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[PT] Xero Racing '24 | The Cavalry
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 29-08-2024 15:09
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World Champion
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@knockout - I've been a big fan of his work for a while and you're right that his star quality has come from his consistency - a super rare trait for a top sprinter, and we hope it's not going to run out just yet  Thanks!
@Nemolito - I definitely know that to be true of you, and so it doesn't mean nothing that you entrusted to us a rider like Matti who means so much to your team. We hope we can take good care of him, and as you say we are certainly gaining fans from two nations with this signing!
The team and I'm sure Areruya would welcome a friendly rivalry for lead scorer if Manninen can do it  Would hopefully be meaning he had an amazing season and way outscoring his wage which he loves to do. |
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| AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 29-08-2024 20:08
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Directeur Sportif
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I have already mentioned my admiration for Manninen in his previous team's HQ and can also echo the same here! Excellent pickup to start off transfers for you
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 30-08-2024 06:50
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AbhishekLFC wrote:
I have already mentioned my admiration for Manninen in his previous team's HQ and can also echo the same here! Excellent pickup to start off transfers for you
Thanks, was definitely one of the marquee type riders we wanted to secure early to bring in a boatload of points |
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 30-08-2024 07:50
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World Champion
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Transfers Vol. 2: The Prodigal Son
After the signing of Manninen our transfers slowed down quite immediately, as the team entered into protracted negotiations for a second new leader, which came to an end last night. However, one rider that we did make it a mission to sign even while the situation was unclear was Yacine Hamza - who demanded a silly wage, walked out on us into free agency, and discovered the grass was not always greener. However prepare the fatted calf, because our boy has returned to us alive, well, and with a lower wage than he was asking for in renewals.
 Yacine Hamza
27 | Maxed | 75,000 | Xero since 2020| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PL | | 77 | 60 | 67 | 60 | 73 | 72 | 78 | 63 | 77 | 77 | 65 | 65 | 63 |
Signed as a stagiaire in 2020, Hamza took a couple of extra years of development but finished development with the team last year, and now the team is very grateful to finally experience him at his peak. He is a tough sprinter who can survive hard riding flat races and winds, and he's a powerful leadout man for Matti Manninen - our first top sprinter, meet our first ever real leadout man. A match made in heaven and we can't wait to see Yacine and Matti get to work. |
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| ember |
Posted on 30-08-2024 08:33
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Team Leader
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Hamza really has all the tools to be the perfect leadout rider. Very excited to see him work in tandem with Matti! Think you’ve laid the foundations to maximize the points from Matti very well here, congratulations! |
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 30-08-2024 08:34
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Classics Specialist
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After the signing of Manninen our transfers slowed down quite immediately.
Honestly, debatable 
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 03-12-2024 17:14
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| knockout |
Posted on 30-08-2024 08:43
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7737
Joined: 21-12-2010
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ember wrote:
Hamza really has all the tools to be the perfect leadout rider. Very excited to see him work in tandem with Matti! Think you’ve laid the foundations to maximize the points from Matti very well here, congratulations!
Agree. This is the kind of rider I'd always search for as a leadout. That its a returning rider on a good wage just makes this better
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 31-08-2024 10:04
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@ember/knockout - Definitely, it's what made us stick with him through his development, and once we got a top sprinter it made all the sense in the world to go and get him back from free agency
@Nemolito - Quite a few days without any signings, that was the quiet bit |
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 31-08-2024 10:31
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Manninen back in the PT is not what I wanted or needed but it's not surprising considering how strong he has been for so long. A great acquisition for you!
Always a big fan of a prodigal son story  Could be a silent assassin with the PT or GT sprints!
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 01-09-2024 12:18
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Luis Leon Sanchez wrote:
Manninen back in the PT is not what I wanted or needed but it's not surprising considering how strong he has been for so long. A great acquisition for you!
Always a big fan of a prodigal son story Could be a silent assassin with the PT or GT sprints!
Yep he’s been in the conversation for the best PCT rider of the years since he maxed, and in his one PT season he was brilliant, so hopefully he can make good on all of that and achieve again at the highest level. I too am a fan of the Hamza story, happy to welcome him back now |
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 01-09-2024 12:18
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World Champion
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Transfers Vol. 3: The... Time Trialist?
