Hi everybody! I believe I haven't introduced myself here. My name is Mathias von Triesenberg, and I have signed a contract with Team NetApp, after spending last season at IAM. However, you may not have noticed me there, mainly because there was no manager and no social platform. This year, at NetApp, there is one, so I hope I can share some of my thoughts this year.
Let me tell you something about myself. I'm 22 years old and I was born in Triesenberg, Liechtenstein. At the age of 5, my dad bought my first bike. When I turned 11, I participated in the National Championships, and I won! Yes, there are not many cyclists in Liechtenstein, but still, at only 11!
Last year, after winning it for the 11th consecutive time, IAM offered me my first pro contract. I want to forget about that season, so please don't remind me of it. I had no chance to talk or to show my talent. I was just one of the many cyclists in the peleton. Without a voice, without a mission, without a vision.
Luckily, NetApp manged to pull me out of the dark and offered me a contract for this season. I hope I can regain the fun in cycling this year. My motivation has taken a big hit last year, but I'm sure I will be back on the rails this year. With a manager I can talk to, teammates I can ride with. Together, we will make this season a good one! And eventually, the results will come...
Right, Goals... the part I dislike the most. Each time I post them, I kinda regret them merely days after. Anyhoo, here we have another try as a CT team to scrap some points together.
With König gone but a much more balanced team, we might have a shot at using various of our riders to achieve the goals; maybe even cause some surprise in here.
Easy: Top 10 Crit. Int.
Medium: Top 10 San Luis
Hard: A Stage Win In World Tour Level-Race (Paris-Nice, Tirr-Adr. Catalunya)
And yes, a stage win on world tour level alone for this team is pretty hard goal. If however we arn't allowed to multiple races for this goal, we'd rather go with a stage win in Langkawi, Oman or some other sprinter's paradise.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Yeah, I thought so but I wanted to give it a try. I just know when I select Paris-Nice stage win, we will likely only end up with a decent result in T-A, and vice versa.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Right, before I get to bed to head to Tabor tomorrow very early in the morning, I guess I have to choose a hard goal. Eny miny mo, stage win in uh... uhm... Langkawi is our hard goal. Please Dermot, I beg of you, DELIVER!
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Your races for part 1:
Gabon
San Luis
Marseillaise
Oman
Algarve
Langkawi
Omloop
Kuurne
Strade
Roma
Paris-Nice
Tirreno
Catalunya
Criterium
Driedaagse
Indurain
Volta
Ollfardh wrote:
NetApp leading the rankings, who would've guessed?
-Team Presentation-
"The success of our team is based on continuous work with a new generation of cyclists[...]With these initial successes and the visible potential that our riders are showing, our expectations and aims are of course also rising.[...] At the same time we will never lose sight of our philosophy of developing young riders and maintaining healthy growth, because this work is [our] contribution to a clean future and the improvement of cycling."
Ralph Denk, Founder of Team NetApp - Endura
Team Net App - Endura is a german cycling team, currently holding a license for Pro Continental status. It's UCI code is TNE and the team's colours are blue, black and white. Team NetApp - Endura was founded by Ralph Denk in Autumn 2009 and since has been growing to become one of the most competitive, recognized teams in the Peloton. We have quickly garnered attention by achieving Pro Continental status in 2011.
Our sponsor is American IT-company NetApp, and they have been ever since a foundation of our success, making all this possible. Co-sponsor is scottish company Endura Racing since the start of 2013, after Team NetApp and their former team Endura Racing decided to merge. Also, Endura Racing provides us with stylish racing jerseys, while NetApp provides us with their quality IP knowledge in handling all that fanzy computer stuff. Go check them out!
Team NetApp – Endura is an active member of the MPCC (French abbreviation stands for “Mouvement Pour un Cyclisme Crédible”, English: “Movement for Credible Cycling”). The MPCC and its members fight for a credible and most importantly a clean cycling. All teams who are a member of the MPCC comply with the UCI ethical code. In addition those teams agreed on further anti doping rules that go beyond the current strict UCI- and team-related programs. These self-imposed rules include among others that a rider is not recruited if he was banned for 6 months or longer, or if a rider needs Corticosteroids for therapeutic use he will not start in any race for 8 days. Please find the entire rules on the MPCC’s website.
-2013 to 2014: A New Season Is Here!-
At the end of season 2013, NetApp Endura has secured multiple high profile german riders, such as Dominik Nerz or Rüdiger Selig. Further having obtained a strong roster of german talent, NetApp Endura has re-branded itself as a german team. The multi-national focus is still strong, especially evident int he signings of Von Triesenberg, Verona or Zardini. The global cause & representation is close to our heart, much to the satisfaction of our sponsors. However, the british core has reduced itself, with Dermot Walker, Jonathan McEvoy and Russell Downing we still have three great brits on the team though!
NetApp Endura prides itself on its strong youth development and performing an narrative task throughout the season, seeing our riders develop is a joy. Breakaways, stage wins and few decent GC spots are our goal for this season, whilst becoming stronger and treasure the experience the roads offer!
In total, the team has significantly gained size and we aim to be part in much more races than last season. This should allow us to score some nice points in total. Goal-wise, NetApp Endura follows the policy of modest Top 10 results and risky stage wins. Relying mostly on the talent of Dominik Nerz, Paul Voss and new signing Thomas Schwabe.
NetApp Endura has secured Wild Cards for Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana. Following the german and british road calender, there will be a strong focus on spanish and italian roads as well. This effectively has already predetermined our race schedule at this point. A few steps towards belgian cycling will be made too, though.
