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[CT] Aramco DP: Season in Review
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 20-09-2021 02:08
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Team Leader
Posts: 5533
Joined: 12-06-2013
PCM$: 500.00
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It was an exciting evening earlier as the much anticipated CT Draft took place over Zoom at the MGUCI Headquarters in an undisclosed location.
Maher Hasnaoui
 | Age: 32
| FLA | MO | HIL | TT | STA | RES | REC | COB | SPR | ACC | FTR | DWH | PRO | | 68 | 74 | 71 | 70 | 73 | 70 | 73 | 58 | 64 | 64 | 67 | 63 | 70 |
Hasnaoui rode for us last season in the PCT but wasn't renewed due to limited wage space. However, he still has a lot to offer in terms of support across many terrains so we welcome him back with open arms for what is likely to be his last season as a professional cyclist.
Julian Cardona
 | Age: 24 | Lvl: 2.10 | Pot: 3
| FLA | MO | HIL | TT | STA | RES | REC | COB | SPR | ACC | FTR | DWH | PRO | | 69 | 64 | 62 | 71 | 68 | 68 | 64 | 62 | 64 | 67 | 59 | 65 | 71 | | Time-Trial | 73 | 64 | 63 | 77 | 72 | 74 | 68 | 62 | 64 | 67 | 62 | 65 | 77 |
As I'd imagine everyone knows by now, we're a team that develops talent and we take every opportunity to do so. Julian here is no exception. He's not going to be a world beater in the future but he's got the potential to be a great supporting rider for the flats and a part of our TTT team for years to come. |
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 20-09-2021 07:59
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Team Leader
Posts: 5533
Joined: 12-06-2013
PCM$: 500.00
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Leader Presentation - Andres Paez
The young Argentine puncheur with a kick makes his return to us after spending last season on loan at Air France - KLM where he was on loan with former Aramco rider Gaudu. He was active in breakaways and spent most of his time as a support rider. The highlight of his season was 18th in Amstel Gold Race (photo below), he also showed up well with 25th in Clasica San Sebastian and 28th in Fleche Wallone.
He was signed for 75,000 from the Free Agency in 2018 and immediately sent out on loan to Repsol – Netflix before spending the 2019 season with us in the PCT. We look forward to having him back in our colours.
 | Age: 26 | Wage: 140,000
| FLA | MO | HIL | TT | STA | RES | REC | COB | SPR | ACC | FTR | DWH | PRO | | 73 | 72 | 77 | 68 | 74 | 70 | 73 | 58 | 73 | 76 | 76 | 65 | 68 |
Paez has a unique skill-set with his strong ability on the climbs mixed with a kick that can win stages & classics across the Continental division. It wasn't cheap to hold onto him, and he was our pick in the choice between him and Gaudu, so he will need to perform well this year. Although we recognize that he isn't going to be the best pure puncheur in the division, we anticipate an exciting 2021 from him. |
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| redordead |
Posted on 20-09-2021 12:59
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4882
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
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Wow?!  I think you made the right decision by selling Gaudu, as Paez looks excellent. Stacked CT team it seems 
Since you sold me Gaudu, maybe we could discuss Milos next year also? 
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 20-09-2021 22:17
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Team Leader
Posts: 5533
Joined: 12-06-2013
PCM$: 500.00
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Leader Presentation - Thomas
Benjamin is yet another rider who has spent his entire professional career under contract with our team but he has never actually raced in our colours. He was signed for 75,000 from the Free Agency back in 2018 but was immediately sent out on loan to Generali. He then spent 2019 on loan at cycleYorkshire before finishing his development last season in the ProTour at Team UBS.
