The cycling season 2013 has ended, and thereby the existence of Team Monster Energy - Subway. Next season, the new name of the team will be Petronas Cycling Team. And the team ended the 3 years of sponsorship by Monster Energy with a blast, by winning the 3rd monument of the season. First Matti Breschel won the Ronde van Vlaanderen, then Andy Schleck was the strongest in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and now Andy Schleck wins Il Lombardia! That, included with young gun Gregory Bernard winning the Coppa Sabatini, makes it a great end of the season.
Rankings
World Tour riders
No doubt that Andy Schleck wins the WT-rankings, thanks to winning LBL, Lombardia, Le Tour, a 2nd in San Sebastian, a 3rd in La Vuelta and 4th places in the Fleche Wallone and the Amstel Gold Race. Thanks to the GC-win in the Tour of Beijing, Philippe Gilbert takes the 2nd place, followed by Giro-winner Igor Antón, Vuelta-winner Vincenzo Nibali and Roebrt Gesink. Also worth to mention is the 9th place by young Wilco Kelderman.
World Tour teams
There is no doubt which team has been the strongest: Monster Energy - Subway! With 997 points more than the number 2, Lotto - Belisol and 1124 more than number 3 Radio Shack - Nissan.
Continental Tour riders
The CT-ranking for riders has been a real thriller who would win it. Domenico Pozzovivo jumps from 3rd to 1st, thanks to decent results in the Italian autumn classics. Enrico Rossi will be disappointed after dropping to 2nd, while Stijn Devolder couldn't score enough points in the last months and has to settle with the 3rd place.
Continental Tour teams
The French team were dominating the CT-teams ranking in the first months of the season. But they got overtaken by first Vacansoleil, then Liquigas & Pisanellastoria, and later also Team Type 1. The last team, Team Type 1, wins the CT-ranking, thanks to many sprint wins by Callegarin, Belletti, Kocjan and Modolo. Vacansoleil finishes in 2nd, with Pisanellastoria in 3rd.
CQ riders Andy Schleck has been the most consistent rider all year long, and wins the CQ-ranking. Igor Antón takes the 2nd place and Vincenzo Nibali the 3rd. We finish with 8 (!) riders in the top 20.
CQ teams
And of course, Monster Energy - Subway wins the CQ-teams ranking, followed by Lotto - Belisol and Radio Shack - Nissan.
Wins riders
3 stage wins in the Tour of Beijing bring the season total of Mark Cavendish at 14, thereby having the most wins in 2013! Igor Antón and Fabian Cancellara both could raise their arms 13 times. Best from our team is Robert Gesink with 9 wins.
Wins teams
But dominating the teams ranking can only be achieved by winning a lot. 57 times last year! Yes, we have opened many bottles of champagne, with the wins divided by many riders. Not only the team leaders or sprinters, but also the domestiques and future stars, as Gregory Bernard, have won one or more races. Lotto - Belisol have won 32 races, and both Saxo Bank and Team Sky 26 times.
Promotion / relegating
So, what 2 teams got relegated and what 2 teams promoted to the World Tour? That's not official yet, the UCI has to decide, but I'll give you the most probable names.
Promotion: Vacansoleil, Team Type 1. Maybe Liquigas, Europcar or Saur.
Relegation: Androni Giocatolli and La Française des Jeux. Possibly Lampre.
So, the season has finished with a blast, a Monster Energy-blast!
This was a great year both for the team and for Andy, it's great that they'll say goodbye on good terms! It'll be hard trying to beat him next year in the Tour
Awaking with a little hangover after last nights party in the hotel in Como, I look around my and I see 3 girls asleep in the hotel room. I have seen them somewhere before, but when???? Oh wait, these are 3 of the 10 Monster Energy-girls that were present at the party yesterday. But why are they in my hotel room, what have I done, monogamous as I am???
Then 1 of the girls, who seems to be awake, starts talking to me: "Thanks a lot dienblad, that we could sleep here. Else we would have t walk 30 minutes in the storm" It starts to become clear now, I really was the great husband and father I think I am. But then the girl says "didn't you have an appointment at noon? You told me before you fell asleep".
Oh crap, the meeting with the CEO of Monster Energy.......
I quickly get up, get dressed, brush my teeth (very necessary because of the wine last night) and go downstairs. Just in time, I see the CEO walking in the hotel. We shake hands, mumble something about the party (he was more than drunk than me) and take our seats.