-Staff-
Our staff consists of some of the finest, most profound and respected professionals in the sport. Founder Ralph Denk owns the team, but prefers to be a Directeur Sportif. New Team Manager is Peter Luttenberger since about February-March 2013, following the sudden disappearance of Michael Boogerd. Marvin the Paranoid Android has been signed as mental coach for the riders, while Journalist X will be our man for all stage reports and reporting duties.
New addition to the 2014 roster is Austrian Skiing Legend Hermann Maier. Despite being a poster boy for Raiffeisen Bank, Maier is recognized as one of the most dominant figures in sports. All over the world. His crash in Nagano is still stunning and terryfing to watch today, his comeback from a motorcycle accident the stuff of legends. Though a man of pure winning prowess and mental strength, Maier prefers to discover new horizons and will be our team's very own cook, treating our riders with some fine cuisine and Mörtel. They will soon ride much like the Hulk. Or the Herminator. Graar!
This list will be full very soon. You just wait. You just - wait.
- Victories 2013 -
One-day races
Australian Road Race Championship, Zakkari Dempster
German Road Race Championship, Paul Voss
Mexican Road Race Championship, Jose Alberto Juarez
Just wanted to check in and tell how psyched I am to get the season going. I'm just about to start my first race of the season here in Gabon.
It's quite a bit warmer than it was back home on Sweden, but that's OK - I'll race anywhere under any conditions. I just hope that I have been able to adjust well enough to the climate.
The race as such should suit me with lots of small hills on many of the stages and a good terrain for the brave attacker. It is a very strong peloton though so nothing will come for free...
I'd like to inquire about my schedule. Did you have anything in mind for me? If not yet, I'd love to ride in Langkawi. If that isn't possible it's not a problem, so do what you want with my schedule.
We knew that our guys were hot to get back on the bicycle and kick off the season, but even we have been amazed by their sheer desire to take the first win of the season.
Iker Camano kicked things off by performing the first attack of 2014, but of course the real honours go to his teammate Heimdal Hägg. Our swedish youngster placed a follow up-attack, escaped and was never to be seen again by the peloton. Though some other riders, most notable Augustyn from MTN-Qhuebka, joined him, Hägg was victorious in the final of the stage. Thus he has claimed the first win of the season, of all Teams. Also, the Points Classification and of course the General Classification are his now for the day. Goal will be to defend the GC, whilst the Points Classification will be hard fought out with the supreme sprinters in the peloton.
Though only 12 seconds onto Augustyn, NetApp Endura will try to ensure that Hägg stays in the jersey. We'll do our best so he can claim NetApp Endura's first stage race victory of the season, ever.
Fun fact, NetApp Endura is now leading the EPIC UCI Rankings.
It was an outstanding start. But the season has just begun, and many kilometers are ahead of us! Let's make them worth it!
Congratulations to Heimdal! He was definitely not lying when he said he couldn't wait to ride in Gabon.
By now you probably all have heard that I just got my second career win. on another exotic location in Gabon.
I'll just throw in a few words of how it went: At the morning we left it to Iker to attack as I still wasn't quite sure how my legs would handle racing in the heat.
Turns out they felt rather good so when Ikers break was gone I went with the next one.
Full of enthusiasm I dropped the others before the first KOM and outsprinted them on the first two intermediate sprints. Perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm I suppose. A smarter guy would probably have saved some energy in stead of chasing everything, but I just can't help it when I'm racing - especially today since I haven't been in a race for quite a while.
Anyway with 15 km left I decided to drop my companions once again. Augustyn bridged the gap short after though. Quite a comeback from a guy that have been away from racing for a couple of years.
So we rode the 10 km of the stage together. I felt quite confident since I'd already beaten him in a sprint twice today and he wasn't looking more fresh than me.
Since he decided to stick to my wheel in the finish I had to make it a long sprint. Just like in Hainan you could say. And this time I also had that last bit needed to cross the line first - and that with a bigger margain than last time.
With three times on the podium today, in Hainan and when I took the mountain jersey in Norway last year I'm really starting to grow fond of the whole podium thing, so I'll do my best to get up there some more times this year.
For now I have to rest so I can try to defend the jersey the next couple of days.
After two very eventful stages, Heimdal Hägg still remains in the leading position at Tour de Gabon. Subsequently, he even managed to extend his lead on closest runner-up Augustyn from MTN.
Stage 2 saw an insane pace by Movistar play into our cards. This way many riders lost a ton of time and the selection of potential contenders for the GC win was greatly limited. Heimdal kept in the peloton, which consisted of merely twenty riders at the end of the day. On a flat stage. Movistar caused some real destruction.
On the next day, the new time gaps came into favour. AG2R took their first win of the season on a breakaway, whilst we did our duty, but only that. With no incentive to chase down the BOTD, just for our rivals to take bonus seconds, the team did a well enough job. Heimdal followed some moves of the top puncheurs and hang on for quite a bit. In the end, he arrived at the finish with the peloton but his lead is still good enough.
The coming days will be tough alright. At least one more hilly stage will be dangerous. The remaining flat stages alarm us too, looking at stage 2. Heimdal looks solid though, and the team has been really inspired by his past performances. They turn into Fighters. All of them. Even Dermot, jk.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
Mathias von Triesenberg
Top 10 Crit Int.
Top 10 San Luis 
Stage Win Langkawi
