Today we are very pleased to announce the signing of Pedro Nicácio , from Prio Porto, who is the current Brazilian TT champion. It took a large fee and much negotiating but we were thrilled when we got our man confirmed to us late last night.
Last season, when competing against some of the top GC stage racers in the world, he still managed many high placings. So it is safe to presume Pedro will be one of the most rounded stage racers in the 2014 continental mash up.
And finally. .... on a loan deal with 80,000 coming our way we also managed to sign Rafael Silva from CSC - Orbea. He will be a valued teammate and is our seventh confirmed signing so far, all of which are Portuguese speakers. Yes, by the looks of it, few teams will be more closely knit than our bunch.
The transfer period has came and gone and, in truth, we are very happy with what we have managed to achieve. We had two main goals going into the transfer window, they were: to not have any big egos in the team which could potentially overshadow the Bonsucro name and to have a close knit bunch of riders. We have signed 20 riders, all of whom meet the above criteria.
Our squad is inclusively made up of Spanish and Portuguese speakers, many who speak both and all our riders are used to fulfilling the teammate role with the majority of our riders being domestiques last season.
For Bonsucro it will be all for one and one for all in 2014.
Rest assured the majority of our riders will have their own opportunities in the coming season, but we are counting on three riders in particular to pull of some great results for the team.
1) Pedro Nicácio (300,000 from Prio - Porto)
It took some negotiating with Prio - Porto to acquire Nicácio but we were thrilled when we acquired the Brazilian TT champion. In more adept competition last season he frequently finished highly in stage races. In 2014, supported by a fiery passion of representing Brazil, he will be looking for victory in stage races with varying terrain.
2)Carlos Manarelli (140,000 from La Vie)
From the word go we were after Manarelli. He proved to be an excellent lead-out man last season and the young Brazilian will be after a hat full of victories for us as our lead sprinter, a role in which he may have with us for a very long time.
3) Amets Txurruka ( From Free Agency)
If there is one thing we respect in a rider it is a hunger to win, pulling out all the stops. Few riders are more aggressive then Amets Txurruka, the Spaniard who will look to light up the mountains. We are a team where sponsor exposure is a necessity, having a combative rider like Amets in our midst means we are a shoe in to be well visible in the many mountains we will traverse.
The above three riders may well be our most 'talked about' but we are fortunate to have a quality in depth squad. We have Segio Godoy to lead us in those races with short steep leg breakers of climbs, Serge Paulinho to guide us with his experience in stage races, Hector Aguilar as a respectable sprinter in his own right, Jonathon Camargo as a quality climber.
Not forgetting strong men against the clock in, Uruguayan champ, Soto Pereira and the Chilean RR champ Carlos Oyarzun. We have an aggressive rider, the epitome of the team, in Hernani Broco and we have Brazilian riders for the future in Joao Gaspar and William Chiarello.
We have a goal of promotion for the coming season, but that is not the be all and end all. As long as the team tries its upmost and the good word of Bonsucro spreads then we will be satisfied.
Wish you good luck for the upcoming season. With that squad I think you should have a great season. You might not have the very best riders for every terrain but you've gathered a solid and all-rounded group of riders which should give you lots of top10s and a steady stream of points.
This is a very nice team with a great flavour. Certainly will be one of the teams I am rooting for during the season.
Manarelli is an old Red Bull-ite and has been a career I have followed with interest. It is great for him that he has a chance of wins in the CTour - could be his breakthrough year. Txurruka and Paulinho were certainly on my shortlist and Nicacao is a very good signing also.
No we aren't entering a GT any time soon, however, our wildcards have been accepted to some quality races for 2014. Here they are:
HC:
Interlagos GP
This new one day race to the MAN GAME is hosted in Brazil. It is billed as a sprinters classic and we have no qualms stating that Carlos Alexandre Manarelli will lead us there. Being a HC race and as we are Brazilian based this race is arguably our most important.
