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[PCT] Ekoi | April Preview
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 07-08-2025 19:19
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Sprinter
Posts: 1803
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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@Booker
You can be assured we'll keep the cobbles focus! Now it's 'just' about finding us a new leader for the next season(s)...
@sammy
You're right about Delbove and if he gathers no interest he'll clearly stay with the team, especially as he's not only homegrown but also one of only two riders who actually rode for us all seasons. But I really prefer more-dimensional riders and he's not really one of them.
@Fab
Daniels response was no surprise given the offer, but he probably wouldn't have been among the best cobblers of the division anyway.
I'm waiting to hear from you in transfers, especially if certain riders should be available on your side there could be some nice solutions for both of us.
I'm not so sure this offseason will be relaxed at all though with the need for a new cobbles leader and those French talents joining all at once it probably will need some maneuvers to get the cap space to sign at least one of those talents while securing the quality to stay in PCT at the same time.
@Heine
Not sure Vauquelin actually has a driving license as Renault gets him chauffeured anywhere he wants.
But thanks for the kind words nonetheless. Some national competition always makes life more interesting (though not necessarily easier)!
@jandal
That's what jewels are there for - lock them away! But there's clearly some possibility everyone else could get available and I have an idea who could be interesting to re-join Areruya 
@jph
As long as you keep away from French talents we should be fine And as you also have some interesting riders on offer there could be an opportunity for some negotiations, maybe even with a successful end this year.
@red
I hope (and fear) it will be a busy transfer season, but also hopefully with a better start than last year when week 1 was mostly disappointing and enerving.
@ember
Priorities are pretty clear: getting at least one of the two and building a squad able to survive this season. And I hope (and am pretty sure) none of the non-listed riders will have to be sacrificed for this as they are all key parts of the short- and mid-term future of the team. But hope should never die, so if I get really desperate ...
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| liefwarrior |
Posted on 12-08-2025 08:47
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Breakaway Specialist
Posts: 996
Joined: 04-07-2019
PCM$: 300.00
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Very excited to see what you pull together this transfer season. You already have a very strong French core - but there are also two extremely French talents that have just arrived on the scene. Maybe I will give you a helping hand by taking Oliveira off your hands. Maybe.
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 12-08-2025 18:47
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Sprinter
Posts: 1803
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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liefwarrior wrote:
Very excited to see what you pull together this transfer season. You already have a very strong French core - but there are also two extremely French talents that have just arrived on the scene. Maybe I will give you a helping hand by taking Oliveira off your hands. Maybe.
I'm excited too! And it seems like a really good idea to me (for no selfish reasons at all) to couple Oliveira and Demare
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 18-08-2025 20:23
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Sprinter
Posts: 1803
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Ruben Zepunkte joins us on a swap deal with Joris Delbove and an additional 600,000 in cash. He’s our cobbles leader for the next season (and probably the next one as well) and we expect him to keep up his solid scoring, especially with the good and deep support cast he’ll have at hands. He has shown to be no world beater, but if he ends up with his usual around 375 points we’ll be content with his season. And with his wage of 200,000 he also allowed us to pursuit our other main target of the transfer season.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age |  | Ruben Zepuntke | 72 | 56 | 63 | 69 | 65 | 79 | 72 | 64 | 82 | 72 | 65 | 66 | 68 | 65 | 32 |
Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 19-08-2025 21:45
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 18-08-2025 20:23
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Sprinter
Posts: 1803
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Joris Delbove leaves us as part of the Zepuntke deal. We clearly shed a tear about that as we maxed him fully in-house and he’s also one of only two riders who rode with us from the beginning of the team. But we’re also glad he found a new home at our class of ’22 and talent oriented fellows DeNa Roadstars, so we only wish him all the best!
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 18-08-2025 20:23
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Sprinter
Posts: 1803
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Sulkhan Akhmaevi joins us on a 120,000 fee from Duvel-Tsingtao. On minimum wage he’s part of our plan to strengthen the TT department.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age | | Sulkhan Akhmaevi | 68 | 71 | 70 | 68 | 77 | 69 | 69 | 71 | 60 | 61 | 65 | 63 | 63 | 73 | 28 |
Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 19-08-2025 21:47
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| Heine |
Posted on 18-08-2025 20:29
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4460
Joined: 08-04-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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Zepuntke <3
While he has dissapointed before I think it is a good upgrade on Daniel
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| Marcovdw |
Posted on 18-08-2025 20:34
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7770
Joined: 04-07-2012
PCM$: 20845.00
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Good luck with Zepuntke, his fan club (which is actually an emotional support group) will be watching him closely!
