So the unofficial season start is down in Australia with the Bay Classic Series. A small criterium series showing off a lot of great talent.
We are following the race closely as Johnathon Tiernan-Locke was selected to Team Great Britain.
Race 1 has just finished and we are very happy. The finish to the stage was edge of your seat close, but we were to busy focusing on the days Break.

That Team Great Britain is our very own JTL! He penetrated the break early on, and the break stayed clear until about 2 laps to go. JTL put in a good ride and hopefully this will spark a season of great action for both Boeing-Vivacom and the whole of cycling in general.

Its been a long time since we last updated. Simple reason for that has been that we have been very busy making sure our riders are ready for the season and will arrive in good fitness and form.
We will start by rounding off the Bay Classic Series. Tiernan-Locke was there as part of Team GB. He was in the break on stage one as shown above, and he was in the break again on stage four. He showed some nice early form, and rode well with confidence and panache that made us very happy back in HQ.

Our season officially began with the Clasico San Cristobal. Official as it was our first sanctioned race, but we have always been adamant that it is merely a test run to check whether our procedures and equipment are ready and up the the rigors of a pro race. We started off aggressive with Georgiev attempting to get away. When his group was reeled in we sent Colorado away. He managed to get into the right move and was part of the days break.

Thats him at the back. Colorado tired a couple of late moves by sticking to the wheels of some minor favorites. It was a great show of strength that got the jersey up on the TV more, so thats good.
As we moved into the finish Routely was the man for us. We knew he wasn't going to win, but we put him in the mix just to see what he could produce.

He excelled in the finale snatching and 8th place finish in the mass sprint. A terrific result in a strong field at a race we had zero expectations for.

We took this good vibe and run into a lengthy break. Our true season would begin in Ethiopia with the Bahir Dar. A tough cobbled race with a very strong starting field. Naturally this is Thomas territory and he would have full and strong support in our quest to grab another good performance as the chase for promotion begins in ernest.
Thats were it all went wrong. No-one crashed, no-one got dropped, no-one punctured, but also no-one did anything. There was no attempt to get into a break, which was ok as we were 100% for Thomas. But as the other favorites made their moves at the sharp end Thomas and Grashev sat in the peloton. Ok let them waste energy then hit them hard when they can't counter.
Except when they were pulled in Thomas stayed quiet. And he stayed quiet as they all attacked again and moved away. And he stayed quiet as the gap rose and rose. And he stayed quiet as the peloton rolled over the line. Thomas was so quiet that both Grashev and Routely finished ahead of him.
The whole team was so invisible that we only made one TV image as another rider punctured.
It is clear we are not happy with the teams performance. As soon as they return to our European base in Sofia they will get a serious kick up the backside.
Before i get to angry i'll bring this update to a conclusion.

The Tour of the Middle East has just concluded. Following the disappointment of Bahir Dar it was tike for the Boeings to step up and pick up points.
The startlist was small and surprisingly second tier. There were a lot of similar level riders vying for GC's and Stage wins. It looked like it would be a good race, shame it was only an extraordinary race...

Parra kicked us off with a Top10 on stage 1 over the hills.
Colorado just missed out with 11th on Stage 2, but no-one lost any time yet.
Parra fell on a wet descent on Stage 3, and lost his hopes of a good GC, in what was not a good day
Parra instantly hit back on Stagae 4 with some attacks. But it was Colorado who grabbed 10th on the stage.
Boeing dominated the peloton on Stage 5, the first flat stage. A near perfeect lead-out meant that Chicchi grabbed the teams first win!!!
Chicchi was left to his own devices on Stage6, and came out with 5th place.
Stage 7 saw a great sprint, but Chicchi lost out to end up 2nd.
Back in the Mountains and Mihaylov spent a day solo on the attack. The final climb saw both Parra and Colorado active, with Colorado finishing 7th. Chicchi dropped out, job done.
Colorado had another solid ride in the mountains, again finishing 7th.
The final mountains saw no real action with Colorado losing no time.
Stage 11 was the Time Trial. Mihaylov went early and held the best time until the final two riders cam in. In fact Boeing were always on top until that moment. Mihaylov ended up in 3rd, Parra 5th and Colorado 10th.
The final stage was an odd one, but Stoenchev and Ahmed finished 5th and 6th respectively.

