I actually had devised a plan that would've seen Lagane get all of his remaining 8 trainings to elevate him to world class level combined with my Demare experience, but I completely understand that you're going into this season with the best roster you could keep together.
Best of luck! I hope this admirable project gets the sendoff it deserves.
And I second the notion that Le Court's TdFF was twice as exciting to follow as it already was thanks to you!
@SotD - Given this is the final year of this project, the risk was not worth it. Any other year i definitely would have let Norbert go and picked him up again (i've done it before with Major for example).
Abner is cool. But given he rider 3-years in the IRL WT for Movistar he's barely a shadow of the legit PCT weapon he should have been. The should-have-been focal point of this entire project, is just a fun 50k rider... uggghhhhh....
@BBL - I could be tempted into a 1>3 Loan with compensation...
@sammy - I blame no-one but myself, i was the one to so strictly keep to the one-region focus. The smart choice would have been what you did, or SotD, or others, in having a core and building around it. But i'm nothing if not a dumbass!
@Fabi - Lagane i'm sure will drive me insane this year, again. Decimated, a bit, but it's lean and focused!
@Heine - Can't wait to battle our way up many mountains!
@Jandal - The big loss will be not getting a Worlds to the Islands, as we managed with Bulgaria. And yes, multiple riders will at least get renewed after this year, and a few will remain into the next phase!
@jph - Slightly floored it's even this good, and promotion would be a cherry on top. Gonna give it a damn good try!
@Cunego - I love Kim more than almost any other rider in the world. I've followed her for years and that TDFF was just as amazing and emotional for me as any Cavendish TDF.
@hoyle - !!!! ..... !!!! ... you... uhhh... wanna design one more jersey?
@lief - No Aussies this time around (or individual Japanese or Belgian either!), we sink or swim purely on our own skills. It'll be an unconventional promotion push for sure...
@jaxika - Thank you!
@Cio - You can buy him next year Simon Yates, Chris Lagane... who's the next sprinty-punchuer I can leave unfulfilled?
The Great Big "Lights! Camera! Act....!" Post
Could have just answered comments... But if we're going to push for second award nomination (Oh... what's that in the signature? It's not pretty ladies anymore!! No, it's my sole Daily Award Win. Sole. Only. Many nominations. And my weird ramblings did the job... oh well) then i need to keep up with commentary.
We're all set for Transfers on Friday. Targets are set, and you can probably guess all of them without having to bug the portal and see the watchlist... I have been seriously considering breaking the big rule and going after a singular mercenary.
Omg! Blasphemy! We've done it before... Or am I just trying to scare everyone? The bluff, the double-bluff! All the drama and chaos will come on Friday.
It had me thinking, who remembers when I ran a little MG fanzine? And we all used Twitter to RP post? I used to live-tweet through transfers! Highlighting big FA's, the hotly contested talents, the mind bending deals! The good old days of University youth when I had nothing but time on my hands...
It did get me in trouble with SN who thought I was breaking the Transfer Rules. Had to PM him with screenshots of timestamps to prove my innocence! Makes your head spin! Or when we almost all got shut down when real brands found us? That's one to discuss below...
@Mre - The game and community has evolved so much over the years. I have my Jorgensen offer lined up
@Gustav - Orosco, Richardson, Diaz... there's a few floating around out there. I have changed the MG world and will enjoy every result a former Pirate gets for years to come!
@jt - I really wanted to write a bigger piece, but I was not going to venture onto Twitter to get screenshots etc. An absolutely insane moment in MG history!
The Great Big "What Goes Out, Must Come Back" Post
Wait... isn't that just a boomerang? We don't have any Aussies, this time around. So instead we're just here to discuss the outgoing Loans! But TMM, isn't there a 24hour wait period for Loans to finalize. Yes, but who the fuck is going to outbid on a 50k loan deal?!
Connor White
75
66
68
69
74
71
72
68
63
71
70
71
73
76
72.28
4.50
26
5
50,000
Jesus Roniel Marte
70
65
69
72
65
72
71
68
73
66
68
72
67
62
72.51
4.38
24
4
60,000
Kaden Hopkins
70
60
63
65
68
72
68
73
55
77
77
63
68
75
73.75
4.26
25
5
50,000
Connor White heads to long long looooong time friends Zwift - Newton Foundation and the expert tutelage of Mre! He's sure to form part of TTT efforts and contribute to Jorgensens GC efforts as a flat stage workhorse.
Jesus Roniel Marte pops over to long long time friends Bralirwa - Cegeka and the superb tutelage of Cunego! A more all-round position that may well see him breakaway less but more keenly develop as a rider.
Kaden Hopkins joins up with long long looong time friends Fastned and the powerhouse tutelage of Roturn! He might even carve out a spot as a lead sprinter, or at least key leadout.
All three riders are bid good luck, and we'll see them return in a years time max'd out and fighting hard to earn a spot on the new look team. This is but a step on their paths to stardom, and hope they can still show off in the short term!
