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[CT] OMV Petrom-Albania.al
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| jaxika |
Posted on 24-09-2019 19:23
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3148
Joined: 16-07-2008
PCM$: 9300.00
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Azerbaijan wrote:
Our 16th rider is in place. 29 year old Hungarian, Swiss army knife Csaba Palyi.
Csaba can support riders in hills, on the cobbles and in sprints as well as being a decent time trialist.
A very important helper for our team.
And he go often as escapee too, at least he doing that in my team. Congrats  |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 16:10
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Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
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| redordead |
Posted on 24-09-2019 19:51
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4881
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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Yes! Another team in the Balcans, I'll definitely be cheering for your team this season. Looks like a decent start to transfers, especially with all the regional riders signing. Just add a pinch of stardust and you're ready to go 
I hope we will work together in future to make cycling in the Balcans even better. Good luck
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 25-09-2019 11:06
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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redordead wrote:
Yes! Another team in the Balcans, I'll definitely be cheering for your team this season. Looks like a decent start to transfers, especially with all the regional riders signing. Just add a pinch of stardust and you're ready to go
I hope we will work together in future to make cycling in the Balcans even better. Good luck
Luckily, we aren't going to compete often over the same riders. I will follow you in the PCT. Seems like you had a great start with team building |
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 26-09-2019 07:50
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Statement from the management
We are currently putting the final touches on 3 more deals, bringing or rider total up to 19. We still have some wage left, so we might look to sign a cheap 20th rider.
We have decided, maybe foolishly, to try to compete in every area. We may not have any top riders, but for a new team, we feel our squad is decent. We have seen the signings made by other teams in our division, and have been very impressed. Maybe our approach was wrong. Time will tell. But this is also a learning experience for us, and we hope to be repectable throughout the season and in every terrain.
Our goal is to be visible. Everything else is a bonus. |
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 26-09-2019 13:27
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Two more signings
Jordi Majoral - Nation: Andorra - Age: 22 - Specialisation: Mountain
A loanee from Andorra Cycling Project. He will be a handy part of mountain team. We have promised to use him a lot, so he will gain much experience.
Main stats: MTN 70, PRL 69
Eric Young - Nations: USA - Age: 30 - Specialisation: Sprint
Eric is one of our top guys. A good sprinter, who can also do well on the cobbles. Overall, a competent and experienced rider, who we are thrilled to have with us.
Main stats: REC: 79, SPR 78 |
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| Croatia14 |
Posted on 26-09-2019 13:33
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 9099
Joined: 13-03-2013
PCM$: 2100.00
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Some really good riders there on great value. I feel especially Weiss is really underrated, he reminds me a lot of Marcel Wyss for Philips 2 years ago or Luka Pibernik for Swisslion last season. I like what you are doing, especially as a fellow Balcans manager.
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| knockout |
Posted on 26-09-2019 16:44
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
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Young is a fantastic signing!
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 27-09-2019 15:13
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Penultimate signing
Marko Pavlic - Nation: Slovenia - Age: 26 - Specialisation: Mountain
Marko is a mountain domestique with great support stats. Still young, so he can be trained in the coming years.
Main stats: MTN: 75, PRO: 74 |
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 28-09-2019 15:58
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4670
Joined: 29-09-2018
PCM$: 185.00
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Some really great signing, congrats! Especially a lot of 50k riders, leaving some room for leaders. Won't be easy competing against you - and I won't even try on the cobbles
Krieger and Taubel would have fit well into my team as well, but yeah, when they were on sale, I didn't have anything left to counter you. Good luck, and see you on the roads! |
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 28-09-2019 18:19
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Final rider
Our team is now complete. 20 riders will represent our team this upcoming season.
We have completed the signing of...
Marco Canola - Nation: Italy - Age: 31 - Specialisation: Sprint
Marco is a great all rounder. He is fast at the line, and decent in the hills. He will be an important support rider both for Martin Weiss and Alexander Krieger.
Main stats: ACC 76, SPR 75 |
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| redordead |
Posted on 29-09-2019 08:11
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4881
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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Pavlic!! <3
I like the addition of Young, a nice two pronged sprint option next to Krieger. Looks like it's gonna be a solid 1st season
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| sammyt93 |
Posted on 01-10-2019 12:05
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3634
Joined: 03-07-2012
PCM$: 300.00
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Seems strange seeing Azerbaijan not pick up a rider from Azerbaijan, but I do like your squad, seems a nice CT squad and you can see the regional focus which always makes me like teams more, can't wait to get an updated DB to see how everyone stacks up against each other.
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 01-10-2019 13:33
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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sammyt93 wrote:
Seems strange seeing Azerbaijan not pick up a rider from Azerbaijan, but I do like your squad, seems a nice CT squad and you can see the regional focus which always makes me like teams more, can't wait to get an updated DB to see how everyone stacks up against each other.
I thought about it, but I chose Azerbaijan as a name for no other reason than that I really like the word. |
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 02-10-2019 07:14
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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But wait! There's more...
After a communication error between management and the MGUCI, we thought our team was done. We had overlooked, that we could still pick in the draft despite having 20 riders already.
