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Festina - A final goodbye!
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| SotD |
Posted on 03-06-2022 13:45
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World Champion
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Just 2 races remain in the history of the Festina era, before the team comes to an end. It has been an enjoyable ride, so let's hope we can somehow end on a high. The remaining races doesn't really do that hope justice, but we can expect to see those two very races be used for Clement Koretzky to set a new season record - and that is also worth something!
 Grand Prix Cyclistes:
The canadian two day race is a first for the team despite it being merged between Grand Prix de Quebec and Grand Prix de Montreal. On paper the race should be decent for Koretzky, as the profile should suit a fast finishing puncheur - or a punchy sprinter. Koretzky is the first, and while he isn't a race favorite he could be a top 5-10 finisher if we manage to help him towards the end. The race could also be confusing and fancy a breakaway win, but we have to hope for a reasonable looking hilly race.
Expected Points: 100-150pts
 Giro di Lombardia:
What better way to finish an era than to ride the very race that sparked the first ever Pro Tour win. The Giro di Lombardia isn't necessarily a race where our team will shine, but Clement Koretzky have performed strong results here in the past, as will try to see it through one final time at the team. With him are of course Aidan van Niekerk who on his own highs could be an outsider for a decent result.
Expected Points: 100-150pts
Overall Expectations:
Both races are fairly down the center of the ballpark for us. We don't see a particularly weakness not over the top strength. So we expect a couple of decent outings ending up with something in the mix of 200-300 points. Let's see how it goes.
Clement Koretzky is lacking 74 points to beat his season record, despite having already sealed the season expectations. A couple of riders still haven't reached the expectations. Aidan van Niekerk, Charalampas Kastrantas, Ioannis Spanopoulos, Markus Kopfauf and Gyung Gu Jang all have something to prove in the final two races.
Expected Points: 200-300pts
Edited by SotD on 13-06-2022 13:52
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| SotD |
Posted on 13-06-2022 08:13
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World Champion
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October 2021 evolved - Season finale
Two races to go for Koretzky to break his old time record of 875 points scored in a single season.
Grand Prix Cyclistes:
After a superior 1st stage it was already evident, that Koretzky would break his record when he took 2nd place aswell as gapping some of the stronger riders - so 5th on the 2nd and final stage was by no means disastrous as it meant 3rd overall and 3rd points. Aidan and Kastrantas too had a decent race picking up some solid points.
Prior to the race we expected 100-150 points, so getting away with 255 points is obviously killer!
Actual Points: 255pts
Giro di Lombardia:
The most difficult oneday race for the likes of Koretzky always come in the last day of the season. Lombardia is - on paper - too difficult for him to shine, yet he has proven to be very solid more than once. He almost had the energy left to fight for a top 5 this time, but unfortunately was dropped within the final 4km, and thus sprinted to 12th. Still a respectable situation, with also some decent depth scoring adding to put us above our minimum expectation of 100 points.
Actual Points: 111pts
Overall Result:
We expected to finish the season with 200-300 points, so to finish with 366 points is obviously very solid. We also managed to finish the season in style beating our initial expectations of 6500 points. We even managed to beat our enhanced goals of 6750 and finally 7000 points, by making a solid 7193 points in the end!
Unfortunately we missed our goal of finishing in top 3 by a single spot, taking 4th. A very decent performance, but when we miss goals by 1 spot it does feel a bit sour. We did that in Colombia aswell.
Actual Points: 366pts
Festina - Over and out! It has been a true pleasure!
Edited by SotD on 13-06-2022 13:51
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| cunego59 |
Posted on 13-06-2022 08:56
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Team Manager
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SotD wrote:
Festina - Over and out! It has been a true pleasure!
This really sucks to read  I'm happy that Lecuisinier delivered you that Tour de France win, even if his overall underperformance may have cost you a chance at a podium in the team standings. Just saying that shows the standard you've set for yourself and your team though. I hope this won't be the permanent end to your MG story, but if it is, what a remarkable journey it has been.
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 16-02-2025 20:29
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| Gustavovskiy |
Posted on 13-06-2022 10:30
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Team Leader
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Man, did not read this before. I must say i can't imagine the game without you. You're probably the most knowledgeable, well-organized and active of the old guard managers, so it's going to take time to breed someone as valuable to the game as yourself. Thanks for all the contributions. The Man-Game wouldn't be what it is today without you mate. Hopefully you'll reconsider, but either way, thank you and congratulations on your journey! It's a dark day for the peloton to lose the blue and yellow of Festina.