The Great Big "If at first you don't succeed..." Post
This has been a testing transfers, and not because of forum stability issues. The serious lack of available cap space, and budget in general, paired with an every increasing desire for talented Caribbean riders has been a challenge. Despite an awful lost of FA frustration, an AWFUL lot, we have managed to turn around a successful Phase 2 of transfers!
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
OVR
XP
Age
Pot
Wage
Jay Major
74
50
58
66
57
74
70
74
70
77
78
62
66
64
74.84
4.100
30
4
60,000
He's back! Jay Major returns, and not the first time he's been cut and re-signed via FA immediately. We love him, he loves us. He'll get plenty of options to try and hunt stages. I just feels right to have Jay on board.
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
OVR
XP
Age
Pot
Wage
Chequan Richardson
71
61
64
67
63
68
68
64
78
60
61
75
66
63
73.34
4.100
32
4
50,000
He's back! Chequan Richardson comes on a 100k transfer from our good frenemies See Turtles! When you're working in as small a rider market as we do, sometimes you've got to get creative. Chequan can mop up a few solid points as a Cobbles leader, and in his final prime year can yet again fly the Bermudan flag proudly for his regional team!
We have, after outgoings and incomings, 14 riders secured. 1 more roster spot to fill. We wanted a number of Caribbeans but have come up annoyingly outbid. We still, luckily, have a lot of riders to choose from as we've done a LOT of regional scouting over the years. Whoever joins us won't be difference maker, but they'll get to be part of history. So stick around for the next updates and you too will be part of history! We're not quitters, we're fighters, and we're excited to face down these challenges!
C'mon, give me some credit for the titles of these updates! Especially as most of this transfers has been a battle at best, being silly creative is about the only fun had in the last week! Right back on topic...
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
OVR
XP
Age
Pot
Wage
Shaquille Sinclair
70
57
61
67
69
70
74
55
76
75
60
67
70
72.39
4.100
32
4
50,000
He's back! The Shaq-attack returns to the Pirates! Again when dealing in such a small pool of riders we can't be too picky. We love Shaq the character, we're just not going to expect him to bag many results. Ideally he'll surprise somewhere or at least be able to shepherd Major or Hennis into good positions.
A full squad presentation will come after the CT draft (can you guess who's on our list for that?). Until then we get to chill out, vibe and generally enjoy the honeymoon period where everything is possible.
As much as I love the project, and I do love the project, I also look forward to seeing you operate again without as many constraints as you currently do. Reunions are fun, but ideally not when they're somewhat forced because of lack of alternatives Still, hoping that guys like Sinclair can create some nice opportunities for themselves, using the unique showcase you provide for someone like him, and offer something in the final chapter here. And be it only a vibe
@cunego - Then it's time for more forced reunions!
The Great Big "This Might Be A Challenge" Post
Transfers has finished! We all survived! The 2025 Pirates are ready for battle!
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
OVR
XP
Age
Pot
Wage
Christopher Lagane
70
70
74
78
66
70
71
71
65
76
77
70
63
65
76.48
4.100
27
6
200,000
Alexandre Mayer
68
69
73
77
70
65
72
71
61
72
77
76
60
71
75.08
4.100
27
2
100,000
Andrew Norbert
75
67
69
71
70
75
77
70
55
77
75
70
69
76
75.03
4.100
27
6
130,000
Jacob Morales Ortega
66
76
76
76
61
71
72
75
55
63
75
76
73
62
74.98
4.100
26
5
90,000
Jay Major
74
50
58
66
57
74
70
74
70
77
78
62
66
64
74.84
4.100
30
4
60,000
Akil Campbell
74
63
66
68
76
69
68
68
75
68
73
67
66
75
74.23
4.100
29
4
75,000
Hasani Hennis
70
67
69
70
76
71
72
75
69
75
76
69
68
76
73.75
4.100
28
5
75,000
Abner Gonzalez
67
77
75
73
61
71
73
66
60
63
70
75
70
62
73.7
4.100
25
5
50,000
Jonathan Croes
66
73
73
73
76
73
72
71
56
62
65
66
69
75
73.95
4.100
28
3
50,000
Tyler Cole
76
64
67
69
76
70
72
67
66
73
73
72
69
75
73.35
4.100
26
4
50,000
Chequan Richardson
71
61
64
67
63
68
68
64
78
60
61
75
66
63
73.34
4.100
32
4
50,000
Kim Le Court
70
70
73
76
60
67
70
68
62
64
66
76
70
61
73.27
4.100
29
4
50,000
Joshua Gayral
74
65
69
72
71
70
71
72
71
71
72
75
62
71
73.06
4.100
28
3
50,000
Nathaniel Forbes
72
63
66
68
63
70
68
68
74
69
69
69
66
63
72.66
3.19
23
6
120,000
Shaquille Sinclair
70
57
59
61
67
69
70
74
55
76
75
60
67
70
72.39
4.100
32
4
50,000
Renze Postma
69
69
71
68
64
63
63
59
65
67
72
70
68
70.44
3.0
29
5
-
Hidalgo Vera Hernandez
70
66
66
65
67
65
64
64
69
72
60
65
67
69.1
2.0
29
3
-
Can we get a Top5 with this team? It's not beyond reach, but it's going to be quite a challenge. It's our own choice to remain 100% regionally focused. Hopefully Lagane lives up to everyone's expectations. Mayer would be great if he can do anything this time around. JMO & Abner could be a fun 1-2 climbing punch. Norbert & Major have previous sprinting wins. AC & Chequan could scoop a few cobbles points. The TTT set-up isn't half-bad. We have ways to score points, we just need luck.