After four long days of negotiations, the team have signed Filippo Ganna for Ilan Van Wilder and €2,220,000. Crazy what you have to pay for a Schomber replacement in this economy.
In his element - 2023 Paris-Nice
 Filippo Ganna
28 | Maxed | 450,000| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PL | | 76 | 69 | 73 | 80 | 74 | 81 | 69 | 66 | 69 | 73 | 74 | 74 | 82 |
| - GC Tour de Slovenie (’21) | - 6th Chrono des Herbiers (’22) | | - Stage Praha-Karlovy Vary-Praha (’23) | - 6th GC Tour of North. Europe (’21) | | - Stage Tour de Slovenie (’22) | - 8th Chrono des Herbiers (’23) | | - 2nd GC Paris-Nice (’23) | - 9th Chrono d’Arenberg (’22) | | - 2nd Chrono d’Arenberg (’23) | - 9th GC Deutschland Tour (’23) | | - 3rd GC Tour de Slovenie (’22) | - 10th GC Tour of Qatar (’21) | | - 4th GC Tour de Slovenie (’23) | - Points Tour de Slovenie (’22) | | - 5th GC Praha-Karlovy Vary-Praha (’23) | - U25 Tour of Qatar (’21) | | - 5th Chrono d’Arenberg (’21) | - SAA Tour d’Afrique (’18) | | - 5th GC Tour of Ukraine (’23) | - U25 Tour de Slovenie (’21) |
| 2018 | PCT | 140th | Filippo Ganna |  | Euskaltel - Elior | 121 | | 2019 | PT | 183rd | Filippo Ganna |  | Team Puma - SAP | 175 | | 2020 | PT | 116th | Filippo Ganna | | Team Puma - SAP | 304 | | 2021 | PT | 48th | Filippo Ganna | | Team Puma - SAP | 718 | | 2022 | PT | 59th | Filippo Ganna | | Team Puma - SAP | 550 | | 2023 | PT | 26th | Filippo Ganna | | Team Puma - SAP | 1065 |
A sprinter and a time trial leader as our big off-season signings? This isn't the Xero Racing we are used to, but when a top quality sprinter like Manninen, and a young premium time triallst like Filippo Ganna come on the market, proven PT scorers as they are, you have to sign them.
Now, neither of them will have the best PTHC schedules this season, and that may be one of the big factors in our tale of survival or relegation. But both Manninen and Ganna broke 1000 points in their last PT season, and with Joseph Areruya a far superior rider to the Areruya that scored 985 points in 2021, it's a pretty solid top three - especially if Thomas Pidcock has anything to say about it being a top four.
His first career victory - 2021 Tour de Slovenie
Ganna is particularly good over short time trials, and unlike past Xero prologuiests he can actually survive the rest of the race, making him a solid option for the team to protect without losing half an hour. 2nd at Paris-Nice last year and consistently great at the Tour de Slovenie (one of the races he unfortunately won't be able to ride this season), including a win in 2021, he's a great rider for the TT stage races that are pitched somewhere between pure time trialists and actual stage racers.
Just 28 years old, he's on the same timeline as Joseph Areruya and hopefully this is a signing that will be great for us for the next five years - in fact with the PTHC bands this year he should only get better in 2025! For now, though, he'll get settled in, work on what schedule we can put together, and look to start paying off the Xero-record transfer fee we invested in him. |
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| SotD |
Posted on 01-09-2024 12:28
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Great to see him finally landing. Massive fee, but also a unique rider. Congrats
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| knockout |
Posted on 01-09-2024 12:35
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7737
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Massive signing to you. This offseason feels like it sets the future for future pt podium seasons ... or more. Great one!
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 01-09-2024 14:58
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I have to echo the others: Manninen and Ganna are just great signings. Add Areruya and Pidcock and it will be a fun season to watch as long as you're not a competing PT manager
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| AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 01-09-2024 18:56
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Directeur Sportif
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Ganna is a fantastic signing to complement the already established leadership in the team. Should provide a massive upswing on the points for the coming season!
