fernando97 wrote:
Jesleyh, there is going to be a report, just waiting for someone, after that, I'll post one, already written.

SSJ2Luigi wrote:


Learning dutch in the US?

Jonathan Blackwood.
Jonathan isn't British, he is Scottish. Don't ever get this wrong or suffer his wrath. He is the teams second best Classics rider. Devastating on the flat roads he can also get over quite a few hills, more so than most of his main rivals. With this power comes a great ability to time trial. One thing i should point out is that he does seem to suffer over the long distances needed for the Flanders Classics. This ability to suffer comes from his youth. He has never had money or privilege and has worked hard to achieve anything. He is one of the most driven guys on the team.

Quite how i get from Jonathan to Wesley Hoogenboom is not clear. Welsey is the teams lead sprinter. Not just the teams, but he is one of the top10 sprinters in the whole peloton. He couples this devastating finishing speed with a solid ability to get over hills and cobbles, meaning he should be in the fight more often than not. There aren't many great Dutch sprinters but Wesley is hoping to buck the trend. His main goal is to win Milan-San Remo, and will follow this at the Tour hunting stage wins. Got to say i don't know much about Wesley, he keeps quiet mostly and out the way. Not great attributes for a sprinter.

From flat to uphill. Csabi Dombi is a climber, straight and true. Hailing from Hungary, like the teams owner, Csabi can be a bit odd at times. Well not odd, but traditional. He is built like a twig, lacking pure power but his lightness is what makes him deadly. It will be no easy introduction to the peloton for the youngster as he the manager wants him at both the Giro and Tour.

From one climber to another. Michael Kern is a very interesting person. Technically from Hong Kong Michael has lot of British heritage. He is best going up mountains, but has some potential to time trial. He is expected to become a decent level stage racer. Expect to see him attacking on the tough stages, as i must say he certainly an eager guy on the bike.

The other Norwegian, Vegard Hansen. Vegard is good friend of mine. He has a very nice sprint on him indeed and will be key to Wesley's success. He is a true sprinter and loves to go fast. However if the road gets rough or a gradient he starts to struggle. As a fellow Norwegian i am probably biased but he is my best mate on the team and the best fun here. I'll race with him at the Giro but after that he will focus on the shorter stage races.

Oh, another Hungarian, christ they are everywhere. Benji Nagy is great puncher. One of the best hill riders on the team. Combined with a decent acceleration he is sure to bag some wins. The major downside, and main thing that will affect his Ardennes campaign is that he struggles over the long distances. I dont think a GT is on his mind, but almost all the one-day classics are. I probably shouldn't say this but i think Benji is the managers personal favorite.

I'll follow up with one of Benjis possible aides in the Ardennes. Andrea Rossi is the next great Italian stage racer. Not a great time-trialler like myself, but he is a very good climber, which is key to the Giro. I love Andrea, hes a great guy. Always joking and a similar rider to myself, so we have spent a fair bit of time together. Happy to say i have requested him at many of my races.

Of course, the other true Scandinavian! Daggen Jensen is Swedish, but that doesnt matter to me. He is very helpful person around, with a good understanding of bike mechanics. He is a powerful rider who can sit on the front of a group and pull for hours. Combine this with a decent strength on hills and a fast finish Daggen will be often seen this season.

So onto another great flat rider. US cycling has had a rough time recently but Kyle Miller is part of the new generation. Another great American time trialist Kyle can go hard for a long time. His prowess comes from great technical ability rather than power so he struggles up mountains and on cobbles. Another rider who should be often seen near the front of the peloton. Also he is massively knowledgeable about cyclings history and American tv.

Lets stick with the flat theme and talk about Tim de Vries. One of the few cobblers on the team, but that makes him all the more important. And just as well as he doesn't do much else well, no offense. Of course the ability to ride cobbles means he can pull a peloton along nicely. Part of a decent Dutch contingent in the team Tim has been confident around people. He's always got an idea to share, and some of them are good. Some of them not so good.

More flat power here with Jeffery Bakker. Jeffery is the only German. But he jumps right in and is never quiet. He is not the best rider on the team, but does have a nice style of riding a time trial bike and that is where his future lies. Again he's technically good but not powerful so is not helpful on the cobbles. He is likely to spend the year fetching water but i hope he gets a few chances to attack.

Now onto someone entirely new, Blaise Meunier. Before he joined the team none of us had ever heard of him. And still i don't know a lot about him. Like Wesley he is quite shy and reserved but hopefully he'll open up as the season progresses. He is very similar to Csabi in ability, and like Csabi will be busy as the team want him at the Giro and Vuelta as well.