Let's see how this goes. Honestly no idea. Right now it's all possible! We're ready to go and battle and scrap in this final season. United. A full team effort!
You have many potential point scorers, instead of a singular focus, which I like.
I am sad to see this project die, because I love the hardcore dedication. It is, however, understandable.
I second Jakstar here, there's no world beater in this team, but you have reasonable good riders (and depth) on most terrains. Let's hope the Pirates go up, up, up in their final season!
@Dane - Potential and Scoring are two different things, as this team has repeatedly proven... And it's not dying, it's just going to be the next phase, something new & better!
@Jak - A range of two-skill riders does help planning, lets hope it can deliver points. Might still be Podium Ambition, still undecided, but a last hurrah for the Pirates!
@Kandes - With JMO and Abner we can finally go climbing, so up is accurate!
@SotD - It's not the team I wanted, but it's not bad at all. Fingers are crossed.
What's this? Potentially consistent and relevant in-season HQ updates? Shock!!
I'm not letting this final season pass by, even if it has it's struggles - see below. We're here to talk cycling, and mostly beyond cycling because there's so much more to share and enjoy!
Cycling first. We already had our first Goal Race of the year, the Clasico San Jose. Why do we keep picking one of the longest and toughest CT classics as a goal? Insanity, we're insane. Proven by the fact that yet again, we didn't win. We keep picking it, and we keep coming up well short of the Goal. Not to say Lagane was bad, 5th is a good result given the field and the race itself. He wasn't broken by MM nor by STA. Chris proved he's capable of mixing it with the very best of the division, even if it doesn't net Goal Points. Plus we got a breakaway appearance from Vera Hernandez, already paying off as a draft pick!
The TDU, still ongoing but we won't do anything on the concluding stage. This race was not good at all. As we already pointed out, our riders had a different mission here beyond scoring points. We wanted to argue out whether or not Australia is an Island or not. A complicated question, especially for Podium Ambition and our historic promotion winning mercenary history.
Is Australia an Island? Our team answer is - No. It's a continent. It took the best part of a week to get to this point having done a lot of research and debate. This is why we lost all GC hopes on Stage 1 and made no breakaway appearances. We were busy! Doing important stuff! Not just going to a bar and drinking with Aussies, we swear!
Question answered, Lagane could get back to work and immediately won Stage 5. Proof that if we were just a cycling team we'd be unstoppable. But we are so so much more than just a cycling team!
Case in point, our primary NC Jersey sponsor is Sea Turtle Conservation. I bet you'd all forgotten this! There are in fact two turtle teams in the MG. And this week we got a major victory, as the Green Sea Turtle was taken off of the Endangered Species list. That's right, all of the efforts made, around the world, has brought this majestic creature back from the brink and to an almost comfortable status. Forget stage wins, we're changing the world for the better!
And there's more! Did you forget we have a tie-in to the Seattle sports scene via the Kraken? I know you forgot, don't worry about it. But we have to celebrate that the Seattle Mariners have made it to the ALCS for the first time in 25 long long long long years. We were up very very very late last night glued to our laptop screens watching the 15 Inning EPIC play out.
So much stuff to talk about! We're getting Top5's in Goal races. We're winning stages. We're literally saving the planet! We're supporting our partner teams make history! Get hyped, this final season is going to be a R-I-D-E!!
All kinds of good news, baseball wins, turtle wins, cycling wins. The Mariners win was a classic and great you didn't invest all that time to have them lose in the end.
It would be way overdue for an update - if the season had been going better. Since starting off January as a Top5 team we've regressed back towards are far more common position in the low half of the standings. Without even really any breakaways to celebrate either. Vera Hidalgo Hernandez is trying their best to take over the mantle of Jesus Roniel Marte, but one of them is the Breakaway King for a reason.
So what can we talk about? GGGOOOOOAAALLLLLLLL!!! As the Mexican soccer commentator would scream. The most recent race provided a reminder of what Podium Ambition can be capable of, and that for a doomy gloomy February-March time the promotion race is far from over.
The Monterrey TTT has been a regular goal for a few years now. It's a slam dunk for cheap points, and if you pick it as a Top5 Goal with a half-decent TTT unit it's a slam dunk for at least one goal point. As it is, we WON the damn race, and by a margin too! The last time we did that, we earned promotion. Is this a sign of things to come?
Either way, this team still has fight left. We'll go up or not, kicking and screaming. Especially as we have signed deals with the 2026 sponsors. Yep, the next iteration of this team is now locked in place. Will it be Podium Ambition? Will it be a new name? Will it be in the PCT? So many questions, the only certainty is we're going to being one hell of a unique jersey to the party!!!
[Any jersey designer that wants a challenge - hit me up on PM or discord - I do mean challenge!]