He unsurprisingly received quite a bit of interest during the Transfer period and you can see why but there was no chance he was going to be leaving.
 | Age: 26 | Wage: 50,000
| FLA | MO | HIL | TT | STA | RES | REC | COB | SPR | ACC | FTR | DWH | PRO | | 73 | 56 | 66 | 78 | 75 | 73 | 70 | 64 | 74 | 79 | 64 | 66 | 79 |
He's a great rider for us to have and invaluable in the Continental Tour given his skillset and him being on minimum wage. He's strong against the clock and even stronger in the prologues so he'll have leadership opportunities this season given the CT calendar. We also see great use for him as a lead-out for years to come as his acceleration is amazing too. |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 25-11-2024 19:12
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| SotD |
Posted on 21-09-2021 08:12
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World Champion
Posts: 12188
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
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I still find it impressive that you can have Benjamin Thomas at min. wage. 78TT, 79PRL and a very very solid breakaway rider and/or leadout rider. That's basically the perfect rider within the wage cap. And I suspect that a training of eg. +2 TT would see his wage explode to 200-250K, so it isn't even worth it to invest into him.
Very very solid rider, and I'm sad I couldn't find a way to land him
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 21-09-2021 08:57
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Team Leader
Posts: 5533
Joined: 12-06-2013
PCM$: 500.00
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Leader Presentation - Benoit Cosnefroy
A young rider who stood out from the crowd last season, the Frenchman scored an incredible 361 points which saw him finish 95th in the 2020 Individual Rider Rankings and helped his Grieg-Maersk team to 12th in the PT. He was not only active in the breakaways but showed off his ability against the clock, including 3rd in a TT classic ahead of strong opposition. His two big highlights are below, he was also part of the French team that finished 2nd in the TTT World Championships.
He has spent his whole career with us too after signing for a fairly decent 120,000 from the Free Agency back in 2018 prior to spending 2019 on loan at Iberia – Team Degenkolb before his PT experience in 2020.
3rd in the Chroro d'Arenberg
Driving Grieg to win the Copenhagen-Malmo TTT
| Age: 26 | Wage: 160,000
| FLA | MO | HIL | TT | STA | RES | REC | COB | SPR | ACC | FTR | DWH | PRO | | 76 | 68 | 71 | 78 | 78 | 81 | 72 | 69 | 69 | 69 | 81 | 74 | 78 |
The French TT/Fighter strong man will be one to keep an eye on this season. He is very strong on his own, on the Flats and he's no slouch as the road heads up either. A very unique rider type but one who could benefit from the variation available in the CT calendar across the different race categories, including against stronger opposition in HC and C1. He'll have a big role to play and he knows that given the wage he's now on. |
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| tastasol |
Posted on 21-09-2021 09:08
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 2889
Joined: 11-09-2010
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Looking forward to see what Benoit can do for you! We really enjoyed having him last year, so hope he can do something similar in his own team
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 22-09-2021 00:25
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Team Leader
Posts: 5533
Joined: 12-06-2013
PCM$: 500.00
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Hello everyone, it is our pleasure today to present the Final 2021 Squad for Aramco DP. We have a real mix of riders which includes 2 young stagiares, 2 riders in on loan and 1 rider out on loan. The average age of those riders in our jersey this season is 25.4 while Ruben (30) and Maher (32) are the only 2 riders in the team above the age of 27. With 14 different nations represented in our squad of 18, we have achieved the target to become more international.
Mountains & Stage Races
We believe we have a very strong set-up for the CT led by the youthful duo of Mas (26) and Milos (27). Mas is of the old Spanish climber breed with a punchy attacking style and strength on the shorter climbs as well. Milos is more well-rounded in terms of ability against the clock and thus will share leadership throughout the season. Ruben (30) continues to be a Road Captain while Maher (32) returns to provide domestique support.
Hills
We don't have the strength in depth in the Hills as we would have had with some of the talents we had to release but we've still got a very capable leader with a unique skill-set. Andre (26) will be one to watch in reduced sprints and he also enjoys getting out on the attack so he'll make races interesting. He can also stick around on longer climbs. His support will be from Road Captain Ruben.
Time Trials and TTTs
An area where we can really dominate the Continental Tour with riders who have proven PT experience. French pairing Ben (26) and Benjy (26) are a formidable duo. Ben has the ability to stick around when the road goes up and also enjoys getting out on the attack. Benjy offers something different by providing lead-outs as well as being stronger than his compatriot in the Prologues.
