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[CT] Podium Ambition
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 04-01-2016 14:47
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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 Podium Ambition 
Sponsors
 Antofagasta PLC
A Chilean conglomerate with fingers in a huge number of pies. They really are looking to bolster their name across markets in Australasia and North America, and we can really help there. Another American rider or two couldn't go amiss to keep them happy.
 Avanti
The New Zealand bicycle manufacturer is here to step into the gap left by Specialized. With heavy presense in the Oceanic and European markets our team seems like a great fit. High performance bikes which wil be excellent for the riders. No major requirements from them, apart from to ride fast.
 Bulgaria
They've been a title sponsor for 3 seasons and we've had a serious commitment with them for developing Bulgarian cycling. This relationship is coming to an end. We can't deliver on our goals with Bulgarian Cycling so the support of the Bulgarian Cycling Federation comes to an end. But we still have plans to keep several Bulgarians onboard and the Tourism Board of Bulgaria will continue to sponsor us, just in a much reduced fashion. Though i bet they are slightly rueing the decision now!
 Jumeirah Group
The Dubai based company is a major player in luxury hotels. Their flagship is the magnificent Burj al Arab. Anything out of the UAE is non-traditional in cycling and we love being different. Any big name rider is good for them but also it couldn't hurt to try and get a local name.
 Lululemon Athletica
We failed to bag any big name riders from their focus regions and we've failed to mount a decent campaign on the road. Ultimately it's just been too much and Lululemon will step down from the title sponsor role. They will, however, continue to be our clothing provider and sponsor.
Mauritius Commercial Bank
The Mauritian bank is the largest and oldest in the country. In the last few years it's been a real innovater and grower in the African market. A great opportunity for them to begin growing more globally and for us to get a unique partner. That said we will need an African ride for them to market with.
Mount Gay Rum
The Barbadan alcohol firm is the oldest producer of Rum in the entire world. It's a huge global brand with interests in all markets, especially the Americas. For them growing brand awareness against other Carribean companies is key, doing this on a platform of local riders could be fun.
 Shimano
The Japanese firm is one the biggest players in the world of cycling. Their components are on an insane number of bikes and teams. It's a quality partnership that will only benefit the team, albeint with a caveat that they want us to pick up an Asian rider or two.
 Whooshh Innovations
The Fiiiish jersey shall remain! Our NC specific sponsor shall continue. It's not a huge investment for them as we really want to promote the Salmon Cannon in any way we can.
Canucks
They drop out of the sponsorship side, but they will continue to help manage the team on a day-to-day basis as well as taking over general ownership at the highest level.. That's their expertise and we will maintain a great working relationship with Canucks.
Edited by TheManxMissile on 04-01-2016 14:52
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 04-01-2016 14:48
