Okay, I discovered that I need to write these stories as a way some people need to keep a journal. Never tried a team story before so I thought I might give it a go. I haven't got a grand plan from the start, just the game and the motivation. We'll find out together along the way how I'll handle this. I just want to start this simple and we'll see where it goes, reports-like etc.
I'll update whenever possible, but with internships planned in the coming year, there may be some dry spells.
DATABASE: Realname database (with edits)
SPECIAL THANKS (team kit): anderspcm, for his amazing Citigroup pack.
DIFFICULTY: Hard
DEVELOPMENT OF ATTRIBUTES: 0.3/0.4
Blog #1 | 16th of December 2012 | 20:43
INTRODUCTION
Good evening,
Always a wee bit awkward to get a thing like this started, like. So I'm just going to do it quickly here.
I'm Ian Butler, a retired cyclist. I was brought up in Leith, that's Scotland. In those days, there was not much to do but go out on the streets. Leith suffered from a terrible reputation in those days, there was drugs everywhere, I met some wrong guys... After conquering an addiction to speed, my parents moved me to Belgium at the age of 17. I started cycling and made my living off of it. My biggest victory was a stage in the Vuelta, in a breakaway group. I didn't really have much talent but I managed to get along fine because I had race intelligence.
After retiring I started up a local cycling business, with me lassie, she's Belgian, but. We settled down in Flanders with our wee man Tom, my boy. Our cycling shop is still going good, now. Anyway, someone from the older days at the team came to see me a few months ago, said he had a project in mind. A new cycling team.
"What's that now?" I asked, like.
"I've come into some good money and I'm setting up business with Citigroup," the catboy said to me.
Anyway, I'll make this story a bit short, because it's all details from now on, I don't remember it properly. So one guy set up a sponsor deal with Citigroup Belgium, to form a new cycling team. Turns out they want this catboy here to run it as a Directeur Sportif, with some other mates. That's a fancy title there. I telt it to me lassie and she thought it'd be great, like.
CITIGROUP PRO CYCLING TEAM
Introducing the team, unofficially.
Citigroup's core is threefold, with me as one of them. As a team, we will strive for about 5 goals.
- Citigroup Go Global (American bank setting up franchise in Europe, centered in Belgium): The main sponsor is Citigroup Belgium, an American-Belgian sponsor, with a Belgian license.
- Play On All Fronts: We want a team that can play at all fronts. Specialization? Aye, but also diversity, like.
- Team Of Leaders: We will try to set up a team without helpers. Everyone has capacities so everyone will get a chance to ride for glory. Riders lead one race and help another in other races. Changing roles, see?
- 50% Belgian Riders: The team is very strict about nationality. With Citigroup Belgium being the "guy in the big chair", a 50% Belgian team is demanded. No problem, plenty of talent, I'd say.
- Atmosphere: Cycling is mainly mentally. We don't want a cycling team, but a cycling family. Limit transfers and make sure everyone gets along. We'll see how that goes, right? Anyway, we want to give young talents time to develop in a great atmosphere.
BLOGGING
So I reckon I'm the first Directeur Sportif to set up a blog. Why do I do it?
The media answer: we want to be transparent etc etc.
The real answer: I can use this to reflect on the team. And most importantly: if we're doing well, I want to competition to read about our success and their failure. There you have it, my motivation, like.
Anyway, that concludes my first blog, like. If you have any questions, just ask, I'll try to answer them. Next blog I'll introduce the team properly, but I can't do that until the official team presentation has taken place, you see.
Nice to see Ian starting a story again. I already smell 100 pages.
baseballlover312, 06-03-14 : "Nuke Moscow...Don't worry Russia, we've got plenty of love to go around your cities"
Sarah Palin, 08-03-14 (CPAC, on Russian aggression) : "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke"
Big thanks to jdog for making this AMAZING userbar!
Hmmm just saw this now! Good luck Ian! Even in stories you dont complete till the end of your satisfaction, you still manage 30+- pages So I expect this one to do atleast the same
Seems like an interesting idea to have a team of leaders and no helpers.
