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[CT] Spark Team NZ - February Preview
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 31-08-2024 02:52
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Team Leader
Posts: 5533
Joined: 12-06-2013
PCM$: 500.00
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Bennett in particular is a great pick up for a CT Team! And of course the perfect fit for a New Zealand Team too 
Quite a few strong climbers to ride where Bennett isn't in Lemus Davila and Schleck. Will need that hill trio of Yates, Duchesne, Beltran to fire to ensure the team can score elsewhere while you have some sprinters who should also be useful.
A crucial next 2 years for the team!
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 31-08-2024 07:34
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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Feels like this squad is ready to go for promotion. Plus how can we not all be fans of the Bennett deal?!
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| kandesbunzler26 |
Posted on 01-09-2024 16:56
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1120
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Davila is a strong addition to Bennett. Also Karatsivis already did fairly well on loan with us and even won a stage, so I'll have an eye on him too!
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| Jakstar22 |
Posted on 05-09-2024 00:19
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Team Leader
Posts: 7297
Joined: 11-04-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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As we continue to develop the squad we always have to have a mind on the future. With that, we always look at signing stagiares. Essentially trainees who are apart of the team from August onwards. This gives us a chance to look at their talent and make a decision for next season on if we sign them up for a full year on a full contract. We have 2 stagiares this season and 1 of those is returning from last season as a PCT stagiare.
Kiaan Watts - XP 1.84 - Pot. 4
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | | 64 | 66 | 65 | 66 | 62 | 72 | 68 | 60 | 64 | 66 | 73 | 72 | 64 | | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | | 72 | 69 | 68 | 69 | 67 | 77 | 73 | 63 | 67 | 70 | 80 | 76 | 67 |
Kiaan Watts is one of those riders that is good at everything and with his ability to fight and fight, he begins to look like an excellent breakaway rider. Watts will continue to develop in his 2nd season as a stagiare with the team we hope to see continue development from him.
Guy Yarrell - XP 1.0 - Pot. 5
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | | 67 | 54 | 58 | 67 | 72 | 65 | 67 | 54 | 64 | 68 | 63 | 64 | 67 | | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ | | 74 | 55 | 61 | 76 | 77 | 72 | 74 | 54 | 64 | 68 | 68 | 65 | 76 |
Guy Yarrell is our 2nd stagiare and is a future great in the time trial discipline. He can be an excellent part of the TTT squad and with a bit of extra training, he could even be one of the best TT riders. He has some great physical abilities as well and we are very excited to see those develop for Guy.
As a big rebuild transfer season comes to a close we reflect on who we had to let go and honestly, it was a bit tough for us. As a manager who seems to grow attached to riders it was really tough to let some of the guys go. Especially since we have aided in their development from start to finish. Let's go through some.
Bilguunjargal Erdenebat
This is probably the hardest one to let go. We stumbled on Erdenebat when we were doing an investors visit to Golomt Bank around 8 years ago and his talent was unreal! We signed him for the following year and his development went extremely well! He was proving himself to us every year! When we got him back as a fully developed rider, we unfortunetly never saw the breakthrough win. There were multiple podiums, most of which were behind Kopfauf and one behind Tim Roe. But we never did see that first victory. It was tough as a team to watch as he really deserved and fought for that win. We thought, with George Bennett on the line, that now is the time to move him on and give Erdenebat a go in the big leagues. He leaves us in the deal for George Bennett. We wish him the best and hope to see the first victory come his way!
Narankhuu Baterdene
Another Mongolian and another rider who showed a large amount of talent as a lead out rider. Baterdene really showed his lead out talent early on as through his development he lead out Von Hoff, Wippert and Rajovic to multiple victories. Once he reached his peak he continued that helping Scott gain his first victory and other podiums. However, it was time for Baterdene to leave as our partnership with the Mongolian company began to end. He is leaving us in a cash deal and we wish him the very best!
Final Departures
Andrei Sakalou & Markus Kopfauf - Cash Deal
Jimmy Muhindo - Rider + Cash
Kees Duyvesteyn, Regan Gough & Klahan Rider + Cash
We really cleared out this season but we believe they were good and ideal moves. Our Time trial squad definitely lacks strength without Erdenebat and Kopfauf, however we are confident in Marryatt and his ability. A full team presentation post will follow shortly and we are excited to see how our new direction goes and hope it can end with a promotion!