"Well, mr. dienblad. First of all I want to thank you behalf of our entire company, as with you as DS, Monster Energy has become a very known name in the cycling world. And we really regret that we announced even before Le Tour that we wouldn't prolong our sponsorship deal. But I can tell you this: we had some talks with the people from Petronas, told them our plan, and with their approval I can tell you, that Monster Energy stays connected to the team, as the co-sponsor!!! We will give you carte blanche in managing the team, but have only 1 request. Could you please keep on posting pictures from our promo-girls in your monthly summary???"
Well, I really don't need to think twice about this. Next season I will be DS of Petronas - Monster Energy cycling team!
Oh, when I return to my hotel room, the girls are gone....
Edited by dienblad on 02-10-2012 23:36
As every year, Astana used the government funded money of Kazakhstan to attract some good cyclists to the team. They had a decent previous year, ending in 7th place in the WT-ranking. Nevertheless, they lost the 2 best riders from last year.
Ivan Basso (Sky), Andrea Guardini (Farnese Vini), Ben Hermans (Radio Shack), Robert Kiserlovski (Garmin), Peter Velits (Omega Pharma).
Enrico Gasparotto (Katusha), Roman Kreuziger (Movistar), Alexandre Vinokourov (retired).
Stage races: Peter Velits, Vasil Kiryienka, Ivan Basso.
Hilly races: Robert Kiserlovski, Ben Hermans, Mikel Nieve.
Time trials: Vasil Kiryienka, Peter Velits.
Cobbled races: Assan Bazayev.
Sprints: Andrea Guardini, Chris Sutton, Leigh Howard.
BMC changed it's course in the transfer period. They're not aiming for climbers and puncheurs, but instead they have reinforced their northern classics team, as well as the sprinting squad.
Manuel Belletti (Team Type 1), Aidis Kruopis (Qantas), Filippo Pozzato (Katusha).
Alessandro Petacch i(Acqua et Sapone), Mauro Santambrogio (Radio Shack), Giovanni Visconti (Katusha).
Stage races: Jurgen Van den Broeck, Bauke Mollema.
Hilly races: Chris Anker Sorensen, Jurgen Van den Broeck, Filippo Pozzato.
Time trials: Taylor Phinney, Andreas Dietziker.
Cobbled races: Filippo Pozzato, Alessandro Ballan, Manuel Quinziato.
Sprints: Manuel Belletti, Aidis Kruopis.
After many years of sponsoring Belgian cycling (since 1985!), Lotto has stopped sponsoring a professional cycling team. They've been followed up by insurance company Dexia. And with the bigger amount of money, the team has become even stronger than last year. After the 2nd place in the World Tour, Dexia is aiming for the top spot.
Juan José Cobo (Nespresso), Koldo Fernández (Euskaltel), Simon Gerrans (Qantas), Alejandro Valverde (Colnago), Bradley Wiggins (Radio Shack).
Kristof Goddaert (Vacansoleil), Maxime Monfort (Sony Ericsson).
Stage races: Bradley Wiggins, Juan José Cobo, Alejandro Valverde.
Hilly races: Philippe Gilbert, Simon Gerrans, Alejandro Valverde.
Time trials: Bradley Wiggins, Edvald Boasson Hagen.
Cobbled races: Thor Hushovd, Phlippe Gilbert, Romain Zingle.
Sprints: Edvald Boasson Hagen, Matthew Goss, Koldo Fernández.
Classification:
The rest will follow wednesday.
Edited by dienblad on 03-10-2012 14:52
Due to finishing as 2nd Pro Continental team in the CQ-ranking, the French team of Europcar promotes to the World Tour. But strangely, the best riders of the team left. Voevkler, Kern and Gautie don't want to talk about it in the press, but rumour says that 1 of them had a fight with DS Jean-René Bernaudeau, possibly Thomas Voeckler!
Jimmy Casper (Saur), Rémy Di Gregorio (Bretagne), Arnold Jeanneson (FDJ), Christophe Le Mével (Garmin).
Cyril Gautier (Farnese Vini), Christophe Kern (Saur), David Malacarne (Liquigas), Adrien Petit (FDJ), Thomas Voeckler (Vacansoleil).
Stage races: Arnold Jeanneson, Christophe Le Mével.
Hilly races: Christophe Le Mével, Mathieu Sprick.