Must say the next rider is certainly interesting. Bob Bobson is another American. Bob can ride hills quite well, and can attack a lot on them. But beyond that ability he can't really do anything. Not that you'd think that if you met him. Bob is very determined and can easily convince himself he is the best at everything. He does also come off as abrasive to many. Personally i like him as he speaks his mind and doesn't hide anything, or leave anything in reserve. Bob is all or nothing.

I guess i should mention the final Hungarian. David Banyai has a lot of youthful enthusiasm. Maybe not a lot of current ability but that does't stop him. More of a climber than anything else he could, if he wanted, turn his hand to anything. Will mostly be a waterboy i reckon this season, it shouldn't be long before he develops into a good rider.

While we are in Eastern Europe, Gezim Behar. From Albania Gezim is a pucnher who can handle a mountain. A decent support rider on the lumpy roads he should get a few chances to attack off up the road. Gezim is another nice person. Always helpful and full of great stories. Seems to get on really well with the hungarians, guess its an Eastern Europe thing.

So lets stay in Eastern Europe. Jozef Kovac is very similar to one of Velits. Martin, not Peter, but that makes him more useful to the team. Sure to get some good riding with the team, he should become another great cobbler in a few years. Although one of the worst climbers in the whole team. He's ridden most of his life and knows what he's doing, which is a big advantage.

Britain is having a revolution and Louis Remmington looks to continue it in the future. Currently a decent climber, more thanks to power than anything, he should become a good stage racer. Oddly he has a good prologue despite his size. Always joins in the conversation in the squad with some good stories from the north.

Now for the other Scandinavian. Alex Fischer is from Denmark and spends a lot of time with me and the other Scandinavians. I didn't know alot about him early on, but he's contributing more and more and starting to become a great person to have around. He will spend a lot of the season just helping as he lacks the natural talent of others. But he makes up for it by really trying and putting in the effort.

Only one rider from the oldest cycling nation. Jean-Pierre Dupont is a Frenchmen with talent. A solid time trialer, and like many of the others, due to his technical ability. Can spend a lot of time on the head of the race in aid of the team. As a person he is dedicated but does keep to himself a bit. He will go out if pushed, so thats a start.

Froome and Wiggo are big names and Gary Sutton is soon to be as well. A very good time trialist and a very good climber. A great man for the short tours, but doesnt last well over a lot of race days. Gary knows how to race and is always offering comments and advice to others on the team. Just a really friendly and good guy. Its great to have him on the team.

How do i follow Garry, well with Kristjan Puskaric the headline stage racer. Kristjan is the only man on the team who can get near me on a climb, but he will slaughter me in a TT. He is not a great time trialer but wont lose much time there. A real threat for GT's. Kritjan is certainly talented and passionate but he can be cocky and a bit spoiled at times if things dont go his way. Still ii'm glad we dont have to race against him.

Onto the cobbled leader. Mike Pye really is one of the best cobbles riders out there right now. When the road gets rough, he gets going. He can survive the hills of the Ronde well, but doesn't have a great finish. When the road is smooth he can pull very hard over a long time. He knows what he wants and will go to get it, but not always in the best way. He is not very good tactically and relies on his sheer power.

Onto another American. John Clemson is a classic super domestique. He can pull on the flat, on hills and up mountains. He is great support day in, day out. John is always happy to help out the team and likes to keep things organized. He is a natural leader, but can be very very slow to do things. Its clear he is quite patriotic as well and spends a lot of time chatting with the other Americans.

Now onto the final Brit. Steve Moore is one of the very top time trialers in the world. He is also the worst climber i've ever seen. Steve will be a great workhorse on all flat stages, and some lumpy ones. He does love the flat and can make those long dull hours pass quickly. Steve always has something to talk about and is a nice person in general.

Time for the final American. Alex DeLarge has a clear place in the team. He is best on the flat and cobbles. One of a few cobblers at all he will have guaranteed spots at some major races. Alex is a bit mysterious and retro, but he always has a comment. In fact its almost impossible to get him to be quiet. Often Alex and Gary are the only voices you can hear for ages. But it is nice to be able to have a conversation with someone.

And last but not least, Dennis Groen. He's from the flat Holland, and that is what he does, flat. His best ability is the time trial or just pulling on the flat roads. He has a good future ahead and can become a top rider against the clock. I don't know much about Dennis but he is always there to help with a smile.