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| cio93 |
Posted on 13-06-2022 11:40
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World Champion
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| redordead |
Posted on 13-06-2022 12:19
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Grand Tour Specialist
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Hopefully you find the motivation and goals to keep going in some way, because it looks like you had another very good season in totality + winning TDF 
FYI, Grand Prix Cyclistes is not a new Slovenian race and Lombardia is not quite in your backyard 
"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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| SotD |
Posted on 13-06-2022 13:53
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World Champion
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Thanks for the kind words you guys
lol true, guess I have copied from another month. Changed
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| alexkr00 |
Posted on 13-06-2022 14:31
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World Champion
Posts: 13978
Joined: 05-08-2008
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Sad to see one of the most iconic teams of the game disappear!
But I know you talked about in the past about starting a team from the bottom so I hope you won't be able to sit away from the game for the loo long and one day we will see you back with another project!
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| whitejersey |
Posted on 13-06-2022 14:44
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 2947
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Sad to see you calling quits on the Festina project and MG. Hopefully you will find the desire to come back with a fresh project for the 2023 season. Despite never actually making a deal, I think, the two of us have gone back and forth a lot in preseason discussions and I have learnt a lot from your approach.
This disband is for sure going to send a spanner into works come Free agency because boy oh boy with Couqard and Lecusinier on the market it is bound to get incredibly crazy.
Also it is going to be incredibly sad to see you leave some of your pet project behind like developing Aidan into an absolute beast of a rider etc.
Hopefully you're back at some point and keeps in touch with the game, would be fascinating to see how you would approach a CT build when the desire returns!
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| Bushwackers |
Posted on 14-06-2022 14:13
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Sprinter
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No way...
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 14-06-2022 14:17
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Classics Specialist
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Something tells me you'll stay in the game, but switch more to a regional focus (like Greek/Cypriot) and care less about results (at least for a while). At least that's what I hope, because it would be a real shame to see you go indeed. So I hope the MG continuation thread will be there quickly after NC's (or earlier) and you don't let the suspense build up until the final day
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| Shonak |
Posted on 14-06-2022 14:46
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Tour de France Champion
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Proper legend of the ManGame. Like others I don't quite think you'll call it quits and hope that you return with a new project to start building something from scratch. What you've built with Festina has been impressive, the consistency over all those years is unmatched.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| Eden95 |
Posted on 15-06-2022 14:55
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Grand Tour Specialist
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Parroting what others have said when I say it's incredibly sad to see you go. When I think of the MG, the first team that always pops into my head is the legendary Festina and yourself. If this really is it for you and there is no plans for any future involvement, you're definitely going to leave a massive hole in the community as your involvement and contributions are irreplaceable. All the best with your future endeavors, mate.
Indosat - ANZ HQ
"This Schleck sandwich is going to cause serious indigestion for Evans" - Phil Liggett |
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| DubbelDekker |
Posted on 15-06-2022 20:16
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2679
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Noooo! We're going to miss you so much, mate. Massive loss for the game.
Really hope you'll come back some day.
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| SotD |
Posted on 18-08-2022 11:12
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World Champion
Posts: 12245
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Festina - A final goodbye!
It was a big decision to stop the Festina-brand, which was created in 2009. This will be the final post in the Festina era. As always feel free to comment below.
Festina was founded in 2009 and has been the longest running lead sponsor in the history of the game. 13 Consequtive seasons have seen a total of 162 riders presenting the various season jerseys. Even more have been under contract, but due to loan deals has never ridden in the Festina outfit. The Festina brand have been present in every continent throughout the 13 season.
Some nations have been a focal point throughout those years. Let's have a look at the distribution.
| Amount | Nation | Continent | | 32 |  France | Europe | | 14 |  Greece | Europe | | 11 |  Belgium | Europe | | 11 | Italy | Europe | | 10 |  Germany | Europe | | 10 |  Spain | Europe | | 8 |  Holland | Europe | | 6 |  Denmark | Europe | | 5 |  Austria | Europe | | 5 |  Colombia | South America |
Looking at the large cyclingnations never represented there are a few, albeit not many. Nations such as United Kingdom, Luxembourg and Portugal may strike as the most relevant.
The focus nations France and Greece stand out for obvious reasons, but a lot of riders from Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain also have a high representation. Having said that, let's look at which nations performed the best for Festina throughout the years.
| Points | Nation | | 28687 | France | | 12506 | Spain | | 8927 | Greece | | 8629 |  Slovenia | | 7383 | Italy | | 3474 | Germany | | 2796 | Belgium | | 1747 |  New Zealand | | 1697 | Colombia | | 1432 | Holland |
This obviously lead us to the specific rider. Who actually performed really well in their time at Festina?
