After escaping relegation in the program's Pro Tour debut last season, the distinct Zwift Pro Cycling team is back for another year in the top flight. The undisputed best indoor training platform for cyclists and runners alike is growing its reputation by become a stable force in the professional peloton.
At the helm as team manager is Mresuperstar. The American Man-Game veteran helped the team finish 16th in Pro Tour last season. He is entering a remarkable 11th season in the Man-Game, fifth in the Pro Tour.
Prior to Zwift Pro Cycling, Mre managed the following teams: Team CSC-Orbea (2012-14), Movistar-US Postal (2015-16), Newton Foundation (2017) and most recently Desigual (2018-20). More history can be found below.
Keeping Zwift Pro Cycling in the Pro Tour was achieved last season. Now, Mre has to push on and improve the team in hopes of cracking the Top 10, or maybe dream of doing even better. Shoot for the stars! Those that fall short of our expectations will find themselves grinding to the top of Alpe du Zwift instead.
While any cyclist can enjoy Zwift, only the elite can pedal our program forward.
Tour of Tasmania Stage 1: 12 Pascal Ackermann Stage 2: 32 Jhonatan Narvaez [BOTD - Jhonatan Narvaez] Stage 3: 45 Carlos Verona
Tour of Qatar Stage 1: 101 Carlos Verona Stage 2: 24 Lewis Stroll Stage 3: 85 Carlos Verona Stage 4: 90 Carlos Verona Stage 5: 91 Carlos Verona Stage 6: 32 Carlos Verona
Franceville Classique
16 Akil Campbell
20 Stan Dewulf
47 David Dekker
[BOTD - Akil Campbell, David Dekker, Stan Dewulf]
Volta a Portugal Stage 1: 45 Matteo Jorgenson Stage 2: 6 Pascal Ackermann Stage 3: 12 Pascal Ackermann Stage 4: 3 Pascal Ackermann Stage 5: 14 Jack Burke [BOTD - Carter Jones] Stage 6: 17 Pascal Ackermann (GC - 9 Jack Burke) Stage 7: 18 Jack Burke (GC - 7 Jack Burke) Stage 8: 5 Jack Burke (GC - 8 Jack Burke)
Tirreno - Adriatico Stage 1: 15 Zwift Pro Cycling Stage 2: 2 Alexandr Ovsyannikov [BOTD - Carlos Verona] Stage 3: 14 Alexandr Ovsyannikov Stage 4: 35 Alexandr Ovsyannikov Stage 5: 5 Juan Pedro Lopez [BOTD - Juan Pedro Lopez] Stage 6: 1 Jack Burke [BOTD - Jack Burke, Lewis Stroll] Stage 7: 50 Carlos Verona
Paris - Nice Stage 1: 92 Jhonatan Narvaez Stage 2: 13 Simon Carr [BOTD - David Dekker] Stage 3: 14 David Dekker [BOTD - Jaume Sureda] Stage 4: 63 Simon Carr [BOTD - Jhonatan Narvaez, David Dekker] Stage 5: 113 Bram Welten Stage 6: 57 Jhonatan Narvaez [BOTD - Simon Carr] Stage 7: 18 Jhonatan Narvaez [BOTD - Aviv Yechezkel] Stage 8: 89 Jhonatan Narvaez
Praha - Karlovy Vary - Praha Stage 1: 34 Carlos Verona Stage 2: 46 Alexandr Ovsyannikov [BOTD - David Dekker] Stage 3: 50 Carlos Verona Stage 4: 61 Alexandr Ovsyannikov
Ronde van Nederland Stage 1: 6 P. Ackermann (GC - 6 P. Ackermann) [BOTD - Stan Dewulf] Stage 2: 14 Pascal Ackermann (GC - 6 Pascal Ackermann) Stage 3: 9 Pascal Ackermann (GC - 7 Pascal Ackermann)
Macskako Kerekparverseny
52 Alexandr Ovsyannikov
58 Bram Welten
66 Stan Dewulf
[BOTD - Aviv Yechezkel, Akil Campbell, David Dekker]
Ronde van Vlaanderen
45 Akil Campbell
54 Alexandr Ovsyannikov
63 Bram Welten
[BOTD - Akil Campbell, Stan Dewulf]
E3 Prijs
44 Aviv Yechezkel
53 Stan Dewulf
84 Bram Welten
[BOTD - Stan Dewulf]
Paris - Roubaix
37 Akil Campbell
61 Alexandr Ovsyannikov
62 Aviv Yechezkel
Balkans International Stage 1: 75 Carter Jones [BOTD - Carter Jones] Stage 2: 98 Jaume Sureda Stage 3: 49 Carter Jones [BOTD - Carr, Decker, Jones] Stage 4: 105 Carter Jones [BOTD - Simon Carr] Stage 5: 56 Pascal Ackermann [BOTD - Simon Carr] Stage 6: 51 Carter Jones
