You're definitely fast and heavy reader Ruben, and I'm glad you had the whole story, because that's what it's all about - developing from pretty weak team to one of the best in the world.
6TH SEASON SUMMARY
That was my first season as Coca-Cola brand. I have to say it was a very good one for me, not necessarly for them, as they are not happy with amount of American riders in the team - but that is changing already, and if they only decide to renwew the contract it will change even more.
I'm very happy with this year's results. My team maybe didn't do very well in big trio, but they did pretty good in other World Tour races, ending up 3rd in World Tour ranking and 1st in Superprestige.
I lost few good riders this year (Anton, Demare, Krivenco, Pozzovivo) but they were replaced by even better ones (Boeckamns, Gilbert, Rolland, Schleck, so things are looking good for the team (hopefully 1st place in WT next season).
Anyway it's a great improvement from Rutkiewicz to Andy Schleck, from €32.049 to €3.691.048, from weak Continental team to one of the best in the world.
Ranking
It was very good year, and few of my rider did really great job. Some great sprints from Ciolek - 18 wins and 407 points what gave him 8th place, Nunez - 176 points and 29 wins!!! (however most in some minor races). Finally got some proper climbers (Anton - 371 points, 9th and Kennaugh - 228 points, 20th). Great (as awlays) results in mountains (don't even know how many Polka dot jerseys went for Coca-Cola).
Sponsor confidence
That's the only aspect I'm not happy with (neighter my sponsor). Despite getting few Americans it's still far from expected. Results wise it's not much better. From all 15 goals I only fulfiled 3 (and none of them was an important one. I did only 6 out of 45 stars!). Definitely need to work on in next season.
So, second (and maybe last) year under Coca-Cola name.
Forthcoming season will be the first one, which won't affect my team with wages bug, so I'm looking forward to it. I think I finally (after 6 years of playing) have pretty strong team, maybe even UCI winning team. If not this year, then definitely next. Hopefully I'll be able to win Giro this year (at the end of the day my story is From zero to Giro).
For now I already lunched search for new sponsor. I actually would be quite happy staying with Coca-Cola (they have pretty nice shirts, plus my riders get coke instead of water in bidons), but I can't be sure they would like to extend the contract (even though they finally not extremely unhappy with team roster). The other thing is, you never know what's in store for you - €6,1 mln is good money, but it always could be better... I guess. Anyway I would like to keep my team American, as they are majority in my team (however only 5), and I wouldn't like to rebuilt my team again. So for I hired 3 agents: USA, World and UK (as their cyclists were No 1 last year).
Here's what would make my current sponsor happy:
So first, and extremely important test coming soon. Just bit worried about my rider's fitness, as that's gonna be first race for them, but hopefully eighter Rolland or Burlakov will make it (well at least top 3). Speaking of names and plans, here's my full roster for this season.
As every year I split them into two groups - one for first half of the season (January - June), second for the second half (June - October).
Group 2
Leader: Schleck (HIL 80, MO 85), Kennaugh (HIL 76, MO 82)
Sprinter: Nunez (FL 75, SP 85, ACC 84)
Lead out: Ciolek (FL 77, SP 82, ACC 82)
TT: Malori (FL 76, TT 82), King (FL 77, TT 80)
Team mates: Ackers, Ansell, Boswell, Gilbert, Ischenko, McArther, Rozada, Sinkeldam.
I decided to offer new €8.000 worth, 3-year contract to John Ansell, as he's gonna be great sprinter (next Nunez I guess).
Here's some other standing out youngsters:
Future Coca-Cola star - tiny American Festus Ackers.
Northern classics specialist (but I rather make him puncheur) - Rodion Ischenko (looks like Kimiopn and Faillu were right. I schould sign them as my scouts).
And the guy, who already made a name for himself - Ricky McArther.
This is so weird i'm also playing as Coca cola, in 2016 now, by coincedence have a few similar riders, King, Sorenson, used to have Pinot. But looking to switch teams at end of season, to form a new team from scracth.
I would say your signing maybe to many young/different riders, but that's my taste.
Well, that's really strange, but it's highly possible we both end up under different names at the end of the season (hopefully different ones). I might be getting too many youngsters, but I like developing them, and also too curious about their potential not to sign them.
So, the first race of the season is done, and I guess I won't exaggerate if I say that was most unreal and exciting race of my 6-year career. But first things first.
Santos Tour Down Under (WT)
Six days of racing with 4 flat and 2 hilly stages (of which one possibly mass sprint finish one).
