[CT20] McCormick Pro Cycling
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Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 26-09-2020 02:28
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Directeur Sportif
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Joined: 02-11-2010
PCM$: 300.00
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McCormick and Ulriksen Sports are pleased to announce the return of Baltimore-based McCormick & Company as the primary sponsor of McCormick Pro Cycling. As described in our plan a year ago, McCormick Pro Cycling is a long-term project to build a significant American cycling team.
The team were thrilled with our first season both with the development of our core group of young American riders and with our success in meeting team race goals with Dan Holloway, the top sprinter in the CT division for 2019.
We can also announce Dan will return to the team in 2020, where he will continue as one of the team's key leaders as well as mentoring the team's young core.
To help Dan in the sprints we also welcome back Jacob Rathe and Mateo Frankovic. Rathe, the team's first signing, spent last season honing his craft with Spar. Strongman Frankovic will wear McCormick's first ever national champion jersey this season, after his victory in the Croatian national road race.
Edited by Ulrich Ulriksen on 06-08-2021 20:52
Man Game: McCormick Pro Cycling
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Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 26-09-2020 02:56
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 3301
Joined: 02-11-2010
PCM$: 300.00
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Pretty unintersting renewals which was good since it was my first. Holloway was the big question and think the end number is very fair. His decline means he won't be nearly as dominant as last year but he should still be a solid CT sprinter. Rathe and Frankovic came back on reasonable numbers and will be able to keep him protected.
Had to part ways with our older American riders. We appreciate their effort and perhaps there will be some reunions later but roster flexibility required those be deferred. Groselj and Manamalage are interesting riders and we wish them well. Among the young guys only Connor Brown didn't make the cut due to concerns about his development trajectory. Maybe a reunion there as well.
Last name | First name | 2019 | 2020 | Holloway | Dan | € 400,000 | € 250,000 | Frankovic | Mateo | € 60,000 | € 55,000 | Eisenhart | Taylor | € 50,000 | € 50,000 | Revard | Thomas | € 50,000 | € 50,000 | Granigan | Noah | € 50,000 | € 50,000 | Rhim | Brendan | € 50,000 | € 50,000 | Hoehn | Alex | € 50,000 | € 50,000 | Mostov | Zeke | € 50,000 | € 50,000 | Rathe | Jakob | € 50,000 | € 50,000 | Huffman | Evan | € 0 | € 0 | Groselj | Ziga | € 50,000 | € 0 | Sweeting | Robert | € 0 | € 0 | Gaimon | Phillip | € 50,000 | € 0 | Manamalage | Nipuna Shira | € 50,000 | € 0 | Weiss | Ethan | € 50,000 | € 0 | McCutcheon | Connor | € 50,000 | € 0 | Brown | Connor | € 50,000 | € 0 |
Man Game: McCormick Pro Cycling
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AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 26-09-2020 06:19
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 11709
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Great decrease on Holloway and that's a terrain I think I'll avoid as much as possible Lots of cap space opened up for more leaders and you should already be improving on last year's performance
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whitejersey |
Posted on 26-09-2020 12:50
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 2920
Joined: 07-08-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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It's always sad to see my former riders with a contract but understandably so. Massive cut on Holloway which will allow you to invest in a secondary leader or two, which should help you aim for the promotion spots!
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the_hoyle |
Posted on 26-09-2020 15:33
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7651
Joined: 28-05-2009
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Good luck in the transfers - someone to get the points on top of Holloway would go a long way towards promotion for you
.: Manager of :.
.: My Awards :.
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Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 07-10-2020 13:53
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Directeur Sportif
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Joined: 02-11-2010
PCM$: 300.00
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McCormick Pro Cycling are thrilled to announce the signing of Brandon McNulty. The team will hold a press conference later to fawn over Brandon in a somewhat uncomfortable way.
Man Game: McCormick Pro Cycling
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Nemolito |
Posted on 07-10-2020 13:57
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Classics Specialist
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Ulrich Ulriksen wrote:
McCormick Pro Cycling are thrilled to announce the signing of Brandon McNulty. The team will hold a press conference later to fawn over Brandon in a somewhat uncomfortable way.
Wow, great signing. Congratulations!
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Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 08-10-2020 01:52
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 3301
Joined: 02-11-2010
PCM$: 300.00
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McCormick Pro Cycling Wraps up Major Offseason Activity with the Signing of Luke Keough. He joins Kuss and McNulty as major signings while McCormick Hero Dan Holloway joins EA Vesuvio
McCormick Pro Cycling has signed Sep Kuss, Luke Keough and Brandon McNulty for 2020 as well as adding loaned in riders Alexander Evans (Bennelong), Samuele Menicucci (BNZ) and Luc Wirtgen (EA Vesuvio).
Team manager Ulrich Ulriksen said of the signings "Kuss and Keough give us talented American leaders and we think McNulty could be the next great American GT rider. He is the kind of rider who will be vital to the future of our project. Overall, we couldn't be happier with where things stand as we enter year 2 of our project. In fact we think next year's transfers could be kind of boring"
A press conference on the signing of Brandon McNulty will be held later this week.
