A good signing for us. Rasmussen isn't a star, but he's a great man against the clock, and is also a good leadout. And he's a great track cyclist. We just need him to stay away from any hill/mountain, since he won't survive that. Oh, and yes, he might 'forgot' to follow some of the rules in the past years, but he promised that he will stick to the rules from now on.
Another signing where we're happy with. We consider him more a star than Rasmussen, he's one of the best uphill sprinters from the world. He's also very usable on the cobbles. He will be a domestique in all the classics(Hilly + Cobbles) and will most likely join a GT with many uphill sprints. He's also a good leadout for Veenhof if necassary. He's just 26 years old, so he got a big career in front of him. We hope that he stays with us, and that he will be happy in this team.
Johnny Hoogerland, you know, the guy who got hit by a TdF car, and ended up in the barbed wire in 2011, signed with us. Our first priority was Lieuwe Westra, but we couldn't get him. This is still a great rider. He's 28 years old, and a good fighter. We can also use him on the hilly classics and cobbled classics. We've got a great cobbles and hills team right now. I think you noticed that we won't go for a GT win, at least not in all GT's. We've got some great people for stage wins right now. Voeckler, Hoogerland, Ruiter and Schleck for hills/mountains, Rasmussen and Boom for TT's(mainly PRL's) and Veenhof and Bole for the sprints. The transfer period will close for almost a week now, but expect some nice signings after that.
I'm very happy to be working with the riders currently signed by ING. Johnny (Hoogerland), Thomas (Voeckler) and Tom (Boonen) are some of my favorite cyclist. I'll hope to have a great time with them and every other riders that are now in the team and will sign with the team in the future
Hello, here is a new edition of the ING Cycling Magazine.
Again, much news. We’ve already signed 11 cyclists! You can find out who they are and what they can do further in this magazine. Of course, the other teams didn’t sit still too. As usual, we have an interview again, and we carefully decided the team roles and goals for the upcoming season.
Part 1: The new signings
Part 2: The team roles
Part 3: The team goals
Part 4: The classics
Part 5: Interview with Nairo Quintana
Part 6: Happy sponsors (and Mascot)
The new signings
Nairo Quintana (21)
Quintana is one of the strongest climbers of the new generation. He’s a big talent. He has the same problem as Schleck, he’s just no time-trialist. That’s no problem, he will not be our GT man, he will just go for stage wins and will be a domestique. His contract is just 1 year, but we’re open for negotiating.
Lars Boom (26)
He signed a contract for two years. He will be the last protector for Boonen in the cobbled classics. Although he is able to win on his own.
Greg van Avermaet (26)
He signed a long contract, of 3 years. He’s a great hilly rider, among the best of the world. He’s also very usable on the cobbles, and as a leadout. Will possibly join a GT, also for stage wins.
Alex Rasmussen (27)
Now that’s a surprise isn’t it? No team saw it coming that we signed him. He wasn’t our priority though, but he was really interested in our team, and why not? He’s great in battles against the clock especially in prologues. He’s also a good sprinter. He just got a 1 year contract, but we think that we’re going to renew it.
Grega Bole (26)
This guy is a great uphill sprinter. Also a very nice guy. He might even be a serious contender for short steep hill finishes, since there aren’t that much sprinters better on the hill than he is. He will stay at least 2 years on the team.
Johnny Hoogerland (28)
You might remember this picture. It was taken the afternoon after he ended up in the barbed wire. He finished the stage, bathing in this own blood. A true legend. He’s a great fighter, and he can also win stages in for example a break. Is also a good domestique.
The team roles
We’ve already assigned the team roles for our 11 cyclists.
Absolute leaders
Tom Boonen
Cobbles
1 year contract
Thomas Voeckler
Hills
2 years contract
Fränk Schleck
Mountains
3 years contract
Protected riders
Lars Boom
Cobbles/ TT
2 years contract
Johan Veenhof
Sprinter
2 years contract
Mathijs Ruiter
Mountains
2 years contract
Greg van Avermaet
Hills
3 years contract
Luxury team mates
Johnny Hoogerland
Fighter
3 years contract
Grega Bole
(Uphill) Sprinter
2 years contract
Alex Rasmussen
TT/sprinter
1 year contract
Talents
Nairo Quintana
Climber
1 year contact
The team goals
Of course, after 11 great signings, we can decide our goals. The calendar isn’t officially revealed yet, but most of the calendar is known.