The team goes from strength to strength with Jaime (25) being the favourite for U25 classifications and also being strong on the Flats. Milos will be there to support in TTTs. Carlo (25) will be a good asset while in on loan while Julian (24) is here to learn from the best.
Sprints & Cobbles
The real strength of our team now and in the future. Fabio (25) is the top sprinter in the division and needs to show this. He'll have strong support from various riders including Sureda (in on loan), GT (23) and Benjy. Mo (26) will ride in stage races with Flat stages where Jakobsen isn't present.
Alex was our sole transfer signing this off-season and adds a lot to the team already. He'll be the lead-out for Fabio in every race this season while leading the team in all of the Cobbled races where we hope to see him shine.
Talents
We will never not have an undeveloped rider in our team. Our top talent is Alex (24) who will become our Cobbles leader in the future. GT (23) will be a great lead-out for many years to come. Mo (26) is a pure sprinter, nothing more, nothing less. He may be transferred out next season rather than a Loan but we shall see. Hester (23) was signed this season and we see him as a lead-out man for years to come. Julian (24) was signed in the Draft and will be a useful part of the TTT set-up and a solid domestique in the future.
We then have 2 stagiares. Henry (22) would have been a great FA pick-up or a great draft pick-up but we were weary of other interest to sign him as a stagiare. He'll be a part of our TTT set-up and will enjoy getting on the attack. Sake (22) was a bit of a different signing for us. We have yet to decide whether he will be offered a contract next season but he may be an interesting rider to have around given his fighting spirit and strength on the flat roads.
As we are an international team, we will be referring to our riders by a shorter form of their name to support our fans and to help our riders remember each-other out on the road.
| Nat. | Full Name | 2021 Name | Wage |  | Fabio Jakobsen | Fabio | 170,000 |  | Enric Mas | Mas | 250,000 | | Benoit Cosnefroy | Ben | 160,000 | | Andres Paez | Andre | 140,000 |  | Milos Borisavljevic | Milos | 100,000 |  | Mohammad Izzat Hilmi Abdul Halil | Mo | 50,000 |  | Alexandr Ovsyannikov | Alex | 50,000 | | Ruben Fernandez | Ruben | 55,000 | | Jaime Castrillo | Jaime | 50,000 | | Benjamin Thomas | Benjy | 50,000 | | Maher Hasnaoui | Maher | Draft Pick |  | Gerben Thijssen | GT | 50,000 | | Jules Hesters | Hester | 50,000 | | Julian Cardona | Julian | Draft Pick | | Jaume Sureda | Sureda | In on Loan |  | Carlo Noia | Carlo | In on Loan |  | Miori Kawasaki | Sake | 10,000 |  | Henry Alberto Sam | Henry | 10,000 |  | Nicola Conci | Nic | Out on Loan |
Our full 2021 Squad is as below:
* riders in brown are In on Loan
* riders in yellow are Stagiares
* rider in blue is Out on Loan |
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| DarkWolf |
Posted on 22-09-2021 06:35
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Protected Rider
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You have a very solid team here! I'll make sure I'll battle it fiercely since I am still bitter about you stealing Henry Alberto Sam.  |
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| SotD |
Posted on 22-09-2021 07:18
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World Champion
Posts: 12188
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
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Showoff!
Brilliant team nothing less can be said. With some proper planning and not too many talents next year (That's a big if I guess ) - youl have the base for back-to-back promotions if you can add a couple of leaders to this.
You'll be playing with the CT I'd imagine.
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| MacC |
Posted on 22-09-2021 08:45
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Sprinter
Posts: 1594
Joined: 15-07-2008
PCM$: 700.00
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Good team. Similar in profile to Glanbia only better and younger!
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 22-09-2021 09:23
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7651
Joined: 28-05-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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Nice looking team - good balance for CT and I expect you to bounce back at the first opportunity.
.: Manager of :.
.: My Awards :.
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| Bikex |
Posted on 22-09-2021 10:52
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Team Leader
Posts: 7257
Joined: 25-08-2012
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Cool to see Jakobsen leading the team now. Already unmaxed he did well for me in PT last year. Looking forward to see how he does this season. On paper he should be the sprinter to beat in CT.
