We did the clever thing and picked up a rider in the offseason. Well, we picked up several, and while each was a clever acquisition in our book the especially clever one in this case is one Ingvar Omarsson; Mr. Omarsson happened to win both the Road Race and the Individual Time Trial NCs last season. Thus, we get to present two rather fetching jerseys for him to wear. I actually quite like the Icelandic blue, maybe it's time to drop the classic Tryg red for something new...

Croatia14: I had space to pick up one extra leader after renewals, which came in the form of Schlegel. Maybe post training you'd consider him more impressive, but still not the overwhelming force that we sometimes see. I probably ought to have sold someone else and consolidated around a ~$250,000 wage rider but I'm too sentimental.

bbo312: Unfortunately as stagiaires they're not going to be experiencing very rapid growth, but progress is progress I guess.

jandal7: I just sorted the remaining "talents" by TT ability and there he was, I'm sure we can reach a deal next year if he sticks with us. As to Evangelos, it is a tough choice between 75TT/71CB or 73TT/75CB, but maybe I'll lean towards the latter.

The team's trip down to Gisborne offered a rare opportunity to witness Schlegel and Hoelgaard riding together, with the latter attending the hilly classics while the latter tackled a series of stage races. The pre-race plan was for the team to focus their efforts on Schlegel, riding a hard race that would tap into his superior ability on sustained climbs. To that purpose Georgios Kaloniatis slipped into the day's breakaway, although the Greek neo-pro would have minimal screen-time and minimal impact. Instead, the baton was passed over to Hoelgaard, who launched a scorching attack over the penultimate climb. Schlegel wasn't feeling it however, and so Hoelgaard was told to conserve his strength. The Norwegian sat up and then sat on before striking just before the line to score 2nd overall.

2	Daniel Hoelgaard	+ 23"
20	Michal Schlegel	+ 1'12"
56	T. Halland Johannessen	+ 4'32"
64	Georgios Kaloniatis	+ 6'00"
65	Juraj Bellan	+ 6'00"
112	Rasmus Iversen	+ 8'24"
123	Fatiu Abolaji	+ 13'52"
128	Similo Nyoni	+ 16'44"

Tachira is an opportunity for Michal Schlegel to account for his rather poor performance across the Pacific. Joining him are Alexander Krieger, who will be targeting the green jersey, and Georg Zimmermann, who will be targeting white. The first rider to display Gobik's new jersey design was Fatiu Abolaji, riding a solid tempo on the front of the peloton. The catch was made just prior to the five kilometre mark, and the boys worked rapidly to assemble a train that would carry Krieger to the line. Georgios Kaloniatis and Tobias Halland Johannessen were granted that job. Unfortunately, we collided with Pas Normal's train, but Krieger managed to keep it going. Despite a decent sprint, he couldn't overcome Prasad and had to settle for 2nd on the day.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
2	Alexander Krieger	s.t.	∣	2	∣	2	∣		∣
14	T. Halland Johannessen	s.t.	∣	18	∣		∣		∣	4
23	Michal Schlegel	s.t.	∣	27	∣		∣		∣
27	Georgios Kaloniatis	s.t.	∣	31	∣		∣		∣	10
36	Juraj Bellan	s.t.	∣	40	∣		∣		∣
42	Georg Zimmermann	s.t.	∣	46	∣		∣		∣	12
66	Frederik Frison	s.t.	∣	70	∣		∣		∣
114	Fatiu Abolaji	s.t.	∣	115	∣		∣		∣	37

Having missed out on victory the day before, the lads were keen to have another go on the second stage. With other teams apparently happy to work to keep the break in check, it was a rather quiet day for the most part. It fell to Juraj Bellan to position Krieger for the sprint; given the failure of yesterday he decided to deposite him on the back of the BWT train. Unfortunately, the Serb wasn't able to qutie catch that group, and Krieger was forced to bridge up himself. This unfortunate moment had downstream ramifications, as Krieger couldn't find the extra gear necessary for a higher finish than 5th.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
5	Alexander Krieger	s.t.	∣	4	∣	2	∣		∣
17	Georg Zimmermann	s.t.	∣	10	∣		∣		∣	12
30	Juraj Bellan	s.t.	∣	38	∣		∣		∣
34	Michal Schlegel	s.t.	∣	33	∣		∣		∣
36	Frederik Frison	s.t.	∣	62	∣		∣		∣
40	T. Halland Johannessen	s.t.	∣	30	∣		∣		∣	9
85	Georgios Kaloniatis	s.t.	∣	64	∣		∣		∣	17
99	Fatiu Abolaji	s.t.	∣	117	∣		∣		∣	38