Sepp Kuss joins McCormick from EA Vesuvio in an exchange deal for Dan Holloway. The 26 year-old climber will get a chance to lead the McCormick climbing squad. Ulriksen said of Kuss "We think Sepp has the ability to compete now but we also think he has room to grow in coming seasons as he is only just reaching his peak. Last year we didn't have the horses to tackle the Tour of America, this year, with Sepp out front, we hope the MG UCI will see fit to grant us a wild card."
Luke Keough was signed as a free agent after riding for last year's dominant CT Champions, Azteca - NBCSN. Keough was the second highest ranked sprinter in the CT rankings after McCormick's own Dan Holloway. "We think Luke is the perfect rider to fill Dan's shoes, he is was the CT sprinter we most feared last season and it is good to have him on our side. There is no pressure on him to replicate Dan's feats but we are sure he will represent us very well. No doubt he will be one of the favorites at our home race, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge," observed Ulriksen.
In addition to these two leaders the team is pleased to welcome Australian climber Alexander Evans who will support Kuss, and San Marinese rouleur Samuele Menicucci and Luxembourg neo-pro Luc Wirtgen who will join Keough's support team. We are sure all of these loaned in riders will benefit from McCormick's proven development track record.
A few more riders will likely join the team in the coming days.
Young climber Brendan Rhim will join Desigual on loan for 2020 where we are sure will benefit greatly from the experience of racing at a higher level and with a more international team.
Finally the sad news of the transfer season is the departure of Dan Holloway to EA Vesuvio, as part of the deal for Sepp Kuss. Holloway will always hold a special place in team history and it in many ways it is a happy ending that sees him get another chance in the Pro Tour while helping deliver a talented rider like Kuss to McCormick.
Thanks to EA Vesuvio, BNZ, Deisgual, and Bennelong for a productive transfer season.
Man Game: McCormick Pro Cycling
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MacC |
Posted on 08-10-2020 08:01
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Sprinter
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Some good dealing, won't have all your eggs in the one basket as much |
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Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 16-10-2020 01:34
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Directeur Sportif
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Joined: 02-11-2010
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McCormick Pro Cycling Completes 2020 Squad
McCormick Pro Cycling has completed the 2020 squad by signing Connor W Brown and Connor McCutcheon and adding Nathan Wilson and Geoffrey Curran in the CT Draft. Finally, Kristofer Gunnlaugsson joined on loan from Fablok - Chocolate Jacques
Brown and McCutcheon both rode with McCormick last season while Wilson was with amateur squad Fox News - Flat Earth. Team manager Ulrich Ulriksen commented "Brown and Curran continue our commitment to developing young American riders. Connor Brown worked so hard in the offseason we added a "W" to his name. The veterans McCutcheon and Wilson provide solid support on many terrains. We are also pleased to complete our first loan with Fablok and look forward to helping Kristofer reach his goals".
Meanwhile young climber Thomas Revard joined King Power on loan, continuing McCormick's work with the Pro Tour team for a second season.
Ulriksen continued "Once again we will have a very young team and while we look forward to being competitive in more races this year our main goals remain in the future".
With the completion of the transfer season the full McCormick roster is:
Signed Riders
Ctry | Age | Rider | Wage | | 29 | Luke Keough | € 115,000 | | 26 | Sepp Kuss | € 80,000 | | 26 | Mateo Frankovic | € 55,000 | | 29 | Jakob Rathe | € 50,000 | | 29 | Connor McCutcheon | € 50,000 | | 24 | Noah Granigan | € 50,000 | | 23 | Alex Hoehn | € 50,000 | | 22 | Brandon McNulty | € 500,000 | | 26 | Taylor Eisenhart | € 50,000 | | 29 | Nathan Wilson | € 0 | | 24 | Connor W Brown | € 50,000 | | 24 | Zeke Mostov | € 50,000 | | 25 | Geoffrey Curran | € 0 |
Loan Ins
Ctry | Age | Rider | | | 23 | Alexander Evans (Bennelong) | | 25 | Kristofer Gunnlaugsson (Fablok) | | 23 | Samuele Menicucci (BNZ) | | 22 | Luc Wirtgen (EA-Vesuvio) |
Loan Outs
Ctry | Age | Rider | | | 25 | Brendan Rhim (Desigual) | | 23 | Thomas Revard (King Power) |
Man Game: McCormick Pro Cycling
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Ad Bot |
Posted on 22-12-2024 11:15
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cio93 |
Posted on 16-10-2020 01:58
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World Champion
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Joined: 29-10-2007
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The biggest GC talent of the season going to CT is quite spectacular, particularly considering how ridiculous wages got in Free Agency this season.
Congrats on securing the team's cornerstone for the next decade!
As long as you can endure the hardships until then, the reward will be worth the wait.