One question though? Will it be a team of all stars, or do you just mean that the team will give a fair shot to everyone even if they aren't as good?
Edited by valverde321 on 05-08-2013 05:14
Once again, thank you all for commenting! You're making it too easy starting this story, I haven't done anything yet and already you're too great, thanks
First of all, welcome into 2013. But I guess you're not all here to listen to this guy congratulate you on having survived another year, ken? Oh, right, I've been asked to talk more "Queen's English" and little less Scottish, sorry about that. For those a little more familiar with the cycling world, you probably noticed the team presentation took place a little while ago. To give you the brief summary, here's our team's status.
Name: Citigroup Pro Cycling Team Initials: CIT Classification: World Tour License: Belgium
So we're the 19th World Tour team, causing Argos - Shimano to miss the boat and stay in PCT level. A couple of months ago, I never thought it would be possible, though. When we started our little project, I reckoned it'd go as far as a minor CT team, losing more money than winning races. But we made a great team and as soon as we were able to attract one particular name, many followed, and the sponsor budget increased.
We're proud to present the team of 2013:
Name
Age
Specialization
Contract
2012 Squad
Greg Van Avermaet
27
Northern Classics
2014
BMC Cycling Team
Tyler Farrar
28
Sprinter
2013
Garmin - Sharp
Maxime Monfort
29
Stage Races
2014
Radioshack
Damien Gaudin
26
Northern Classics
2013
Team Europcar (II)
Jens Keukeleire
24
Sprinter
2014
Orica - Greenedge
Kris Boeckmans
25
Sprinter
2013
Vacansoleil
Kevin Seeldraeyers
26
Stage Races
2015
Astana
Lars Petter Nordhaug
28
Puncher
2014
Team Sky
Enrico Battaglin
23
Puncher
2015
Colnage (II)
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck
21
Northern Classics
2013
Quickstep
Matteo Rabottini
25
Climber
2013
Farnese Vini (II)
Tim Wellens
21
Puncher
2013
Lotto
Bob Jungels
20
Time-Trial
2013
neopro
Tosh Van Der Sande
22
Sprinter
2013
Lotto
Gediminas Bagdonas
27
Sprinter
2014
An Post-Sean Kelly (III)
Tom Van Asbroeck
22
Sprinter
2014
Topsport - Vlaanderen (II)
Rob Ruijgh
26
Climber
2013
Vacansoleil
Tom Dumoulin
22
Puncher
2013
Argos - Shimano (II)
Kenneth Vanbilsen
22
Northern Classics
2015
An Post-Sean Kelly (III)
David Veilleux
25
Northern Classics
2013
Team Europcar (II)
Dennis Vanendert
24
Puncher
2014
Lotto
Georg Preidler
22
Puncher
2015
Team Type 1 (II)
Pieter Serry
24
Puncher
2013
Topsport - Vlaanderen (II)
Dominik Nerz
23
Climber
2013
Liquigas
Stijn Steels
23
Sprinter
2015
neopro
Benjamin Verraes
25
Sprinter
2013
neopro
Rik Steenacker
20
Sprinter
2015
neopro
Vincent Beaufort
22
Time-Trial
2015
neopro
Tom Butler
22
Climber
2013
neopro
ANALYSIS
I had a lot to say about the names we brought in, so here's my in-depth analysis of the team:
Greg Van Avermaet - The star-signing. Greg is tough on all terrains and is ready to face the Northern Classics as a true leader. He signed a two-year contract, implying trust in our project.
Tyler Farrar - Not the sprinter he once was. The tragic death of dear friend Wouter beheaded Tyler's career. With our atmosphere and determination, we plan to launch Tyler's 2nd career. He still has it in him, he just needs someone to bring it out again.
Maxime Monfort - A strong helper for the Radioshack team, Maxime has decided to come race for us. Naturally he'll lead any GT he chooses. He brings in the most experience from the team and is the oldest.
