@Croatia: The base looks better and younger too. While we wish we could've kept some of the riders released, it didn't work out last year and we wanted to try something else this time around.
@Fabianski: Kelderman really is the perfect signing for us, and I think getting him, Inkelaar and Eenkhoorn in puts a big smile on the sponsors faces Looking forward to seeing how the loan-ins get on. We do believe they'll have a contribution to make for sure.
Marquez joins us from T-Mobile, as a part of the deal which took Sergio Henao in the opposite direction. He will play the role of the premier climber in our squad, and we will be looking forward to taking advantage of his attacking mentality. As the sole marquee signing for this discipline, and the high number of race days in this terrain, he will have a lot of responsibility to bring in the points.
We got him For a year The Swiss talent which excited everyone, will ride in our colours for the coming season. We tied up with our friends at Centovalli - Fiat once again to take the dynamic rider on loan on a wage sharing basis.
Stats
OVL
FLA
MON
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FTR
DHI
PRL
73.16
72
65
73
66
75
71
68
55
73
75
76
69
70
Thomas Boudat| Talent | Loaned In
Age: 25 | Wage: 55,000
Yet another loan-in. Yet another association with Centoavalli - Fiat! We found a good ally for the season in our Swiss-Italian friends which allowed us to help each other out with various loan deals (updates of loan-outs will be shared later). Thomas Boudat will add more firepower to our flat and sprint squad in support of Saber.
The Belgian cobble-sprint rider will spend the season at Generali in the PT to complete his development. We're excited to have him back at full development.
Stats
OVL
FLA
MON
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FTR
DHI
PRL
73.57
73
60
66
66
73
73
69
75
74
73
68
65
68
Classics
74
60
67
66
74
74
70
77
74
73
69
65
68
Cobbles
74
60
66
66
75
74
70
77
75
73
68
65
68
Sprinter
75
60
66
66
74
73
70
76
76
75
68
65
68
Lennard Hofstede| Terms: 3.63 -> 4
Hofstede has been with our squad since joining as a Stagiare in our first season back in 2017. He joins Delvaux on loan to continue his development.
OVL
FLA
MON
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FTR
DHI
PRL
70.22
68
66
71
61
70
69
69
61
60
70
74
70
61
2020
68
69
73
62
71
70
71
61
60
72
77
71
62
Pascal Eenkhoorn| Terms: Level 1.00 -> 3
One half of our Dutch climbing future is on his way to Centovalli - Fiat in the CT this season, to gain experience and come back a stronger rider.
OVL
FLA
MON
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FTR
DHI
PRL
69.26
69
69
67
64
70
72
73
65
64
68
66
66
70
2020
69
73
70
64
71
74
76
65
64
71
69
66
70
We thank all teams that have taken our riders (including Minali, announced earlier) on loan for the season and hope they'll be useful for the respective teams. A special thank you to Centovalli - Fiat for our total four loan deals this season.
The incomings continue as we start wrapping up our transfer dealings for this year. We are please to announce three more riders who'll be riding in our colours for the coming season.
Havik is a rider who has been our radar since we started as a team in 2017, and finally joins us from Free Agency after a strenuous bidding war which lasted almost the entire duration of the transfer window! He will be an extremely useful rider in both sprints and cobbles, playing second fiddle to Saber in most races, but will surely get some leadership opportunities of his own.
Le Gac joins us a part of the deal that took Rui Costa to Euskaltel - Elior. He will be a domestique to Kelderman in the hills, joining up with Palini to fulfill a very important position in the team.
Our association with Slovenian cycling and Isostar (now co-sponsored by LimeBike) continues with the incoming of Korosec as a punchy sprinter. If he is anywhere near as exciting as our previous talent import from our Slovenian friends, a certain David Per, we'll have made a great signing.
Our last full signing is the Austrian puncher Grossschartner, who joins us in a rider plus cash swap. He adds to the firepower in the Kelderman hills train and is still to reach his full potential. Given our calendar however, it is unlikely he will reach his maximum potential this season. We don't mind stretching out his development as we believe he will be an important part of our team presently and in the future.
We made our last signing of the season in the closing minutes of the transfer window. Paret-Peintre joins the team as a Stagiare and will start riding with us regularly from the month of August. He will also ride any C2 races we choose to go before that time.
Stats
OVL
FLA
MON
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FTR
DHI
PRL
69.15
64
69
68
66
70
67
70
58
67
67
62
66
64
Climber v1
64
76
72
66
71
71
75
58
67
72
69
67
64
Stage Races
65
76
71
71
75
72
77
58
67
68
62
66
69
Puncher
65
72
75
66
75
70
73
58
68
72
66
67
64
Departure
Jaoa Costa | Terms: Part of Grossschartner deal
Our final and sixth departure of the season, and incidentally, the only rider to be sold from among those who joined us in CT in 2017 and was renewed both years. Costa has been a very useful rider for us in the two seasons he was a part of our squad. We wish him well as he moves up to the PT to join our friends at SPAR – Shimano SCG, in the deal which allowed Grossschartner to move in the opposite direction.
With that we conclude our transfer dealings for the 2019 season. It has been a window of huge turnover, with a total of 8 FA signings, 7 loan deals and 8 transfer deals negotiated. Just six riders from our 2018 season will ride with us this season, and two more have been loaned out. We entered the transfer window with a target of an overhaul and we've managed that. A full overview of our final team will be put up soon. Stay tuned for that and much more in our HQ over the coming days...
It's time to announce our team for the 2019 season. We entered the transfer window with the aim of an overhaul after the disappointing outcome last season. We were mostly able to achieve our target of signing younger leaders, while also improving our depth in the hills and sprints.