Coca-Cola
Kris Boeckmans
Valery Burlakov
Josep Cardo
Jonathan Monsalve
Alex Rasmussen
Pierre Roland
Enrique Sanz
126 riders started the season in Australian heat. After few unsuccessful breakaways I finally managed to get Monsalve into effective one. He was:
3rd intermediate
1st mountain
1st intermediate
So good day for him, as he ended with 16 mountain and 8 sprint points.
Jonathan Monsalve wins first categorised climb for the team.
Breakaway was finally caught 24 km before the finish line. Despite that, pace was pretty fast, and it was Rabobank who impose it.
Then one of the best sprints I've ever seen started.
Valery Burlakov was blocked for some time but finally managed to take off. He passed 12 riders and just when Nacer Bouhanni was already celebrating his win, he took it away from him just by few inches.
With riders like: Slagter, Froome, Mollema and Bardet, my Pierre Rolland was only 5th claimant for a win in that crucial stage of extra important - for my sponsor - race.
After 15 km of chasing breakaways finally one managed to get some lead. It was shortly joined by Monslave and another rider. 5 men were fighting for points, but there were no good climbers among them so 16 points went easily for my rider.
Up for some more points - Jonathan Monsalve.
He wasn't in the breakaway on the first intermediate, but he managed to win the second one, and with exceptional point classification in Tour Down Under (only first 3 riders gets some points, and its only 8, while intermediates have 6 each), his holding both - Polka and green jersey.
With 45 km to go breakaway held 1'40" lead and another 5 riders attacked. I was trying to keep fast pace of the peloton, but it wasn't enough.
On final 7 km I attacked with Rolland. He managed to catch 2 of them, but then ran out of energy, and was overtook by few peloton riders. He eventually finished 8th, 45" after Vanmarcke, Boom and Bauer.
Sep Vanmarcke wins stage 2 of Tour Down Under and gives Argos good ad.
So things are not looking good for me, considering my sponsors wants 1st in GQ there. The good thing is - second hilly stage is all uphill on last km, so maybe there Rolland will do better.
In a meantime two of my agents came back empty-handed. Looks like there's no legendary companies around the world that would like to sponsor my team next season nor regional in United Kingdom (I didn't notice I picked regional instead of national, so I sent another one there).
Edited by wroblitz on 29-04-2013 07:04
Maybe you should try either getting a 2nd climber to protect Rolland while you put him on 80 self effort when going up the hill, that's my tactic and I usually get the win. Or you could counter attack the other favourites. Hope you can win the tour to keep your sponsors happy!
Thanks for the advice Cycleman. I always protect my best climber as long as I can (in fact I even protect the protecting rider, before he starts to protect, so he can protect longer... I know it sounds complicated, but that's the way it is ). However I've never used the 80 dot tactic, but I'll definitely give it a try.
In Australia things went flat again.
There was no successful breakaways for 50 km, so I attacked the climb with Monsalve from the peloton. He won it and stayed in a 3-man breakaway group untill caught 27 km before the finish line, losing all the intermediate sprints.
Another 16 points for Monsalve.
13th km wasn't lucky for De Gendt, as he fall from his bike and practically lost his chance for top 10.
Thomas De Gendt rests before the final sprint.
My train did pretty well, and with 1km to go Burlakov was first, but on final meters he was overtook by two Aussies - Heinrich Haussler and Michael Matthews (I guess they had some fitness advantage thanks to NC).
Day four of racing in heat. 130 km long flat stage with 2 climbs and 2 intermediate sprints. Monsalve wasn't in the breakaway for first intermediate, but he joined it shortly afterwards, won mountain sprint, was 4th on intermediate sprint, and chased down few kilometers later.
With 50 km to go and no breakaways I decided to do something unusual - I attacked with Josep Cardo.
Trying his luck - Josep Cardo on day 4 of Tour Down Under.
With 20 km to go he hold over 2 min lead but 10 km later he was pedaling with peloton.
Mass sprint finish was more generous for me this time, mainly due to great effort from Boeckmans, who was in good form on that day. Burlakov won it confidently, Haussler came 2nd, Degenkolb 3rd, and Boeckmans managed to finish 4th.
It looks like KoM battle is over, as Monsalve holds 46-point lead. He also leads in points ranking, just 2 points ahead of Burlakov. So I will probably end up my first tour with 2 jerseys. But the most important is to decide tomorrow, as it's gonna be decisive hilly stage, and battle for the yellow jersey.
Edited by wroblitz on 30-04-2013 07:38
) results in mountains (don't even know how many Polka dot jerseys went for Coca-Cola).