*****
Win – RvV/Paris-Roubaix
****
Top 3 – Amstel Gold Race
***
Top 3 – Eneco Tour
**
Top 5 – Giro D’Italia
*
KoM jersey – Tour de France. Top 3 – Tirreno-Adriatico. Stage win – All GT’s.
The cobbled classics
The cobbled classics are our main goal for this season. We have the best cobbler in the world, Tom Boonen. And also the about 7th cobbler in the world, Lars Boom. It will be very interesting. We’re not the only team with a great cobbles squad. Especially team Motorex will be a strong rival. They’ve got a strong cobbled team with Cancellara, Pozatto, Turgot and Ladagnous. But we’ve got some great cobble domestiques too. Van Avermaet, Hoogerland and Bole are also good cobbled riders.
We can’t wait for the cobbled classics to start.
The hilly classics
The hilly classics are also very interesting. The Amstel gold race is very interesting for us, but the other hilly classics are also our aim. With Voeckler, Bole, Van Avermaet and Schleck, we have a very good team. There are other great teams for the hills though. ITV got Valverde, Andy Schleck and Vanendert. Allianz-BMW got Joaquim Rodriguez and Samuel Sanchez. Lierse got Phillipe Gilbert, and last but not least, Domino got Danny Pate!
A great battle awaits, we can’t wait until March
Interview with Nairo Quintana
This week, Thijs Zonneveld travelled to Colombia. You can guess what he was doing there. He was there to interview talent Nairo Quintana. He was already training hard in the Colombian mountains.
He didn’t mind a short break for a short interview. The interview didn’t go as easy as it looks, Nairo’s English isn’t that good. Luckily Thijs knows the basics of Spanish. We translated it for you. Thijs Zonneveld: Already training hard I see?
Nairo Quintana: Yeah, I have to, I want to be the best climber in the world, or at least the best Colombian one. TZ: Yeah, do you think ING is the perfect team for that?
NQ: I don’t know, I think so yeah, I can learn much from Fränk, and I get plenty of own opportunities here. TZ: Yeah, you got enough opportunities, but don’t you think that the team is too weak climbing-wise?
NQ: Well, maybe they aren’t the strongest team in climbing, but we aren’t bad. Fränk Schleck is one of the uhm… Let’s say 15 climbers in the world. I’m not that bad either. TZ: Is it true that you’re going to focus on stage wins, instead of the GC?
NQ: Yeah. Fränk and maybe Thomas are going for a good GC position, Johnny, Ruiter and I are going for some mountain wins. But I might also go for the KoM jersey. TZ: But isn’t Voeckler going for the KoM?
NQ: Yeah, but he can’t get it on every GT of course. But indeed, we’re going for the KoM jersey in every GT, we’ve got enough quality to get it. TZ: Do you have other goals for this season?
NQ: Yeah, the Spanish one-week races(Catalunya+Pais Vasco) seem interesting. TZ: Okay, thanks for the interview
NQ: Well, thanks for travelling all the way to Colombia
Happy sponsors (and Mascot)
Our sponsors are currently happy. We’ve signed some great riders, plus we’ve got the % of riders they wanted. We currently have 36 per cent of our cyclist Dutch and 18 per cent Belgian. ING demanded that there have to be 35% Dutch cyclists, and InBev wanted 15% of the cyclists Belgian. So if we keep going like this, the sponsors will be very happy.
Oh, and Tommy is happy too, and he can now relax:
Next up in ING Cycling magazine:
- More signings
- More interviews
- The team roster(as far as it’s known by then)
- And more
Being very happy with our signings, we decided to organise a Christmas dinner for everyone in our team. Of course, their families were invited too. It would be rude to take a photo while we are having dinner, so I took a photo of the dining room just before the dinner starts.
Here it is. We're are going to enjoy it for sure. We hope that everyone will enjoy Christmas just as much as we do.
A spokesman of ING - InBev Cycling Team said to the press today that the team is anything but content with the routes. As the Giro does often lack TT kilometers, the sponsor targeted the Giro as a goal. With F.Schleck, Quintana and Ruiter, they have a team that lacks TT ability. But the Giro route will not lack TT kms this year. About 92km of TTs are in the Giro this year. Yes, some of it is TTT, but we were planning to send a strong climbers team, and that means that we won't do well in the TTT.