So the GC. Colorado finished highest in 5th! And on +0 with 4th place Mestre. A great result. After his falls Parra only managed 21st. Ahmed also took home the Lantern Rouge.

Overall it was a great race for the team, as we picked up loads of points we hadn't planned for. This race has made up for Bahir Dar, and serves as a catalyst that gets the cobbles team on full power when they are next out in action.
Below will be a few pictures from the race, featuring the team

Lots of racing action to catch up on, and all on the cobbled roads. Of course this should be our strongest terrain so good performances here are vital to the teams season.

Geraint Thomas was very active in Nokere Koerse, attacking several times. Unfortunately he was beaten into 5th by the finish. We did also get Sparling, Bucciero, Hristov and Grashev into the Top25.


Next up was the Dwars Door Vlaanderen. This is a very tough race, with a much improved field and route. Routley did a good job in getting into the days break. Thomas and Grashev did well to keep themselves positioned up front over many of the key climbs and cobbles. Thomas played it well, saving energy for a dash into 4th on the line. Routley was 11th with Grashev also in the Top25


That was followed by the IWT Oetingen, another Belgium cobbled classic. Sparling made a late move to get into the break. Thomas then sat with the other favorites as they tried to close the gap down. Sparling looked very strong in the break, aiding it towards victory. However he was unable to find the final kick to take the day, finishing 2nd. Thomas showed he played it right to beat the other favorites for 4th place. Grashev, Bucciero, Hristov and Gyurov also all finished in the Top25.


The cobbles continued with De Brabantsje Pijl. This time it was Bucciero who got into the days breakaway move. Grashev struggled today, often missing out on the splits at the front, leaving it up to Thomas alone. But each time he fought back, desperate to help his leader. Thomas couldn't follow the right moves in the end, finishing 8th. Grashev was the only other rider in the Top25.


The consistency is good but we lack the really big result or two the team perhaps deserves.
In other news, JTL keeps popping up in various Crit Series events. Most recently he has been racing the Tour of Americas Dairyland, along with Sparling, Routley, Britton and Bustamante. This also serves as a warm up for one of the teams biggest races all season, the Tour of Vancouver.
This is our only .HC event, and is on "home" turf, just over the boarder from Seattle. The first two stages have already taken place, but we will wait for the races conclusion before there is a write up.

Again it's been a while since there was an update from us. There has been lots of racing that has been focusing out attention and taking up our time. We have also just generally been enjoying the weather and things to do around our HQ in Seattle, but we will endeavor to update more often from here on in.

The Tour of Vancouver is a big race for the team. Its the closest race to our HQ in Seattle and is also Boeings only .HC race of the season. Its a 7 day affair around the city of Vancouver and has pretty much every type of terrain.
Stage 1 was a quiet one for the team, with the Colombians Colorado and Bustamante being the best of the squad, but some way off the winning pace.
Stage 2 marked the real start of the race for us home boys. JTL set out with an attack early on but couldn't make it stick. Following that local lad Will Routely made a couple of moves which again were chased down. Eventually Routely did make it into the days breakaway! He then rode like a man possessed to take all the available IS's and KoM's on the route! On the days final climb Will set off solo in the hope of stealing the stage. Will surrenders with around 5km to go, what a performance!
Stage 3 Sparling made some early motions to get into the moves, but none of them stuck. JTL was active again and this time was rewarded being part of a 4 man breakaway. He took some IS points before the group was caught around 10km to go. Chicchi managed to pick out the right wheels and popped up with a terrific podium place!
Stage 4 was the first of the big mountain stages. A very quiet rest day for the team as we watched the action. Chicchi did take a tumble but i didn't seem to be an issue.
Stage 5 back on the flat, but the big day had clearly taken its toll as the team stayed hidden most of the stage.
Stage 6 held another summit finish. Another quiet day as the early form of the first days seems to have vanished.
Stage 7 was the end of the week long event. A time trial was not a stage for Boeing.
GC 49th Colorado, 50th Bustamante, 84th JTL, 85th Routely, 88th Britton, 104th Sparling, 125th Chicchi, 147th Balinski
Overall it was a good race for the team. We had no expectations going up against the PCT best and came away with a stage podium and 2 great breakaway rides. Routely put on a show for his home fans and was our rider of the race. It does show that if we did promote we wouldn't be totally out of our depth.