C1:
Monterrey Team Time Trial
We would say our team has some strength in depth when it comes to TTs and TTTs. Buoyed on by our mesmerising time trial gear we will look to put in a solid showing out in Mexico.
C1:
Cartago - Irazu
This mountainous circuit race is really one for the mountain goats. With our fighting spirit expect to see some of our climbers appear regularly on the coverage in this race.
C1:
Tour of America
The Tour of America, this is our GT, our TDF! Contested over 21 stages there is terrain which suits all types of riders. Expect us to show our livery in the break on a consistent basis. A stage win is our goal here, to achieve this would be a big moment for the team. In our squad we have Pedro Nicácio, who finished 7th here last year, although it is undecided if he will race here again.
C1:
GP Onda-Boavista
This hilly classic favours the brave. The undulating terrain is conducive to throw up some surprises. Last year a small elite group contested the finish, it will be interesting to see if a Bonsucro rider will make the final selection this time around.
A step up in competition awaits us in the above races, meaning results will be more difficult to come by. However, to do well here is like striking gold as, the ranking points offer plenty to those chasing promotion.
@ Gustavovskiy - We do have some capable riders in all of the terrains we are competing in. Better to have it that way than to have one 'big-ego' leader with no one else to challenge. ---- Also it was great doing transfer dealings with you, and all of the others for that matter. Will be interesting to see how your loan-ees perform.
@ welker2357 - We aren't one of those faceless corporation types, so goals aren't everything. However, it is great you think we can achieve those goals. As I have no idea on a few of them!
@ Firefly21 - I don't know. It is up in the air on how Manarelli will perform and Aguilar is a decent '2nd' sprinter with good recovery.
@ Smowz - Great use of 'flavour' there!
Interesting to know we were gunning for the same targets. We paid a big wage (191,000) for Txurruka, so he needs to deliver. Not too many have been talking about Nicácio, which is their problem, as he will surely do very well in C2HC stage races with mountains/ TTs.
81. S. Godoy
82. B. Borges
83. H. Broco
84. J. Gaspar
85. C. Oyarzun
86. R. Silva
87. J. Soto Pereira
Our first ever race is almost upon us and we can hardly wait. It is in Cuba that Bonsucro will, for the first time, enter the lions den which is the Man Game. With the advantages of plenty of training in South America over the winter months we start the season with many riders in good shape. One such rider, Sergio Godoy, will lead us in our first ever race. The hilly stage, which is up and down all day, really suits Sergio who has set himself a target of a top 5 finish on the day. We have 6 able riders to support Sergio in Cuba for this huge moment for the team. Best of luck to them all.
-- If you want to see more of Bonsucro check out our calendar.
The Aggressive Gaimon takes an unexpected win in Cuba.
Sergio Godoy was our best finisher in the augural race for Bonsucro. His 16th place finish was not what he was hoping for, however, it is a good platform on which to build. The aggressive hilly puncheurs were the winners in this hilly classic, we left the race with our eyes opened about the style of racing which is successful in such terrain. Bruno Borges finishing at 20th, at the same time as Godoy, which bodes well for the future races.
1
Phillip Gaimon
In-n-Out Racing
5h18'19
2
Aleksandr Kolobnev
Grupo Nutresa
+ 34
3
Marcel Wyss
Team Vontobel
+ 41
16
Sergio Godoy
Bonsucro
+ 1'24
20
Bruno Borges
Bonsucro
+ 1'24
83
Carlos Oyarzun
Bonsucro
+ 10'23
92
Jorge Adelbo Soto Pereira
Bonsucro
+ 10'23
99
Hernâni Broco
Bonsucro
+ 10'23
118
Rafael Silva
Bonsucro
+ 11'30
STAGE 1 Stage Favourite, Ian Stannard, wins comfortably in the opening stage TT.
As many people predicted Ian Stannard ended up victorious after stage 1, the first of five stages, in New Zealand. With a healthy time gap it looked like he may hold on for the overall GC win, with the terrain in the remaining stages not being too difficult. Patrick Oyakua, surprised many, but not us on his way to finishing 11th on the day. Our TT specialist was just '1 off a top 10 placing.