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| Jakstar22 |
Posted on 05-09-2024 04:16
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Team Leader
Posts: 7297
Joined: 11-04-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Team Presentation (Pre CT Draft)
Time to meet the riders (minus the CT draft riders) that will be in the purple and gold this season at Spark Team NZ. Enjoy the presentation!
George Bennett
33 years old | XP Maxed | OVL 76.99
Wage 250,000€
Team Debut - 2024
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 66 | 80 | 75 | 64 | 74 | 73 | 77 | 57 | 64 | 72 | 54 | 62 | 64 |
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 Eduard Alexander Beltran
34 years old | XP Maxed | OVL 74.59
Wage 50,000€
Team Debut - 2024
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 66 | 76 | 78 | 63 | 68 | 67 | 67 | 56 | 63 | 71 | 75 | 71 | 63 |
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 Cameron Scott
26 years old | XP Maxed | OVL 74.37
Wage 70,000€
Team Debut - 2020
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 72 | 63 | 66 | 56 | 72 | 71 | 74 | 61 | 78 | 78 | 60 | 64 | 57 |
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 Jordan Schleck
28 years old | XP Maxed | OVL 74.33
Wage 70,000€
Team Debut - 2022
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 64 | 77 | 73 | 53 | 71 | 71 | 78 | 53 | 52 | 73 | 61 | 61 | 61 |
*********
Joel Yates
28 years old | XP Maxed | OVL 74.20
Wage 60,000€
Team Debut - 2019
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 71 | 65 | 78 | 69 | 77 | 74 | 71 | 63 | 62 | 69 | 73 | 69 | 69 |
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 Luis Enrique Lemus Davila
32 years old | XP Maxed | OVL 74.11
Wage 110,000€
Team Debut - 2024
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 70 | 77 | 72 | 72 | 75 | 70 | 68 | 56 | 57 | 62 | 71 | 72 | 72 |
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 Antoine Duchesne
33 years old | XP Maxed | OVL 74.05
Wage 60,000€
Team Debut - 2024
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 69 | 66 | 76 | 67 | 71 | 70 | 65 | 55 | 68 | 77 | 70 | 50 | 67 |
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Luke Mudgway
28 years old | XP Maxed | OVL 73.13
Wage 50,000€
Team Debut - 2018
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 70 | 59 | 64 | 60 | 71 | 66 | 76 | 65 | 76 | 78 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
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Jake Marryatt
28 years old | Xp Maxed | OVL 72.89
Wage 50,000€
Team Debut - 2019
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 71 | 61 | 68 | 77 | 67 | 74 | 67 | 57 | 60 | 58 | 67 | 63 | 77 |
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 Carlos Rodriguez
23 years old | XP 3.29 | OVL 72.75
Wage 300,000€
Team Debut - 2023
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 68 | 74 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 55 | 65 | 70 | 66 | 70 | 68 | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | | 70 | 80 | 74 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 55 | 65 | 72 | 68 | 71 | 72 |
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 Panagiotis Karatsivis
23 years old | XP3.99 | OVL 71.99
Wage 55,000€
Team Debut - 2024 - LOAN IN
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 69 | 74 | 70 | 68 | 70 | 72 | 71 | 60 | 64 | 73 | 73 | 67 | 67 |
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 Andy Alihonay Diaz Suarez
23 years old | XP 3.53 | OVL 71.14
Wage 50,000€
Team Debut - 2024 - LOAN IN
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 66 | 69 | 71 | 62 | 66 | 72 | 67 | 64 | 64 | 72 | 67 | 73 | 61 |
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 Richard Huera
25 years old | XP 3.00 | OVL 70.29
Wage 50,000€
Team Debut - 2024 - LOAN IN
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 67 | 70 | 70 | 61 | 69 | 70 | 68 | 61 | 64 | 69 | 71 | 65 | 62 |
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Reuben Thompson
23 years old | XP 3.10 | OVL 69.65
Wage 60,000€
Team Debut - 2023
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 71 | 70 | 67 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 67 | 57 | 67 | 68 | 62 | 73 | 63 | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | | 74 | 77 | 71 | 70 | 74 | 76 | 73 | 57 | 67 | 69 | 63 | 74 | 68 |
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Kiaan Watts
23 years old | XP 1.84 | OVL 67.21
Wage 10,000€
Team Debut - 2023 - Stagiare
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 64 | 66 | 65 | 66 | 62 | 72 | 68 | 60 | 64 | 66 | 73 | 72 | 64 | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | | 72 | 69 | 68 | 69 | 67 | 77 | 73 | 63 | 67 | 70 | 80 | 76 | 67 |
*********
Guy Yarrell
22 years old | XP 1.00 | OVL 64.04
Wage 10,000€
Team Debut - 2024 - Stagiare
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 67 | 54 | 58 | 67 | 72 | 65 | 67 | 54 | 64 | 68 | 63 | 64 | 67 | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | | 74 | 55 | 61 | 76 | 77 | 72 | 74 | 54 | 64 | 68 | 68 | 65 | 76 |
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| knockout |
Posted on 05-09-2024 07:31
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
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This looks very strong for the upcoming season!