2019 Roster
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CO
SP
AC
FT
DH
PR
Wilco Kelderman
70
71
82
70
80
75
73
62
67
72
77
71
70
Lahcen Saber
75
62
68
64
74
72
78
76
81
79
63
68
70
Florentino Marquez
68
80
71
70
70
78
77
51
61
80
75
64
70
Andrea Palini
69
70
78
66
75
68
69
54
68
74
69
61
66
Yoeri Havik
73
56
64
56
74
68
75
76
79
76
60
64
66
Wouter Wippert
70
56
67
59
75
70
80
61
78
82
58
67
74
Remco Te Brake
75
56
64
61
74
72
80
66
79
76
65
74
75
Olivier Le Gac
70
69
77
60
73
74
71
52
64
69
74
73
60
Romain Bardet
66
77
74
59
72
70
71
51
52
75
67
71
59
Wout Poels
68
74
68
72
78
78
77
61
56
69
68
73
72
Felix Grossschartner
67
72
75
67
72
72
71
50
62
70
69
68
69
Rok Korosec
70
67
73
68
72
70
66
62
74
76
69
69
71
Fabian Lienhard
72
65
73
66
75
71
68
55
73
75
76
69
70
R. Van Zandbeek
73
58
69
76
71
71
72
64
61
69
75
73
76
Jasper Bovenhuis
73
58
71
59
74
70
72
74
62
68
79
65
59
Pim Ligthart
72
54
58
78
72
66
68
60
70
74
69
66
78
Thomas Boudat
69
51
67
61
69
70
69
58
74
74
62
65
74
Kevin Inkelaar
63
73
67
61
72
71
73
56
60
71
66
69
61
Ryan Gibbons
71
59
64
66
70
69
64
59
73
74
65
67
70
Piet Allegaert
71
56
63
65
70
71
61
70
64
71
67
65
66
A. Paret - Peintre
64
69
68
66
70
67
70
58
67
67
62
66
64
Jonas Bokeloh
66
61
67
60
66
66
64
62
71
70
61
69
64
Climbers
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CO
SP
AC
FT
DH
PR
Florentino Marquez
68
80
71
70
70
78
77
51
61
80
75
64
70
Romain Bardet
66
77
74
59
72
70
71
51
52
75
67
71
59
Wout Poels
68
74
68
72
78
78
77
61
56
69
68
73
72
Kevin Inkelaar
63
73
67
61
72
71
73
56
60
71
66
69
61
Felix Grossschartner
67
72
75
67
72
72
71
50
62
70
69
68
69
A. Paret - Peintre
64
69
68
66
70
67
70
58
67
67
62
66
64
Marquez will be the leader of our climbing squad. He is an attacking rider by nature and we are counting on the same, not having strengthened his backup too much. Bardet rejoins us as a luxury domestique, but is also expected to get some leadership opportunities. Poels and youngster Inkelaar will perform a lot of the leg-work. Grossschartner, while primarily a puncher, is also expected to help out the climbing team in certain races.
Punchers
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CO
SP
AC
FT
DH
PR
Wilco Kelderman
70
71
82
70
80
75
73
62
67
72
77
71
70
Andrea Palini
69
70
78
66
75
68
69
54
68
74
69
61
66
Olivier Le Gac
70
69
77
60
73
74
71
52
64
69
74
73
60
Felix Grossschartner
67
72
75
67
72
72
71
50
62
70
69
68
69
Rok Korosec
70
67
73
68
72
70
66
62
74
76
69
69
71
Fabian Lienhard
72
65
73
66
75
71
68
55
73
75
76
69
70
Star signing Kelderman leads our hills setup, with Palini and Le Gac likely to shadow him all through the season. Palini is likely to get a couple of leadership opportunities. Grossschartner will also serve primarily as a domestique to Kelderman. Korosec and Lienhard are expected to help out in this department, as and when required.
Sprinters
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CO
SP
AC
FT
DH
PR
Lahcen Saber
75
62
68
64
74
72
78
76
81
79
63
68
70
Yoeri Havik
73
56
64
56
74
68
75
76
79
76
60
64
66
Wouter Wippert
70
56
67
59
75
70
80
61
78
82
58
67
74
Remco Te Brake
75
56
64
61
74
72
80
66
79
76
65
74
75
Rok Korosec
70
67
73
68
72
70
66
62
74
76
69
69
71
Thomas Boudat
69
51
67
61
69
70
69
58
74
74
62
65
74
Fabian Lienhard
72
65
73
66
75
71
68
55
73
75
76
69
70
Ryan Gibbons
71
59
64
66
70
69
64
59
73
74
65
67
70
Jonas Bokeloh
66
61
67
60
66
66
64
62
71
70
61
69
64
Saber was a revelation in the PCT last season and will continue as the leader of our sprint squad. We have been able to bolster his leadout with Havik and Wippert joining Te Brake. All three of the latter could get opportunities to ride stage races as the lead sprinter depending on how our calendar pans out. All-rounders Lienhard and Korosec are expected to help out on the flats. Youngsters Boudat, Gibbons and Bokeloh will also be used in flat races as lieutenants to Saber and the others.
Norther Classics
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CO
SP
AC
FT
DH
PR
Lahcen Saber
75
62
68
64
74
72
78
76
81
79
63
68
70
Yoeri Havik
73
56
64
56
74
68
75
76
79
76
60
64
66
Jasper Bovenhuis
73
58
71
59
74
70
72
74
62
68
79
65
59
Piet Allegaert
71
56
63
65
70
71
61
70
64
71
67
65
66
Saber and a trained Havik will share leadership on the cobbles in the coming season. With Saber also expected to lead in the pure sprint races, we believe the cobbles training for Havik gives us some options to use the latter as a leader in cobbled races. Bovenhuis and Allegaert will be their dedicated domestique on this terrain. The former will also be sent to stage races as a KOM and stage hunter.