1
Ian Stannard
Team ASDA-Savers
27'04
2
Michael Schär
Team Vontobel
+ 24
3
Michiel Elijzen
Team TomTom
+ 30
11
Patrick Oyakaua
Bonsucro
+ 40
48
Jorge Adelbo Soto Pereira
Bonsucro
+ 1'34
56
Carlos Oyarzun
Bonsucro
+ 1'44
88
Lluis Mas
Bonsucro
+ 2'11
109
Bruno Borges
Bonsucro
+ 2'33
115
Carlos Alexandre Manarelli
Bonsucro
+ 2'41
118
Willian Araujo
Bonsucro
+ 2'48
STAGE 2
Earle solos to victory for Eddie Stobart.
Stage 2 in New Zealand was a really deflating day for the team. After a break, which we weren't part of, went on to contest the finish, the majority of our riders were dropped on the hills in the middle of the stage. For the second straight day Oyakaua was our shining light, he managed to stay with the main favourites although loses one place in the GC. The team are struggling in New Zealand.
1
Nathan Earle
Eddie Stobart Pro Cycling
3h27'49
2
Cameron Meyer
Fletcher - Garneau
+ 50
3
Aleksandr Serebriakov
Team Ameriabank-Novatek
s.t.
69
Patrick Oyakaua
Bonsucro
s.t.
89
Willian Araujo
Bonsucro
+ 16'04
92
Jorge Adelbo Soto Pereira
Bonsucro
s.t.
96
Carlos Alexandre Manarelli
Bonsucro
s.t.
105
Lluis Mas
Bonsucro
s.t.
109
Carlos Oyarzun
Bonsucro
s.t.
127
Bruno Borges
Bonsucro
s.t.
STAGE 3
L Mas is our first rider to make a successful break.
Our Spanish loanee, Luis Mas, made 'small' history for the team today, being our first rider to get into a breakaway. Unlike stage 2 the break never stood a chance of contesting the win but we were pleased Mas got us a heap of exposure. In the mass sprint our main sprinters Carlos Alexandre Manarelli would lead us ..... he would finish 7th on the stage. He showed well mixing it up with the other sprinters in his first mass sprint for us, although he will be slightly worried he didn't get the better of some of the riders who finished ahead of him. A good day for the team.
1
Cameron Meyer
Fletcher - Garneau
3h48'13
2
Juan Pablo Forero
Alpina - Avianca
s.t.
3
Michael Vingerling
Team TomTom
s.t.
7
Carlos Alexandre Manarelli
Bonsucro
s.t.
30
Lluis Mas
Bonsucro
s.t.
50
Willian Araujo
Bonsucro
s.t.
74
Patrick Oyakaua
Bonsucro
s.t.
80
Jorge Adelbo Soto Pereira
Bonsucro
s.t.
88
Carlos Oyarzun
Bonsucro
s.t.
96
Bruno Borges
Bonsucro
s.t.
STAGE 4
Buoyed by Mas' performance yesterday, Bruno Borges makes the break for us today.
Deep into the stage it seems there is no full-on chase by the sprint trains, so the 6 man break would fight out the finish.....
After a late attack by Lindau comes to nothing Pranata and Wu distance the rest of the break. With only a few hundred meters to go Bruno Borges looks well out of it .... but he doesn't lose his will ......
Bruno Borges takes our first win!
Bruno may not have had the ideal position as the break entered the last few hundred meters, but he didn't need to. His show of strength, will and resilience earns us our first win ever win, a valiant win which shall never be forgotten.
1
Bruno Borges
Bonsucro
2h29'38
2
Kin-San Wu
Compal-Merida
s.t.
3
Jimmy Pranata
Sauber Petronas Racing
s.t.
12
Carlos Alexandre Manarelli
Bonsucro
+ 5'24
61
Willian Araujo
Bonsucro
s.t.
74
Carlos Oyarzun
Bonsucro
s.t.