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 10:28
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Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
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| Bikex |
Posted on 05-09-2024 09:57
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Team Leader
Posts: 7257
Joined: 25-08-2012
PCM$: 600.00
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Looks like a very strong CT team. Beltran for 50k is still a great signing. Your leaders might be a bit old, but with your talents you're already setup well for the future as well.  |
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| Booker |
Posted on 05-09-2024 12:12
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Breakaway Specialist
Posts: 875
Joined: 03-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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I absolutely love Carlos Rodriguez's future profile - unfortunate that his max will be two years away and he takes up such a chunky wage. But nevertheless, you've built a very decent squad, with plenty of depth in the mountains and hills, I like the move for Bennett as well. Well done and looking forward to seeing how you plan your leaders + quasi-leaders
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| Ezeefreak |
Posted on 05-09-2024 12:36
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Domestique
Posts: 555
Joined: 06-07-2009
PCM$: 300.00
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Looking strong, especially when it goes uphill. Good thing is we wont compete much in that field and you seem to avoid me at the cobbles too 
Just wondering about Reuben Thompson, I dont think he can reach the skill you have shown there without investing more money 
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| redordead |
Posted on 06-09-2024 08:12
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4881
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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Not sure the team is good enough to promote, but it's still a great job considering you're carrying the Rodriguez wage.
Yarrell is a nice get on a stag contract
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| Jakstar22 |
Posted on 07-09-2024 23:31
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Team Leader
Posts: 7297
Joined: 11-04-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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@Bikex - Keen to see how Beltran goes! Like you said older leaders but I think strong enough to get the job done!
@Booker - Carlos is going to be excellent! Just sad its 2 years away. I hope Bennett and my hills leaders can deliver so Carlos can develop in our team on time!
@Ezeefreak - Yeh Cobbles never been our strength and will avoid it if we can  I believe I'm right with the development, but I will double check
@redordead - I hope it is! Just need Bennett to perform and then a couple of support riders.
With our first draft pick we managed to pick up the highest overall rider left available.
Jernej Svab
Jernej is a hills rider with an excellent acceleration. He also has a decent flat and mountain rating. We hope to see him contribute to the hills squad while also being a good help in the mountain races. We are very excited to see him join our team for a free contract for this year!
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | | 70 | 71 | 76 | 57 | 70 | 72 | 69 | 66 | 67 | 78 | 68 | 68 | 55 |
Samuel Welsford
Welsford joins us as a key sprint leadout rider. With our clear out this transfer season we lost a very strong and big part of our sprint train and we are excited to have Welsford join and strengthen that slightly.
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CB | SP | AC | FG | DH | PR | | 73 | 59 | 64 | 64 | 68 | 69 | 72 | 65 | 75 | 75 | 64 | 65 | 66 |
The draft went well for us and we are excited to see these two riders. On our first page you will see an updated teams list for our team this season. We are very excited!
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 08-09-2024 07:12
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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This feels like a big year, promotion absolutely in reach, otherwise aging becomes a real issue with a bigger rebuild. Bennett & Beltran should be ideal for the CT and go a long way to being around the Top5.
The Carlos move it the best though. Won't pay off now, although i think his ability to U25 score could prove very useful, but as future insurance it's incredibly smart.
Cracking transfers!
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| Caspi |
Posted on 08-09-2024 08:20
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Neo-Pro
Posts: 371
Joined: 22-09-2022
PCM$: 10300.00
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Pretty crazy to me that Svab remained available until the CT Draft. He was pretty high on our draft list as well, despite our wish to strengthen other areas.