Time Trialists
FL
MO
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CO
SP
AC
FT
DH
PR
Pim Ligthart
72
54
58
78
72
66
68
60
70
74
69
66
78
R. Van Zandbeek
73
58
69
76
71
71
72
64
61
69
75
73
76
A department we have not been able to strengthen this off-season. Ligthart joins up with Van Zandbeek as our only pure TT riders. Wout Poels is the other rider who is capable of riding decently against the clock. For stage races, given the current set up, neither Kelderman nor Marquez should be dropped from the TTT line-up.
Looking Ahead to the Season
We are happy with how we were able to turn around our squad from last season, taking part in the most number of deals and trades in a single transfer window in the history of our squad! We are not entirely happy with how our climbing department turned out, having planned our bands for completely different kinds of riders. We also hoped to have a better leader for the cobbles. But that's how the transfer window plays out! What we have achieved is to get in younger leaders and co-leaders and build a strong base for the future.
We were also often naive in waiting for unrealistic deals, while the easier and sometimes more obvious deals slipped out from under our noses. This is a learning we need to carry forward going ahead.
Finally, do we really believe that we will be able to challenge for promotion this season? Well the honest answer at the moment is No. We do however believe that we should do better than the 18th place finish we achieved last year, and currently that is our first goal.
Stay tuned for a peek into how our talents look currently and how they will look when fully developed in our next update...
The team management will admit that we've never been a team focused on nurturing riders for the future. Our talent signings previously have mostly been cases of necessity rather than intention. In our first two transfer windows we signed four stagiares and just one targeted talent! However, we decided to push beyond that policy this time. We were able to take our chances and bring in high potential unmaxed riders and talents, most of whom are expected to remain a part of our team in the future. The following is a look at how they look currently and how they potentially could end up looking like.
Present Day
Hofstede and Allegaert joined the team in 2017 as Stagiares. Minali and Bokeloh were also Stagiares last season. Hofstede will spend the current season on loan at Delvaux while Minali will be at Centovalli-Fiat in 2019.
The rest have been signed this season, and we're quite satisfied with the bunch of talent and unmaxed riders that we managed to bring in. Among them, Van Lerberghe will be spending tis season with the big boys of the PT, and help Generali in their debut season in the division. Eenkhoorn followed Minali to be loaned out to Centovalli-Fiat.
Future (not so!) Tense
While we do not boast to have the best talents in the world, but we do have a well-rounded set of riders who should cover all kinds of races, besides time-trailing. All talents quoted here are expected to reach full maturity in three years' time at the most. We have to once again emphasize our delight at bringing in the future of Dutch climbing in Inkellar and Eenkhoorn, both of whom should continue in our colours for a long time to come.
A much-needed update for you as you shake off the old heads to move to a brighter future! Kelderman is perfect for your team for years to come and can lead you to promotion and beyond! Even if the hills may hurt, Marquez is awesome and will be for you, planning around his weaknesses shouldn't be too hard either. Love the Bardet reunion as well! Le Gac and Grosschartner are cool young guns to bolster the hills (and mountains for Felix) and back up Wilco this year. Havik and his training are great additions to sprints and especially cobbles and him and Saber under the PCM18 AI could be a dynamic duo, especially with a quality domestique like Bovenhuis, another solid addition to the squad for the next five or six years
Korosec is an awesome young rider and Wippert is another useful addition too. And let's not forget the very cool Bert van Leberghe out on loan! Inkelaar (ridiculous wage...) and Eenkhorn are awesome talents for the future, and the additions to your normal talent squad of building a core of young, homemade domestiques will fit in well as lieutenants for the future. Exciting times at Philips!
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
The plan for the year was definitely to get in younger leaders and to add depth that can score points. The latter was a huge problem last season! While Marquez does not fit the bill of a younger leader, Kelderman and Havik do, and are in fact the only parts of our Plan A that materialized. Interestingly, the average age of our squad remains the same as last year, around 27.5, but the quality definitely has improved overall, at least on paper. Now I guess I'll have to get the planning right, especially in choosing where not to send Kelderman, how to work around Marquez's weaknesses, how to fully utilise Bardet, how to use Saber and Havik together and seperately on the cobbles, and how best to team up and split up the sprinters in different races. A lot of choices to be made I think in the coming days...
The team management would like to present our goals for the coming season. It has now become customary that we choose to target GC goals in four races and a final rankings goal. We have gone for more ambitious goals this time around, and are quite realistic about our chances. But we can't stop dreaming, can we?
Tour of Beijing - Win
From the onset, we entered the transfer window with the goal of signing a top puncheur. This win goal was a result of the same. It helps, that we have been able to bring that said top puncher, and hope to do well in this race.
Balkans International - Top 5
Another race planned to best utilize a puncher. We had taken a weakened team to this race last season, and it turned into one of the worst races of our season. To compensate, we've made this one of our most important this time around. The PT competition will off course make it very difficult for us to achieve this goal, but we'll definitely give it a go.
Volta a Portugal - Top 5
We had a top 10 goal in this race last season, but failed to make a mark. We were planning to specifically bring in a climber to tackle this race but failed to do so in transfers. We also set this goal, keeping that intention in mind. As such, this race now looks to be more a case of a salvage job.
Rheden GP - Top 10
This goal was specifically set keeping Saber in mind. He has finished and 2nd and 6th in this race in the last two seasons, and we hope he keeps his run going. We have assembled a stronger cobbles support team this time, and will provide him with all the support he would need to achieve the same.