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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| Nat. | Name | Age | Key Stats | Wage | Nickname |  | Geraint Thomas | 30 | 79CB 74SP | £185,000 | “G” |  | Ricki Nelson | 28 | 81SP 79RC | £120,000 | Ricki | | Simon Yates | 24 | 76HL 78AC | £80,000 | Simon |  | Geoffrey Soupe | 28 | 79SP 76RC | £80,000 | “Souper” | | Caleb Ewan | 22 | 78SP 73PL | £180,000 | Caleb | | Stefan Hristov | 31 | 77CB 72FL | £50,000 | Stefan | | Borislav Ivanov | 27 | 76MO 74HL | £50,000 | “Boris” | | Martin Grashev | 29 | 75CB 72MO | £70,000 | Martin | | Julian Alaphilippe | 24 | 75SP 72HL | £80,000 | Julian |  | Thiago Duarte Nardin | 28 | 73HL 72SP | £50,000 | Nardin |  | Jyme Bridges | 27 | 72HL 71CB | £50,000 | Jyme | | Valentin Stoenchev | 25 | 74TT 74PL | £50,000 | Stoenchev | | Momchil Robov | 23 | 71HL 70MO | £50,000 | Robov | | Logan Owen | 21 | 70CB 71AC | £50,000 | “Wolverine” | | Adam De Vos | 23 | 69MO 69HL | £50,000 | “The Boss” |
Jersey
(credits to the_hoyle)
(credits to Bikex)
Equipment
TBC
Edited by TheManxMissile on 06-09-2016 11:48
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 04-01-2016 14:49
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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Goals + Results + Calendar
Goals
 WIN CT Team Standings
Failed-ish = 2nd
 WIN Geraardsbergen-Bosberg
Failed-ish = 2nd + 3rd (Nardin + G)
 WIN Saachsen-Anhalt Classic
ACHIEVED = 1st Geraint Thomas
 WIN Benelux Challenge
Failed = 21st (Jyme)
WIN 10 Stages
ACHIEVED = 10 Wins (Ricki x5 + Souper x3 + Simon x1 + G x1)
Resuts
1st - Sachsen-Anhalt Classic - Geraint Thomas
1st - Tour of Southland Stage 4 - Ricki Nelson
1st - Circulo Juarez Stage 1 - Ricki Nelson
1st - Circulo Juarez Stage 2 - Ricki Nelson
1st - Post Danmark Rundt Stage 2 - Ricki Nelson
1st - Giro del Capo Stage 4 - Simon Yates
1st - Tour of Pologne Stage 2 - Geoffrey Soupe
1st - Tour of Pologne Stage 4 - Geoffrey Soupe
1st - Tour de Slovenie Stage 1 - Ricki Nelson
1st - USAPCC Stage 1 - Geoffrey Soupe
1st - Tour du Faso Stage 3 - Geraint Thomas
1st - Grand Prix Herning - Geraint Thomas
1st - Tour of Almaty - Simon Yates
1st - Cigar City Brewing GP - Geraint Thomas
1st - Circulo Juarez GC - Ricki Nelson
1st - Tour du Fasco GC - Geraint Thomas
1st - Circulo Juarez Points - Ricki Nelson
1st - Tour du Faso Points - Geraint Thomas
1st - Giro del Capo U25 - Simon Yates
1st - Tour of Pologne U25 - Simon Yates
1st - Ruta America Del Sur U25 - Simon Yates
1st - Antigua & Barbuda NC RR - Jyme Bridges
1st - Antigue & Barbuda NC ITT - Jyme Bridges
1st - Australia NC RR - Ricki Nelson
1st - Bulgaria NC RR - Valentin Stoenchev
2nd - Geraardsbergen-Bosberg - Thiago Duarte Nardin
2nd - Betonxpressz GP - Caleb Ewan
2nd - Busan GP - Ricki Nelson
2nd - GP Yekaterinburg - Simon Yates
2nd - Giro del Capo Stage 6 - Simon Yates
2nd - Giro del Capo Stage 2 - Geoffrey Soupe
2nd - Tour of Pologne Stage 6 - Simon Yates
2nd - Herald Sun Tour Stage 5 - Ricki Nelson
2nd - Tour du Faso Stage 1 - Geraint Thomas
3rd - Geraardsbergen-Bosberg - Geraint Thomas
3rd - GP de la Ville d'Oran - Ricki Nelson
3rd - Great Ocean Road Classic - Ricki Nelson
3rd - Giro del Capo GC - Simon Yates
3rd - Ruta America Del Sur GC - Simon Yates
3rd - Tour of Pologne GC - Simon Yates
3rd - Tour of Pologne Stage 3 - Simon Yates
3rd - Tour of Pologne Points - Simon Yates
3rd - Tour de Slovenie Stage 5 - Simon Yates
3rd - Ruta America Del Sur Stage 5 - Simon Yates
4th - Great Ocean Road Classic - Geraint Thomas
4th - Barcelona Classic - Julian Alaphilippe
4th - Euskal Bizikleta Stage 1 - Geoffrey Soupe
4th - Euskal Bizikleta Stage 2 - Caleb Ewan
4th - Lincoln GP - Martin Grashev
4th - Tour de Pologne Stage 1 - Jyme Bridges
5th - Benelux Challenge Stage 4 - Martin Grashev
5th - Busan GP - Geoffrey Soupe
5th - Tour of Southland Stage 2 - Ricki Nelson
5th - Tour of Southland Stage 3 - Simon Yates
5th - Tour of Southland GC - Borislav Ivanov
5th - KBC De Panne Tour Stage 3 - Geraint Thomas
5th - Gent-Wevelgem - Geraint Thomas
5th - Acropolis Cup - Simon Yates
6th - Benelux Challenge Stage 5 - Geraint Thomas
