We are sad to announce that Michael Van Stayen has left the team. It's not because we weren't content of him, or he wasn't feeling well in the team. We just decided to switch our focus, to the mountains, hills & cobbles. This meant we couldn't provide Michael the support he deserved. We wish him well, and hope he can shine for Simply Red Bull as much as he did for us.
Van Stayen was part of a deal between Bacardi and Simply Red Bull. The young Frenchman Anthony Roux will join the team together with a transfer fee of €250.000. He has a lot of potential on the hills. When Ricco is riding, he'll be a great help for him. He'll also get his own chance in Ricco's absence. We hope Roux will get a chance to shine, despite all the great talents in the Pro Tour already.
In the last few days, the team has been very busy in the transfers. We brought in riders, and we lost a few. While we're sad to see some of our riders leave, we're happy that we managed to strengthen the overall base of our team.
We already have our leaders for next season, which means that we won't be able to give Martijn Keizer the leader role he wants. After a more or less disappointing season last year, where he was unable to fill in the expectations, the team and him parted their ways. We hope he can have a more successful season for his new team: Volkswagen - Mapei.
The second rider leaving the team is Jan Ghyselinck. He will be joining Wiggle Professional Cycling Team. We're giving (and by giving i mean, receiving €600.000) Ghyselinck after we stole their bike sponsor, Colnago, away from them last year.
Now, on to the riders we gained. The first one is also the first free agent we signed this season (and probably the last): Pello Bilbao. He's a young Spanish puncheur who'll develop into a very nice puncheur in the future. With the right amount of training, he might even win some big classics in the future.
Our next rider is the young German time-trialist; Lucas Schädlich. He's coming over as a part of the Keizer transfer. We're very happy with him, and he should be a good replacement for Ghyselinck in our time-trial team.
Ricardo van der Velde is a very good all-rounder. The Dutch rider is coming over from AirBaltic - Endura for a fee of €300.000. He should be a good asset especially in the mountains and on the cobbles. A strange combination, but 2 of our main focuses for the upcoming season.
Our final rider is Daniel Navarro. He should be the main helper for Ricco and Intxausti in the mountains. The Spanish climber is coming over from Team Bintang. After a little bidding war between us and Festina - Canal+, we came out on top with our offer of €550.000. Daniel might also have his own chance to lead the team in the absence of Ricco and Intxausti. Certainly a very valuable rider for our team.
Today, we can announce the departure of Gert Steegmans. The Belgian cobbler/sprinter was a good asset to Bacardi last year, with the highlights being his 3th place in Milan - San Remo, 4th place in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, and a stage win in the Tour de Suisse. He was also a very good helper for Burghardt in the other cobbled classics. We are sad to see him go, but we couldn't comply to his wage demands, which were justified, but still rather high.
This transfer marks our final deal of this transfer season. Our full roster will be announced shortly.
After making several attempts last year, Team Metinvest-Emirates is again ready to try and bring Dmitri Grabovski home. to ride in our colours. Has situation changed, so Dmitri can be missed, or he is still not an option?
At this point in the time, the Bacardi management cannot comment on possible rumours concerning Dmitri Grabovski, since the team will get a major overhaul to prepare for the PCT.
After renewals, and during the transfers there will be an updated list with rider availability, even if a rider is not on there, you can always make an offer, and we'll see what comes of it.