GP Moscow
27 Lewis Stroll
28 Carlos Verona
65 Bram Welten
Tour of Northern Europe Stage 1: 4 Akil Campbell (GC - 4 Akil Campbell) Stage 2: 46 Juan Pedro Lopez [BOTD - J.P. Lopez] Stage 3: 76 Alexandr Ovsyannikov Stage 4: 1 Stan Dewulf [BOTD - Dewulf, Tejada, Lopez] Stage 5: 28 Alexandr Ovsyannikov [BOTD - Akil Campbell] Stage 6: 20 Alexandr Ovsyannikov Stage 7: 4 Juan Pedro Lopez [BOTD - Carter Jones]
Rheden GP
17 Jaume Sureda
34 David Dekker
40 Alexandr Ovsyannikov
[BOTD - Jaume Sureda]
The first phase of the transfer window is negotiating contracts with our current squad and releasing riders we no longer want to keep around. Here is how those discussions played out over the last few weeks:
Riders Released
The following 4 cyclists were let go before the start of the transfer season:
Ben Swift: Swift at Zwift was always going to be a one-year experiment and the legendary sprinter didn't disappoint by winning four PT stages last season at 34 years old. We hope he can continue his ways with a new team next season.
Mark Cavendish: From one legend to the next, we thank the Manx Missile for his one-year of service and remember his triumph stage win at the Tour du Suisse this past season. The world-class pro hits the free agency market again in hopes of another contract before retirement.
Benat Intxausti: I'm sensing a theme as we also say goodbye to now 36-year-old climber Intxausti. The Spaniard didn't do much for us last season as his legs are well past his prime. We wish him the best climbing forward.
Clement Russo: A surprise. Upon seeing the influx of new French teams joining the CT division, Russo drove a hard bargain and demanded wages we couldn't agree to. Talks broke down and now the 27-year-old Frenchman will look to cash in on a large pay day in free agency.
Riders Renewed
The following 23 cyclists signed new contracts heading into the transfer season:
2021 Wage
2022 Wage
Difference
Ryan Eastman
750,000
720,000
-30,000
Simon Yates
585,000
665,000
+80,000
Mattia Cattaneo
500,000
550,000
+50,000
Xuban Errazkin
175,000
165,000
-10,000
Matteo Jorgenson
200,000
150,000
-50,000
Jack Burke
150,000
135,000
-15,000
Jhonatan Narvaez
65,000
110,000
+45,000
Luca Wackermann
65,000
65,000
0
Nicolay Cherkasov
60,000
65,000
+5,000
Eric Young
95,000
60,000
-35,000
Juan Pedro Lopez
75,000
60,000
-15,000
Jake Stewart
50,000
60,000
+10,000
Federico Olei
60,000
55,000
-5,000
Louis Visser
50,000
55,000
+5,000
Daniel Eaton
50,000
50,000
0
Aviv Yechezkel
50,000
50,000
0
Harold Tejada
50,000
50,000
0
Jaume Sureda
50,000
50,000
0
Carter Jones
50,000
50,000
0
Simon Carr
50,000
50,000
0
Carlos Verona
50,000
50,000
0
Lewis Stroll
50,000
50,000
0
Nickolas Zukowsky
50,000
50,000
0
Looking to Sell/Swap/Loan
The highly anticipated rider availability post can be found below:
Availability
Ryan Eastman
YES
Simon Yates
No
Mattia Cattaneo
YES
Xuban Errazkin
YES
Matteo Jorgenson
No
Jack Burke
No
Jhonatan Narvaez
YES
Luca Wackermann
YES
Nicolay Cherkasov
Maybe
Eric Young
Maybe
Juan Pedro Lopez
No
Jake Stewart
Loan Out
Federico Olei
YES
Louis Visser
Loan Out
Daniel Eaton
No
Aviv Yechezkel
No
Harold Tejada
No
Jaume Sureda
Maybe
Carter Jones
Maybe
Simon Carr
No
Carlos Verona
No
Lewis Stroll
No
Nickolas Zukowsky
Loan Out
Cash is king but trade offers will also be considered when the time comes.