6th - Tour of Southland Stage 5 - Momchil Robov
6th - Betonxpressz GP - Ricki Nelson
6th - Tour of Bulgaria Stage 5 - Borislav Ivanov
6th - GP Kigali - Martin Grashev
6th - Tour de Pologne Stage 1 - Simon Yates
6th - Tour of Pologne Stage 5 - Simon Yates
6th - Ruta America Del Sur Stage 8 - Simon Yates
7th - Geraardsbergen-Bosberg - Martin Grashev
7th - Circulo Juarez Stage 3 - Ricki Nelson
7th - Tour of Southland Stage 2 - Caleb Ewan
7th - Tour of Southland Stage 4 - Borislav Ivanov
7th - Sachsen-Anhalt Classic - Stefan Hristov
7th - Barbuda Birdman Classic - Ricki Nelson
7th - Herald Sun Tour Stage 2 - Ricki Nelson
7th - Ruta America Del Sur Stage 3 - Simon Yates
7th - Ruta America Del Sur Stage 4 - Simon Yates
7th - Ruta America Del Sur Stage 5 - Thiago Duarte Nardin
7th - Ruta American Del Sur Stage 7 - Thiago Duarte Nardin
8th - Tour of Almaty - Momchil Robov
8th - Tour of Southland Stage 8 - Ricki Nelson
8th - Betonxpressz GP - Geoffrey Soupe
8th - Euskal Bizikleta Stage 1 - Caleb Ewan
8th - Ruta America Del Sur Stage 4 - Thiago Duarte Nardin
9th - Giro del Capo Stage 2 - Simon Yates
9th - Cigar City Brewing GP - Martin Grashev
9th - Tour du Faso GC - Stefan Hristov
10th - Tour of Southland Stage 4 - Julian Alaphilippe
10th - Post Danmark Rundt Stage 2 - Caleb Ewan
10th - Barbuda Birdman Classic - Caleb Ewan
10th - Tour de Slovenie Stage 2 - Simon Yates
10th - Herald Sun Tour Stage 2 - Caleb Ewan
10th - Tour du Faso Stage 1 - Stefan Hristov
10th - Tour du Faso Stage 3 - Stefan Hristov
Edited by TheManxMissile on 03-05-2017 19:55
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 04-01-2016 14:51
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World Champion
Posts: 11406
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1120.00
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Antagofasta, I wonder why you have such an affection for them 
Seriously good luck, though looking at that squad plus your experience even with renewals going on I'm not sure you need it  
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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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 04-01-2016 18:39
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7651
Joined: 28-05-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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I do love that jersey!! Certainly one of my favourites to make
.: Manager of :.
.: My Awards :.
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 04-01-2016 20:26
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16452
Joined: 27-07-2011
PCM$: 10538.70
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Oh yeah you are Continental now. I forgot.
Hopefully some of those riders aren't Continental now if you know what I mean.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 04-01-2016 23:51
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
Joined: 22-08-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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That jersey is awesome, the_hoyle has done you proud  |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 23-12-2024 05:45
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Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 05-01-2016 12:56
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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@Jandal - Bringing CX:AND to the Man-Game! Shouldn't need too much luck, but i don't get any in the MG so....
@hoyle - One of my favs to look at
@bbl - Some won't be, but not the ones you want to see leave
@sutty - He certainly did, and it just makes Bikex's even better in contrast as well.
@Avin - Nice dislike on my opening post, i think that's a first ever for the MG?