Time trials: -
Cobbled races: Grégory Rast, Sébastien Turgot.
Sprints: Sébastien Turgot, Yukiya Arashiro, Saïd Haddou.
Euskaltel had a good season in 2013, winning aGT for the 2nd year in a row with Antón. But the team was too dependent on him, and absolutely has become a stronger and more allround team for 2014.
Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky), Daniel Moreno (Katusha), Luis Leon Sánchez (Rabobank), Samuel Sánchez (Lampre), Francisco Ventoso (Movistar).
Mikel Astarloza (Movistar), Imanol Erviti (Caja Rural), Koldo Fernández (Dexia).
Stage races: Igor Antón, Samuel Sánchez, Beñat Intxausti.
Hilly races: Igor Antón, Daniel Moreno, David López.
Time trials: Luis León Sánchez, Beñat Intxausti.
Cobbled races: Juan Antonio Flecha.
Sprints: Francisco José Ventoso.
The most important transfer for Garmin, is Tyler Farrar returning to the team, with the goal of bringing them some sprint wins. Also 2 young American talents (Van Garderen, Talansky) return to the American based team. But nevertheless, the departure by Vansummeren, Hesjedal, Kiserlovski and Rojas will be difficult to replace. Except for Dan Martin, the team contains only American and French riders now.
William Bonnet (FDJ), Tyler Farrar (Omega Pharma), Tejay van Garderen (Colnago), Jérémy Roy (FDJ), Andrew Talansky (Radio Shack).
Ryder Hesjedal (Saxo Bank), Robert Kiserlovski (Astana), Michel Kreder (Sky), José Joaquín Rojas (Movistar), Johan Vansummeren (Rabobank).
Stage races: Daniel Martin, Tejay van Garderen.
Hilly races: Daniel Martin, Jérémy Roy.
Time trials: Tejay van Garderen, Andrew Talansky.
Cobbled races: Sylvain Chavanel, Tyler Farrar.
Sprints: Tuyler Farrar, William Bonnet, Charles Bradley Huff.
Classification: Edited by dienblad on 03-10-2012 15:01
Igor Makarov, head of the Russian global cycling project found a big bag with Russian rubles, and absolutely strenghtened the team with some new signings. Boonen for the cobbles, Visconti and World champion Gasparotto for the hills and Felline and Brutt for everything. Not bad.
Tom Boonen (Sony Ericsson), Pavel Brutt (Rabobank), Fabio Felline (Nespresso), Enrico Gasparotto (Astana), Giovanni Visconti (BMC).
Daniel Moreno (Euskaltel), Filippo Pozzato (BMC).
Stage races: Cadel Evans, Joaquím Rodríguez.
Hilly races: Joaquím Rodríguez, Giovanni Visconti, Cadel Evans.
Time trials: Cadel Evans.
Cobbled races: Tom Boonen, Fabio Felline, Vladimir Gusev.
Sprints: Tom Boonen, Denis Galimzyanov, Alexei Markov.
Without getting the important wins, Team Lampre managed to stay in the World Tour. The team hoped for Simon Spilak to finish near the podium in the Giro, but Spilak failed miserably. This winter, there were only a few changes for the team, so the team is about the same strength as last year.
Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas), Eros Capecchi (Liquigas).
Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel), Emanuelle Sella (Colnago).
Stage races: Simon Spilak.
Hilly races: Simon Spilak, Franco Pellizotti, Eros Capecchi.
Time trials: -
Cobbled races: -
Sprints: Giacomo Nizzolo, Grega Bole.
General Manager Eusebio Unzué of Movistar Team can look back very satisfied at the transfer period. The team has become a lot stronger with riders as Kreuziger and the return of JJ Rojas to the team.
Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel), Roman Kreuziger (Astana), JJ Rojas (Garmin), Raael Valls (Nespresso).
Óscar Freire (Caja Rural), David Lopez (Euskaltel), Ángel Madrazo (Sky), Francisco Ventoso (Euskaltel).
Stage races: Alberto Contador, Roman Kreuziger, Kanstantsin Siutsou.
Hilly races: Roman Kreuziger, Alberto Contador, Carlos Barredo.
Time trials: Alberto Contador, Roman Kreuziger, Ignatas Konovalovas.
Cobbled races: -
Sprints: José Joaquín Rojas, Enrique Sanz.
Classification: Edited by dienblad on 03-10-2012 15:06