The Tour de France is also something where the team isn't happy with. It got even more TT kms, but the team expected that. The problem is that Voeckler was aiming for the KoM jersey, but it turns out that most of the points available are distributed at the finish, because there are many summit finishes. That makes it harder for Voeckler to get the KoM. The Vuelta is okay. Not that many TT kms. The problem is that all the Spain riders are going to aim for the Vuelta.
More information about the routes will follow in the magazine.
We’re back with a new edition of the ING Cycling magazine.
The transfer market was closed this week, but does it mean that there is no news? NO! A lot happened. Of course, we have an interview, with Lars Boom this time. But we start with the latest news. As promised, we can show you the team roster this week. The biggest news is that the WT routes that were not revealed yet, are now revealed. A big part of this magazine is about the routes, because some of them were really shocking. We even have to change our goals because of them. You will all read that in the magazine.
Part 1: Latest news
Part 2: Team-roster
Part 3: WT race Routes
Part 4: NC Routes
Part 5: Team goals
Part 6: Interview with Lars Boom
Part 7: Mascot news
Latest news
National Championship Jersey
As you know, we have two riders who ride in a special jersey until now. Grega Bole will ride in his Slovenian jersey, and Fränk Schleck will ride in the Luxembourgian jersey. Thomas Voeckler and Tom Boonen also have a special ‘bracelet’. Voeckler the French NC bracelet, since he won it earlier. Tom Boonen will wear a bracelet in the rainbow colours. And this would be the time of the year to present the jersey Fränk and Grega would be wearing. We’ve ordered the jerseys at our jersey designer, the famous Jakstar22. Unfortunately, he was just on holiday. No problem, you just have to have a bit patience.
Routes revealed
As said, the routes were revealed a few days ago. They decided to do it different this year. Even Cycling suffers because of the crisis. They decided to present most of the routes at the same occasion. Everyone was invited, and there was of course a big party after that, as always. Not that we were so happy with the routes, but we don’t mind some Champagne.
Our rivals presented their goals
Our rivals, Lierse – Pizza Ullo, presented their goals. Of course, we have to watch them, since they aim for Belgian riders, and are also our rivals in the Ardennes. Their main goals are the Giro d’Italia and the monuments. They want a win at the Giro. Very ambitious. They realised that Roubaix will be hard, also because well, We. They also aim for some Ardennes wins. We think that we can’t stop them at their Giro goal, but we can stop them at the Ardennes and cobbles.
Team roster
Well, here’s a team roster. You know their names and speciality, but not their ‘stats’. We tried to make an accurate overview of their abilities, numbering from 50-85. Here it is.
There aren’t a lot of NC’s where we have interest. We have a summary of them. Belgian RR:
A very hilly profile. That’s great, because we have Van Avermaet. But there’s also Gilbert. A cobbled or flat profile would therefore be better, since we have Boonen, the best of the country in both of these things. Happiness: Colombia RR:
Hilly, and it will always be hilly. Quintana is better at mountains though. Denmark RR:
It’s a stage for the sprinters. We’re happy with that, since Rasmussen is one of the stronger sprinters. There are more sprinters from his level, for example Breschel and Jorgensen. There wouldn’t be a profile better for Rasmussen though, although there’s a small hill close to the finish. Happiness: Dutch RR:
Our most important race. It’s the ‘hel of het Mergelland’ or ‘Volta Limburg classic’ profile. That means a lot of narrow hills in the first part, but most of the time a nice sprint at the end. We’ve got the best sprinter of the country. Boom can be a nice leadout, but we prefer a better one. This race is important for us. We’re very happy about the profile.
Happiness: France RR:
It's cobbled. Voeckler doesn't really like that, although he's not that bad on it either. Happiness: Team goals
We changed the team goals.
Importance
Race
Goal
*****
RvV/Paris-Roubaix
Win at least one of them
****
Amstel Gold Race
Top 3
***
All GT’s
Total of at least 5 stage-wins
**
Eneco Tour/
Top 3
**
Vuelta a Espana
Top 5
**
Paris-Nice
Top 5
*
Tour de Romandie
Top 3
*
Dutch NC
Win
*
All GT’s
Grab a KoM jersey
There are a lot of goals where we count on Voeckler and Boonen. That's obvious, because their great. As you can see, we do focus about many monuments, either hilly or cobbled. Our focus isn't really at the GT's. Yes, we want 5 stage-wins, and we think that's easy achieveable with this squad. We will send a strong climbers team to the Vuelta, since we may have a good chance there. After we saw the routes, we also chose some smaller races. Romandië and Paris-Nice have a great route for our squad. The Eneco Tour was a goal of us anyway, it's in the BeNeLux, and it's one of Boom's favourite races. With Veenhof in our team, we just have to win the NC, since it will most likely be a sprint.
