With the 2023 MGUCI season drawing to its end, we at Genii Hyundai N Cycling had decided to do occasional rider spotlight for the season showing their palmares. Today's episode is about Pierre-Paolo Penasa, or as we would like to call him - Triple P. He was one of our first riders that had arrived in the offseason in a package that William Barta and Joonas Henttala were also part of the deal in which we parted ways with Muhamma Afif Ahmad Zamri. Penasa used all of his 44 RD that were allocated to him by the MGUCI + 21 additional RD for competing in the Tour de France as part of our wildcard entry (PCT wildcards for PT specific races had no effect on the pre-defined RD) for a total of 65 RD. How did he perfrom though?
Tour of Ukraine GC Position: 118th Place
His debut came relatively later that other riders on the roster and it appears that sending him there was perhaps not the best idea and he didn't leave great first impression by finishing outside Top 100
Isle of Man TTT GC Position: 8th Place (TTT event)
Penasa's second appearance was on the Isle of Man where we've sent our best TT riders to tacke the TTT event. Unfortunately this contingent was not as strong as last year's which had won both Monterrey and Windhoek - the effort was enough only for 8th place
Vuelta al Pais Vasco GC Position: 13th Place Points Standings: 19th Place KoM Standings: 17th Place Notable stage results: 5th Place (Stage 5)
Penasa was entered in the Basque Country for one of the two races there this season and he had a rough start, which wasn't helped by a subpar TT stage 4. However, a 5th in Stage 5 launched him up to 15th in GC and after another solid finish in Stage 6, he finished 13th overall
Tour de Pologne GC Position: 6th Place Points Standings: 11th Place KoM Standings: 28th Place Notable stage results: 5th place (1x - Stage 6), 6th Place (2x - Stage 2, Stage 7)
Tour de Pologne was next in Triple P's schedule and from the very start this time he was competitive with a 6th in Stage 2. A 5th place finish in Stage 6 and another 6th in the final stage were good enough for a Top 10 finish in GC, finishing 6th just 22 seconds behind 5th placed Marcus Faglum Karlsson
Tour de Romandie GC Position: 5th Place Points Standings: 16th Place KoM Standings: 25th Place Notable stage results: 5th place (1x - Stage 4), 8th place (1x - Stage 3)
Tour de Romandie didn't start well for Penasa as he was dropped by the TTT train in the opening TTT stage, but he made it up with an 8th in Stage 3 and 5th in Stage 4 which before the Mountain TT had him in provisional 3rd. Unfortunately the podium finish chances evaporated in this Mountain TT and he and the team had to settle for 5th in GC. Penasa's overall performance as well as from others like Romain Sicard and William Barta were good enough for the team to finish 3rd in the Team Classifiaction
Pro Hallstatt Classic Race Position: 10th Place
Triple P is primairly a stage race specialist, but we've decided to spend some RD on a one-day race - the Pro Hallstatt Classic. Even though he isn't specialized in that kind of events, he did well enough to finish in 10th place.
Tour of California GC Position: 7th Place Notable stage results: 7th place (1x - Stage 7)
It was a trip to California for Triple P in June, but unlike Poland and Romandie he didn't do much - the attention within the team was Kiskonen's stage win and Velasco's solid performance. That is until the final stage where Penasa finished 7th to propel him to the same position in the GC classification
Tour de France GC Position: 12th Place Points Standings: 33rd Place KoM Standings: 2nd Place Notable stage results: 2nd place (1x - Stage 14), 8th place (1x - Stage 8), 10th place (1x - Stage 18)
The big one is here - the Tour de France. We've sent the best we could offer, but Penasa once again had a slow start and wasn't doing much until the end of Week 2 when he finished 2nd in Stage 14 and in Week 3 was briefly leading the KoM standings, but eventually lost that battle to Bartosz Warchol. At one point he was also in Top 10 in GC, but a poor TT on the penultimate stage dropped him down to 12th place. Unfortunately, PCT teams aren't allowed to socre ranking points in PT wildcard races. But was a wildcard well spent.
Tour of Slovenia GC Position: 56th Place
After Tour de France Penasa was assigned to race in Slovenia. Unfortunately, this proved to be a miscalculated move as Triple P finished 56th in GC, wondering if those 5 RD would've been better spent elsewhere - like Andorra or Britain
Tour du Maroc GC Position: 7th Place Points Standings: 13th Place KoM Standings: 23rd Place Notable stage results: 4th place (1x - Stage 4), 10th place (1x - Stage 2)
Penasa's final race for the season was in Morocco, which this time was C1 race. His hopes were to repeat the 2nd place he achieved last season when he was beaten for the top spot by coincidently his current teammate, Romain Sicard, who also had Morocco as his final hurrah for the season. And while he was consistent throughout, he wasn't able to repeat his 2nd place from last year, finishing 7th in GC.
Our verdict:
As of the last rankings update, Triple P is 53rd with 324 points. Considering that he wasn't scheduled to race after Morocco his points tally is final and will most likely tumble down the rankings as a result. He's still the team's best scoring rider and will most likely remain as such. Had 8 RD (Ukraine and Slovenia) were spent elsewhere his taly might have been even higher.
What would be his future with the team though? While he struggled in TT stages this season, he was still competitive on most races he was entered - especially in C1 races. However, given his large wage and entering into a decline next season could pose problems for the team as it heads back to CT status where the cap is half that of a PCT teams. And if Penasa's wage demands are high, it could potentially make it impossible for the team to retain him on a reasonable price.
