groupsets, pedals, handlebars and wheels, and also provide additional funding to cover team expenses such as accomodation and training camps.
As well as this, the team also attracted additional investment from the sports nutrition company High5, from Leicester in the UK, which allows the team to have an increased transfer/wage budget for the staff and riders for the upcoming season, hopefully meaning we shall be able to buy better riders this year.
Wiggle is a British online retailer of cycle, run, swim and outdoor equipment and apparel based in Portsmouth, England. They have agreed to be the title sponsor of Team Wiggle presented by Boardman Bikes for the next two years. They have agreed to do so mainly to promote cycling as sport for teenagers and children to take up in the UK, as well as to increase their sponsor exposure in the growing markets of recreational cycling and competitive/professional cycling.
Secondary Sponsor
Boardman Bikes, Ltd. is a British bicycle manufacturer, founded by the former professional cyclist (and multiple Tour de France stage winner) Chris Boardman, Sarah Mooney and Alan Ingarfield, and launched in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2007. Like Wiggle, they have agreed to be the team's main secondary sponsor for the next two years. They also agreed to be a part of the project to promote cycling in the UK to children and teenagers, as well as to increase how well-known they are as a bike manufacturing company. They will also provide bike frames for the team for the next two years
Other Sponsors
Schuh is a footwear retailer from the UK, with more than 100 stores in the UK and Ireland, based in Livingston, in Scotland. They also have stores in Germany and also offer international delivery services. They were initially the title sponsor of the team last year, but have agreed to reduce their involvement in the team to that of a tertiary sponsor for the next 2 seasons as well. They are also interested in encouraging children to take up cycling to have a healthy lifestyle in the future.
High5 are a sports nutrition and drinks company based in Leicester, England, who produce and sell energy bars/energy gels, sports nutrition packs, sports nutrition plans and accessories such as water bottles and saddle bags for feeding. They will provide the team with all things nutrition related for the next two seasons and contribute greatly to our team's budget, despite only being a tertiary sponsor.
Equipment Sponsor
Shimano, Inc. is a Japanese multinational manufacturer of cycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment. They will be an equipment/tertiary sponsor for the next two years as well. They provide the team with all bike components required, including chainsets, pedals, derailleurs, brakes, wheels and handlebars.
This year, Team Principal Martin Redford made a commitment to getting Wiggle presented by Boardman Bikes a nice new jersey, to replace the garish green Schuh jersey from 2016... Ok, ok, I know that may be slightly misleading as the jersey also had to change due to changes in the team sponsors and the roles they had within the team between last season and the new season.
After finding out their previous jersey designer MARSUPILAMI had became inactive in the jersey-making industry due to other commitments, Martin spent time asking around other teams for recommendations for a new jersey maker. The overwhelming majority of managers said that the_hoyle was the man he was looking for.
Following us presenting our initial request to the_hoyle, there were brief discussions about the positioning of logos and the colour scheme, after which a final decision was reached. Soon afterwards, our jerseymaker began to work on our new jersey, keeping up the amazing quality of work for which he is well-known. After a few days, the_hoyle sent us a preview of the jersey, and we loved it! Soon after, the final design was sent to us by our fantastic jersey-maker.
So, here is the 2017Wiggle presented by Boardman Bikesjersey:
Spoiler
Thanks a lot to the_hoyle for his brilliant work!
The whole team believe that it shall be much nicer to look at our team's jersey in the peloton this year, compared to the eyesore that was our garish green jersey from last season, although it will make our riders harder to spot for the team's major fans, probably.
Presentation of 2017 Team Equipment
To be presented at a later date...
Edited by Martii_Scots01 on 10-09-2017 20:06
knockout: I have to agree that it is a very big chance in style and colour scheme, and I also prefer the new one a lot more, especially since it definitely isn't garish.
Booker: Tbh, asides from the black torso and sleeves (and maybe the stripes), I don't think our jerseys look that similar. Best of luck to you in your first season btw. Glad to hear you like it as well.
hillis: Indeed, his jerseys are probably some of, if not the best jerseys out there.