Damien Gaudin - Strong, incredibly strong. Unlike a cat, which only has 9 lives, Damien cannot die. His life-goal: Paris - Roubaix. One of our latest signings, he wanted to race for a WT team.
Jens Keukeleire - Too good to lead-out Goss, we thought. He'll get his own chances in our squad. He still has room to develop!
Kris Boeckmans - Impressive in the Tour of last year, we hope to make him an even better sprinter.
Kevin Seeldraeyers - Coming from Astana, he's hoping to do better. We'll give him that chance.
Lars Petter Nordhaug - He could've signed with any team he wanted. Left Sky to join us because he wants more freedom.
Enrico Battaglin - An Italian puncher. He hopes to color up the Giro in Citigroup outfit.
Guillaume Van Keirsbulck - Only 21 and already rode two Rondes. He's gifted, without a doubt, and immensely strong. We will do anything to keep him in the team. He was reluctant to leave Quickstep.
Matteo Rabottini - Our second Italian Stallion. With a Giro stage win in 2012, he hopes to do even better this year.
Tim Wellens - A young, talented puncher. Definitely a must for us, and one of the first names we were able to sign!
Bob Jungels - We're proud of having signed Bob. Every WT team was after him, but he came to us. Full of talent.
Tosh Van Der Sande - Another young Belgian. We will give him space to develop.
Gediminas Bagdonas - A chameleon, can handle any terrain, but is mostly fast.
Tom Van Asbroeck - Talking about talent, Tom knows all about this. We will keep a close eye on his development.
Rob Ruijgh - A strong, dependable climber. He has experience, which this team mostly lacks.
Tom Dumoulin - Tom has a big future ahead of him. We will try to get him into the 1-week stage race direction.
Kenneth Vanbilsen - Completes our Northern Classics squad and is ready to ask for seconds. He's strong and young, ambitious.
David Veilleux - Canadian. Enough said, 'ey? David is a household name in cycling, and we're glad to have him.
Dennis Vanendert - Brother of Jelle. He was reluctant to let go but we talked it out properly. No longer in the shadow of his brother, we hope he's ready to come out into the sunlight himself now.
Georg Preidler - Strong, young, willing. He'll be of great value to us!
Pieter Serry - First rumored to Quickstep, we cut in and signed him first. A man for the future, without a doubt.
Dominik Nerz - A heavily underestimated climber. Wouldn't be surprised to see him take a GT one day.
Stijn Steels - Nephew of the famous Steels. The boy has got spunk, and that's why we signed him.
Benjamin Verraes - Hard working kid, you gotta love him. He's a bit older than other 'talents', but we reckon he can go far!
KEEPING A CLOSE EYE
I will be looking out for the entire team, ranging from schedule puzzles to race tactics to rider development. But there are three names I want to keep a very close eye on. Three riders I've known personally for quite a while and who were part of a local cycling project. Three of that project seemed suitable for a WT team, so I brought them in. Here's a detailed introduction to the three talents:
Rik Steenacker
Height: 188cm Weight: 75kg Date of Birth: 11/07/1992 Mini-bio: Rik started cycling at a young age. He's won several races in his teens. He's fast and has all-around abilities to shine on every terrain.
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Very Young
Nervous & Shy
Ambitious
Low Self-Esteem
Experience & Bike Handling
No Mountain Experience
Intelligent
Multi-Talented
My Personal Input: Despite his all-around capacities, I hope to specialize him, since modern cycling is all about it. It breaks my heart to forgo his TT skills, but I want to push him in the direction of Classics and Sprinting. The Tom Boonen-type, albeit a bit different. This boy is a potential Peter Sagan II. Or better yet, why not Rik III?
Vincent Beaufort
Height: 198cm Weight: 82kg Date of Birth: 21/12/1990 Mini-bio: A sportsman in the true sense of the word. Leading an active life, he only discovered cycling very late, though, came in through mountain biking. Because he came in so late (not even a year ago), he has no cycling experience or even knowledge ("who's Indurain?"). His bike handling is poor, but his will is strong.