For that reason we can welcome two new riders to OMV Petrom-albania.al
First up is Turkish sprinter talent Onur Balkan. Onur doesn't have strong stats yet, but a good potential, so he should develop nicely this year. Onur will focus on gaining experience, and have as many race days as possible.
Second, is a man who will an immediate impact. Manuel Betilson. Manuel is a strong TT rider, and will get to ride for top 10 places in TT's. He will also be a strong flat supporter for Alexander Krieger and Eric Young. As an added bonus, Manuel is the reigning RR and TT champion of Angola, so he will ride in his national colours this year. |
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 03-10-2019 06:45
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Goals reveal
Our overall goal for the season is to be visible, not terrible and to learn. But those goals don't bring in money and prestige, so we have identified key races throughout the season.
Transfagarasan GP - Win
Our mountainous home race. We don't think we will actually win it, but we will aim high, and send our top climbers to the race, ans then see what happens.
Tour of Bulgaria - Top 5
A tricky goal again, but who knows what can happen. The race will be decided on the mountains and on the important TTT. We will send our TT squad with some climbers sprinkled in.
Giro del Trentino - Stage Win(s)
Three stages, and we will send a squad to compete in all terrains. Climbers and TT'ers alike will get their chance.
Course de Solidarnosc - Top 10
A pure sprint race, so of course we will send our best flat riders. We believe, that this is our most achievable goal, as we feel we have decent enough sprinters to break the top 10 on every stage.
Team standings - Top 10
We have signed a squad focusing on all terrains, and we want top pick up points in as many races as possible. We therefore think, that top 10 is a possibility to achieve over the course of a long season. |
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 03-10-2019 20:47
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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New threads
We have two national champions in our ranks, and of course they will need to stand out.
First up is the Austrian jersey, which will be worn by Stephan Rabitsch.
In the draft we snagged Manuel Betilson, who is the Angolan champion in both road race and time trial. He will be wearing this creation.
Both jersey were naturally created by hillis91. They look great, and we will hope to show them off during the coming season. |
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| Ulrich Ulriksen |
Posted on 04-10-2019 02:20
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 3264
Joined: 02-11-2010
PCM$: 300.00
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Love the Angolan NC jersey. Very sharp. |
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 01-11-2019 07:36
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Predictions
The first couple of Continental Tour predictions are in. We will take a look at how OMV Petrom-Albania.al are expected to do this season.
First up is SportingNonsense with is "I can't believe it's not mathematical" prediction. He has us pegged as number 11 of 17 teams.
According to him, we rank 13th in the hills department, 13th in stage races, 8th in sprints, 9th in time trials, 5th in cobbles and 11th in climbers.
A fair prediction, which we mostly agree with. Exciting to see us ranking so high in cobbles. He has us ranked as the second best new team, which we think is really good.
Next man up is Croatia14. He uses a different formula, but also puts us in the 11th spot of the CT. Accoridng to him, our weakest spot is in the hills and he rates us strongest in sprints and hybrid riders, where we recieve a 6/10. Here we are again the second best new team.
He says the following about our team "OMV Petrom has a deep team with many solid options, but seems to be lacking the star power.". A statement we agree with.
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 01-11-2019 18:45
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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January
The racing will start soon, and we will zoom in on January's races.
First race of the season is Clasico San Cristobal, where we will travel to exotic Cuba for our first race ever. Clasico San Cristobal is 187,6 km long race full of hills, and an uphill finish.
Our leader for the race will be  Martin Weiss. We are not hugely confident, that he will make a top result, but if all goes well he might snag a top 10. His most important helper will be Stephan Rabitsch, who hopefully will stay with him all the way.
The rest of the squad:
 Oleg Berdos, Benjamin Brkic,  Marco Canola, Emil Dima,  Jordi Majoral and Lucian Voinea.
After our trip to Cuba, we will stay in the latin region and Venezuela, where the 10 stage race Vuelta al Tachira awaits our chosen riders. It's a fairly good mix of sprints, hills and mountains so there should be something for everyone. As we don't have a real GC rider, we will rely on stage wins to bring us success. Our best bet is hard to find, but if we should pick one rider it would be  Tyron Giogieri the Albanian climber, who might snag a lucky victory. Otherwise Martin Weiss may very well be a good shout again.
The rest of the squad:
Oleg Berdos, Benjamin Brkic, Jordi Majoral,  Marko Pavlic, Stephan Rabitsch and  Onur Balkan.
Our travels continue as we then head Down Under to race in the Great Ocean Road Classic - a bumpy sprint race. We have a decent sprint squad, so a top 10 shouldn't be a farfetched hope.
 Alexander Krieger will be our undisputed leader in this race, and our hopes will rest on his shoulders.
He will have support from:
Marco Canola, Emil Dima,  Csaba Palyi, Ylber Sefa, Christoph Taubel, Andrei Voicu and  Manuel Betilson.
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| Azerbaijan |
Posted on 04-11-2019 07:15
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 276
Joined: 08-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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First action
Our first race ever was a forgettable one. We totally underestimated the Cuban climbs, and wasn't anywhere near the top 10. Let alone the top 30. Our best rider was Oleg Berdos who finished 63rd- 4'55'' after the winner Esteban Chaves.
We take comfort in the fact, that no rider fell much behind.
Onwards.
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