Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms has made significant progress in the transfer window.
Kiwi time trialist Jack Bauer arrived on loan from the fine folks at Meiji. Going the other way was Peter Stetina.
A similar deal, but with permanent moves concluded in both directions, involved sprinters Benoit Sinner and Michael Matthews, formerly of Festina.
From free agency, Heineken has signed stage race star Janez Brajkovic. The Slovenia will lead the team and seek to pass on his knowledge to the younger riders. He is the highest paid rider in team history, and we do not doubt he will be worth it. Or else.
And the last bit of news is the signing, or re-signing rather, of
Ronan Van Zandbeek. He was signed to the now defunct LaFarge, a team which was managed by the identical twin (identical in terms of the managers being the same person, and equally inept to boot). He rejoins Arnold Jeannesson from that team.
Yet another Dutchman has joined Heineken from Free Agency. If I didn't know any better, I'd think there was some sort of pattern here. Sebastian Langeveld is a fantastic addition to our classics department, as he is the best cobbler in our aborted cobbled classics department. He was highly sought after, and his addition is a boon for the team, not only in the classics, but for the entire season.
Another couple signings can be confirmed. The first is Steele Von Hoff, a young Australian sprinter who has a fantastic name.
The second is Iranian climbing talent called Abolfazl Gilanipoor. Gilanipoor will be a name that many who follow the team will remember, as he has ridden in the team colors before.
Both of these riders will realize their full potential in the next few years.
The classics department has been bolstered by the addition of two Belgians. Veteran Preben Van Hecke (pictured below) is the first. Philip Vandaele is the second, and slightly less senior, addition.
A third and final signing can be announced, though he may leave on a season loan. He is one for the future, and we are happy to have him. Evan Huffman is a budding young time trialist.
Over the next few days we will be rolling out a more comprehensive team presentation. We begin with the introduction of the developing riders.
Young’uns Evan Huffman has the farthest to go in realizing his full potential , but the young American will be a fine time trialist on his day. He has, by a long way, the busiest schedule of the season. Included on all the early shortlists but snapped up early by another team, was Iranian Abolfazl Gilanipoor. Happily the transfer season was silly enough to bring him on for nothing but his minimum wage, making him the bargain of our season in this manager’s estimation. American Kiel Reijnen returns, and though not as young as Huffman, he still has room to grow. At his peak, he will be one of the most well rounded domestiques in the squad. Aussie Steele Von Hoff was a steal, seemingly overlooked by others but spotted for his potential by this manager, and brings a punny name with him. He is young, developing into a strong and fairly durable sprinter at his peak.
I have been regretting the free transfer for Abolfazl to Heineken every day since we sold him. I was sure he had already maxed out, but I looked in the wrong column and now I have to pay for that
The Sprints
Perhaps the least improved section of the roster is the sprint train. Familiar faces in the form of American Taylor Tolleson and Argentine Juan Jose Haedo will not be expected to do much at these new dizzy heights, but with the addition of Aussie Michael Matthews there is a good chance to knick a win here and there. These three will be tailing each other around for most of the season, as they are the three best friends that they could have. Michael Matthews has yet to reach his full potential, and teaming up with Haedo will do him some good.
I have been relocating, and have been remiss in my presentations. Two departments this time around, to make up for it.
Climbers
Though Stetina has left the team for the season, Americans Tyler Brandt and Thomas Peterson, bolstered by the presence of Frenchman Arnold Jeannesson will be able to support our stage race leaders in the mountains of the big races. Alex Howes will also be thrown in the deep end, with starts in the Giro and Vuelta. There are a lot of points to be had from the stage races that are decided on the slopes. Happily Peterson and Brandt are handy time trialists as well.
The Classics Department
For the first time in the team’s history you, the viewer, can reasonably expect results in both the cobbled classics and the hillier options. Pozzato’s supporting cast includes Dutchman Sebastian Langevelde, who will be omnipresent at Pozzato’s side throughout the season, and Belgians Philip Vandaele and Preben Van Hecke. This influx from Benelux was initially aimed at supporting a more specialized cobbled racer, but c’est la transfer season and this acquisition didn’t happen. For the hillier races, American Ethan Weiss and Belgian Pieter Ghyllebert will come into the side.
Time Trials
In its previous iterations, this team was a power in team time trials. We will be setting a new standard in that department, with loaned Kiwi Jack Bauer, Dutchmen Pim Ligthart, Ronan Van Zandbeek set to combine several times over the course of the season with Kristjan Koren and one of our stage race leaders for team efforts. While perhaps not a top tier team time trial roster, we will have a shot. Stalwart American Steven Cozza retains a spot on the roster, and will feature in several TTT trains.
Ryan Eastman is this organization’s prodigal son. We expect great things from him as he continues his development. The young American is the present and future of this team, and will get the opportunity to lead two grand tours this year, le Giro and le Vuelta. His first test will be in Spain during the busiest part of the season, at the Volta Ciclista a Cataluna. He will also make the start line at Liege Bastogne Liege, le Dauphine, Lichtenstein, Copenhagen, and Lombardia.
Brajkovic doubles the Slovenian contingent at the team. He also draws the teams’ largest wage ever, ringing in at a whopping 900,000 Euros. He will be expected to achieve the most ambitious individual goal, a top 5 in the Tour de France. Also on his schedule is the Tour of California, where Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms will expect a good result from our record signing. Janez opens his season at the tour of Romandie, then to California, Suisse, le Tour and Deutchland.