With Mas and Cosnefroy you got a great leader trio. I think it can only go up for you this year and like SotD said it's a great team to build on to go even further. |
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| Croatia14 |
Posted on 22-09-2021 11:01
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 9099
Joined: 13-03-2013
PCM$: 2100.00
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Awesome squad, I love what you built in the long run. Should be a fun CT season for you!
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 23-09-2021 22:58
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Team Leader
Posts: 5533
Joined: 12-06-2013
PCM$: 500.00
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SotD: Benjy Thomas is indeed a great rider to have on 50k and I can't see us selling him anytime soon given his abilities against the clock and as a lead-out man.
tastasol: I was very happy to see how well he did for you and couldn't wait to have him riding for me again! Will be fun to watch him this season.
DarkWolf: Thank you! It's going to be a competitive CT division and I look forward to battling with you in the Mountains! Sam was available as a FA so you could have had him for 50k
SotD: A big IF indeed haha. Thank you though! It's taken a few years to get here but now I get to taste the fruits of my labour. 2022 scenarios are already being though of.
MacC: Thank you. You've definitely got some strength which will provide stiff competition.
the_hoyle: I've not had the most balanced Team in the past so this was the first step to righting that in the seasons to come.
Bikex: I look forward to seeing what young Fabio can do for me. On paper he is the best sprinter alongside Kump so I'm expecting a fair bit from him! A lot of young untested leaders who should and need to provide results. Hopefully the foundations mean success in the future
Croatia14: Means a lot coming from one of the best! Fun is the aim of the game 
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 23-09-2021 23:05
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Team Leader
Posts: 5533
Joined: 12-06-2013
PCM$: 500.00
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All Jerseys created by the_hoyle. Excellent work as always! We look forward to seeing all of these on the top step of the podium this season 
Our 2021 Jersey is the same as that used during 2020.
Milos will be wearing this as Serbian RR and TT Champion.
New recruit Alex is the Kazakh RR Champion.
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| Nemolito |
Posted on 24-09-2021 09:26
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3367
Joined: 20-04-2020
PCM$: 425.00
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Nice squad indeed, should be able to do well this season, and as others said, the next one(s) as well with the addition of some extra heavy hitters in PCT.
I am happy that you took Sam in, as he was one of my suggestions a couple of weeks ago. Hope he can be of use for you in Avenir and his 15 rd's this season, and that he gets a contract after the season Also nice from a regional POV to see Cardona finally landing a contract.
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 14-10-2021 00:38
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Team Leader
Posts: 5533
Joined: 12-06-2013
PCM$: 500.00
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Team Standings: Top 5
Plain and simple, we should be achieving this. Anything less than a Top 5 will be a massive disappointment.
Monterrey TTT: Win
Risky to have a goal for a TTT but why not? With Ben, Benjy & Jaime we have a trio that should be able to lead us to success here. We expect strong competition from BWT Hyundai and Glanbia although their riders lack the back-up stats of our top trio.
Herald Sun Tour: Win
A race in which the GC is decided between the Time Trial specialists. We have Ben and Benjy who we expect to be fighting for the win here so this one is definitely achievable.
USA Pro Cycling Challenge: Top 5
A race for the sprinters and we have one of the best in the division in Fabio. We are obviously expecting him to fight for the GC win here so a Top 5 should be achieved comfortably.
Course de Solidarnosc: Top 5
Another one for the sprinters in which we expect Fabio to fight for the win and comfortably achieve our Top 5 goal. |
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 14-10-2021 01:30
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World Champion
Posts: 11395
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Oooh that's a really neat jersey, I like it! Shades of the original Xero kit with the triangle pattern but overall a really cool colour combo and fade - befitting a team I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of at the front this season!
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
5x  x5
2x  x2
2x  x2 |
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| DarkWolf |
Posted on 14-10-2021 06:17
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Protected Rider
Posts: 1025
Joined: 21-09-2020
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Time trial and sprint for goals means we will not clash a lot on the objectives. Although the sponsors behind my team demand a strong showing at USA Pro Cycling Challenge too. It remains to be seen how that turns out. |
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