83
Jorge Adelbo Soto Pereira
Bonsucro
s.t.
88
Patrick Oyakaua
Bonsucro
s.t.
107
Lluis Mas
Bonsucro
s.t.
STAGE 5
Soto Pereira leads the break towards the finish.
In stark similarity to stage 4 the break, which we were apart of, would fight out the finish once again. The time we had the Uruguayan Jorge Adelbo Soto Pereira representing us in the break. For the second stage in a row it looked as if we had the strongest man in the break ..... but it was not to be this time. Soto Pereira started his final effort too early to hold off the eventual stage winner Edmondson and Veilleux. Nevertheless another podium finish is a great result to wrap up things for us in New Zealand. Some riders getting into difficulty meant Patrick Oyakaua moved up to 10th in the final GC, the cherry on the top of cake.
1
Joshua Edmondson
Eddie Stobart Pro Cycling
2h25'38
2
David Veilleux
Azteca - NBCSN
s.t.
3
Jorge Adelbo Soto Pereira
Bonsucro
s.t.
36
Patrick Oyakaua
Bonsucro
+ 1'00
66
Bruno Borges
Bonsucro
s.t.
88
Lluis Mas
Bonsucro
+ 3'22
98
Willian Araujo
Bonsucro
107
Carlos Alexandre Manarelli
Bonsucro
s.t.
116
Carlos Oyarzun
Bonsucro
s.t.
FINAL GC:
1
Ian Stannard
Team ASDA-Savers
12h45'36
2
Cameron Meyer
Fletcher - Garneau
+ '15
3
Michael Schär
Team Vontobel
+ '24
4
Michiel Elijzen
Team TomTom
+ '30
5
Marios Athanasiades
Privatbank - Nemiroff Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
6
Gert Joeaar
Evonik - Signal Iduna
+ '34
7
Timothy Gudsell
Bank of Ireland - Irish Cycling
+ '35
8
Viktor Renäng
Team Live Nation
+ '37
9
King Lok Cheung
Compal-Merida
+ '40
10
Patrick Oyakaua
Bonsucro
s.t.
83
Bruno Borges
Bonsucro
+ 12'13
86
Jorge Adelbo Soto Pereira
Bonsucro
+ 15'44
98
Carlos Oyarzun
Bonsucro
+ 19'20
104
Lluis Mas
Bonsucro
+ 19'46
110
Carlos Alexandre Manarelli
Bonsucro
+ 20'17
111
Willian Araujo
Bonsucro
+ 20'24
That rounds off our first month of racing. We expected to put up some good performances and did! We didn't expect to be the type of team to take victories from breakaways, but we are thrilled to have riders capable of doing so. We did have higher expectations of Manarelli, but he can't be judged after just one mass sprint under his belt.
February will see us tackle more races which are both more numerous and higher ranked than our January races. What can we do ... remains to be seen. Be assured for Bonsucro the riders will give it their best shot.
Team: - Pedro Nicácio - Sergio Paulinho - Alberto Losada - Jose Eriberto Rodrigues - Willian Araujo - Carlos Oyarzun - João Gaspar
We are entering but one race in February, but it is an important one. The tour of the middle east may only be C2 ranked but this years edition has attracted many of the finest GC riders in the continental division. Pedro Nicácio will be Bonsucro's outright leader and is a candidate for the GC podium as he is one of the top riders who can both climb and time trial.
After Bruno Borges' stage win in New Zealand the pressure is off, however, some notable results are expected in the middle east.
Race Goals: ***** Top 3 in GC *** 1 Stage win * 3 Top ten stage rankings
Indeed you are sending a strong team to the Middle East, look forward to doing battle there with you.
baseballlover312, 06-03-14 : "Nuke Moscow...Don't worry Russia, we've got plenty of love to go around your cities"
Sarah Palin, 08-03-14 (CPAC, on Russian aggression) : "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke"
Big thanks to jdog for making this AMAZING userbar!