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 01-09-2024 20:43
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Definitely still sad to miss out on Ganna, he's obviously a huge signing for you. As you say, your 2024 schedule may not be the one to optimize his scoring, but he'll still be a huge factor.
As for Manninen, I still don't know why but he's just freakingly consistent in the randomness of sprints. Guess it's really worth the try, and if he gets another year like the ones before, you should easily be safe with your three (four?) leaders, and maybe even more than just that...
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 01-09-2024 21:37
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Massive signing. I think it's only fair to other managers that he is not in band 5 though. Got to leave some crumbs left for the other teams with time trialists!
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 03-09-2024 11:04
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World Champion
Posts: 11397
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@SotD - Yeah quite a huge fee, way over what we have ever done before by many times over, but hope his age and skillset is worth the investment. Thanks
@knockout - I'll happily just take it setting the present of immediate survival - but after that, why not aim high?
@kb26 - Thank you very much! Hopefully those guys can all provide some entertainment as well as results and people can enjoy watching us
@Abhishek3-0FC - Hope you're right! Yeah he fits the structure very well, even if we don't have the TTT depth to back him up in some races
@Fabianski - Had guessed you were among the bidding teams as Ganna sits next only to Küng as the most "Jura" rider in the DB We are definitely missing some races where he can be successful but have enjoyed crafting the schedule around that, can maybe take a few risks or unique plays that we won't ever do again when he's filled up with traditional races to lead in.
I too am not sure quite what Manninen has in his statline to be so consistent across PCM editions, I can only hope that nothing in our team or the PT startlists this year disrupt whatever equilibrium he's working on
Our leaders should all do well for us indeed, but just like in PCT the last couple of years it's what comes after that could trouble us. Hope you're right that the big guns can pull through for us.
@Nemolito - Yeah I'll give you guys all a year without him to have fun before I get the chance to plan a calendar around him |
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 23-09-2024 07:56
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World Champion
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Transfers Vol. 4: The Cavalry
After the ink had dried on the Ganna deal, there was still a lot of dealing to be done in the loans department and free agents to be signed, which saw four loanees come in, Morne van Niekerk leave on loan to our friends at Evonik-ELKO for the season, and five free agents signed - including some familiar faces.
Unfortunately, the team sponsored by an accountancy app made an accountancy error, which saw Xero-raised Salim Kipkemboi leave to free agency as punishment. We're deeply sad to see the Kenyan NC depart and hope he finds his way home soon.
 Sergei Pomoshnikov
34 | Maxed | 60,000| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PL | | 69 | 77 | 72 | 62 | 75 | 73 | 69 | 50 | 62 | 63 | 59 | 65 | 62 |
Our first free agent signing (though one of the last to be announced) is one known to many cycling fans. Sergei Pomoshnikov may not be one of cycling’s biggest names, but he’s certainly a recognisable one for fans across all three divisions for his work over the last decade. An accomplished climber who spent his career with Tinkoff, MOL and Sauber, Sergei is a KOM winner at the Vuelta a España, and a stage winner at the Vuelta, Giro d’Italia, Tour of America. He has also won stages at the Benelux Challenge and Vuelta a Colombia, and was a consistent GC scorer in the PCT and CT.
Sergei still has something left to give and we’re looking forward to him doing that with us in the Pro Tour, working with Fouche and Areruya and even getting his own chances to add to some of those stage successes. He signs for a bargain wage of just 60,000 late in transfers.
 Mohammad Ganjkhanlou
27 | 4.01XP | 50,000 (Loaned from SEE Turtles)| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PL | | 71 | 61 | 65 | 63 | 70 | 69 | 72 | 62 | 75 | 77 | 55 | 74 | 72 |
The first of two Iranians joining the team (taking after Abofazl Gilanipoor back in 2018), Mohammad Ganjkhanlou is the National Champion in both the road race and time trial and is a talented young sprinter joining us on loan from SEE Turtles. He'll get some time as part of sprint trains for Manninen and even Hamza, and might get a chance to race for himself as well.