Third time is the charm perhaps for Krieger, as he continued the fight for the green jersey. This stage was less flat, the peloton tackling a series of rolling hills topped by intermediate sprints. Everyone was treated to the beautiful sight of our new jersey as the riders left the neutral zone. Hoping to avoid the panic the hampered Krieger last time out, Fatiu Abolaji was sent to work on the front. With more than ten kilometres to get set, Krieger took his time whipping his less experienced comrades into line. After an excellent effort by Juraj Bellan it was time for Tobias Halland Johannessen to take Krieger to the line. Unfortunately, the young Norwegian is growing into a climbing phenomenom, not a leadoutman. Unable to maintain the required tempo, the duo were swarmed. Krieger got stuck between Nizzolo and the barriers and, unable to find a way through, fell out of the Top 10.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
13	Alexander Krieger	s.t.	∣	7	∣	4	∣		∣
20	Michal Schlegel	s.t.	∣	31	∣		∣		∣
27	T. Halland Johannessen	s.t.	∣	33	∣		∣		∣	12
35	Georg Zimmermann	s.t.	∣	34	∣		∣		∣	13
39	Juraj Bellan	s.t.	∣	38	∣		∣		∣
42	Georgios Kaloniatis	s.t.	∣	62	∣		∣		∣	19
57	Fatiu Abolaji	s.t.	∣	99	∣		∣		∣	31
95	Frederik Frison	s.t.	∣	71	∣		∣		∣

With the first opportunity for Schlegel to attack arising, our younger lads took to the front of the peloton. Although their hard work was rewarded with a relatively early catch, the effort expended meant that Schlegel was left relatively isolated. He immediately started covering attacks and, when the first one looked like it might succeed, left the peloton behind. Despite a moment where his poor descending skills were exposed, he was in with the favourites at the bottom of the final climb. Unfortunately, our man had greatly misjudged his own capabilities and cracked early on. A disappointing 18th made all the worse by our concurrent failures in the youth classification.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
18	Michal Schlegel	+ 40"	∣	7	∣		∣		∣
39	Georg Zimmermann	+ 3'37"	∣	48	∣		∣		∣	11
49	T. Halland Johannessen	s.t.	∣	46	∣		∣		∣	10
67	Juraj Bellan	s.t.	∣	52	∣		∣		∣
83	Georgios Kaloniatis	s.t.	∣	66	∣		∣		∣	17
121	Frederik Frison	+ 10'42"	∣	133	∣		∣		∣
128	Alexander Krieger	+ 13'11"	∣	127	∣	5	∣		∣
133	Fatiu Abolaji	+ 18'26"	∣	99	∣		∣		∣	50

Schlegel brought failure upon himself by being too aggressive. Krieger was unfortunate enough to be boxed in, through no fault of his own. Perhaps a chance for redemption? Definitely Krieger's final chance to build up a lead before the climbers start chasing green. The lads definitely hoped so, working hard to keep the breakaway under control. We got together a nice train for Krieger, but despite our best efforts Pas Normal blew the race up and forced a long-distance sprint. Given the slight uphill and the lack of leadout, Krieger couldn't keep the pace all the way to the line and again finished outside the Top 15.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
15	Alexander Krieger	s.t.	∣	125	∣	9	∣		∣
22	Michal Schlegel	s.t.	∣	6	∣		∣		∣
34	Frederik Frison	s.t.	∣	121	∣		∣		∣
35	Georg Zimmermann	s.t.	∣	48	∣		∣		∣	12
48	T. Halland Johannessen	s.t.	∣	50	∣		∣		∣	11
52	Fatiu Abolaji	s.t.	∣	133	∣		∣		∣	50
68	Juraj Bellan	s.t.	∣	54	∣		∣		∣
69	Georgios Kaloniatis	s.t.	∣	68	∣		∣		∣	18

Although it was a race against the clock, this day certainly wasn't one for Frederik Frison! Instead, all eyes turned to Michal Schlegel and Georg Zimmermann, both of whom were aiming to maneuver themselves into strong positions for the general classification. Instead we got an awful day for the pair of them. Tobias Halland Johannessen was the surprise result, as a better climb than the aforementioned riders saw him shift onto the podium for the white jersey.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
14	T. Halland Johannessen	+ 1'25"	∣	27	∣		∣		∣	3
29	Michal Schlegel	+ 2'12"	∣	17	∣		∣		∣
32	Georg Zimmermann	+ 2'52"	∣	37	∣		∣		∣	5
43	Juraj Bellan	+ 4'10"	∣	45	∣		∣		∣
78	Georgios Kaloniatis	+ 7'44"	∣	77	∣		∣		∣	31
82	Fatiu Abolaji	+ 8'04"	∣	127	∣		∣		∣	49
121	Alexander Krieger	+ 14'37"	∣	130	∣	10	∣		∣
122	Frederik Frison	+ 14'40"	∣	124	∣		∣		∣