The Great Big "This Is what We Said Months Ago" Post
Yes "The Great Big Post" titling is back! As are we as a team in the CT. This is a quick reminder of what we said would be happening with our riders back in November just as the previous season ended. In all honesty there's a strong amount of change already, primarily the NC of Zaraliev has saved his contract.
Definately Staying
Ricki Nelson - The 28 year old Aussie will be one of the top sprinters in the CT and at a reasonable wage. He should be good for a handful of wins at the lower level.
Borislav Ivanov - The 27 year old Bulgarian will be a decent climber for the CT. Not the best but good enough he should be mixing it up the mountains, plus bargain price.
Martin Grashev - The 29 year old Bulgarian has HC Classics wins to his name. In the CT he'll be a key part of a very strong cobbles team and good for points.
Simon Yates - The 24 year old Brit is on the cusp of fullfilling his potential. He'll have to wait a year though as he'll be leading the team in the Hills.
Jamie Sparling - The 32 year old Canadian as one final year at full strength. He was always better in CT than PCT and could be a real outside thread on the cobbles.
Mikolay Mihaylov - The 28 year old Bulgarian will get his 4th NC title, maybe 5th, shortly and we can't let him go. He could even get points in the CT!
Momchil Robov - The 23 year old Bulgarian has been consistently making a name for himself. The CT could see him come of age just ahead of a 2017 loan.
Sven Fritsch - The 22 year old Luxembourger is continuing to progress towards a decent hilly rider. Plus he can always be a thorn in SN's side!
Max Losch - Coming back from loan he'll slot in as a wild card rider with great attacking nature and a killer sprint.
Stefan Hristov - Coming back from loan he'll slot in as a serious cobbles threat to win big races.
10 Riders for 685k (2015 wages)
Staying But Open To Offers
Geraint Thomas - The 30 year old Brit has been our key leader for 3 seasons. He's a top classics specialist. He should be staying on but he's popular and if a good offer came in we'd have to listen, thanks to Hristov.
Geoffrey Soupe - The 28 year old Frenchman would be a great CT sprinter. We like him a lot but France is a popular nation so we could sell him for a decent price tag if we got a nice offer.
2 Riders for 240k (2015 wages) [Total 12 Riders for 925k]
Staying Depending on Wage
Matthew Lloyd - The 33 year old Aussie is declining, but only slightly. If we can pull his wage down he'll be a good rider to have, or he'll be released.
Caleb Ewan - The 23 year old Aussie is a HUGE sprinting talent, just massive. But that comes with an inflated wage which is hard to manage at the CT level. If we can, we'll keep him but he might be on the verge of a big money move away!
Petar Panayotov - The 29 year old Bulgarian is such a plus for the team. Clear mountains leader he's been brilliant really for us. But he costs the big bucks a CT team can struggle for. If we can we'll hold him but he also could be heading for the money transfer.
3 Riders for 625k (2015 wages) [Total 15 Riders for 1.55mil]
As you can see those three currently would take us way over our cap space. So their futures are very much dependent on their renewal wages. For Ewan and Panayotov we can renew them in the knowledge the fines could be covered in a sale so will be renewed rather than released.
Going On Loan
Valentin Stoenchev - The 25 year old Bulgarian is so close to maxing! He'd be our first 1-4.100 rider and we will get him placed somewhere in the PT!
Julain Alaphilippe - The 24 year old Frenchman is a great pick-up for a PT team as we look to max him into a great lead-out rider.
2 Riders for 155k (2015 Wages) [Total 17 Riders for 1.705mil]
So as you can see we're really over cap by this point. We'll be haggling hard to pay a minimal amount of their wages and give ourselves the best chances of bouncing straight up again.
Bye-Bye
Andre Greipel, Kobe Vanoverschelde, Cayetano Sarmiento, Will Routely, Georgie Georgiev, Steve Fisher, Romain Bardet, Spas Gyurov, Stanislav Zaraliev, Stanimir Cholakov, Pavlin Balinski - All being straight released to the free agency
Isaac Bolivar - We'll look to renew him but are very open to offers for the Colombian cobbles talent.