Edited by Martii_Scots01 on 30-08-2017 22:41
Hey hey, lime green is sexy - anyway, new style for you, and with the team depth everything is leading towards a great season if you get the right captains beneath Christian
Sutty: Hopefully it will. Fingers crossed. Best of luck for you too.
Croatia: At least your lime green jersey is very nice, but again I thought mine looked garish after a while. Indeed, hopefully some good new signings for the upcoming season will bode well for the team.
At the end of every season within the Man-Game comes a time for teams to have the option to renew the contracts of their riders, both the stars and the watercarriers, before the transfer season starts and today we here at Wiggle presented by Boardman Bikes can finally release the lists of renewed and released riders.
So without further ado, here is a list of our 10 renewals for the 2017 ManGame season:
Kevin Barclay
Mark Christian
William Connolly
Mickaël Delage
Mark Dowling
Richard Handley
Marek Konwa
Yoann Offredo
Erick Rowsell
Rüdiger Selig
Sadly, for new signings to come into the team, less prosperous riders need to leave to free up wage costs and squad space. Unfortunately, the team had to release the following 10 riders at the end of last season:
The team would like to thank each and every one the riders leaving the team for being part of the first ever incarnation of Wiggle and would like to wish every one of these riders the best in their future careers and endeavours.
Wiggle presented by Boardman Bikes: 2017 Race Objectives
At the start of every new season, every team must select race objectives for their team for the season and aim to make signings who can achieve these goals, although it also involves a bit luck to be successful with your goals. Here are the goals Martin Redford picked for Wiggle presented by Boardman Bikes for the upcoming season:
Benelux Challenge | Win
Note: Konwa finished 2nd in 2016 after an epic breakaway performance on Stage 4
Windhoek ITT | Top 5
Note: Last year, Christian finished 19th here, hopefully he or someone else can make a big improvement on this...
Tour of Britain | Stage Win
Note: We had no rider in the top 20 in any stage (except the TT) last time, so this is very optimistic and brave... although our team is a lot better this year.
Geraardsbergen-Bosberg | Top 10
Note: We had no rider in the top 20 last time, so this is very optimistic and brave...
Finish in the Top 15 of CT Standings
Note: We finished 18th last season with 710 points, 131 points from 15th place... easy enough points to make up this year hopefully.
Wiggle presented by Boardman Bikes: First 2017 New Signings Announced!
After 3 days of an already extremely busy transfer season, Wiggle presented by Boardman Bikes' Team Principal Martin Redford is pleased to announce the first three new signings for the team. They are:
~Michael Cuming, a 27 year oldBritishall-rounder, from Macclesfield, who is a good climber/puncheur and an decent time-triallist.
~Tobyn Horton, a 31 year oldBritishsprinter, from Guernsey, who is also a good baroudeur and a decent cobbled classics rider.
~Damian Shaw, a 33 year oldIrishclimber, from Mullingar, who is a good baroudeur and a an average ability puncheur.
Our new signings in detail; previews and stats
Michael Cuming Wage: 50,000
The Brit from Macclesfield, formerly of Team Flores-Ceitec, is a fairly strong all-rounder who can perform strongly when the road starts to head upwards. He is also more than capable of holding his own in the time trials and will also be useful to give the team exposure in breakaways or for working on the front and protecting his team leaders. He is more likely to be in the team-mate role this season, although he should also get his own chances to shine.
Tobyn Horton Wage: 50,000
The Brit from Guernsey, formerly of Banc na hÉireann, is a strong sprinter with an lightning-fast acceleration who has a very big engine on the flat roads, where he excels. He is also a rider who is capable of having decent performances in northern classics and will also be useful to give the team exposure in breakaways, due to his willingness to attack. Sadly, he is a pathetic TT-ist, but never mind that, he's a sprinter for god's sake. He should be a team leader for the majority of his races, although he will also have to be a domestique at some points of this season.
Damian Shaw Wage: 50,000
The Irishman from Mullingar, formerly of Banc na hÉireann, is a strong baroudeur with a strong ability to punch over the hills. He is also a rider who is a capable mountain domestique and as previously mentioned, will also be useful to give the team exposure in breakaways, although he is a pathetic time-triallist, meaning he won't be in contention in stage races. He is more likely to be in the team helper role for the majority of his races, although he will occasionally get his own chances to shine during the season.