There were big hopes that Schlegel would be able to make up some of the time he lost on the previous day. Our man was certainly aiming to please, shooting for the stars, whatever other idiom the dear reader prefers; he certainly didn't land on the moon, instead crashing back down to Earth. Zimmermann made an attempt at the breakaway, but wasn't allowed to escape, which meant that the domestiques were working on the front throughout the day. Schlegel attacked with quite a distant to go, but cracked in the closing kilometres and ended up losing even more time to his competitors.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
18	Michal Schlegel	+ 1'36"	∣	16	∣		∣		∣
27	Georg Zimmermann	+ 2'59"	∣	36	∣		∣		∣	5
34	T. Halland Johannessen	s.t.	∣	27	∣		∣		∣	2
113	Fatiu Abolaji	+ 11'59"	∣	125	∣		∣		∣	50
123	Juraj Bellan	+ 14'29"	∣	94	∣		∣		∣
131	Georgios Kaloniatis	+ 15'36"	∣	107	∣		∣		∣	43
132	Alexander Krieger	+ 18'34"	∣	132	∣		∣		∣
133	Frederik Frison	s.t.	∣	130	∣		∣		∣

At this point in the race victory was far from everyone's minds. Things only became worse as Schlegel was dropped early on, losing so much time that even the Top 10 was looking like a stretch.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
21	Michal Schlegel	+ 4'11"	∣	17	∣		∣		∣
24	T. Halland Johannessen	+ 4'43"	∣	30	∣		∣		∣	3
32	Georg Zimmermann	+ 5'26"	∣	37	∣		∣		∣	7
55	Georgios Kaloniatis	+ 10'56"	∣	90	∣		∣		∣	38
65	Juraj Bellan	+ 12'12"	∣	82	∣		∣		∣
98	Alexander Krieger	+ 18'44"	∣	123	∣		∣		∣
116	Fatiu Abolaji	+ 21'49"	∣	118	∣		∣		∣	47
121	Frederik Frison	+ 27'02"	∣	130	∣		∣		∣

Having clearly been relegated from the fight for the overall victory, it was time for the team to strike out in search of some kind of consolidation prize. The task was delegated to Georg Zimmermann, looking to put his experience in the Pro Tour to good use. Attacking his breakaway companions on the penultimate climb and then sending out to tackle the final seven kilometres solo, the young German put in a heroic effort. Unfortunately, the unfolding fight for the general classification saw him caught and forced to settle for second on the stage. Apparently the team had been backing the wrong number, as Tobias Halland Johannessen, who'd put in a number of strong rides supporting Schlegel, finally grew tired of his leader's incompetence and forced his way to 6th on the stage and 1st in the U25 classification!

			∣		∣		∣		∣
2	Georg Zimmermann	+ 21"	∣	25	∣		∣	6	∣	3
6	T. Halland Johannessen	+ 1'28"	∣	20	∣		∣		∣	1
7	Michal Schlegel	+ 1'39"	∣	13	∣		∣		∣
65	Juraj Bellan	+ 8'46"	∣	74	∣		∣		∣
84	Georgios Kaloniatis	+ 11'39"	∣	89	∣		∣		∣	38
125	Fatiu Abolaji	+ 23'05"	∣	120	∣		∣		∣	47
126	Frederik Frison	+ 23'44"	∣	130	∣		∣		∣
130	Alexander Krieger	+ 26'09"	∣	127	∣		∣		∣

A quiet day against the clock for the lads. Frederik Frison showing that he could be competitive in these events and securing a few extra points for our outing here. THJ did enough to hold on to the white jersey; even at a young age the Norwegian is building an impressive palmarès.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
6	Frederik Frison	+ 18"	∣	129	∣		∣		∣
125	Fatiu Abolaji	+ 1'22"	∣	119	∣		∣		∣	47
57	Georgios Kaloniatis	+ 1'29"	∣	87	∣		∣		∣	37
62	Juraj Bellan	+ 1'33"	∣	75	∣		∣		∣
71	Michal Schlegel	+ 1'44"	∣	11	∣		∣		∣
75	T. Halland Johannessen	+ 1'51"	∣	21	∣		∣		∣	1
122	Georg Zimmermann	+ 2'47"	∣	29	∣		∣	6	∣	4
127	Alexander Krieger	+ 3'05"	∣	127	∣		∣		∣

Daniel Hoelgaard had had an excellent start to the season and the team needed a win after the horror show that occured in Tachira. He was more than willing to see what he could do, lighting up the race from a relatively early stage. He had a few cracks at making a definitive attack but wasn't able to make any of them stick. Despite looking competitive much of the way up the final slope, his earlier expenses caught up with him and Hoelgaard faded to a disappointing final result. We might've liked the points more, but the sponsors can't complain about the entertainment value that was provided.