PCT Standings - Top 5
Having set a goal of finishing in the Top 10 last season, we ended up finishing a long way off. We have been even more ambitious this time around. We have gone back in some ways to our philosophy which worked well in the CT, that of building a team capable of competing in all terrains. Our first target is to improve on last season, and then to perform as well as we can. We are realistic about the fact that the team we've assembled is perhaps not ready to challenge for promotion this season, but an improvement to last season will give the confidence of going all out next season for a promotion push.
@redordead: I'd expect the same with the hills looking at your squad. We need Kelderman to do well there, so go easy on us Not really sure right now where we stand in the division at the moment, but promotion, or even promotion contention, doesn't look within reach in our assessment. We'd love to be wrong though!
Here is our calendar for the coming season. We have been granted access to all our first choice races.
Start
End
Race
Category
10-Jan
Down Under Classic
HC
31-Jan
Clasique Pico Basile
C1
5-Feb
8-Feb
Tour of the Middle East
HC
8-Feb
12-Feb
Tour of Slovenie
HC
10-Feb
12-Feb
Ras Tailteann
C1
26-Feb
30-Feb
Tour of Southland
C1
28-Feb
Pro Hallstatt Classic
PTHC
3-Mar
Roma Maxima
C1
7-Mar
12-Mar
Vuelta al Pais Vasco
PTHC
11-Mar
16-Mar
Vuelta a Colombia
HC
20-Mar
Strade Bianche
PTHC
26-Mar
30-Mar
Tour of Uppsala
C1
28-Mar
E3 Prijs
PTHC
30-Mar
Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne
HC
1-Apr
7-Apr
Tour of California
HC
13-Apr
15-Apr
Tour of Ukraine
HC
27-Apr
GP Wallonie
C1
29-Apr
Lisbon Classic
HC
1-May
5-May
Cheshire Cycling Tour
HC
12-May
14-May
Scandinavia Open Road Race
PTHC
16-May
Berlin ProRace
HC
19-May
23-May
Tour d'Andorra
C1
23-May
28-May
Olympia's Tour
C1
25-May
Frankfurt Eschborn
C1
8-Jun
Riga - Jurmala GP
PTHC
10-Jun
14-Jun
Post Danmark Rundt
HC
18-Jun
23-Jun
Tour of South Africa
C1
26-Jun
Hanko Classic
C1
17-Jul
Sakartvelo Trophy
C2
20-Jul
Kenya Mountain Classic
HC
26-Jul
29-Jul
Tour of Beijing
HC
27-Jul
30-Jul
USA Pro Cycling Challenge
C2
7-Aug
Clasica San Sebastien
HC
11-Aug
21-Aug
Volta a Portugal
PTHC
17-Aug
21-Aug
Baltic Chain Tour
C1
1-Sep
Paris Tours
PTHC
2-Sep
22-Sep
Tour of America
C1
4-Sep
11-Sep
Balkans International
PTHC
27-Sep
Rheden GP
PTHC
29-Sep
Milano - Torino
C1
3-Oct
Giro dell'Emilia
HC
3-Oct
GP Lugano
HC
12-Oct
15-Oct
SAA Tour d'Afrique
HC
18-Oct
Japan Cup
HC
*Races in bold are goal races.
Our Thoughts
Last year, we had made the mistake of not checking clashes before selecting which resulted in us attending three triple clashes. We made 100% sure that it wasn't repeated and so we have no triple clashes this time!
Our goal races, marked in bold are all towards the end of the season. Months July to September will hence play a very important role in both how this season pans out as well what kind of an impetus we can expect at the start of next season.
We have not applied for any wildcards this time around, because let's face it, why bother turning up where no points are scored, right? That's our team philosophy and while we had made an exception for the Giro last season, we've gone back to the former this time around. We did not need any XP from those wildcards either.
Our season starts at the Down Under Classic and we have a quiet January after that with one just more classic at the end of the month. The pace picks up after that with busy months in February and March. The latter is our busiest month of the season. The pace slows down on an average after that, with a peak in May, before peaking once again in September. A noticeable change to last season is our entry into the Tour of America, our first ever non-wildcard Grand Tour sojourn. We're quite nervous with how it'll turn out but we're also quite excited in a way.
We've been careful not to repeat last year's blunders in race selection, perhaps little too much in a couple of case, but we're hoping to make the best our resources for the calendar we've picked. Looking forward to our globetrotting advantures to begin soon enough.
This is the part of the job that we had somewhat messed up last season. Planning will once again play an important role in how our season turns out. Our task was made easy in one terrain by signing Kelderman. However, we expect the other terrains to be as unpredictable, if not more, than last year!
The following is how we've planned our primary and secondary leaders for the coming season.