Interview with Lars Boom
Lars Boom was present at the routes presentation. Zonneveld was there too, and since we were lurking for an opportunity to interview him, we would just do it out there. It was of course about the route, but also about the role that Lars Boom will fulfil in the upcoming season. Thijs Zonneveld: Hello, what do you think of the routes?
Lars Boom: Well, I’m happy with the races I set as my personal goals, but there are some disappointments for the team, for example the Giro. TZ: Yeah, there are no hilly stages, what do you think of that?
LB: Well, it’s ridiculous. There have to be hilly stages in it. Always been, always have to stay there. It’s of course a setback for Voeckler, who aimed at some stage wins in the Giro. He can still do that, but he’s better at the hills. TZ: I heard you talking about your personal goals. What are they?
LB: Well, of course, the cobbled classics. But also the Eneco Tour, the NC, one of the stage-races in early March, and the Vuelta, since I think that I can be useful there. TZ: Eneco seems to suit you perfectly
LB: Yeah, plenty of cobbles, plenty of TT kms, and even cobbled TT kms. It suits my specialisations perfectly. It also suits Cancellara though. Hope he won’t come, honestly. TZ: Why do you aim for the GC?
LB: Well, I saw myself as one of the favourites at first, because I expected a more hilly profile. It’s now mainly flat, but still, I can win it by an attack(my flat ability is very good), and otherwise I can be a good leadout for Veenhof. TZ: Can you live with your role at the cobbled classics?
LB: Yes. Boonen is one of the best, so I protect him if necessary, that’s just fair. I will have a free role the most of the time though, and if Boonen doesn’t feel good, I go for it, and I can still win it. TZ: Aren’t you one of the best too?
LB: *laughs* Maybe. But I’m sure that Boonen is better. I’ve got a few years left to get better though. TZ: Can Boonen and you beat the Swiss machine?
LB: Yes, yes we can. I admit it, he got a strong cobbles team too. But he won’t beat Boonen in a sprint, and I’m sure that Boonen can stay in the same group as him. And maybe I can do that too. TZ: Where can you help the team with in the Vuelta?
LB: Well, at least at the starting TTT. I can also grab a stage win I guess, although not on the real mountain stages. I think I’m also very capable as domestique(not on the mountains) and usable in the sprint train. TZ: Thanks for the time. Good luck this season!
LB: Thanks, see ya.
Mascot News
There wasn’t too much to do these days for the mascot. Tommy didn’t meet new riders, and didn’t see the riders a lot, since there was no training camp or race. Tommy got a bit bored, and he misses the riders, especially Thomas(Voeckler). He decided to sleep a lot, so that the time passes faster, and it looks like that the transfer period starts earlier, so that Tommy meets new friends. Smart cat.
Next week in ING Cycling Magazine
- Our new signings
- NC jerseys(hopefully)
- An interview
- Maybe some news about the mascot
- And more
Edited by Jesleyh on 05-01-2013 17:12
signs for ING
signs for 2 years
signs for 3 years
: Already revealed, 0km TT, 2 hilly stages. Looks good. Happiness: 
: Starts with a (quite long) hilly TT. 2 hilly stages and a flat stage later, there will be a huge climb. If Ruiter recovers good, what he has time for, because the stage before is flat, you never know what happens. After that there’s a stage with a few small hills, and it ends with a flat stage. The TT is too long to get a good GC. Happiness: 
: This is normally a stage-race with plenty of hills. It isn’t this time. 4 big mountain stages, and the others flat. The flat stages are all slightly uphill. Veenhof & Bole will be okay with that. The route is nice for Ruiter too. Happiness: 
: Interesting. Starts with a prologue. The second stage is flat, and after that there’s a mountain stage, but it doesn’t end on a huge mountain, just average. After that, there’s a big mountain TT. Then 2 hilly stages. Seems a good goal for Ruiter, not too many long mountain stages, so no recovery problems. Happiness: 
: Was also known. 4 sprinter stages and 3 hilly stages. One of the hilly stages might also be won by a sprinter. Nice goal for the sprinters. GC/hills happiness: 
Also announced earlier. Great for the sprinters. 3 sprinter stages, but I guess that 1 of the hilly stages will be one by an uphill sprinter. The other stage is up to a hill, at least they say that, but I say that’s a mountain. 