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 05-01-2016 21:03
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Team Leader
Posts: 5534
Joined: 12-06-2013
PCM$: 500.00
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You will certainly have a very strong team for CT as it is, add some signings and you have a title fighting side for sure. I definitely look forward to competing with you!
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 09-01-2016 16:16
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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The Great Big "We Have Real Rivals" Post
The news broke yesterday that Bulgarian cycling is about to undergo its biggest expansion since 2013. A new team is emerging in the region backed by one our ex-sponsors, Vivacom. Not much is known about the new team yet and we will certainly be keeping a close on them as we have a genuine rival at last!
The downside for them is our determination to keep hold of the top Bulgarians: Ivanov, Grashev, Hristov, Mohaylov, Robov and wage dependat Panayotov. Plus we'll be holding NC winner Zaraliev and out on Loan Stoenchev. This leaves a few guys available, namely Balinski, Cholakov and Georgiev. Gyurov we're not sure on, he could stay he could go. Beyond that are any new riders from the area, as yet unkown.
We wish this new team the best of luck, and just a note that we will beat you!
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 10-03-2016 17:19
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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The Great Big "50th Anniversary" Post
As we continue preperations for our 4th Season of competition our new home nation of Barbados is preparing for a much bigger yearly record. This is the 50th Anniversary of their independance from the British Empire. Backed by our sponsor Mount Gay Rum we will be joining in this occasion in our own fashion. Across the season we will be spotlighting various Barbadian sportsmen and women in our HQ.
Plus we hope we can bring them some sport successes via our team winning many many races. And it's given us a bit more incentive to try and bring in a Barbadian rider of our own to champion the nation in this great historical year!
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 05-06-2016 19:21
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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I hope our renewals are going/have gone well #fingerscrossed
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 09-06-2016 11:16
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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The Great Big "Renewals" Post
The Podium Ambition management isn't entirely on holiday you know Just mostly, but i felt i could make an exception to talk about our renewals and newly shaped CT project. Making quick use of a 15minute break between meetings, why not MG?
The pre-Transfers Squad
| Flag | Name | Surname | Age | Key Stats | Wage | Availability | | Geraint | Thomas | 30 | 79CB 74SP | £185,000 | F*ck Off | | Caleb | Ewan | 22 | 78SP 73PL | £180,000 | Seriously? | | Ricki | Nelson | 28 | 81SP 79RC | £120,000 | Yeah Right | | Simon | Yates | 24 | 76HL 78AC | £80,000 | Jog On | | Geoffrey | Soupe | 28 | 79SP 76RC | £80,000 | Ha! | | Julian | Alaphilippe | 24 | 75SP 72HL | £80,000 | Some | | Martin | Grashev | 29 | 75CB 72MO | £70,000 | Simply No | | Stefan | Hristov | 31 | 77CB 72FL | £50,000 | None | | Borislav | Ivanov | 27 | 76MO 74HL | £50,000 | Never | | Valentin | Stoenchev | 25 | 74TT 74PL | £50,000 | PT Loan | | Momchil | Robov | 23 | 71HL 70MO | £50,000 | Lol | | Nikolay | Mihaylov | 28 | 74TT 70SP | £50,000 | Forget It | | Stanislav | Zaraliev | 28 | 74PRL 72TT | £50,000 | Nada |
This gives us 13 riders for a total of £1,095,000. With an average wage of £84,230 and an average age of 26.7. We'll be bringing one of the divisions top sprinters, who gets support from one of the divisions other top sprinters and an ever developing super-talent. And probably (hopefully) the divisions top Cobbler, supported by one of the other top cobblers and another one of the top cobblers. A serious Hills leader with serious skills, and a decent Climber. All in all we forsee a serious Title challenge forming!
Julian Alaphilippe - You'll see the "Some" availability. Ideally he'll go on a PT Loan to reach 4.100 but if we can't secure that on reasonable terms then we will be more than happy to sell him. Basically he won't ride in Podium Ambition colors this season.