Edited by ivaneurope on 04-06-2024 08:03
Euskal Bizkleta was the final race for the team's 2023 season and the mood was pretty much as expected - everyone has come to terms with the team's fate which had been sealed a long time ago. Ivaneurope, the CEO of the team and its parent company - IESE, has admited in an interview made after Tour of Japan that despite his team remaining part of the MGUCI family for one more year, he is unsure that he can keep going beyond 2024.
"I've confirmed that IESE will maintain its franchise for the 2024 season. However, I cannot guarantee that I'll have the capacity and motivation to continue beyond that. It will depend on lot of factors - including results and sponsorship deals. But right now can't confirm any future commitments beyond 2024."
It is hard to point out if the 2024 season will be ideed the team's last. A recent study conducted by an independent marketing research team on behalf of IESE has concuded that there are far fewer opportunities to sign lucrative deals and riders are less likely to sign. Perhaps that research is pressuring the team to seek promotion back to the PCT in 2024 which ivaneurope has admited that the prospects of an instant promotion back are not certain as may seem at first glance
"2021 was our first season back in CT after spending 2020 in the upper PCT division. And during that season we finished in the mid-table. While it's believed that promotion back is achievable, it is not the sure thing evryone belives it to be. And next season is going to be a make-or-break year"
The other issue that plagues the team is the finances and the limitations the CT presents - teams in the third tier operate on half the wage cap the PCT teams have and the rosters are limited to 15 at minimum and 20 at maximum (it could be expanded to 22 at maximum using the CT free rider program). On a such tighter budget and roster size it will be difficult for the team to make decisions on the renewal front - it is impossible to hold onto all riders and in transfers several riders may need to be grouped and offered on a discount price.
The team does plan to retain riders that could be of value to them next season either as part of their roster composition or as a potential transfer assets. The problem this time is age with most riders may start losing their market value as they inch closer to their form peak. The team is currently asessing their options right now and until the renewals there's a lot of time.
I honestly think that the depth of this team (which is the easiest part to translate down to CT) was its biggest strength. You were right to say that Romain Sicard would do well as a secondary stage racer, and Will Barta and Marko Pavlic both had solid seasons as well. It is just unfortunate there wasn't more quantity at the top end.
The goods news is I think you should have a very solid chance of bouncing straight back up, renewals pending. The free agency environment has been more favourable to established teams recently and larger CT means more dispersed talent. Although Bachirou Nikiema has struggled this year, I think he will do much better when he can attend .2 races. The same is true of the likes of Kiskonen and Yechezkel, although to a lesser extent. If you don't have faith in Nikiema then even Velasco or Robov could do decently well, although you probably have more experience with their capabilities than I do.
I think your main strength will be the mountains though. Will Barta, Marko Pavlic, JB Nsengimana and Dinmukhammed Ulysbayev form a very strong domestique group. Although the first two could probably ride for themselves, it is a group that is just begging for somebody who can dominate the .2 mountains à la Chiarello. It is possible that a declined PPP could fulfill that role but the riskier (but potentially more rewarding) move would be to make this acquisition the central focus of your transfers.
With the registration window now open, teams had already confirmed that they will be taking part in the 2024 MGUCI season. IESE, parent company of the MGUCI franchise under their control confirmed their participation for 2024 returning back to the Continental Division after spending yet another unsuccessful attempt in the PCT. But Ivaneurope, who is CEO of IESE, has not announced the team's official name for 2024 stating that if a final decision is not made by the deadline, the 2023 name will be used (most likely temporarily). But apparently the marketing experts over at IESE are trying to promote a new strategy which is gaining traction with the board.
The idea is to use the IESE branding as part of their MGUCI team's brand. When the IESE brand was established in late 2022, it was only meant to house Ivaneurope's different ventures under a single entity. But now, the board has been seriously considering placing the IESE brand front and center at the MGUCI team name. But also there's another radical idea propsed by the newly formed IESE Marketing subsidiary.
IESE Marketing was just recently founded as an advertising branch of IESE to seek advertising and sponsors for not only its properties, but also to provide consultancy to other teams if needed. Anastasiya Klymenko was assigned as director to this new division and she had proposed a radical idea for 2024 - two names for the team depending on the race category the team races in. Her idea is a follows - the IESE branding will be permanent on the team's name, but the the name of the sponsor will be different depending on what race category the team races. The concept will go like this:
At Vuelta a Pais Vasco, C1 category race, the team will be known as IESE Cycling p/b Hyundai N. For HC races (should the team chosses to enter) the same name will be used
At Tour of Vancouver, C2 category race, the team will be entered under the IESE Cycling p/b Genii Capital
While the concept seems noble and gives the IESE brand more exposure, it is believed that while Ivaneurope is invested in the idea, he's hesitant to implement it as it is believed that MGUCI rules prevent dual team branding across their division. No comment has been made by either the team or MGUCI yet though.
The team did confirm that it will be using the 2023 design. According to several sources, Ivaneurope will discuss the possibility for acquiring Ezeefreak's designed jeresys to update them with the most recent logos and/or any new NC jerseys.
Tour of Ukraine
Isle of Man TTT
Vuelta al Pais Vasco
Tour de Pologne
Tour de Romandie
Pro Hallstatt Classic
Tour of California
Tour de France
Tour of Slovenia
Tour du Maroc