I'm particularly impressed with the way you worked with the loan cap to ensure you can fit him in your wage cap, while still fielding two very decent US captains that you can invest in until McNulty maxes out and becomes training eligible.
Of course, knowing my own team philosophy, doing all that while keeping the average age as low as you did is an enjoyable bonus that I appreciate.
So all in all, you've done a great job especially as only a second year manager, really using the game mechanics to your favor.
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Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 16-10-2020 02:51
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 3301
Joined: 02-11-2010
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Thanks. Very much appreciate the complement, as you say the pay off is a ways off. The only advantage a CT team has is you can't be relegated. I had some good fortune along the way but am pretty pleased with the ending point and the nice thing is Kuss, Keough and McNulty will have one season at peak together.
Obviously McNulty was the perfect fit for the team so going high on him always made sense. I am inclined to believe that his price was reasonable and it is more that other talents were under priced - at least that is what I tell myself.
Man Game: McCormick Pro Cycling
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DubbelDekker |
Posted on 16-10-2020 11:07
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Small Tour Specialist
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Congratulations on getting McNulty! McCormick is the perfect team for him and he's a great rider to build around while going up the divisions.
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TheManxMissile |
Posted on 16-10-2020 11:18
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Tour de France Champion
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Gotta love the focus and getting hold of McNulty. Might be a long season this time around but with a rider like that you'll be up into the PCT shortly. Hoping for a nice McCormick-Aztec rivalry to develop
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redordead |
Posted on 17-10-2020 13:27
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Grand Tour Specialist
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I like this team even more that last year. The American focus is outstanding, so to see Frankovic stay after his stellar work last year is great to see. I was interested in Keough so I hope those two work well together
And of course McNulty
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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baseballlover312 |
Posted on 17-10-2020 14:57
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Tour de France Champion
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Cio's completely right. It takes skillful maneuvering to get a 500k contract on a CT level and make it work. Very savvy use of loan cap and such. Great work!
This will probably be a tough season for you results wise except when Keough and Kuss are on good form, but I think you know that. Either next year or the year after when you can get McNulty's wage down and add some more leaders, this team will be a force to be reckoned with not just in CT, but then immediately in PCT with a maxed McNulty.
All the best!
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
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Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 17-10-2020 16:40
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Directeur Sportif
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Thanks all for the good wishes, hope I can make it work. Maybe one day McNulty will finish 3rd in the MG Giro TT and sit fourth overall.
@redordead - Frankovic has me torn, on one hand he is a great first lead out guy and an original McCormick but on the other there hand I can't prioritize non-US riders - if I ever got the right offer he would probably have to go. In the meantime I will enjoy the fact my only non-US rider will wear his NC jersey and hope he can bring some Holloway magic to Keough.
Man Game: McCormick Pro Cycling
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Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 23-11-2020 03:02
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Directeur Sportif
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Now that he is back full-time with the team, McCormick Pro Cycling has asked Jakob Rathe to resume his duties as brand ambassador. In celebration of his excellent performance in Gent - Wevelgem the team is sharing some pictures from his latest visits.
Jakob pursues his passionate interest in religious buildings by exploring the ruins of St. Bravo's Abbey.
Jakob waves to fans outside the Old Bill Pub in Ypres.
We wish Jakob and the rest of the McCormick cobbles squad the best of luck at the GP Herning.
Man Game: McCormick Pro Cycling
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Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 29-06-2021 17:01
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Directeur Sportif
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McCormick Pro Cycling congratulates Sepp Kuss and the entire McCormick squad on a successful debut at the Tour of America. 4th place on the GC was complemented by 2 riders in the top-10 in the White Jersey competition and 12 top-10 stage finishes from 5 different riders.
Stage | Finish | Rider | 20 | 6 | Sepp Kuss | 19 | 10 | Sepp Kuss | 17 | 10 | Connor McCutcheon | 16 | 3 | Sepp Kuss | 15 | 5 | Connor McCutcheon | 14 | 5 | Sepp Kuss | 11 | 4 | Brandon McNulty | 11 | 5 | Nathan Wilson | 11 | 8 | Alex Hoehn | 9 | 3 | Sepp Kuss | 7 | 4 | Sepp Kuss | 6 | 7 | Brandon McNulty |
Noah Granigan, Geoffrey Curran and Taylor Eisenhart completed the team. All played a vital role in protecting Kuss and making sure the team was always fighting to be in the breakaway. congratulations also to McCormick loanee, Brendan Rhim, who was also in the top 10 of the young rider competition riding for Desigual.
Final congratulations go to Kraftwerk and race winner Dominik Nerz.
Sepp Kuss takes his second podium finish on Stage 16
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Nemolito |
Posted on 29-06-2021 21:02
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Classics Specialist
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Was nice to see you doing so well in your home race, with Kuss slightly overperforming maybe, but I guess you'll gladly take that I'll be cheering for you in the future as well when you go back, when McNulty goes for gold! #VamosMcNulty
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