@trekbmc - First of many, but hopefully the remaining Poles will be young ones to develop and add to the national pool Thanks for the encouragement!

@jandal7 - I'm not quite sure if I've blown it, as my lead sprinter might be below 79, 80 in SP, ACC

You'll find out soon who, but for now, I'm quite happy with how things are shaking out. We do need some more leaders though...

@AbhishekLFC - Team management felt that a well-rounded approach to team composition would be ideal for scoring the most points in the hugely varied C2HC calendar. Hopefully that's what we've put together, but if others have decided to specialise, we might be in for a rough season Thanks for your words though in the meantime!

@Aquarius97 - Top 5 might be pushing it, but Mullen on the other hand, he might just have the power to rake in the points! Very excited for our TT contingent, and you're right, we've luckily secured them at a discount

@sgdanny - Fingers crossed we can get that Top 10 rank overall, as anything less than that would be a failure on one of our soon-to-be-announced goals. The real exciting signing is coming later, however, so I hope we can improve on that 'perfection' Thank you for the support, you and trekbmc have been so helpful, much appreciated

@ryant - We're very happy with the leaders we've secured already, but even more excited at the price we've managed to bring them in. That opens up some room to bring in the real GC contender we need to be challenging the likes of Tvetcov

@Eden95 - Thank you for dropping out of that race! Mullen will be one of our key point scorers this season, as will Havik be. I'm excited to see what the kick of Havik looks like on some of the cobbled races!

@whitejersey - Thank you mate! Good luck with putting together that rival Gold team of yours, we'll be meeting you out on the course!

With our biggest salary outlay of the season, this newly acquired rider will make or break our season. He is surrounded further by a number of domestiques, with a heavily Polish influence. Here he is, the Big Kahuna!

With Beltran and Valls entering the CT division, team management knew it needed to bring in a top-class mountain and TT rider to ride stage races. Penasa is exactly that man. With experience in the PT, riding for Jayco's in 2016, Penasa will be counted on to use his recovery and stamina over lengthier races to bring home the points. Kulczyk - DMTEX's season hopes ride on the shoulders of the Italian.

The man to take some of the pressure off Penasa will be his compatriot, Pozzo. Though useless on time trials, he will be of great assistance in the mountains, and can help Penasa on the downhill sections of courses so he doesn't fall out of the peloton on the technical descents. Pozzo's assistance will be vital this season, and Kulczyk is thrilled to bring him in on such a cheap wage.

DMTEX's French quota is filled with the addition of Jérôme. The sage 33-year-old is the geriatric addition to the roster, and he provides much needed skill on cobbles. To position Havik for success at the finale of races, Jérôme's expertise will be needed, particularly on the hills, where Havik struggles. This was a necessary addition to the squad.

Dabkowski, another Polish rider to add to the roster, will provide valuable assistance (and race days) on sprinting-oriented races. Though he doesn't pack the punch of Hochmann, he can survive over the hills, and critically also recovers well, meaning he won't expire midway through a stage race. The first of our unmaxed riders will unfortunately not reach his full potential this season with Kulczyk - DMTEX as the team plies its trade in the CT division. However, he is an investment in the future of Polish riding.

Laton, arguably the next Konrad Dabkowski, is also an investment in the future of Polish riding. At 24 years of age, he is unfortunately unable to take part in the Tour de l'Avenir, but he will secure plenty of seat time due to his all-round skillset. Another Polish addition to the squad, which team management is pleased about.

Kulczyk - DMTEX's capture of Jiri Hochmann's and Yoeri Havik's signatures means the sprinting leadership is up for grabs. To further complicate matters, the team has decided to bring in one further sprinter, along with a loanee that was gifted out of the kindness of fellow Polish team Fablok - Bank BGZ's heart. We thank sgdanny profusely for his generosity.

After riding for Irish team Banc na hÉireann in 2016, Sam Bennett will bring his talents to Eastern Europe. Possessing the kick of 12 leprechauns, Bennett represents Kulczyk's hopes of a top-level CT sprinter in the ranks. With multiple bids made and surpassed on other riders, Bennett was somewhat of a plan Z, but his sprint and acceleration abilities are nothing to laugh at. Though the hierarchy at the conclusion of races will be between Hochmann, Havik and Bennett to decide, the sprint train out of Poland looks formidable.

Geoghegan Hart, a late addition to the Kulczyk squad, will further augment the English-speaking contingent of the roster, and may serve to make the case for a reversal of Brexit, should his talents be highlighted in the European roster. This talent will be joining on loan from Fablok - Bank BGZ, with a view to increase his ability through some vital experience in the CT division. He will accompany the squad to a variety of terrains, and will need to show some grit to get through the tougher races, perhaps a bit of Hart (the writer will get his coat).

@matt17br - Definitely noticed We had a need to bring in a top 5 rider, and I think we've got our guy. You're right though, with the increased quality, it's so difficult to tell how everyone's season will pan out! Thank you, we're very happy with how the transfer season has gone!

@jandal7 - Can't wait to see the races either, but you're spot on, hopefully we can avoid each other if at all possible. Not looking forward to seeing that sweet Xero jersey out there in the peloton!

@knockout - Thanks mate, means a lot coming from a PT legend

@ryant - Hadn't been following the trades and loans section close enough, I'd missed that Great news for those of us left in CT, but scary thinking what Azteca will replace Beltran with...

It will be a tight race at the top, but I'm just looking for a top 5 individual finish!

Croatia14 - Thank you mate, hopefully results are as good as the looks

@sgdanny - The pleasure is all mine, hopefully Kulczyk - DMTEX can follow in the footsteps of the Polish sensei.

weirdskyfan64 - Thanks mate! Looks can be deceiving though, so I'll need to put some thought into start lists

@tastasol - Thanks mate! Though since you've written that, some amazing teams have been stacked up in CT. This is going to be a tricky year in which smart planning will really help some teams and hurt others. Need to have some luck, and some good strategy to combat a CT division this strong.

Booker wrote:
@knockout - Thanks mate, means a lot coming from a PT legend

knockout wrote:


Slow down mate. I've only been in PT for a single season

Aquarius97 wrote:


PT LEGEND HE SAID

@Tamijo - Thanks mate, looking forward to the battles out on the CT courses this year! Should be exciting

Kulczyk Investments made their present investment in the sponsorship of Kulczyk - DMTEX contingent upon the team developing future generations of Polish riders. Their insistence on that point has led the team to sign two new riders, both of whom possess the potential to become two of Poland's strongest riders, well in the future. Though it is doubtful they will approach the levels of Kwiatkowski, Majka, or Wisniowski, they could reach the following tier, should training and seat team be used well.

Konwa is the first youth signing for Kulczyk - DMTEX, though his ability to push through all terrains will make him a useful squad member as he sees the CT courses for the first time. He will gain valuable seat time this season, and will be well trained as an all-around rider to be an invaluable helper down the line.

Though Paluta is similar to Konwa in that he will be taking a background role in seeing the courses for the first time, riding for the first time in the pro peloton as well, he has a couple characteristics that could put him in place to succeed from the off. The team would like to see Paluta in a couple breakaways due to his combative nature, and with a couple years of training to come, he could potentially be fighting everyone on the course.