Looks like you're planning quite a bit of change when seeing those availabilities! Wonder what you have in mind, so will be paying close attention to Zwift.
Russo joins Alaphilippe and Boudat - clearly all saw the new teams coming before we did, and are all set for good FA Wages
Winds of change blowing over your team this season it seems. Very interesting availability with my focus in mind, even on the loan front we might try to work something out and as TMM states it seems like the French riders smelled the blood in the water.
Adding another few to the increasing bunch of interesting riders on the trade block, I see. None of the top guys necessarily fit our profile, but we enjoyed having Lopez and Carr around two years ago, so maybe we do get to talk a bit if someone else wants to follow in their footsteps
Wow, some MG legends gone from the team and also Intxausti Looks like it could be a very interesting transfers for you with those and the rider availability list - excited to see where you go with it
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
Hello friends (and probably a couple of enemies), I don't think Manager Mresuperstar has seen any sunlight in the last week after a exhausting transfer window that feature a lot of everything. To break everything done, we start our multiple-part breakdown with our former riders who have departed to new teams.
Riders Sold
Ryan Eastman: The American climber will always be remembered as the man that couldn't quite get it done. Eastman failed to win a race in his lone season at Zwift and missed out a Tour de France podium finish by a single place. We wish him more success at Duolingo, where he departs for a 1.9 million fee.
Mattia Cattaneo: Another one-year GC rental like Eastman. The aging climber was shown the door to start a new youth movement. Looking for a new home, the Minions-Subwoolfer kidnapped him to compete on the PCT circuit. We later received an mystery check for 1.3 million to "Keep Quiet." Whoops.
Federico Olei: With a new startup cycling team in San Marino being founded, Olei - the reigning NC RR champion - wanted out. We obliged, shipping him to Colombini-Adler AP for 65,000. We thank him for his 3 years of service with Mre.
Louis Visser: We weren't planning on selling youngster Visser, and actually had a loan agreement ready with Bralirwa - Stevens Bikes before his continental rival Project: Africa swooped in with 400,000 cash. It was too good to pass up and we will say goodbye to our once stagiare project. I'd say we did our job in helping him reach his full potential.
Daniel Eaton: Flash 400,000 cash our way and we will bite. We didn't plan to loose Eaton this offseason but Aker-MOT broke us down eventually after multiple deals fell through. We eventually settled on Eaton. The long-time TT specialist leaves with the sixth-most RDs in program history (310).
Nicolay Cherkasov: Nicholay, Nik-o-lie, Nico, Cherka, Cherk-sey, Cherp Cherp... Whatever his name is... leaves to powerhouse Isostar - Specialized because we need more wage cap and Mre could never remember how to spell his name. Manager Croatia14 gets a bargain of a deal at 150,000 for the flat beast.
Luca Wackermann: As the transfer season wore on, it became clear that Wackermann was no longer needed. We brought in multiple replacements to fill his role and gave him the freedom to be a veteran presence on the new Bordeaux Métropole - Euskotren cycling team. He was sold for the minimum 65,000.
Xuban Errazkin: Errazkin survived the initial transition from Desigual to Zwift last year, but not a second stint. The Spanish talent grew up under Mre's wing, but the higher-ups wanted more U.S. stars on the team. Out with Errazkin, in with a budding American stage racer named below.
Jose Fernandes: Lasted about four hours on the team...
Riders Bought
Neilson Powless: Here he is. Welcome home Powless in what turned out to be like a three-team trade with Binance (getting 1.7 million) and Red Bull Žalgiris (getting Fernandes and Errazkin) after Red Bull originally acquired Powless + 350,000 from Gazelle for Andreas Leknessund. So, yeah, it was a long journey for Neilson to get here, but we are happy to have him!
FL
MO
HI
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SP
ACC
FT
DH
PL
72
77
72
78
76
74
76
59
64
71
64
65
78
Pascal Ackermann: The younger Simon Yates prototype gives us two dangerous fast finisher for the hilly stages. We thought we were getting a steal when had a leading bid of 500,000 and we right. Another team tried to swoop in so we ended up needing 900,000 to secure his signature from Team Popo4Ever p/b Morshynska. We can't wait to see what the Yates/Ackermann duo can achieve.
FL
MO
HI
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SP
ACC
FT
DH
PL
72
65
77
61
75
71
79
61
77
80
66
63
68
Free agent signings and loan deals coming in the next update!
Our transfer season is over! We welcome the following riders to Zwift Pro Cycling.