Valentin Stoenchev - Needs a PT Loan to reach 4.100 and we are desparate to make it happen to develop our first ever 1>4.100 rider! Make it happen you PT teams!
Caleb Ewan - Not intended to be sold but it's not a flat out refusal policy. Just bring along mountains of cash and/or a guaranteed Division winning rider (Like 2+mil and an 81HL or 80MO/77TT rider type guy). So not a flat refusal but no intention to sell, force him out of our hands if you can!
Simon Yates - He isn't maxed, on 4.19, so why arn't we looking for a Loan? Becuase he is a truly excellent CT leader right now and we are happy to wait a year because we feel he can push us to Promotion where the extra Cap will allow use to let him go and secure a stronger replacement.
Of course we are short 2 riders anyway and short 4 once we move Julian and Valentin away. Well have a decent Cap space to top off the squad and we've left pretty specific and well structured instructions to be followed. We want to turn out Title hopefuls into Title sure-things. No pressure then.
We're not going to disclose those targets specifically. We're hoping for roughly 2 lvl1 talents to refresh our development and then 2 points scorers. We can't make all our sponsors happy with just 4 available spaces so national focuses are out the window and we want the best of the best!
Enjoy transfers everyone, i know i will be watching every chance i can get!
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 09-06-2016 17:47
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16452
Joined: 27-07-2011
PCM$: 10538.70
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That team is stacked! Very expensive, but clearly worth it! Jesus.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 10-06-2016 10:38
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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@BBL - Thanks, at least we scared someone in the CT
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| Miguel98 |
Posted on 10-06-2016 10:44
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World Champion
Posts: 10497
Joined: 23-06-2011
PCM$: 200.00
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Implying Ricki Nelson will ever win a stage in a stage race |
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 10-06-2016 19:08
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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@Mig - Pretty sure he won a stage in a stage race in the PCT last season
The Great Big "Goals and Bands" Post
We've been waiting ages to get this announced to the world! The final aspect of pre-Transfers is long (a few days) overdue and we can't wait to strike more fear into other CT teams.
Goals
WIN CT Team Standings
WIN Geraardsbergen-Bosberg
WIN Saachsen-Anhalt Classic
WIN Benelux Challenge
WIN 10 Stages
That's yet another year of full points spent on goals. Go big or go home, right?! Winning the CT won't be easy but as a relegating PCT team we had to have eyes on instant re-promotion so why not go for the win at the same time? Wins in Geraardsbergen and Saachsen will rely on our cobblers, and we don't have a better cluster of riders to put the pressure on! Benelux pretty much comes to the same guys or a strong performance from one of our climbers. 10 wins across the year should be in the bag given our overall strength and the fact we can compete on pretty much every terrain.
Our record stands at 0/15 and by the end of the season we strongly believe we'll be 5/20... which is still pretty poor...
Bands
Band 1 - Including our goal race Geraardsbergen. But we also see potential for the Acropolis Cup and Barcelona Classic one-day races, as well as riding our old home race in Bulgaria. A few stage win opportunities in Poland make this a very attractive set of C2HC races.
Band 2 - Plenty of winning chances in events like the Great Ocean Road Classic, Ricki sprinting on home soil? Simon Yates challenging at "home" in Scotland? Plenty of stage win chances across America del Sur and Danmark as well.
Band 4 - Two goal races in Saachsen and Benelux! A good sprint chance in Busan and riding on not really home soil in the USPCC. Top it off with a trip to fake-Italy. A key band for Goals and a few chances for lesser used riders elsewhere.
Passing up Band 3 was tough given it's plethora of sprint chances in Africa and Malaysia. The flat finish in Zurich was also tempting... hang on... why arn't we here? Can we please take 4 C2HC bands?
We're feeling pretty comfortable and ready to go!
