January & February Recap
07-Jan | | Gisborne GP | C2 |
The first race of the Season for us was this hilly classic. As Leader for us we did send Ruben Guerreiro. And he did all we could wished for. Having a strong race and finishing as 4th, Great result for us since in the past the hilly races werent really our strength.
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14-Jan | | Nakhon Ratchasima Trophy | C2 |
At a flat classic like this we hoped for Willwohl to maybe get into the Top 5/10 but our team overall wasnt that strong. In the end more than the 18th position came out of it. A little bit disappointing
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22-Jan | 31-Jan | Vuelta al Tachira | C2 |
The first GC of the season and for us our longest. Clear leader was here Harm Vanhoucke in his first leading role for us. The first half of the Race was more targeted towards sprinters with a lot of close finishes. We did send the veteran Theo Reinhardt to the race so we could grab a few points. In 5 Flat finishes always Top 10 and once on the podium was some good results for us. For the second half it was time for the GC riders to shine. The first more hilly stage, stage 4, Harm Vanoucke could finish at 6th. The other more steep stages he could alwas finish around Top 10, except the 9th stage where he lost a bit time as 23rd. On the hard Mountain TT he came in also at 10th. Overall we were really happy with his performance in here. The final flat TT he did finish well too so he could claim the 5th Position at the Final GC, which was a good result with the competition he was in. Also at the Final TT, Predatsch & Campenarts could finish in the Top 10, as 6th and 8th.
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26-Jan | 29-Jan | Tour of Guadeloupe | C1 |
A race we almost forgot that we competed in, and checking the results it was clear why. Never made the Top 10 at any stage and with Willwohl placing at 25th in the final GC it was very uneventful for us.
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31-Jan | | Clasico San Jose | C2 |
Another hilly classic and another chance for Guerreiro to shine. This time he came in 6th which was still a good result for us!
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04-Feb | | Viana do Castelo | C1 |
In Portugal we faced our 1st cobbles race of the season. But this one was a really hard one with a lot of hills and climbs. Here we didnt have high expectations because of the hard route but in the end we were pleasantly suprised by Ruben Zepuntke who could finish as 5th here!
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06-Feb | | Gent - Wevelgem | C2 |
Gent Wevelgem was another cobbles classics for us. We didnt expect a lot from this too because this hadnt too much cobbles also especially not at the end so we expected a more traditional sprint finish. In the end it was like this and Zepuntke could only score slightly with the 14th place.
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10-Feb | | GP Herning | C2 |
Cobbles time overall, because GP Herning was another one. This time it was a bit harder. But since there was a clash in the calendar with the following race we could only send one of our cobbles experts. Beka Nareklishvili was our leader here. He did a good job filling that role and came in as 5th!
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10-Feb | | Le Samyn | HC |
Le Samyn, a traditional hard cobbles classic raced at HC category. Though we are only a CT team we hoped for a good result with a rider like Ruben Zepuntke. But this race lead to our first really disappointing result. He couldnt finish Top 10 and only got the 26th place at the end.
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15-Feb | 20-Feb | Volta a Catalunya | C2 |
In Catalunya the next tour was ahead of us. A short but hard one. Our leader once again was Harm Vanhoucke. The competition here was really hard and the profile too so our hopes werent too high. But Harm knows how to surpsise me. We got our first stage win this year on the fest stage which was bit more hilly. Also at the 5th stage which was again more on the hilly side he could finish on 2nd also. Overall thast lead to the Points Jersey which he won! There was also a Team TT and we could finish 5th as a team there only susing a few seconds. Besides this great results on the stages and the jersey, Harm Vanhoucke finished as 9th in the Overall GC what was a satisfying result. Also to mention is that our Neopro Darren Van Bekkum could finish as 4th in the Youth Classement which is hopefully an indication for the future too!
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26-Feb | | Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne | C1 |
In Belgium we were on Cobbles again. Time for Zepuntke to shine. But it was again not a satisfying result. He got the 11th position in the end which was better than Le Samyn but far below our targeted podium. Lets hope the next months and races will have different results for him.
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28-Feb | | Coppa Placci | C2 |
The final race of the first 2 months for us was, like the first race, a hilly classics for us. it was time for the other Ruben again, Ruben Guerreiro. And he definitely knows how to deliver! We didnt expect him to do that good and win this race but he did! Great result and a good way to finish these first two months!
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Final conclusion for now:
+++ Ruben Guerreiro: Doing a great and scoring well.
++ Harm Vanhoucke: A pleasant surprise also, we hoped he would be a slight upgrade and so far he proved he is.
o Beka Nareklishvili: So far he didnt have much chances to shine but did his job like expected.
o Rest of the Team: Solid work so far in supporting the captains.
- Sprinter: Reinhardt & Especially Willwohl didnt work yet.
-- Ruben Zepuntke: Sadly I need to rank him so for now. Viana do Castelo was really good but everything else was below expectations.
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