Nicácio is indeed a strong time trialists, but there are loads of better climbers so he has to hang in on the mountains to have a chance for a top result. A lot will depend on the selectiveness of the climbs, I guess.
@ 547984: With a load of the continental GC big guns set to fire in the middle east we are looking to be right in the scrap, along with Saul Raisin no doubt.
@ cunego59: Who is to say what will happen? There have been some strange-ish results so far so who knows? With the amount of big names in the Middle east lets hope for an entertaining race at the very least.
@ sutty68: Thanks sutty. No doubt if Eddie Stobart were taking part you would pick up at least 3 breakaway wins.
With the tour of the Middle East postponed to a later date, March is already upon us. Races for March:
C2 America: Tour de San Luis (Mar 1st - 6th)
C2HC Asia: Tour de Langkawi (Mar 2nd - 11th)
C2HC Europe: Volta ao Algarve (Mar 18th - 21st)
C2 America: Tour de Beauce (Mar 20th - 25th)
Review:
Bonsucro win the GC at the Tour de San Luis.
Our very own Pedro Nicácio takes home the orange leaders jersey at the end of the Tour de San Luis after a worthy and consistent display from the all-rounder which saw him finish 1st in the GC.
Left: Nicácio on the stage 4 TT. Right: Nicácio putting in the pivotal attack with Beltran in the wheel on the penultimate stage.
Pedro Nicácio wins one of the most exciting week long stage races you are likely to see, despite not even finishing above 8th on a stage and not figuring in the top 10 of either the points of mountain classifications. Carlos Castaño (ONCE) looked the odds on favourite for victory going into the penultimate stage but dissention in the ONCE ranks in the form of Kulhavy and brave attacking from Nicácio ensured our Brazilian would lead the GC at the end of the last GC deciding stage.
We were tipped for success before the race begun and are thrilled that we were able to deliver by winning the GC. The team supported each other really well and the likes of Godoy (8th) and Paulinho were crucial for the overall win. This win is a crucial step towards achieving our target of finishing in the top 10 of the America tour standings.
119 Max Walsleben ONCE-Eroski Cycling Team + 34'27
120 Tomasz Zywer Control Team + 35'41
When ever a Bonsucro rider wins a race outright they will be rewarded from one of our co-sponsors. For winning the Tour de San Luis, Pedro Nicácio receives a Propel Advanced SL from Giant:
We leave Langkawi with decent spoils after a very competent showing in which Bonsucro managed one stage win, a top 5 place in GC and the honour of winning the KOM classification. Whilst we didn't manage to win the GC, as in San Luis, you could argue the results gained in Langkawi were more impressive than in San Luis due to the quality startlist here which included the likes of Arroyo, Rodrigues and Iglinskiy.
Alberto Losada sprinting for second place on the crucial GC day.
Continuing from where he left off from on stage 2 of the Tour of the Middle East, Alberto Losada showed fantastic form when it mattered in Langkawi. He managed to make the crucial break on stage 3 which set him up for a great GC placing. On the same stage he also managed to attain 30 KOM points, which would be enough to win that classification for us. Although he would lose a few positions on the other mountainous stage the Spaniard would hold on for a 4th place, which we certainly would have taken coming into the race.
All in all a very successful race for the team. Buoyed by an excellent start to March we hope to continue this rich vain of form in the Algarve and in Canada at the Tour de Beauce later on in the month.