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Big Engine, Strong
No Experience
Quick Learner
No Bike Handling
Lots of Body
Little Cycling Knowledge
Follows Advice
No Acceleration
My Personal Input: He has the biggest engine I've ever seen, he's tireless and keeps up a strong pace all the time. I hope to push him into the direction of Time Trials, where he feels at ease riding alone instead of in the peloton, and maybe one week races. In the long term I see a new Miguel Indurain. Despite his weight, he climbs quite well because of the force in his legs.
Tom Butler
Height: 179cm Weight: 59kg Date of Birth: 27/02/1990 Mini-bio: Son of the ruggedly-handsome Ian Butler, Tom has spent a lot of time on the bike as a young guy. He changed to jogging for most of his teens but returned to his original passion at the age of 18. He's more talented than his father, but. With a Belgian mother, and being born here, he opted for a Belgian Nationality. Bloody kids nowadays... (kidding, like)
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Lightweight -> Climber
Misses Absolute Strength
Very Committed
Misses Stamina
Excellent Bike Handling
Too Light to Time Trial
Impressive Acceleration
Extremely Stubborn
Long & Steep Climbs
My Personal Input: I didn't put him in the team because he's my son, but because he's good and has potential. Probably more than me in my day. He's stubborn, though. No interest in time trialing, doesn't even want to learn, he only wants to climb. So I'm hoping for a new Van Impe/Bohamontes.
There, I think I did well on the Queen's English, like. Can't blame a guy from Leith for having lower standards, see? Anyway, this was my introduction to the team. For those interested: yes, we're already in heavy training. We have a training camp in the USA coming up. We're ready to fulfill our spot on the WT train of the UCI. And if you'll excuse me now, I have a global schedule to put together, quite a puzzle. Thanks for being here,
Very good squad, especially for the future. A couple of riders who would be in the shadows on previous teams but may well get the chance to shine now.
Not sure about this whole son deal, lets see if he is because of talent and not because of his father...hopefully he is more Tom Ince than Gavin Strachan!!
Atlantius - That's the hope! Though if they all develop like I think, we won't be able to keep them all. We'll see
czeslawkamil - Thank you!
owen10ozzy - Glad that you think the squad's good. I tried to find leaders that have not been leaders before (Van Avermaet, Monfort...) and young talents, I think it's a good mixture. We'll see about the son deal, if he's rubbish, I'll kick him off the team, promise
Firstly, I'd like to congratulate Simon Clarke on his Australian National Title. Since we don't have Australian boys in our squad, he can have it! He rode a beautiful race and will enjoy his jersey in the coming season.
The training camp is going extremely well. The team connects amazingly and the atmosphere is very good. The coaches are patient and the boys eager to train and learn. Our biggest focus is setting up a well-oiled sprint train, for the first big races; Down Under, Qatar, Oman...
Tyler (Farrar) came to see me and he looked happy. I think things will finally change around for him again. I gave him some words of courage and then we worked a bit on the mental side of sprinting. He's getting along very well with Kris (Boeckmans), so I might play that out this season.
I'm working hard on making a general schedule, and I believe I'm cooking up something interesting, but it'll take some time. For the first WT race on the calendar, the Santos Tour Down Under, I have little time so I already put together a worthy team to defend us in the first race in the team's history.
We will try to play on all fronts here in Australia, but mainly focusing on the sprint train.
Tyler Farrar will be our main man, aided by Kris Boeckmans. I was inspired by their friendship here, let's see how that develops in a race. Matteo Rabottini and, in lesser extent, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck will try to get a good placing on the General Classification. Tim Wellens will be given a totally free role. I believe he'll be targeting the intermediate sprints and potentially a secondary jersey, even! David Veilleux and Rob Ruijgh are going in helping roles.
I think that's a pretty decent squad and I expect to score our first win of the season. Rabottini should make a top 5 place in good shape, you'll see.
That's it for now. I'll keep working on that schedule and keep you updated. In two days I'm boarding a flight to Australia to get there in time for some late recon of the sprint finales for Tyler.
Good Luck then!