12	Daniel Hoelgaard	s.t.
31	Ingvar Omarsson	+ 3'32"
88	Torjus Sleen	+ 5'41"
108	Roger Adria	+ 7'23"
121	Rasmus Iversen	+ 10'26"
143	Similo Nyoni	+ 13'52"

Rider of the Month - Daniel Hoelgaard
Young Rider of the Month - Tobias Halland Johannessen

Laurens147 wrote:
Enjoyable read I must say, very well organized
Good to see Krieger competing, he must be able to grab some wins this year!

hillis91 wrote:
I second that.
Very cool overview

Fabianski wrote:
Indeed, I've always admired your artistic talent Nice update!

Less nice to see the results though, especially Schlegel was a big pain to follow in January. No clue what was up with him, but at least he redeemed himself a bit in Catalunya so far

At least you had Hoelgaard to overcome Schlegel's weakness in the classics - I definitely didn't expect you to score so many more points than I did in San José and Gisborne

This outing in Catalunya was the team's pre-season pick for Schlegel's best opportunity at overall victory. Only the multitude of TTT kilometres put a damper on his favourite status, hence the assembly of our best TT cyclists in support of the Czech's efforts. Obviously his early underperformances have had a substantial impact on his public perception as, despite being named on the favourites list, he didn't receive substantial attention in the pre-race analysis. Schlegel was none-too-happy about that, and set out to prove himself with by attacking the moment the breakaway was caught. As we saw several times in Tachira, Schlegel was unable maintain the gap that his initial move created, and so was forced to launch a second attack when Betancourt faltered at the front. With the rest of the race downhill, and his sole companion refusing to co-operate, Schlegel simply thundered away on the front all the way to line. His aggression finally paid off with our first stage win of the year!

			∣		∣		∣		∣
1	Michal Schlegel	3h50'02	∣	1	∣	1	∣	8	∣
36	T. Halland Johannessen	s.t.	∣	38	∣		∣		∣	4
57	Ingvar Omarsson	s.t.	∣	58	∣		∣		∣
66	Torjus Sleen	s.t.	∣	67	∣		∣		∣	8
109	Frederik Frison	+ 2'25"	∣	109	∣		∣		∣
131	Fatiu Abolaji	+ 4'12"	∣	132	∣		∣		∣
139	Rasmus Iversen	s.t.	∣	140	∣		∣		∣
159	Similo Nyoni	+ 8'03"	∣	159	∣		∣		∣

A quiet sprint stage for the Tryg - Gobik contingent.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
19	Michal Schlegel	s.t.	∣	2	∣	1	∣	10	∣
26	Frederik Frison	s.t.	∣	86	∣		∣		∣
50	Rasmus Iversen	s.t.	∣	131	∣		∣		∣
56	Fatiu Abolaji	s.t.	∣	134	∣		∣		∣
67	Ingvar Omarsson	s.t.	∣	43	∣		∣		∣
73	Torjus Sleen	s.t.	∣	47	∣		∣		∣	4
81	Similo Nyoni	+ 8'03"	∣	156	∣		∣		∣
151	T. Halland Johannessen	+ 2'32"	∣	101	∣		∣		∣	21

A decently long mid-race team timetrial was always going to be an extremely important factor in determining the outcome in Catalonia. Given the lack of time gaps on the opening day, the tension had only increased. The squad lacked the firepower to challenge for the stage win, but they only needed to shepard Schlegel to the finish without too great a time loss to his competitors. Jumping into the hotseat with a time of 53'11", a whole 16 seconds ahead of the competition, suggested that the boys had put in a good shift. Unfortunately, Tryg were booted out of seats mere moments after they entered it. Their time was shattered by a minute, and then two. Schlegel would have his work cut out for him trying to claw his way back into competing against Larry Warbasse and the Jura GIANTS gang.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
7 (48)	Ingvar Omarsson	+ 1'53"	∣	31	∣		∣		∣
7 (49)	Fatiu Abolaji	s.t.	∣	117	∣		∣		∣
7 (50)	Frederik Frison	s.t.	∣	98	∣		∣		∣
7 (51)	Torjus Sleen	s.t.	∣	32	∣		∣		∣	10
7 (52)	T. Halland Johannessen	s.t.	∣	99	∣		∣		∣
7 (53)	Michal Schlegel	+ 1'54"	∣	29	∣	1	∣	10	∣
7 (54)	Similo Nyoni	+ 1'55"	∣	154	∣		∣		∣
7 (55)	Rasmus Iversen	+ 2'02"	∣	118	∣		∣		∣