Other Transfer updates
The team would also like to announce that the deals to sign Chris Opie, Domenico Pozzovivo and Mauro Finetto are in the final stages of negotiations, with all three deals expected to be officially confirmed by us tomorrow evening (11/09). We would also like to announce the team will either sign one more free agent and one other rider on loan, or will loan in two (or three if finances allow such to happen) riders to complete an 18-rider roster for the upcoming season, although finances are very tight at the moment so there will not be much financial leeway for these signings.
Edited by Martii_Scots01 on 10-09-2017 23:17
Wiggle presented by Boardman Bikes: Finetto, Opie and Pozzovivo Signings Announced!
After another hectic day of transfer deals and negotiations, Wiggle presented by Boardman Bikes' Team Principal Martin Redford is pleased to announce the next three new riders who have joined the team. They are:
~Mauro Finetto, a 32 year oldItalianall-rounder, from Tregnago, who is another one of our good climbers/puncheurs and is also a decent time-triallist.
~Chris Opie, a 30 year oldBritishsprinter, from Truro, who is a good baroudeur, is also decent at getting over hills and has a natural ability to recover/recuperate well.
~Domenico Pozzovivo, a 35 year oldItalianclimber, from Policoro, who is also a good puncheur and is capable of holding his own against the clock.. He is also the reigning champion of the Tour of America.
Our new signings in detail; previews and stats
Mauro Finetto
Transfer Fee: 200,000 Wage: 50,000
The Italian from Tregnago, formerly of Generali-AXA, is a strong all-rounder who can perform strongly when the road starts to head upwards, in both the hills and the mountains. He is also capable of holding his own against the watch and will also be useful to give the team exposure in breakaways or for working on the front and protecting his team leader in the mountains. He is more likely to be in the super-domestique role this season, although he should also get his own chances to shine in some hilly races.
Chris Opie
Transfer Fee: 200,000 Wage: 75,000
The Brit from Truro, formerly of Ayubowan!, is a strong sprinter who has a very powerful acceleration and sprint in his legs. He is also a rider who is a decent rouleur on the flat roads and will also be able to give the team's sponsors exposure in breakaways, due to his attacking spirit. He is also capable of just about getting over short climbs of a few kilometres (<5kms). Sadly, he is a pathetic TT-ist - although he can produce a decent prologue on his day - but never mind that, he's a sprinter for god's sake. He should be a team leader or final leadout man for the majority of his races, although he will also have to be a domestique at some points of this season.
Domenico Pozzovivo
Transfer Fee: 280,000 Wage: 98,000
The Italian from Policoro, formerly of In-n-Out p/b Carrefour, is an excellent climber for the CT level who also has a strong ability to punch over the hills. He is also more than capable as a time-triallist in the battle against the clock, meaning he should be in contention for a high GC placement in many mountainous stage races with TTs. He will be the team leader for the outright majority of the team's races he participates in, although he will occasionally have to work for his team-mates during the season. Also, as he is the reigning champion of the Tour of America, we will probably head there this year with him, with the aim of Domenico winning back-to-back Tours of America!
Updates on other Other Transfers and Other News
We would also like to announce the team will continue with its plan to either sign one more free agent and one other rider on loan, or will loan in two (or three if finances allow such to happen) riders to complete an 18-rider roster for the upcoming season, although finances are very tight at the moment so there will not be much financial leeway for these signings.
Also, within the next week, the team's staff members are expected to be announced for the forthcoming season, such as physios, scouts and director sportifs, as well as trainers. Stay tuned for that!
Some very handy signings you've got there Martii. Particularly like the Opie signing; he'll be very useful in the sprints, and if you bring him to any of the tours, his recovery will put him right in the mix in concluding stages! Well done so far, looking forward to seeing how this team turns out.
Not so sold on Pozzovivo though, keep climbers out of CT! Penasa doesn't need any more competition
Kevin Barclay
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