Meanwhile back in Europe the cobbles team was still working hard with the Tro-Bro Leon next on their agenda. Not a hard race, but still tough enough to favor the specialists, but we chose not to send Thomas allowing Grashev to lead the team.
It was quiet for the team for most of the day. in the later stages Grashev missed some of the moves but chased back to the lead group with a few km left. The effort showed as he finished 7th in a group sprint. Bucciero also managed to finish in the Top20.


The Donetsk GP marked several riders return to Europe after the Tour of Vancouver. The flat race meant Chicchi would be the leader and go for the finish. Stoenchev put down an early attack to get away, but was unsuccessful. In the middle of the day JTL tasted the ground, but chased back to continue with only a hurt ego. The sprinters party was spoiled by a late attack, but even so Chicchi was less than convincing in 16th.

Then the racing continued in Europe with the .1 5 Jours de Dunkerque! The cobbles team, reunited with Thomas, was set the task of battling some of the best in the business in Northern France.
Stage 1 saw Sparling start brightly by getting into the breakaway. He held back early on and as the stage got closer to the end he looked the best of the break. He was caught late on, but Thomas had a strong finish in the Top10. Bucciero, Grashev, Routely and Gyurov also finished in the Top20!
Stage 2 held the first cobbles. Stefan Hristov spent the day solo out front and really showed off the team! Hristov surrendered around 10k to go. Thomas dodged a late crash to finish again in the Top10, however Routely was not so lucky and had to abandon the race.
Stage 3 Sparling was again in the break and took the KoM jersey away from teammate Hristov. Jamie buckles with 9km to go, as the team finishes safely in the bunch.
Stage 4 is the decisive day of the race with lots of cobbles and hills. We decided to go big or go home! Thomas was on the attack early to form part of the breakway! Thomas puts in a valiant and gutsy ride to be caught very late on. Grashev then steps up to follow the main attacks and take over as leader. Martin puts in a terrific effort to finish 4th! And with most of the main favorites! Hristov also finished in the 3rd group and G in the 4th to cap a crazy yet successful day for Boeing.
Stage 5 is nice and easy. No break for us today as Thomas secures another Top10 finish.
GC 4th Grashev, 5th Hristov, 15th Thomas, 25th Bucciero, 29th Gyurov, 46th Sparling
Jamie Sparling also bagged the King of the Mountains!
This was an amazing race! The team really stepped it up following a string of near misses and poor performances. The big win still eludes the team but everyone stepped up a level. Hristov, Grashev and Sparling really made themselves names here and Thomas showed he is a fearless rider. Great race that brings in loads of much needed points.



At the same time as the 5 Jours some more of the team were in action at the Avila Classic. We were only here to gain experience, so i have nothing to say about the race.

The most recent completed race for the team is the Lincoln GP. Thomas is on home soil and had very high hopes for this cobbled classic. Bucciero spent most of the day trying to catch the break so was in no-mans land. Thomas spent most of the day being badly positioned and chasing back to the other favorites. In the end he fought back to take a 10th place with Bucciero and Grashev in the Top20. Following on from 5 Jours this was a major disappointment.

Several riders are currently in action at the Turual al Romaniei so we will bring an update after that race finishes. Looking ahead we have a couple of Eastern European races to go to but out next target is the Tour de Beauce back in Canada.

It's been quiet here at BVP over the last few months. As the season got down into it's grind through the mid-season, with attention drawn towards the PT's Grand Tours, and the PCT's ever developing battles.

Rankings

There is too much to try and catch you up on in an update, so we will jump in with a look at the latest rankings updates from July.

1	1		Team Gazelle	2032
2	4		Iberia - Comunidad Valenciana	1535
3	3		Kappa - ENI	1397
15	13		Boeing-Vivacom	721
22	22		ANC-Halfords	263

Currently we, BVP sit down in 15th position. Following a quiet July with few race days we fell downwards two positions. Clearly we are a long way off of the Top3, with that Goal now well out of reach. At the same time we are well away from the bottom position, so at least there will always be someone worse than us.

However this pure ranking hides something very encouraging. This fact can only be shown through the magic of PPrD (Points Per Race Day).