Wilco Kelderman | Puncher
Race
Terrain & Type
Category
Tour de Slovenie
Hilly Stage Race
HC
Strade Bianche
Hilly Classic
PTHC
Tour of Ukraine
Hilly Stage Race
HC
Scandinavia Open Road Race
Hilly Stage Race
PTHC
Tour of South Africa
Hilly Stage Race
C1
Tour of Beijing
Hilly Stage Race
HC
Clasica San Sebastien
Hilly Classic
HC
Balkans International
Hilly Stage Race
PTHC
Milano - Torino
Hilly Classic
C1
Giro dell'Emilia
Hilly Classic
HC
Japan Cup
Hilly Classic
HC
Andrea Palini | Puncher
Race
Terrain & Type
Category
Clasique Pico Basile
Mountain Classic
C1
Tour de Slovenie
Hilly Stage Race
HC
Vuelta al Pais Vasco
Hilly Stage Race
PTHC
Strade Bianche
Hilly Classic
HC
E3 Prijs
Cobbles Classic
PTHC
Tour of Ukraine
Hilly Stage Race
HC
GP Wallonie
Hilly Classic
C1
Scandinavia Open Road Race
Hilly Stage Race
PTHC
Post Danmark Rundt
Hilly Stage Race
HC
Tour of South Africa
Hilly Stage Race
C1
Kenya Mountain Classic
Mountain Classic
HC
Tour of Beijing
Hilly Stage Race
HC
Clasica San Sebastien
Hilly Classic
HC
Balkans International
Hilly Stage Race
PTHC
Milano - Torino
Hilly Classic
C1
Giro dell'Emilia
Hilly Classic
HC
Japan Cup
Hilly Classic
HC
Olivier Le Gac | Puncher
Race
Terrain & Type
Category
Tour de Slovenie
Hilly Stage Race
HC
Tour of Southland
Flat/Hilly Stage Race
C1
Pro Halstatt Classic
Hilly/Mountain Classic
PTHC
Roma Maxima
Hilly/Cobbled Classic
C1
Vuelta al Pais Vasco
Hilly Stage Race
PTHC
Strade Bianche
Hilly Classic
HC
Tour of Ukraine
Hilly Stage Race
HC
GP Wallonie
Hilly Classic
C1
Scandinavia Open Road Race
Hilly Stage Race
PTHC
Olympia's Tour
Flat Stage Race
C1
Tour of South Africa
Hilly Stage Race
C1
Tour of Beijing
Hilly Stage Race
HC
Clasica San Sebastien
Hilly Classic
HC
Balkans International
Hilly Stage Race
PTHC
Milano - Torino
Hilly Classic
C1
Giro dell'Emilia
Hilly Classic
HC
Japan Cup
Hilly Classic
HC
Lahcen Saber | Sprinter/Northern Classics
Race
Terrain & Type
Category
Down Under Classic
Flat Classic
HC
Ras Tailteann
Flat Stage Race
C1
Tour of Southland
Flat/Hilly Stage Race
C1
Roma Maxima
Hilly/Cobbled Classic
C1
Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne
Cobbled Classic
HC
Lisbon Classic
Flat Classic
HC
Cheshire Cycling Tour
Flat/Cobbled Stage Race
HC
Berlin ProRace
Flat Classic
HC
Frankfurt Eschborn
Flat Classic
C1
Riga - Jurmala
Flat Classic
PTHC
Hanko Classic
Flat Classic
C1
Baltic Chain Tour
Flat/Cobbled Stage Race
C1
Paris Tour
Flat Classic
PTHC
Rheden GP
Cobbled Classic
PTHC
SAA Tour d'Afrique
Flat Stage Race
HC
Yoeri Havik | Sprinter/Northern Classics
Race
Terrain & Type
Category
Down Under Classic
Flat Classic
HC
Ras Tailteann
Flat Stage Race
C1
Tour of South Land
Flat/Hilly Stage Race
C1
Roma Maxima
Hilly/Cobbled Classic
C1
Vuelta a Colombia
Mountain Stage Race
HC
E3 Prijs
Cobbles Classic
PTHC
Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne
Cobbled Classic
HC
Lisbon Classic
Flat Classic
HC
Cheshire Cycling Tour
Flat/Cobbled Stage Race
HC
Berlin ProRace
Flat Classic
HC
Olympia's Tour
Flat Stage Race
C1
Riga - Jurmala
Flat Classic
PTHC
Post Danmark Rundt
Hilly Stage Race
HC
Hanko Classic
Flat Classic
C1
Baltic Chain Tour
Flat/Cobbled Stage Race
C1
Paris Tour
Flat Classic
PTHC
Rheden GP
Cobbled Classic
PTHC
SAA Tour d'Afrique
Flat Stage Race
HC
Wouter Wippert | Sprinter
Race
Terrain & Type
Category
Down Under Classic
Flat Classic
HC
Ras Tailteann
Flat Stage Race
C1
Tour of Uppsala
Flat Stage Race
C1
Lisbon Classic
Flat Classic
HC
Berlin ProRace
Flat Classic
HC
Olympia's Tour
Flat Stage Race
C1
Post Danmark Rundt
Hilly Stage Race
HC
Tour of Beijing
Hilly Stage Race
HC
Baltic Chain Tour
Flat/Cobbled Stage Race
C1
Paris Tour
Flat Classic
PTHC
Tour of America
Continental Grand Tour
C1
SAA Tour d'Afrique
Flat Stage Race
HC
Remco Te Brake | Sprinter
Race
Terrain & Type
Category
Down Under Classic
Flat Classic
HC
Tour of the Middle East
Hilly/Mountain Stage Race
HC
Ras Tailteann
Flat Stage Race
C1
Tour of Uppsala
Flat Stage Race
C1
Tour of California
Hilly/Mountain Stage Race
HC
Cheshire Cycling Tour
Flat/Cobbled Stage Race
HC
Berlin ProRace
Flat Classic
HC
Frankfurt Eschborn
Flat Classic
C1
Riga - Jurmala
Flat Classic
PTHC
Hanko Classic
Flat Classic
C1
Volta a Portugal
Hilly/Mountain Stage Race
PTHC
Paris Tour
Flat Classic
PTHC
Balkans International
Hilly Stage Race
PTHC
Rheden GP
Cobbled Classic
PTHC
SAA Tour d'Afrique
Flat Stage Race
HC
Florentino Marquez | Climber
Race
Terrain & Type
Category
Clasique Pico Basile
Mountain Classic
C1
Tour of the Middle East
Hilly/Mountain Stage Race
HC
Pro Halstatt Classic
Hilly/Mountain Classic
PTHC
Vuelta a Colombia
Mountain Stage Race
HC
Tour d'Andorra
Mountain Stage Race
C1
Kenya Mountain Classic
Mountain Classic
HC
Tour of America
Continental Grand Tour
C1
Giro dell'Emilia
Hilly Classic
HC
Romain Bardet | Climber
Race
Terrain & Type
Category
Clasique Pico Basile
Mountain Classic
C1
Tour of the Middle East
Hilly/Mountain Stage Race
HC
Pro Halstatt Classic
Hilly/Mountain Classic
PTHC
Vuelta a Colombia
Mountain Stage Race
HC
Tour of California
Hilly/Mountain Stage Race
HC
GP Wallonie
Hilly Classic
C1
Tour d'Andorra
Mountain Stage Race
C1
Sakartvelo Trophy
Mountain Classic
C2
Kenya Mountain Classic
Mountain Classic
HC
Volta a Portugal
Hilly/Mountain Stage Race
PTHC
Tour of America
Continental Grand Tour
C1
Japan Cup
Hilly Classic
HC
Our Thoughts
Our planning for this season was two pronged, maximize the output for Kelderman, and find the best places to send our other leaders so to avoid the competition as much as possible.