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| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 10-06-2016 19:33
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16452
Joined: 27-07-2011
PCM$: 10538.70
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I'm a bit confused at these goals considering Geraint Thomas's hill stat? If I were to guess I think you'll probably get 2 or 3 but I'm hoping for less.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
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| sammyt93 |
Posted on 10-06-2016 23:41
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3635
Joined: 03-07-2012
PCM$: 300.00
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"Fake Italy"? The "Fake Italian" team takes offense at that, we'll just have to show Si Yates & Co how to ride our home roads.
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| TheManxMissile |
Posted on 16-06-2016 11:51
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 18187
Joined: 12-05-2012
PCM$: 0.00
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The Great Big "Transfers" Post
Not a hugely busy transfer period but a pretty good one thus far. Very unlikely anything else new will happen as we are happy with what we've gathered together as a team. But what have we done? Well let us take you through it! You will notice a lack of mention of a certain rider or two which will become clear in time.
INS
Adam "De Boss" De Vos | 21yo | 50k | 2.00
| Fl | Mo | Hl | TT | Sta | Res | Rec | Cb | Sp | Acc | Ftr | Dh | Prl | | 67 | 69 | 69 | 66 | 72 | 70 | 70 | 59 | 62 | 63 | 66 | 72 | 68 |
Adam is a pretty promising Canadian climber/stage racer. Decent results on the US continental scene brought him to our attention. That and he's from Victoria, BC just across the water from our base in Vancouver and we strongly believe he's a Canuks fan!
Logan "Wolverine" Owen | 21yo | 50k | 1.00
| Fl | Mo | Hl | TT | Sta | Res | Rec | Cb | Sp | Acc | Ftr | Dh | Prl | | 68 | 65 | 65 | 62 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 63 | 71 | 64 | 73 | 64 |
Wolverine is a great pick up for us to strengthen the Cobbles squad. He'll grow into a good part of the classics team that has provided our core since we began. A great Junior and U23 career in CX now he joins us on the Road. Plus he's from Bremerton, WA just over the water from our old home in Seattle.
Jyme Bridges | 27yo | 50k | 4.100
| Fl | Mo | Hl | TT | Sta | Res | Rec | Cb | Sp | Acc | Ftr | Dh | Prl | | 74 | 64 | 72 | 66 | 72 | 71 | 73 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 65 | 60 |
Jyme represents out new interests in the Caribbean. Multiple time winner of Road and ITT titles in Antigua he'll be a fantastically useful all-round domestique rider. Can he spearhead a Caribbean cycling explosion?
Thiago Duate Nardin | 28yo | 50k | 4.100
| Fl | Mo | Hl | TT | Sta | Res | Rec | Cb | Sp | Acc | Ftr | Dh | Prl | | 72 | 62 | 73 | 61 | 72 | 70 | 70 | 69 | 72 | 74 | 78 | 73 | 61 |
Joining from Gazelle for a 100k fee welcome Thiago D. Nardin. Most known for his outstanding CT season in 2013 with Gazelle he struggled at higher levels. Bring him back to the CT and he'll be outstanding again right? The Sao Paulo native has a lot to prove.
OUTS
Nikolay Mihaylov and Stanislav Zaraliev leave to Vivacom for 53k and 50k respectively. We were more than happy to give the new Bulgarian team a leg-up with the dual NC holder and former dual NC holder. Both had run their course in terms of development a while ago and we preffered the fresh blood instead. We wish them luck, especially Mihaylov as he returns to ride in Vivacom colors for a second time in his career!
Summary
4 in, 2 out. 15 riders for 1.2mil wage and 3k profit. We hit it spot on in a low key way. We've bolstered out Cobbles unit back up to strength, given more support to Yates on the hills, and given ourselves more range to attack races. None of this big marquee statement as some other CT teams have done. We had a simple plan and executed it without fuss or drama. We managed to lower our average down from 26.7 to 26, not huge but we got in two good talents to work with. Not bad for us!
Neither Alaphilippe nor Stoenchev have gotten Loans which is a shame, our limited position in wage prevented it from happening so both riders will have to wait yet another year just like Simon.
We improved our team, no question. Have we improved it enough, only time will tell. Certainly the team still firmly believes in promotion.
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![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