Free Agents Signed
Bram Welten: Before the start of the transfer season we were prepared to offer the Lvl 4.40 Welten a loan from Podium Ambition. But we were pleasantly surprised when the team decided to release him to save wage space. It was quite the battle to secure his signature, but we finally did for 165,000.
FL
MO
HI
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SP
ACC
FT
DH
PL
74
64
68
58
70
69
81
71
77
75
56
67
59
76
64
69
58
72
71
82
73
79
75
56
67
59
David Dekker: Another Dutch causality who raced for Podium Ambition last season. Dekker is 24yo with 3.66 EXP and POT 6. We plan to train him more as a cobble sprinter than a pure sprinter. Not sure how we got him for 80,000.
FL
MO
HI
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SP
ACC
FT
DH
PL
73
61
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60
76
74
64
69
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61
77
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60
81
78
73
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61
Stan Dewulf: "Stan The Man" went under the radar and we happily scooped him up for the minimum of 50,000. The 25yo comes in at Lvl 4.00 and will get maxed out riding the Pro Tour cobbles this season. The Belgian should be a key member of our cobble team for years to come.
FL
MO
HI
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SP
ACC
FT
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PL
72
66
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Free Agents Signed & Loaned Out
Sean Quinn: The youth movement continues by signing homegrown talents. The Pot. 4/Lvl 1.00/22yo American won't reach the status of say Jorgenson, but will be a valuable climbing helper in a few years. He was signed for 100,000 and will be loaned out to HelloFresh - Lampre next season. We will pay half his wage and provided a 250,000 fee for the 1>3 loan clause.
FL
MO
HI
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SP
ACC
FT
DH
PL
69
69
69
65
68
72
68
60
66
68
63
63
68
70
76
74
72
73
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75
60
66
69
64
63
75
Kevin Vermaerke: We are excited that our other Pot. 4/Lvl 1.00/22yo American signing will also be joining HelloFresh - Lampre next season. Vermaerke was signed for 55,000. We will pay 20,000 of that and provide a 190,000 fee for the 1>3 upgrade. Another climber helper in the making.
FL
MO
HI
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SP
ACC
FT
DH
PL
69
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68
65
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70
63
62
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63
70
71
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72
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75
70
62
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64
64
70
Ethan Vernon: It took 225,000 but we signed our future TT machine from Bedford, England. The Pot. 5/Lvl 1.00/22yo has the potential to be a future ITT National Champion and will spend this season with Kraftwerk Man Machine (deal will officially be confirmed later today). We will pay all of his 225,000 wage and provide a 325,000 fee to get Vernon from Level 1>3.
FL
MO
HI
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SP
ACC
FT
DH
PL
68
60
64
70
68
71
63
66
71
68
63
64
71
75
60
65
79
73
77
70
66
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71
63
65
80
Biniam Girmay: Saving the best for last, the man you have all been waiting for. It's the next African superstar, Biniam Girmay! After a tense battle with Bralirwa-Stevens, Girmay decided to stray from home and take a bigger paycheck of 940,000. We are grateful to develop him into our future classics leader. After much deliberation, we eventually decided to loan Girmay out to Carlsberg-Danske Bank where we anticipate him having a great debut season.
We finish with 26 cyclists — 20 on the roster and six loaned out. Once we landed Girmay, a full rebuild commenced. We don't expect to survive relegation this season, we certainly would be happy if we do. If we do go down, we hope this is last time we will ever have to do so. We believe we are now setup to challenge for the Pro Tour crown in 3-5 seasons. We are playing the long game. Thoughts?
Definitely a very interesting approach you’ve taken this season. Obviously some amazing talent with Grmay but on an astronomical wage and then the likes of Vernon to add to those you already have.
Realistically, I don’t see any way this current squad doesn’t finish rock bottom of the PT as I think it’d even be a fight if you were in PCT with Yates the only real big scorer and Powless would be able to get a couple good results too.
Definitely interested to see who you train this season and in the future too, although budget maybe limited next season as you’d definitely want to get the team set for PCT next season.
Justo Tenorio
Simon Yates
Tejay Van Garderen
Erick Herrera
Rui Costa
Aviv Yechezkel
Jhonatan Narvaez
Jorge Abreu
Federico Olei
Christian Meier
Stan Dewulf
Pascal Ackermann
Nicolay Cherkasov
Jernej Svab
Vincenzo Nibali
E. Parra Bustamante
Daniel Hoelgaard
William Chiarello
Serafin Jose Blanco
Louis Visser
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
Looks like it could be a very interesting transfers for you with those and the rider availability list - excited to see where you go with it 