Our two objectives for Kelderman for the season are the two hilly goal races that we've picked. the Tour of Beijing and the Balkans International, and the hilly classics that were available to race in our bands and in C1. We overdid it a bit by selecting GP Wallonie, which is the only hilly race in our calendar where Kelderman does not lead. Palini and Le Gac will share leadership duties in that race. Strade Bianche, San Sebastien, Milano-Torino, Giro del''Emilia and Japan Cup, all will have Kelderman leading the line for us.
We had to split up Saber's schedule between flat and cobbled races, much like last season. He starts all cobbled races that we ride in except E3 Prijs, where we felt it wasn't worth it to take him along, given the strength of the field that is expected to turn up. Havik will lead in that race. He starts us off in the Down Under Classic and participates in all flat classics on our calendar. He also participates in a few flat stage races like Ras Tailteann, Baltic Chain Tour and SAA Tour d'Afrique. He also rides the Tour of Southland, in the hope of the race not becoming too selective in the hills.
It was a difficult task planning for Marquez. With Henao having similar skills last season, and not really living up to potential, we were careful not expose him to too many hilly stages. However with the lack of climbing options in C1 not involving Time Trials, we had to take him to races like Tour of the Middle East, Pro Halstatt Classic and Giro dell'Emilia, which typically do not suit him. The races which do suit him are Clasique Pico Basile, Vuelta a Colombia, Tour d'Andorra and the Kenya Mountain Classic. He will also lead the team in the Tour of America, where we are headed for the first time. Just eight races for Marquez, so he'll need to be at his best in races which suit him to be able to repay our investment in him.
Our sprinters have been split up for all the stage races we travel to and have flat stages. For the flat classics, either 2 or 3 leadouts will accompany Saber to all his races.
Bardet will lead the team in two long stage races, the Tour of California and the Volta a Portugal, and is the designated Mo/Hi leader in the team, despite being far from competitive in that category. We hope to see some of the attacking riding that we produced for us back in our first season.
We built up a team of depth this time to make planning easier. While that plan was successful, we're not at this point what exactly to expect from our leaders, barring Kelderman. Speaking of our new home recruit, he needs to be at his best if we're to avoid a repeat of last season's disappointments. A lot would also depend on how well Saber goes in both his terrains, together with his support staff in the sprints and Havik on the cobbles.
We start our season on opening day in Australia. Saber returns to this race where he claimed 5th last season. The full-house of our sprinting team is here to help him achieve the best possible result. Bovenhuis joins them to try his luck with attacks. We're to get close to last season's performance, although we expect the field to perhaps be tougher this time around.
Expectation: Top 10 Watch Out For: Rok Korosec/Jasper Bovenhuis
Clasique Pico Basile
Startlist
Rider
Role
Florentino Marquez
Leader
Andrea Palini
Free Role
Romain Bardet
Super Domestique
Wout Poels
Domestique
Ronan Van Zandbeek
Domestique
Kevin Inkelaar
Domestique
Thomas Boudat
Domestique
Jonas Bokeloh
Domestique
Tactics
We won this race last season but have modest hopes this time. Marquez leads with lieutenant Bardet in tow. He has Poels and Inkelaar to help him too. Not the strongest support staff, but that's going to be how our mountain team looks throughout the season. We hope Marquez lives up to his attacking reputation from recent years. That's our only hope of an over-performance. We're excited to see a first ride of young Dutch prospect Inkelaar in this race. Let's see how he goes.
Expectation: Top 15 Watch Out For: Kevin Inkelaar
The new season is upon us and we approach the first month measured in our ambitions. We do not expect to start as well as last season. What we do hope for is a steady start from which we can build on in the busy months coming up after this. Consistent point-scoring, especially in non-hilly races, will be our mantra for the season and this month will be a good indication of what to expect.
Mostly a quiet race for us as the team concentrated on getting Saber into a good position for the finale. We did so and he responded with a fast finish to go one better than last season and claim 4th.
1
Jacopo Guarnieri
Delvaux
1h38'47
4
Lahcen Saber
Philips
s.t.
44
Thomas Boudat
Philips
s.t.
45
Jasper Bovenhuis
Philips
s.t.
47
Remco Te Brake
Philips
s.t.
103
Yoeri Havik
Philips
s.t.
104
Ryan Gibbons
Philips
s.t.
108
Wouter Wippert
Philips
s.t.