| Name | Seasons | Overall | | Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier | 8 | 9083 | | Simon Spilak | 4 | 8416 | | Bryan Coquard | 7 | 5603 | | Clement Koretzky | 8 | 5348 | | Alberto Contador | 4 | 4207 | | Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez | 3 | 3523 | | Jerome Coppel | 3 | 3162 | | Diego Ulissi | 3 | 2824 | | Panagiotis Vlatos | 9 | 2779 | | Riccardo Ricco | 2 | 2069 |
Not surprisingly the top is dominated by the golden generation from the PT tripple-win over the more recent french leaders. Last season, Lecuisinier finally managed to become the most dominant rider ever, despite riding a full 4 seasons longer than Simon Spilak. It has to been included that Lecuisinier moved from level 1 to his current status as one of the top 3 riders in the world. Also Bryan Coquard and Clement Koretzky are found in the top 5, after which the leaders of the early teams find their way to the top. Alberto Contador lead the team for a full 4 seasons, just like Simon Spilak, yet only managed to score half of that. Samuel Sánchez and Jerome Coppel both performed brilliantly on just 3 seasons. Much like Diego Ulissi.
In 9th place we find the longest running servant of the team, Panagiotis Vlatos who have been with the team for 9 out of 13 seasons. He is also easily the best ever greek cyclist. Something that is likely to stand for years to come.
As the final place in the top 10, we find another superstar in Riccardo Ricco.
Looking through the numbers we also spot the remaining riders. Some went on to become superstars in other teams, others were more domestiques.
But did you know that riders such as Sam Bewley, Angel Madrazo and Arnaud Demare have actually worn the Festina jersey at one point?
Most riders have only been within the team for 1 season, but there is a list of riders who have been riding a long long time for the team. Panagiotis Vlatos was the longest servant, but there are 52 others who have been with the team for atleast 2 seasons.
| Name | Seasons | | Panagiotis Vlatos | 9 | | Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier | 8 | | Clement Koretzky | 8 | | Bryan Coquard | 7 | | Charalampas Kastrantas | 7 | | Mathieau Bernaudeau | 7 | | Yuriy Vasyliv | 5 | | Simon Spilak | 4 | | Alberto Contador | 4 | | Georgios Tzortzakis | 4 |
The current setup, and the riders that ended an era is the longest running servants of the team, but looking back riders such as Mathieau Bernaudeau and Yuriy Vasyliv might strike some as surprising. Also worth noting is that a riders such as Stylianos Farantakis have already been with the team for 4 seasons. He rode two years as a stagiare and made his first ever level up that way. Had the team continued there is a realistic chance that he would have overtaken the lead role from Vlatos who is now starting his final season at peak level.
But - Festina is no more. Thanks a lot for all the kind words throughout the years, and in particular for all those of you who reached out when my motivation to continue this game was at it's lowest. We'll see eachother on the other side. Have a brilliant off season to all of you!
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| knockout |
Posted on 18-08-2022 11:32
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Grand Tour Champion
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Such a long history there. Certainly one of the most influential teams for the MG so it will be notable to not see Festina in the result lists. But I'm curious to see how your new team will take shape and how strong you can train some of those greeks.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| SotD |
Posted on 18-08-2022 12:34
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World Champion
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knockout wrote:
Such a long history there. Certainly one of the most influential teams for the MG so it will be notable to not see Festina in the result lists. But I'm curious to see how your new team will take shape and how strong you can train some of those greeks.
Thanks.
Yes indeed it will be interesting. Had I known then what I know now I would have trained Ioannidis last season rather than van Niekerk. That would have given me a much better situation. He could become 79MO or TT this season had I done that. With 79TT f.e. I would have allmost all TT races covered with him and Vlatos, and could then hav a trained Mavrikakis, Spanopoulos and a recently maxed Giannoutsos to feature those GC races without heavy TT focus.
Training Kastrantas to 77HI last season would also have been a good solution, as this is a really weak spot for atleast a couple of seasons.
I think my training options this season could go in a strategical direction if there are a few gaps in the Pro Tour focus, like there have been a couple of times in hills and timetrials.
I will need A LOT of breakaway succes though to have a shot at staying up
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 18-08-2022 19:06
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Team Manager
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Excellent collection of statistics there - would expect nothing less!
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 18-08-2022 19:21
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4804
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Thanks a lot for all those interesting statistics, and hats off for such a long run while always providing lots of in-depth information! And obviously thanks for finally staying in the game - may the new project give you enough motivation for at least 13 more years 
What I'm not so sure about is the statement that Vlatos will likely remain the best Greek for years to come - I'm sure that with your negotiation talent you'll find the funding to create a Greek beast in a couple of years, which will annihilate Vlatos' record It's obviously not going to happen in the next 2-3 years, but I bet it'll take less than a decade
Wish you all the best for the upcoming transfers and 2022 season, and hopefully there'll be a lot to talk about in your new HQ as well
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Slovenia