Breakdown of stages:
Stage:
Best Result:
Best Placed in GC:
Stage 1 (flat)
Amets Txurruka (9)
Amets Txurruka (10)
Stage 2 (flat)
C.A. Manarelli (3)
C.A. Manarelli (5)
Stage 3 (mountain)
Alberto Losada (2)
Alberto Losada (2)
Stage 4 (flat)
C.A. Manarelli (7)
Alberto Losada (2)
Stage 5 (mountain)
Amets Txurruka (11)
Alberto Losada (4)
Stage 6 (flat)
C.A. Manarelli (8)
Alberto Losada (4)
Stage 7 (flat)
C.A. Manarelli (10)
Alberto Losada (4)
Stage 8 (flat)
C.A. Manarelli (1)
Alberto Losada (4)
Stage 9(flat)
C.A. Manarelli (15)
Alberto Losada (4)
Stage 10 (flat)
C.A. Manarelli (5)
Alberto Losada (4)
FINAL GC:
1 Vitor Rodrigues Siam Cement - Lenovo 34h15'10
2 Nariyuki Masuda Grupo Nutresa + 45
3 David Arroyo ONCE-Eroski Cycling Team + 47
4Alberto Losada Bonsucro+ 1'15
5 Diego Gallego Team TomTom + 1'27
6 Maxim Iglinski Maloja Mountain Nomads + 2'06
7 Hossein Alizadeh Sauber Petronas Racing s.t.
8 Richard Ochoa Quintero Grupo Nutresa + 2'32
9 Delio Fernandez Euskaltel-Bavaria Continental Team + 2'45
10 Amets Txurruka Bonsucro s.t.
Spoiler
11 Alex Diniz Maloja Mountain Nomads s.t.
12 Mirco Saggiorato Sauber Petronas Racing s.t.
13 Brice Feillu Dell - 361° Racing s.t.
14 Dimitri Jiriakov Sauber Petronas Racing s.t.
15 Peilun Wu Siam Cement - Lenovo s.t.
16 Emanuel Kiserlovski Team Nordeus s.t.
17 Gilber Zurita Alpina - Avianca s.t.
18 Deiber Esquivel ONCE-Eroski Cycling Team + 5'07
19 Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez Alpina - Avianca + 5'36
20 Amaël Moinard Euskaltel-Bavaria Continental Team + 5'44
21 Christophe Kern In-n-Out Racing Powered by Auchan + 6'27
Two huge races for your team and that's always good news with so many racedays being spent enjoyed San Luis and Nicacio did really well to avoid any trouble. His move on that final climb appeared to be the crucial then, congrats!
@ tsmoha - Thanks and well reported. If we do NOTHING else this season at least Bonsucro already have some great moments to reflect on.
With a while to go before our two remaining races in March commence and, buoyed by our recent successes, we will do a small preview for the remaining race in the month.
Preview:
Startlist:
- Pedro Nicácio
- Sergio Paulinho
- Bruno Borges
- Rodrigo Melo
- Hernâni Broco
- Patrick Oyakaua
- Carlos Oyarzun
We bring a quality line-up to this C2HC four day stage race in Portugal. The stage race contains two lumpy sprinter stages and one uphill finish but the deciding stage, GC wise, will be the final stage 34 kilometre TT.
Given the nature of the race a break may succeed on stages one to three and with no sprinter we will be trying our all, once again, to make the successful move. Hernâni Broco, Sergio Paulinho and Bruno Borges, the latter having already won a stage this season, will look to impress on home soil whereas Pedro Nicácio harbours ambitions of winning stage 4 and therefore potentially the GC. However the race unfolds it is safe to expect to see Bonsucro being in the thick of the aggressive action and decisive moments in the race.
Race Goals:
*** Top 5 in GC ** 1 podium finish * Make 2 breakaways
***1 stage win **Top 5 in GC *Top 10 in GC
We hope to show well in the upcoming races as we continue further on into our journey to spread the word of Bonsucro.
Was hoping to win Algarve but with Nicacio I could have a few problems. He is a very strong rider as he showed in San Luis. Hopefully the GC in Algarve is decided by the time stage 4 comes.
Either way, looking forward to a great race. And will in Canada as well, seems our riders like riding against each other.
LLS - I hope your weariness of Nicacio is justified for the Algarve. Our teams are going to come up a lot against each other as the season continues. Bonsucro's full calendar is posted in one of the early posts of this thread, so check that out for a full programme of our races.
Pedro Nicácio (MO: 75, TT: 75) Fee: 300,000 (Wage: 60,000)
Monterrey Team Time Trial
- Alberto Losada