168
Rok Korosec
Philips
+ 3'52
Final Thoughts
A great start to the season. Saber continuing where he left off last season. We were hoping for some minor points with the full sprint line-up in attendance, but we can't complain about our return from this race.
Classique Pico Basile Review
Expectation: Top 15
Anonymous race from the team as Marquez showed himself just once in the lead group with 12 km to go. His next involvement was to get dropped from the lead group inside the final 10 kilometers. After that, it was a case of riding to the line and Marquez finished 17th, our best result on the day. None of the supporting cast could show themselves either. Just five finishers in what turned out to be a difficult race.
1
Justo Tenorio
Desigual
7h38'56
17
Florentino Marquez
Philips
+ 7'21
39
Romain Bardet
Philips
+ 10'31
54
Wout Poels
Philips
+ 14'20
77
Kevin Inkelaar
Philips
+ 22'21
86
Andrea Palini
Philips
+ 23'45
Final Thoughts
We did not come into this race with high hopes but it was a letdown still. No intent and a lack of climbing firepower was clearly in evidence. We hope this is not a sign of things to come for the season.
Not a lot of expectations from this race as it does not suit our leader Marquez. We do have a couple of wildcard riders Bardet and Lienhard who we hope can get into breaks or attack late on. Inkelaar is another rider we're excited to see in his first stage race. Expectations from Te Brake depend on how strong the sprinter field will be in this race.
Expectation: Top 20 Watch Out For: Romain Bardet
Tour de Slovenie
Startlist
Rider
Role
Wilco Kelderman
Leader
Andrea Palini
Domestique
Olivier Le Gac
Domestique
Wout Poels
Domestique
Ronan Van Zandbeek
Time-Trial
Pim Ligthart
Time-Trial
Jasper Bovenhuis
Free Role
Thomas Boudat
Domestique
Tactics
Kelderman leads the team for the first time this season and we expect big things. It is either that or we're in for a difficult season ahead! He has the hills support to help him along as well as riders to keep a competitive pace in the time trial.
Expectation: Top 3 Watch Out For: Jasper Bovenhuis
Ras Tailteann
Startlist
Rider
Role
Lahcen Saber
Leader
Yoeri Havik
Leadout
Wouter Wippert
Leadout
Remco Te Brake
Leadout
Rok Korosec
Domestique
Kevin Inkelaar
Free Role
Ryan Gibbons
Domestique
Jonas Bokeloh
Domestique
Tactics
Saber is back as team leader after a good outing in the Down Under Classic and we're sending our full sprint team in his support here.
Expectation: Top 5 Watch Out For: Wouter Wippert
Tour of Southland
Startlist
Rider
Role
Lahcen Saber
Sprinter Leader
Yoeri Havik
Leadout
Olivier Le Gac
Puncher Leader
Rok Korosec
Sprint Train
Pim Ligthart
Domestique
Thomas Boudat
Domestique
Ryan Gibbons
Domestique
Jonas Bokeloh
Domestique
Tactics
We were torn between sending Saber or Kelderman in this race as leader. In the end, we chose to send Saber and the sprint setup in the hope that the hills won't produce gaps in this race. Let's see if our gamble pays off. Le Gac is also here to try his luck in case the hills become selective.
Expectation: Top 20 Watch Out For: Rok Korosec
Pro Halstatt Classic
Startlist
Rider
Role
Florentino Marquez
Leader
Romain Bardet
Co-Leader
Wout Poels
Domestique
Felix Grossschartner
Domestique
Fabian Lienhard
Domestique
Ronan Van Zandbeek
Domestique
Kevin Inkelaar
Domestique
Piet Allegaert
Domestique
Tactics
Last year, with Henao as our leader, we failed to make an impact in this race. We're back again, and once again, with a similar leader in Marquez. Bardet joins him as our sub-top Mo/Hi option. As such, we do not have big expectations from this race but maybe we can hope to get some more depth points this time.
Expectation: Top 25 Watch Out For: Felix Grossschartner
Gibbons joined the break on Stage 1, picked up a intermediate sprint bonifications and ended the day as the U25s leader.
A quiet Stage 2 saw Gibbons fall to 2nd in the U25 standings. Stage 3 was a damage limitation exercise, and Marquez came home losing a little over 2 minutes.
Marquez took the initiative and joined the break on Stage 4. He would briefly lead the KOM standings but ran out of energy and ended up 2nd in the classification. His early effort saw him lose more time in the GC and he finished the race in 21st in the GC. Bardet's consistency saw him finish 22nd.
1
Aleksandr Pluchkin
Team Popo4Ever p/b Nemiroff
17h50'34
21
Florentino Marquez
Philips
+ 6'18
22
Romain Bardet
Philips
+ 7'09
88
Felix Grossschartner
Philips
+ 23'19
108
Fabian Lienhard
Philips
+ 39'09
119
Kevin Inkelaar
Philips
+ 48'59
133
Jonas Bokeloh
Philips
+ 1h01'01
150
Ryan Gibbons
Philips
+ 1h24'43
153
Remco Te Brake
Philips
+ 1h34'32
Final Thoughts
We just missed our pre-race GC expectations but we're decently happy with our return from this race. Two in the Top 25, 2nd place in the KOM standings and a day in the U25 lead for one of our youngsters is not a bad return.
Tour de Slovenie Review
Expectation: Top 3
We were poor in the TTT on Stage 1, meaning Kelderman started with a deficit of more than 2 and a half minutes after this stage. He was more comfortable on the Stage 2, and followed the attacks well to claim 3rd on the stage.
We did a lot of work on Stage 3, but a lack of attention in a crucial moment meant Kelderman missed a late split and lost further time in the GC! Ligthart at 23rd, was our best result in the ITT on Stage 4. Kelderman ended this stage in 27th place in the GC, 4'25 down.
