2017 wasn't the year for ivaneurope and his VMP - Argon 18 outfit in the MGUCI circuit. Despite the new look and some decent signings, the team's performance was far from good. In fact in the final weeks he was jumped over by Statoil - something that came out of nowhere. Now that the season is almost wraped up and with only the World and National championships to go here's what he said to our MGUCI reporter:

"The season was one big letdown. Despite our best efforts, we didn't met the expectation and ultimately this was the result - last place."

He also said that he would not look back and try to move on as the 2018 season preparations are comming. With the influx of new sponsors and new color scheme to match with the colors of their new main sponsor Adastra, there is a hope that the team may get out of the dropzone.

"The negotianions were long, but fruitful. I'm pleased that sponsors like Adastra, Wagner/Punch, Errea, Citroen and Mtel decided to invest in our team. Now, I've talked with them shortly after the season and told them about the season's results. Many would bail out, but I was assured that they are staying commited to the team and are ready to finance it."

The future was one of the topics that were most interesting. The recent announcement that some of the riders would be shown the door and uncertainty for others led to interesting rumours. One of them was Grega Bole - the Slovenian sprinter. While his season wasn't the best, many experts say that Bole could be still of use.

"The situation with Bole is unlike any other rider in the team. Sure, his season wasn't the best and I am inclined to make final judgement his fate after the nationals, but some of my MG colleagues have said that he may be still have some purpose. The renewals will show who will stay and who not."

With every team that is planning huge makeover, it's thought that these teams would be the most active in the transfer market. One question was raised about other riders from Bulgaria - specificaly those from Podium Ambition. The recent announcement of the 2018 plans by TMM left the fate of riders such as Stoenchev, Hristov and Grashev on the balance.

"You know now it's not the time to talk about transfer targets. It is against the rules. As far as I'm concerned TMM does not intend to sell them and will probably not change his mind. Again as I've said - the renewals will see who remains or not."

knockout wrote:
Completely agree with Scorchio. C1 is not the location for a rider like Bole. Having managed Geschke for two years i speak from experience. However he will still be a valuable ct asset (if he doesnt decline?) And i would recommend to renew him. You have many riders who deserve the cut - Grega isnt one of them.

In a decision which came out of nowhere, Ukrainian mining and steel company Metinvest announced their decision to come back in cycling. However they would be doing it as a minor sponsor to Adastra - Argon 18 for the 2018 seaso.

The decision was made by Anastasiya Klymenko, head of PR and marketing of Metinvest Group. "Cycling was, is and always will be part of Metinvest Group's DNA and it was in our best interests to reach a deal with Adastra - Argon 18." Klymenko also added that Metinvest's minor sponsorship role would not affect their long-running involvement in cycling.

Metinvest's last venture with cycling was in 2016 with the Metinvest-Dacia squad managed by Avin Wargunnson. It came as a shock when Ruslan Popov, who is also a big fan of cycling, decided to pull the plug on his sponsorship and rather spending time searching for new sponsor the team closed doors. Since then the sponsorship part was transfered to the PR and marketing department, which at the time was headed by Kostyantyn Mykytyuk. Mykytyk prefered having more lucrative deals with football clubs, but in mid-2017 the 36 years old Klymenko, whose father is Serguey Klymenko (former cyclist for USSR), took charge of the PR and marketing department. The family ties and Popov's love for the sport were most likely the catalyst for the sudden change of heart and return to cycling abeit in lesser role.

"We're happy to have Metinvest as part of the team's sponsors portfolio. They have successful tenure in the sport, well respected and we're happy to have them on board.", said Andrey Zeits, sporting director of the team.

While the national championships are still in progress, for VMP - Argon 18 the most important of them - the Bulgarian nationals - has concluded. The road race saw the team narrowly missing the podium with Stanislav Zaraliev, who was beaten by Netia's youngster Iliyan Kolev. In the Individual Time Trail however the team's TT squadron of Zaraliev and Nikolay Mihaylov shined bright. Mihaylov won the ITT NC event with Zaraliev behind him making VMP 1-2 in the event. Third was Valentin Stoenchev of Podium Ambition, who was the bookmakers and pundits' favorite to win the event.

The team, which would soon be Adastra - Argon 18, is still in restructuring phase, but the results in the NC events was however convincing enough to put Mihaylov and Zaraliev on the safe list alongside their compatriot Petar Panayotov. Both are considered the backbone of the team and are here from the very begining after previous stint with the TheManxMissile's team when it was called Lulemon-Blackfish (now Podium Ambition). This means that the Bulgaria TT NC jersey will be in the team.

It is unknown how the other ride would be filled. It's reported that the duo from Romania - Bedros and Petrache - is also set to continue with the team as well as Thomas Degand. The team is still unsure on whether or not to retain the services of Grega Bole. Also the team is linked with some of Podium Ambition's riders with Stoenchev being the most rumoured rider to move in the Bulgarian/Canadian team. But so far no one confirms this.