There can be little doubt that the directeur sportif was hoping for Schlegel to gain back as much time as possible on this multi-mountain profile. Unfortunately, the long descent between the apex of the Collada de Toses and the foot of the Port del Canto means that it is only the final two climbs where any real attacks can be made. It wasn't Schlegel who was kicking the fireworks off, however, as the loss of his teammates forced the Czech into a more cautious stance. Just four kilometres out from Port-Ainé, Schlegel followed what he hoped would be the decisive move. He couldn't hold out and, having cracked within the final kilometre, was forced to settle for sixth.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
6	Michal Schlegel	s.t.	∣	6	∣	1	∣	13	∣
42	T. Halland Johannessen	+ 5'02"	∣	50	∣		∣		∣	6
79	Torjus Sleen	+ 10'32"	∣	61	∣		∣		∣	7
82	Ingvar Omarsson	s.t.	∣	60	∣		∣		∣
137	Rasmus Iversen	+ 21'37"	∣	138	∣		∣		∣
138	Fatiu Abolaji	s.t.	∣	136	∣		∣		∣
150	Frederik Frison	+ 23'28"	∣	137	∣		∣		∣
164	Similo Nyoni	+ 33'54"	∣	158	∣		∣		∣

Although it possessed a touch less climbing than the previous day, the double ascents of the Alt de les Paumeres left open the possibility of a fight between the GC favourites. The threat of an attack up these longer ascents never materialised, with Michal Schlegel instead electing to throw himself down the final descent. That first attack eventually fizzled out, but only a few kilometres later he had another dig! As part of his pre-season preparation, Schlegel had spent time cutting weight in order to achieve better efficiency on longer climbs. The unfortuate side-effect was that his ability to maintain gaps in the absence of a gradient was heavily diminished. Despite a herculean effort, he was overcome and fell to 14th in the bunched sprint.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
14	Michal Schlegel	s.t.	∣	6	∣	2	∣	12	∣
90	T. Halland Johannessen	+ 2'06"	∣	54	∣		∣		∣	6
91	Ingvar Omarsson	s.t.	∣	73	∣		∣		∣
98	Torjus Sleen	s.t.	∣	74	∣		∣		∣	10
146	Frederik Frison	+ 8'41"	∣	142	∣		∣		∣
150	Rasmus Iversen	+ 9'11"	∣	145	∣		∣		∣
151	Fatiu Abolaji	s.t.	∣	144	∣		∣		∣
166	Similo Nyoni	+ 15'29"	∣	159	∣		∣		∣

Only a minute down on the podium, less than thirty seconds further for the overall victory, and more than 100 miles till the mountain-top finish at La Molina, Schlegel still had plenty to play for going into the final stage. Perhaps looking to drop back late in the day, or maybe pursuing personal glory, Sleen attempted to join the morning's breakaway; he didn't even crest the first bump in the road before being sucked back into the peloton. Schlegel is ever-hungry, and it showed as he launched an attack on the Alt de la Creueta with just under fifty kilometres remaining. His competitors didn't blink, but a subsequent attack saw a small group, of which Schlegel was the best placed, find a gap. There was constant flux amongst the favourites, with Schlegel making and following several moves. For a moment it looked like he would be able to truly escape, but he had burnt too many matches to make it stick. The tempo eventually proved too much, and Schlegel came off the back for a solid, albeit mildly disappointing, 7th.

			∣		∣		∣		∣
7	Michal Schlegel	+ 2'14"	∣	4	∣	1	∣	14	∣
45	T. Halland Johannessen	+ 7'12"	∣	48	∣		∣		∣	6
68	Ingvar Omarsson	+ 9'26"	∣	67	∣		∣		∣
80	Torjus Sleen	+ 11'02"	∣	71	∣		∣		∣	10
127	Fatiu Abolaji	+ 21'22"	∣	136	∣		∣		∣
131	Rasmus Iversen	+ 24'52"	∣	138	∣		∣		∣
136	Frederik Frison	+ 27'35"	∣	143	∣		∣		∣
158	Similo Nyoni	+ 29'55"	∣	159	∣		∣		∣

Rider of the Month - Michal Schlegel
Young Rider of the Month - Tobias Halland Johannessen