Bovenhuis joined the break on Stage 5, but he wasn't strong enough to calim any points on offer. Kelderman, once again, came into his own in the hills, and finished 2nd on the stage, moving up to 11th in the GC as a result. He also won the Points classification.
1
Eduardo Sepulveda
ISA - Hexacta
14h04'10
11
Wilco Kelderman
Philips
+ 4'13
60
Andrea Palini
Philips
+ 11'27
61
Wout Poels
Philips
+ 11'32
73
Olivier Le Gac
Philips
+ 13'12
112
Ronan Van Zandbeek
Philips
s.t.
116
Jasper Bovenhuis
Philips
+ 21'04
154
Pim Ligthart
Philips
+ 39'21
160
Thomas Boudat
Philips
+ 49'58
Final Thoughts
A disappointing GC performance, mainly because of the silly time loss of Stage 3. However, two stage podiums and winning the Points Standings made up for it somewhat. A little worrying that neither Palini nor Le Gac could finish in the points scoring positions.
Ras Tailteann Review
Expectation: Top 5
A very poor race with Saber getting one Top 10 finish, and that too in 8th place. He would end up 17th in the GC.
1
Mark Cavendish
Kraftwerk Man Machine
12h45'26
17
Lahcen Saber
Philips
+ 33
50
Remco Te Brake
Philips
+ 37
73
Yoeri Havik
Philips
s.t.
94
Wouter Wippert
Philips
s.t.
176
Rok Korosec
Philips
+ 3'38
177
Ryan Gibbons
Philips
s.t.
182
Jonas Bokeloh
Philips
+ 7'35
183
Kevin Inkelaar
Philips
s.t.
Final Thoughts
Despite a strong support squad, we couldn't deliver Saber to a good position in the sprints on any stage, and Saber didn't really have the legs to go solo himself. A very poor to a race we had high hopes for.
Tour of Southland Review
Expectation: Top 20
We got a train up for Saber on Stage 1, but it was Havik who ended up as the fastest sprinter! 11th place our highest placing on this stage.
We were hoping for the hill finish on Stage 2 to not be selective, but it turned out to be very selective, ending all of Saber's GC hopes. Le Gac tried to take on the leader's mantle, but just wasn't strong enough to finish higher than 18th. Saber won the bunch sprint on Stage 3, but that was just for 5th place, as he missed the winning move by four riders.
We struggled on the hills once again, on Stage 4, meaning that Le Gac dropped further down the GC, to 31st place. Saber finally found himself in a good position on Stage 5, in the sprint build-up, but once again didn't have the legs to challenge for the win, and ended up with another 5th place finish.
1
Dimitri Claeys
Minions
16h22'08
31
Olivier Le Gac
Philips
+ 3'53
93
Lahcen Saber
Philips
+ 6'45
109
Rok Korosec
Philips
+ 7'22
131
Ryan Gibbons
Philips
+ 8'25
134
Thomas Boudat
Philips
s.t.
148
Yoeri Havik
Philips
+ 9'03
163
Pim Ligthart
Philips
+ 10'36
173
Jonas Bokeloh
Philips
+ 13'06
Final Thoughts
Another poor race from the team, and also from the team management as we failed to judge the difficulty of the hills, and wasted Saber's RDs on a race ill-suited to him. Perhaps, Kelderman at this race, and Saber leading elsewhere would have been the way to go!
Pro Halstatt Classic Review
Expectation: Top 25
Lienhard joined the and stayed a the front till about 40 km to go. Maruez missed the winning move, but rode under the radar to finish a respectable 11th.
1
Simon Spilak
Isostar - LimeBike
4h43'21
11
Florentino Marquez
Philips
+ 2'55
104
Fabian Lienhard
Philips
+ 14'32
110
Romain Bardet
Philips
+ 15'27
131
Felix Grossschartner
Philips
+ 19'07
136
Wout Poels
Philips
s.t.
156
Kevin Inkelaar
Philips
+ 24'01
179
Ronan Van Zandbeek
Philips
+ 28'05
186
Piet Allegaert
Philips
+ 51'37
Final Thoughts
After last year's debacle, we came into this race with low expectations. Marquez beat the odds somewhat, and pull a little sheen in what was otherwise turning into a very disappointing month.
Looking forward to seeing how the loan-ins get on. We do believe they'll have a contribution to make for sure.
Florentino Marquez | Climber Leader
Fabian Lienhard| Talent | Loaned In
The Swiss talent which excited everyone, will ride in our colours for the coming season. We tied up with our friends at Centovalli - Fiat once again to take the dynamic rider on loan on a wage sharing basis.
Thomas Boudat| Talent | Loaned In
Bert Van Lerberghe | Terms: 4.00 -> 4.100
Lennard Hofstede| Terms: 3.63 -> 4
Rok Korosec | Domestique | Level: 4.78
Felix Grossschartner | Puncher Domestique | Level: 4.22
Jaoa Costa | Terms: Part of Grossschartner deal
Lahcen Saber 
Andrea Palini 
Wouter Wippert 
Ryan Gibbons 
Jonas Bokeloh 
Down Under Classic
Tour of the Middle East
Ras Tailteann
Tour of Southland
Vuelta a Colombia
Tour of Uppsala
Tour of California
Tour of Ukraine
Cheshire Cycling Tour
Tour d'Andorra
Riga - Jurmala GP
Post Danmark Rundt
Hanko Classic
Sakartvelo Trophy
Kenya Mountain Classic
Tour of Beijing
Baltic Chain Tour
Balkans International
Japan Cup