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 08-09-2024 13:10
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16429
Joined: 27-07-2011
PCM$: 10438.70
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This also looks like a promoting team to me on the surface. And also commend the Svab move. Best rider available imo and hopefully will be good for Beltran.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| whitejersey |
Posted on 08-09-2024 13:21
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 2905
Joined: 07-08-2011
PCM$: 300.00
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Unsure if it's possible to get enough XP onto Rodriguez to avoid having to loan him out next year, but as others have said this is a really strong team for the promotion race and if you're able to promote and get enough XP on Rodriguez he will be a dangerous fella at level 4 next year in PCT!
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| Jakstar22 |
Posted on 10-09-2024 00:29
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Team Leader
Posts: 7297
Joined: 11-04-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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@TMM - Yeh I agree. If Bennett and then Davila, Beltran, Scott, Yates can contribute then I think we have a very high chance of promotion which is definitely our goal! Rodirguez also could definitely get points from U25 categories in stage races which is the goal as well as some high finishes potentially.
@Caspi - Yeh really glad we got to add him. He will be able to contribute to our hills squad and scoring. His hills/acceleration combo is insane and hopefully pays off.
@baseballlover - Yeh Svab joining is great! I have high hopes for Beltran. I think he has a good mix of stats and could do really well. Either way if he scores decently that would be excellent for the 50k wage we signed him on.
@whitejersey - I did the math after you said this and it is possible as he is also still l'Avenir eligible so thats 20xp. I believe I could do it anyway as I have a couple of HC races I am going to which helps with his development. Fingers crossed we promote too so we can develop him ourselves next season too.
No we did not go over budget or anything in transfers (thankfully). However, we did get a comment from a fan a few days ago about the development of young Kiwi, Reuben Thompson. We brushed it off but then noticed his development was very large between where he is now and what he will be in a couple of years. He would have to train VERY hard to get there and we realised that is not what we should expect of Thompson without investing more money in him. We have revised his development and show it below. Thankyou to Ezeefreak for bringing this to our attention. Thompson still develops very well and will be a great climber in the future!
Reuben Thompson
23 years old | XP 3.10 | OVL 69.65
Wage 60,000€
Team Debut - 2023
| FL | MO | HI | TT | ST | RS | RC | CO | SP | AC | FI | DH | PR | | 71 | 70 | 67 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 67 | 57 | 67 | 68 | 62 | 73 | 63 | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | ↓↓↓ | | | 72 | 75 | 72 | 65 | 70 | 74 | 71 | 57 | 67 | 72 | 67 | 74 | 64 |
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| Dippofix |
Posted on 10-09-2024 08:22
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3905
Joined: 29-01-2013
PCM$: 300.00
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Very strong squad you've assembled there, in a lot of ways it reminds me of a stronger version of what I could put together, so I expect us to battle it out a lot this season - probably with a more favourable outcome for you
As others have said, very impressive that you could put together such a strong squad while still having room for a talent like Rodriguez - I'm not fully sure what the other squads look like, but he must be the biggest talent owned by a CT team?
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| Laurens147 |
Posted on 10-09-2024 09:03
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1123
Joined: 26-04-2020
PCM$: 800.00
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I hope Bennett (and Lemus Davila) can score enough for you to promote, with this hard competition in the stage races.
Apart from that, you've did the best you could with some great additions to the core you've already had (Scott, Yates and Rodriguez).
All the best mate!
MG - Lotto - Caloi
[MG] New Manager of the Year - PCM.daily Awards 2022
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| Fabianski |
Posted on 10-09-2024 09:16
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4670
Joined: 29-09-2018
PCM$: 185.00
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I'll admit that I haven't checked the CT calendar in detail. But if it is still as TT-heavy as it was in the past, I'm not sure whether Bennett is the perfect leader - although he's obviously the perfect fit for your team! But he didn't do as well as expected even when still maxed last year,so I sure hope you won't be disappointed by him! If you can find enough TT-less races for him, I guess he can still do well enough
Your depth in mountains and hills looks nice, will be interesting to see what Beltran can still do two years past his prime.
Other than that, you might struggle a bit; Scott will surely have his moments, but your uphill riders definitely have to deliver to bring you right back to PCT. Haven't seen all teams yet, but I think it could be possible
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| DarkWolf |
Posted on 16-09-2024 05:04
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1025
Joined: 21-09-2020
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You have a very nice team! I have to admit I am particularly fond of Luis Enrique Lemus Davila. He did a good season for us last year, with a top 10 in Tour of America as the cherry on the cake. I am certain he will be of great help for Bennett, but also score some points on his own too.
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![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