Pos	Act		Team	RD	PpRD	Proj	Pts
1	1		Team Gazelle	104	19.5	2931	2032
2	2		Iberia - Comunidad Valenciana	100	15.4	2303	1535
3	3		Kappa - ENI	109	12.8	1922	1397
8	9		Magna-Ryanair	93	10.3	1547	959
9	6		Ekspla-Cision	110	10.0	1497	1098
10	7		Banco Nacional de Costa Rica	114	9.4	1412	1073
11	15		Boeing-Vivacom	78	9.2	1387	721
22	22		ANC-Halfords	80	3.3	493	263

Again it is instantly clear that the Top3 are a long way out of reach. But look closely and we have moved up 4 places into 11th. Not only that, we have currently used less race days than every team ahead in the ranking, giving us an advantage. As they run out of races the points will dry up. The leaders will hang up their wheels. But Boeing will be able to push consistently hard, with our leaders, all the way to the finish of the season. While the Goal of a Top3 is gone, we firmly believe that a Top10 is a real possibility, and some staff have been muttering of a Top5...
So lets have a look ahead at those remaining races!

Remaining Races

Bucks County Classic
This is a 165km flat classic in the USA, and is classed as a home race by the team. The Boeing-Vivacom team will be lead by Chicchi, who will be hoping to add to his win from the Tour of the Middle East. But he will also be aided by Geraint Thomas, the teams best scorer and strongest rider. It is a C2 ranked event, meaning there is theoretically weaker competition, but there are a host of sprinters in the CT at a similar level to Chicchi. Finally, this was picked out as a Win Goal for the team, adding to the pressure.
Goal: Win
Key Rider: Chicchi

Tour of the Battenkill
A 204km Cobbled classic set in the USA. Again this is marked out as a Home Race for the team, and is a key race to our calendar. The early season cobbles proved a good hunting ground for the team, proving they could mix it with the best even the PCT had to offer. Lead by Geraint it will be a strong team chasing glory in the C1 event. This level will contain a few more of the big names from the PCT, so it should prove to be a great spectacle. Geraint is amongst the top favorites for this race, and will certainly be hunting for a victory. Also, as shown throughout the season, the team will not shy away from doing the unexpected, with Grashev also having quality. Lastly this race is a Top5 Goal race, adding extra incentive.
Goal: Top5
Key Rider: Thomas

Tour de Rio
This is a 5 day stage race around Rio de Janeiro, including 4 flat and 1 hilly stage. Chicchi will headline the team, in an attempt to bag a stage win or more. Rob Britton will also attend with his sights set on the middle hilly stage, as a chance to secure a good GC position. It's a C2 race but the quality of the Stage Racers in the CT division is scary, making this a tough one to call, and putting the pressure on that hilly stage.
Goal: Stage Win
Key Rider: Chicchi

Race Horizon Park
A 202km circuit race around Kiev which is classified as Flat, but contains a deceptive amount of climbing thanks to a hill on the route. Again this is Chicchi's time to lead, with a mass sprint the anticipated outcome. However with Maksimov expected to appear this is unlikely to provide a sprint victory. That said a Top10 is hoped for. In case Chicchi doesn't have the legs, Geraint is also in attendance. Thomas has the power to attack late and try and to spoil the party. It's going to be a tough race, thats for sure.
Goal: Top10
Key Rider: Chicchi

Jelajah Malaysia
A 6 day stage race in Malaysia, with 3 mountain stages and 3 flat stages. The overlap with the Tour of America created a scheduling nightmare, and we decided to put both Bustamante and Colorado into this race, with a big eye on the GC. Being a C2 race excludes many of the better climbers, and the lure of America we hope will pull a few more big names away. Perennial fan-favorite Bakari will also be in attendance. With both Colombians lining up anything less than a Top5 GC will be considered a bad result, providing they can avoid the bad luck that has plagued a large part of their season.
Goal: Top5 GC
Key Rider: Bustamante/Colorado

Tour of America
21 stages of Grand Tour greatness. This is the jewel of the C1/2 Calendar and is a big goal for a lot of teams. It's length does throw up issues with race planning, and Boeing strangely have opted for caution. Chicchi will lead a team that has eyes almost solely on the flat stages and breakaways. Georgiev heads up the climbing hopes, and if his recent performances are anything to go by, he really could prove to be a surprise package. It's tough to set a goal with this race being so big, but we have to be optimistic. It would be great to get a couple of stage wins, yes a couple.
Goal: 2+ Stage Wins
Key Rider: Chicchi/Georgiev