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 05-12-2025 06:30
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Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
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| redordead |
Posted on 19-08-2025 08:03
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Team Leader
Posts: 5509
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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You never know with Zepuntke, but there's always the potential he does great.
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| Ezeefreak |
Posted on 19-08-2025 08:29
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Domestique
Posts: 700
Joined: 06-07-2009
PCM$: 300.00
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I wish Ruben all the best and I hope really he delivers greatly for your team this year! After all he was a huge part of my promotion too and he didnt even live up to his full potential. SO I hope he can for you!
We will take care of Joris instead, I am sure he will be a great help for other riders to get adjusted with us
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| Booker |
Posted on 19-08-2025 17:01
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1032
Joined: 03-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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I thought I might avoid facing Zepuntke again this season, ah well 
And cheers for the deal for Akhmaevi, he's a solid TT member for awhile yet to come, and luckily he's not a greedy person!
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 19-08-2025 20:55
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Sprinter
Posts: 1803
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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He’s the one big signing of our transfer season (and by far the biggest one in the history of our team): Lenny Martinez joins us on a hefty 690,000 wage. But as the future of French stage racing we think this effort will easily pay out. He should be a decent scorer from the 2026 season onwards (and our biggest hope to actually win the Tour de l’Avenir that season) and a team captain from 2027, before even maxing out. He’ll probably end as a rider type pretty much like Latour, who is not only among the best stage racers of the world but also very fun to follow, so we hope Lenny will follow in his footsteps to lead us in many years to come!
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age | | Lenny Martinez | 65 | 72 | 71 | 70 | 65 | 70 | 72 | 71 | 57 | 56 | 72 | 70 | 70 | 64 | 22 |
Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 19-08-2025 21:48
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 19-08-2025 20:55
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Sprinter
Posts: 1803
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Gasper Katrasnik joins us from Cedevita on a fee of 400,000 and a wage of 70,000. As a flat beast he will be our leader for flat classics as well as a stage hunter in all kind of easier stage races and is planned as a replacement for a proper sprinter.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age | | Gasper Katrasnik | 81 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 69 | 72 | 76 | 69 | 63 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 73 | 69 | 30 |
Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 19-08-2025 21:48
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 19-08-2025 20:56
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Sprinter
Posts: 1803
Joined: 07-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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Alain Quispe joins our new department of flat beasts. He’s not renowned for actually winning races, but he’s planned as our breakaway king, getting his points via early KoM pushes in the easier stage races. On a 65,000 wage (and the same fee) we suppose he’s worth the risk.
Spoiler | | FL | MO | MM | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | Age | | Alain Quispe | 81 | 52 | 53 | 53 | 61 | 63 | 61 | 65 | 53 | 67 | 74 | 85 | 55 | 61 | 31 |
Edited by kandesbunzler26 on 19-08-2025 21:49
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| Marcovdw |
Posted on 19-08-2025 21:03
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7770
Joined: 04-07-2012
PCM$: 20845.00
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Zepuntke AND Quispe? 2025 PCT winners right here
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 19-08-2025 21:06
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 5234
Joined: 29-09-2018
PCM$: 185.00
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First of all, congrats on signing Lenny! It was clear that you'd be going for the two big Frenchies, and very likely sign at least one of them - and looking at other talents' wages, I'd say that's a job well done 
Zepuntke is hit or miss, but he'll definitely have his bright moments. Not that sure he's an upgrade over Daniel, who did really well last year, but if he doesn't do those nonsense attacks he often launched last year, he could indeed score well.
Quispe and Katrasnik should be cool, the nightmare duo of the sprinter teams 
Looking forward to see what else you're cooking! And btw, the stat lines are off; they include the MM stat and don't have the PRL stat, and so they're one off starting with HI...
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| Heine |
Posted on 20-08-2025 07:40
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4460
Joined: 08-04-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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Great to see that you are going to develop Lenny for us! We are really looking forward to when him and Vaquelin sees the light and joins the right French team!
Good signings, I like the flat engines a lot, just couldn't find space for riders like that myself this year
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| redordead |
Posted on 20-08-2025 09:05
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Team Leader
Posts: 5509
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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I'll be rooting for Gasper all season long! 
"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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| Imladrik |
Posted on 20-08-2025 10:50
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1112
Joined: 05-10-2021
PCM$: 700.00
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Really love those signings, and of course to see Martinez in your team.
I'll be rooting for you, at least when we're not in the same races
“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably."
A. Roy
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| knockout |
Posted on 21-08-2025 22:34
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8233
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 500.00
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Lennyyyyyyyyyy! Lets go!
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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