Shonak wrote:
Thanks guys!

I initially wanted to include those painted pictures, but I thought it was too early. I do intend to collect them though so that people have an easy way of browsing through them in the future.

And Rapha says grazie, a wonderful message! (And I say grazie to google translate! )

Citigroup: Off to a great start!

With two victories, the team started well into the new season. Marco Marcato won the bunch sprint on stage 1, and Elia Viviani followed his example on the next day, by taking a stage win too. The team had various changes the next days, but the many breakaway wins didn’t allow to increase the win total.


The Santos Tour Down Under was won by Ben Hermans, after a great performance up Mount Kocziousko. Best Citigroup rider was Marco Marcato on fifth.

Stage	Name	Team	Leader’s Jersey
1, FL	Marco Marcato	Citigroup – Cannondale	Marco Marcato
2, FL	Elia Viviani	Citigroup	Elia Viviani
3, MT	Ben Hermans	BMC	Ben Hermans
4, FL	Björn Thurau	Europcar	Ben Hermans
5, HL / HTF	Tom Slagter	Garmin - Sharp	Ben Hermans
6, FL	Pietr Ignatenko	Katusha	Ben Hermans

Final Classification, Santos Tour Down Under

Rank	Name	Team	Time
1	Ben Hermans	BMC Racing Team	21h30'52
2	Diego Ulissi	Lampre - Merida	+ 11
3	Tom Slagter	Garmin Sharp	s.t.
4	Ivan Santaromita	Orica GreenEdge	+ 15
5	Marco Marcato	Citigroup - Cannondale	+ 34

Journalist X, Citigroup-Cannondale, Press Release, 31st January 2015

Ian Butler wrote:
Journalist X is back, baby!

Shonak wrote:

@The Rider: You really want us to relegate, don't you?

Citigroup, Mid-February 2015: Stage win for Van Garderen, success continues!

At the Tour Mediterraneen, Citigroup-Cannondale’s new signing, T.J. Van Garderen got his first stage win at the Time Trial on stage 2. He came in third overall, behind winner Nicolas Roche (TST) and Tour de France Champion Alejandro Valverde (MOV).

At the Herald Sun Tour, the team was on the way to score some nice rankings, until Thomas De Gendt dropped out with injury on the last day. It is not clear if De Gendt recovers in time for his first season goal of 2015, Tirreno-Adriatico, but we certainly hope so.

At the Volta ao Algarve, the team tried its best with stage wins, but was unfortunately not successful. Cameron Wurf finished the race 18th.

Citigroup-Cannondale proves ready for the pave!

There is seemingly no reason to be sad of the departure of Peter Sagan, as the team, formerly known as Cannondale, picks up right where it has left off: In winning ways.

At the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the team was long-time featured in the breakaway with two riders. Kristian Koren and Daniel Oss played a great tactic and really showed off their new jersey in the Belgian region. Unfortunately with attacks from Greg Van Avermaet, Tom Boonen and the like, the race had a high pace to it, and the storming rain didn’t help much either. It was a classic Omloop Het Neuwsblad, a great sign of the things yet to come this season.


The race was won by Alexander Kristoff, who caught the Sebastian Langeveld on the line. The Garmin-Sharp rider was one of the last riders to attack and slip away at 10 kilometers left and he nearly would have made it but got beat by the line. Our rider for the bunch sprint was Oscar Gatto, who got protected by Raphael Visconti. Gatto achieved a 8th place.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Results

Rank	Name	Team	Time
1	Alexander Kristoff	Lotto Belisol	4h25'25
2	Sebastian Langeveld	Garmin Sharp	s.t.
3	Matthieu Ladagnous	FDJ.fr	s.t.

More successful, was the team’s next day. Because the team had missed the breakaway leading from Kuurne to Bruxelles… and back to Kuurne, the team focused its energy on protecting its sprinters. Marco Marcato and Fabio Sabatini were Citigroup`s guys, and Visconti and Koren did a great job at helping them over the pave and keeping clear of crashes and from the harsh wind.


It was a very active race in the last 40 kilometers with various attacks from the top favourites such as Boonen or Vanmarcke, but it was eventually destined to be a bunch sprint. There was a familiar picture for the former Cannondale riders, when Oscar Gatto lead-out for Marco Marcato and Fabio Sabatini, and on their wheel was a certain SKY rider… yes, it was Peter Sagan. Almost like in old times.

But Sagan had maybe wasted his energy too early, and his equally dangerous rivals Kristoff and Degenkolb started from a bit too far back, and thus the Citigroup train was in pure motion, as Gatto lead into the finale kilometer and Marcato started off his sprint and claimed the victory. After 2014, where Peter Sagan won Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne, the team continues its winning streak here and makes it two in two. With two victories so far in this season, Marco Marcato is in some fantastic shape!



Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne, Results

Rank	Name	Team	Time
1	Marco Marcato	Citigroup - Cannondale	4h46'49
2	John Degenkolb	Team Giant - Shimano	s.t.
3	Peter Sagan	Team Sky	s.t.

Oh, and the good news don’t stop here. Elia Viviani, also a stage winner at Santos Tour Down Under this year, won the GP di Lugano. The 24th February might end up as the favourite day of the year for the team in the future.