Grand Prix de Quebec/Montreal
The Canadian Double is a unique time. With one squad having to race both events, and occurring during the Tour of America. Both races are 200km plus, but Quebec is flat and Montreal is hilly. Geraint Thomas will headline the team, with plenty of power and determination. His main focus will be Quebec, where he hopes to spoil the sprinters day out. Routley will take the lead in Montreal on the hilly parcours. These are C1 events, and hence will attract some tough startlists. As a result our expectations are tempered slightly, with a simple Top10 from either race.
Goal: Top10
Key Rider: Thomas

Wanze-Arenberg
A 206km cobbled classic at C1 level. As always in these races we know who will turn up, the best of the best in the PCT and CT. Geraint will spearhead the BVP charge again, with eyes firmly on a Top3 placing. The flat route will allow more riders to be present near the finish, but Thomas holds a strong final kick in his legs which could prove the difference.
Goal: Top3
Key Rider: Thomas

Cartago-Irazu
Meanwhile in Costa Rica there is a 164km Mountain classic. It's a very very tough race, with over 8500m of climbing, finishing up the Irazu Volcano. Colorado and Bustamante lead the team with eyes squarely set on bagging a result at the summit. Both have the capacity to challenge in some form, but expect the best climbers available to appear at a rare one-day mountain classic. We like to think that either of the Colombian duo can bag something here, so a Top5 is the objective.
Goal: Top5
Key Rider: Bustamante/Colorado

Dobrich GP
The single most important race to Vivacom. A 161km cobbled classic around Dobrich is the sole chance to show on Bulgarian soil. Geraint will lead the team as usual on the cobbles, but that home support will surely encourage Grashev to a new level and to animate the race. As a C2 race some of the bigger PCT names will not be starting, opening the race right up and giving us a big advantage. As such, on home turf and with this race set as a Win Goal, anything less than a Win will not be accepted.
Goal: Win
Key Rider: Thomas

Clasico RCN
An 8 day stage race in Colombia. 4 Mountain stages, 2 flat stages, 1 hilly stage and a single TTT. This makes for a comprehensive stage race where only the best will prevail. Surprisingly neither Bustamante nor Colorado will race, in an under strength team. It will again be up to Georgiev to provide the climbing power. It's a weak team in a race that is not much cared for by the team. If we could change it we would.
Goal: Anything will do
Key Rider: Georgiev

Tour of Utah
Our final race of the season is a 6 stage race in Utah. 2 Flat stages, 2 Time Trials, 1 Hilly stage and 1 Mountain stage. Thomas is the headliner, hoping the mix it in the sprints or steal some late action. The rest of the team will be pushing hard to grab as many late points as possible from the C2 race. We hope that most of the big riders will be done for the season by then, allowing us to haul in a large number of late points and push for that extra ranking position. Our goal here is to bag a stage win, probably from a breakaway.
Goal: Stage Win
Key Rider: Thomas

Next Season

With the season rapidly progressing it is time to start thinking about next season. We expect to achieve 3 of our Goals, which will certainly pull in a decent budget for season 2. This season has been a real learning process, and has not fully lived up to expectations. As a result one of the sponsors has decided to pull out.
Vivacom will no longer be part of the programme for season 2. They are happy with the set up, but the costs were larger than expected and it is no longer viable for them to continue supporting the team.
The search is already on for a replacement sponsor. With a large number of Bulgarians in the roster that is the main area of search. Vivacom were backed partly by the government, who made it known that they will subsidize any sponsorship 50/50. Initial contact has been with a number of parties but a decision is still a long way off.
In terms of riders a lot pf progress has been made. While exact contracts will not be finalized until the off-season several riders have agreed that Boeing will not be their home in 2014.

That concludes this look ahead. We wish all the teams the best of luck in this phase of the year, and will hope to update more often from here on in.

aidanvn13 wrote:
Mmm... Seems intereating. Curious as to what "The Sound" will turn out to be. Also curious on wh0 the other sponsor will be.