 Guillaume Martin
31 | Maxed | 50,000| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PL | | 68 | 75 | 72 | 66 | 74 | 71 | 75 | 52 | 59 | 71 | 63 | 65 | 67 |
Guillaume Martin is a strong French climber who is solid on the shorter climbs as well and will be a valuable rider for us in many races on the calendar this year, bolstering the mountains squad and as a useful member of Areruya's support squad. He brings Pro Tour experience, coming out of free agency after previously riding for Rabobank.
 Joren Bloem
25 | 4.99XP | 30,000 (Loaned from Rabobank)| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PL | | 75 | 60 | 68 | 61 | 73 | 75 | 71 | 66 | 69 | 69 | 67 | 61 | 66 |
Joren Bloem is a powerful young rouleur joining us from Rabobank, linking him back up with Guillaume Martin - though how much road they will share with their quite different skillsets is yet to be seen! As well as his engine on the flat roads he is solid on both hills and cobbles, making him a very useful rider for us across the calendar.
 Shaun Nick Bester
33 | Maxed | 50,000| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PL | | 71 | 67 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 69 | 68 | 73 | 70 | 69 | 70 | 68 | 71 |
Rejoining us after three seasons away, Shaun Nick Bester rode for us from 2019-20 and was a beloved rider here at the team for his all-around skillset and valuable domestique and breakaway work. In 2021 he was traded to Isostar for Johann van Zyl, and now the team finally get a chance to unite the two classic South African Swiss Army Knife riders, albeit in their twilight years. Along with another free agent signing this year, Shaun Nick becomes one of the first two riders to ever return to Xero for a second stint.
 Jensen Plowright
24 | 4.11XP | 50,000 (Loaned from Glanbia)| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PL | | 71 | 67 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 69 | 68 | 73 | 70 | 69 | 70 | 68 | 71 |
Aside from having a very good name to go with his very good mullet, Jensen Plowright is a handy young sprinter joining us from Glanbia, who like Ganjkhanlou will ride with Manninen in his train and also elsewhere with Hamza or to try and use his speed in breakaways or chaotic bunch finishes himself.
Farzad Khodayari
32 | Maxed | 50,000 | FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PL | | 66 | 75 | 73 | 62 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 52 | 64 | 72 | 72 | 80 | 62 |
Former Vuelta a España stage winner over at Evonik-ELKO, Farzad Khodayari is another rider bringing direct PT experience to the squad, not only from his years in yellow but also with Binance last season. A very good climber with some punch and aggression, as well as his motor uphill. He will be a great addition to the stable for climbs short and long, and will surely have the chance to chase breakaway and KOM success as well.
 Ziga Horvat
26 | 4.34XP | 50,000 (Loaned from Popo4Ever)| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PL | | 75 | 66 | 69 | 56 | 73 | 76 | 67 | 72 | 67 | 71 | 72 | 68 | 59 |
Our fourth and final loanee of the season, Ziga Horvat is a very handy rouleur joining us from Popo4Ever, with a huge engine on the flat roads and ability to handle climbs and cobbles he helps fill the hole of Morne van Niekerk's skillset on road stages somewhat, and will be a key rider for the team on every race day on his calendar.
 Hamish Schreurs
30 | Maxed | 120,000| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FT | DH | PL | | 72 | 54 | 67 | 52 | 75 | 75 | 71 | 77 | 72 | 71 | 64 | 63 | 61 |
Prepare another fatted calf, for another prodigal son returns home. Much like Yacine Hamza, Hamish Schreurs left Xero after disagreements over renewals wage after a promotion season, but the Kiwi has taken the long way home.
Hamish was with us from his neo-pro year in 2017 through until 2020, before spending three seasons with Amaysim (who he also rode with in 2019 on loan). A talented cobbler with a good engine and can take hills decently, Hamish will co-lead the northern classics alongside Florian Vermeersch, and hopefully on his return to the team can take on more of a veteran role in this stint and pass on his knowledge from years in the PT. It's great to have him back, and he will move into a tie for 8th in total years with the team after the 2024 season. |
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| OlegTinkov |
Posted on 25-09-2024 21:22
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Preview Xero Racing 2024 accessories
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