Pipo Wins!
Fillipo Pozzato managed the team's first win of the season, by taking the last stage in his home country at Tirreno-Addriatico. *cue America the Beautiful*. He also managed high placings in the points rankings and 6th in the general classification. Milano-San Remo is next up for him.
As you may notice, the photog has named the photo "SuprisePozzwin"
From a marketing standpoint, Milano-San Remo was quite a success. Heineken was well represented, with good form being shown by Langevelde and Pozzato in subsequent attacks. The public got a long glimpse at the Pipo we know and love, as Pozzato took off with a few climbs and some distance to the finish, proving himself to be one of the few with a pair of large and in charge clangers swinging twixt his money makers.
Un-fortuitously, the haters of real racing, i.e. the Stoke City's of cycling, pulled the race back for the purpose of a sprint. Though Pipo was the hero of the day, his reward was a mere 11th place finish, signalling the first missed goal of the season.
Although Pipo Pozzato tasted bitter disappointment at his season's major goal at Milano-San Remo, his season is by no means over.
Pozzato came up big at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, sprinting to fourth after a day of cobbles, changing weather and attacks.
Across the Channel, in Britain, Pozzato showed again that he is on form. He sprinted to 2nd, ahead of Tom Boonen. Sebastian Langevelde also enjoyed his time at the East Midlands Cicle Classic, coming in at 15th.
Langevelde will accompany Pozzato to Germany for Rund um Koln, a race that could break up on the hills or stay together for a sprint.
Edited by Levi4life on 04-03-2013 02:57
Pozzato continued his tear across the northern classics with a second place finish at Gent-Wevelgem. For a while it was touch and go, but the Italian came good in the end. Pozzato's good form has some asking what took him so long? At the ripe old age of 32, Pozzato only has a few years left in the peloton. When prompted, the usually immodest Italian looked sheepishly at the reporter and said "I think I realized that the clock is running out. The manager, with whom I have had a sometimes adversarial relationship at times, has also had an impact on my riding. He chose to take me to the cobbles as a leader, which was a bit of a gamble."
Edited by Levi4life on 21-03-2013 02:57
Filippo Pozzato took out the win on a sloppy stage 2 of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. Pipo could not be more pleased. It was the highlight of a rather disappointing week in Spain. The only other result of note was an 8th place finish on the penultimate stage.
After Spain the classics season continued with der Ronde. Pipo took a solid 8th place finish, with Seb clocking a 19th. Pozzato skipped Paris Roubaix in favor of getting in some extra training for the Aredennes classics. Seb managed a 25th place finish, a result he was slightly disappointed with. 13th was the best that Pipo could do at Amstel Gold, improving to 10th at Fleche Wallone, followed by 12th at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Janez Brajkovic took to the start in Switzerland at the Tour de Romandie. His effort in the opening prologue earned the team a 4th place finish. Consistency earned Janez a 6th place finish on GC. Brandt was 7th in the Youth Classification.
Eastman lined up at the Giro with aspirations for a top 10. Kristjan Koren took a 2nd place finish on stage 4, out of the break. Koren took 7th in the stage 7 time trial. Eastman began his GC campaign with the stage 8 mountain finish with a 17th. Koren continued his tear with an 11th on the 60k stage 13 TT. Stage 14 saw our very own Taylor Tolleson take the win riding into Casteggio. Eastman ripped up the stage 16 mountain TT, taking 8th. Tolleson managed a 4th place finish on stage 18. Eastman ended the race in 13th on GC, with Koren in 32nd. Brandt and Eastman managed top 10s in the Youth classification.
Meanwhile in California, Janez took the start in the team’s hometown of Santa Rosa. Brajkovic kept a low profile until the time trial, where he took 2nd behind Cancellara. He was 4th on the next stage, which finished on Mount Baldy. This consistency earned Janez a solid 2nd overall at the team’s home race.
Eastman got the call up again for the Vuelta. Eastman started the mountain stages from way down on GC. His effort on the first mountain stage brought him up to 18th. Michael Matthews showed strong throughout the Vuelta, with a 4th place finish on stage on stage 11, and an 8th on stage 14. Stage 16’s up and down TT saw Eastman take an 11th. Eastman showed his youth and the fatigue of a second grand tour, faltering in the 19th stage. He ended the race in 20th place on GC, and 4th on the Youth Rankings, with Brandt notching another top 10 youth classification finish.
A brief foray onto the Italian cobbles occurred midway through la Vuelta, with Langeveld finishing 15th and Pozzato 21st after an aggressive race.
Eastman returned to racing after la Vuelta at the Dauphine. No individual stage results stands out for Eastman, but consistencey earned him a quiet 12th place finish overall, with Jeannesson clocking a 30th on home soil. Eastman was 4th on the young rider rankings.
The Tour de Suisse began a few days after the start of the Dauphine. Brajkovic opened the race with a 2nd on the prologue. A disappointing TTT result saw Brajkovic lose time. Tolleson showed why he’s a fan favorite by jumping in the final day breakaway, taking fourth. Janez couldn’t make up the time, and finished 15th.
The pre-Tour Classique Grand-Duche was an opportunity for Pozzato to get in a race. He finished 12th.