==Sound Wave: An Introduction==

Welcome to Issue #1 of brand new Man-Game publication, The Sound. We will attempt to bring you articles, interviews and happenings from across the Man-Game world every week. A lot of the content will be interview based as we aim to bring you the inside scoop on the various teams, managers, riders and features. There will be a couple of fixed weekly features (Sound Wave, One-on-One and Whale Watching) but most of the content will be entirely variable. Just a quick explanation of the weekly features here: Sound Wave will be my Editors piece about the Issue, One-on-One will be the feature interview, and finally Whale Watching is a look at something a bit different in the Man-Game world. If you, the readers, ever have any comments please make them. We are also always on the look out for new ideas for features and articles, so please share. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy.

==Riding High: Team Gazelle==

Gazelle were a brand new team for 2013, joining up at the bottom of the pile down in the equally new CT division. From the outset manager DubbelDekker had a very driven and clear picture for the team. At an early stage he ruled out getting in any leaders who would be sprinters and ruled out time trialists of almost every kind.
The team is based around stand out leader Pieter Weening and co-leader Lieuwe Westra. Weening has since brought in almost 400pts and is the second highest ranked rider in the CT division. As if this wasn't enough Gazelle also boasts the top ranked CT rider, surprisingly in the form of Thiago Duarte Nardin.Thiago has brough in over 400pts through some outstanding and unexpected results, namely at the Tour of Southland.
Lieuwe Westra and Blaz Furdi are also in the Top10 CT riders just underlining the domination that this team has shown this season. At the end of July they had amassed over 2000 total points, and were 97pts clear of the next closest team. They stand to win the division by almost 600pts if they can keep this form up, and frankly there is no reason why they couldn't. As such their promotion to the PCT is all but guaranteed, and the general feeling is that even the PCT won't pose much of a challenge.
With eyes turning towards the end of the season, and thoughts starting to plan for the next many are wondering what manager DubbelDekker will do. Here at The Sound we grabbed a few words off of the team manager about this subject.



There you have it. The CT's most dominant team and a real potential threat to many a PCT team next season. The well worked formula could take Team Gazelle all the way to Man-Game legend.

==The Elevator: Cisco Cycling Team==

2012 saw the inaugural season for this squad, managed by Pellizotti2, then under the name Ferrari-ERG and based out of Italy. The team worked hard to earn promotion up to the PCT level, but what followed certainly surprised some of the more experienced heads.
The team upped sticks and moved to Kazakhstan, with Cisco taking over the title sponsor role. The core of Italians remained for the season and was strengthened by a number of Kazahks and others. Namely this included Aleksandr Dyachenko moving teams. But Cisco also took a risk, taking part in a large number of loan deals. 6 riders have been loaned in, and 7 loaned out. Finally for the season they bagged invitation to the Giro d'Italia. Since then things havn't gone as well as expected. A decent number of early successes have been followed by a time of struggle and underachievement. At the end of June Cisco sat just two spots off the bottom and were starting at the outline of potential relegation. But a strong month of July saw the team climb upwards three places to 25th, and crucially out of the relegation zone, putting a 100+point gap behind them as well.
They are now predicted to finished the season strongly up in 19th position, which will see them safe from relegation, if not by the margin the manager might have liked. Against this sits Aleksandr Efimkin, who currently rides 10th ranked in the PCT division. It has been a lack of scoring consistency from other riders that has hurt, but as in July perhaps this trend is starting to change for the better. The question facing Cisco is can they keep this going, and avoid relegation? The signs are certainly promising, but with bottom of the PCT being as tight as it is, and several huge races to come, it is impossible to call it simple. All we can do at The Sound is wish them luck.

==The Only Way Is Up: ANC-Halfords==

Baggieboys32 resurrected a classic British cycling team to take part in the 2013 CT division season. ANC-Halfords had a brief foray into the peloton back in the late 1980's, even making it to the Tour de France. Of course the team then collapsed mid-race as the money ran out in a tragic reminder of how volatile the world of pro cycling was. This time round things certainly looked better from the outset. Ambitions were kept in check and expectations cleverly managed.
Getting the signature of Aussie Ricki Nelson looked good and highlighted the transfer period for the team. Some good business landed a decent team, but some wondered if there was enough talent to really challenge for the top spots in races, or the division. The first months were quiet with a few races here and there, and unfortunately things never really kicked off from there. A smattering of good results has seen ANC rooted to the bottom of the table for a few months now. At the end of July they were over 200pts behind the next closes team, Credexbank. And the predictions don't look a lot better, with ANC finishing last in the CT division by over 200pts. This is a position no team ever wants to find itself in.
Here at The Sound we got hold of manager Baggieboys32 to try and get to the bottom of what went wrong for such a promising team.



Straight from the mouth of the man who knows. Things may not have gone according to plan, but they see hope at the squad. Plans are in motion for season 2, and of course the only way is up.

==One-on-One: Project 1t4i==

So far this edition there has been more focus on the CT and PCT divisions. So for our first One-on-One piece The Sound went straight to the big leagues, tacking down and harassing Project 1t4i manager alexkr00.

==Not So Secret Pro: Geraint Thomas=

Hi, i'm Geraint Thomas, team leader of Boeing-Vivacom ProCycling. I have the honor of being the first quest writer for new Man-Game magazine The Sound.
2012 i spent with Jaguar-Eritel, so this season has been a big shift. By dropping down the divisions i secured myself a full leadership position i'd been pushing for. I first heard that BVP were interested in me quite late into the process. When previous manager, SN, came to me BVP had already put an early offer into him. He was honest with me about the teams plans for the season, and that i did not fit them. Ok this sucked, but hey this new opportunity looked good.
Also it meant that suddenly i was talked up as real race favorite on a regular basis. A large chunk of the team was brought in to support me and frankly it built up a lot of pressure. If i'm being honest it was too much for me in Ethiopia. I had no confidence and hid away in the peloton. This drew all sorts of media attention, and most of it negative. It built up and weighed on me. The boss, TMM, was not best pleased either and he let me know it. It was early in the season but i couldn't take it, and i even packed up my bags to head home to Wales.
JTL caught me on the way out of our Hotel. He convinced me to get a drink with him and think things through. I told him how the pressure had built up. That to be honest i didn't think i could deliver the results being asked of me. This coupled with the move across the Atlantic had made me homesick and a bit ill. After a few hours JTL talked me round and got me to that next race, the Nokere Koerse. As we were lining up ready to start i thought to myself, "Fuck this. If they (by which i mean the media and other riders) are going to put this pressure on me, i'm going to put it back on them.
I threw down the attacks and made everyone suffer like i did. Ok the result didn't quite come, 5th, but it was a start. At the Dwars Door Vlaanderen i improved to 4th, and them finished 4th again at the IWT Oetingen. The pressure was easing, as i had proved that i had the ability to ride hard and compete for some big results. The biggest moment of the season so far then was the 5 Jours de Dunkerque... [Part 2 to come in Issue #2]

==Whale Watching: Mini Man-Game First Look==

Each year the Man-Game gets bigger and better. It's reputation reaches new levels and the list of applications for places gets ever longer. 2013 saw first the introduction of the CT division, then the Crits Series and now finally the debut of the Mini Man-Game. Designed to garner new interest in the game, and to prepare even more potential future teams and managers the Mini Man-Game has already broken new ground.
We got a few words of some of the new managers, seeking their opinion of everything from teams and races, to future hopes.
NTTHRASH - I'd say Miche [are the strongest team]. They're unstoppable this year, but they are aging.
Kentaurus - I think it certainly can be [a step to the full game] and likely several of those in the mini [game] will move on to the main man-game.
baseballlover312- The Tour de Andorra looks... interesting.
Jesleyh - The MMG is the ideal step up to the big Man-Game, but I'm not sure yet if I'll use it.
Atlantius - Tour d'Andorra looks brutal and will be a very exiting race.
The Sound also tried to get hold of Man-Game head honcho SportingNonsense to ask him a few questions about the Mini Man-Game. However as of now we have been unable to agree an interview date, so this chat is being pushed backwards until our next piece on the MMG in a few weeks.

==Sounding Off: Looking Ahead==

That concludes the debut issue of The Sound. From here we aim to publish a new issue every week, and maybe some specials as well. Next week, Issue #2, will include Part 2 of Geraint Thomas, another interview with a ProTour manager and much more. Then in future weeks we will return to the MMG, look inside the Tour of the Future, travel down under and round up sponsor rumors and changes. Always send in ideas or comments. Hope you enjoyed the read.