It would be remiss of me not to start by apologising for a major and lengthy absence during the 2020 MG season. My life circumstances have changed very significantly since I was last active, and alongside deterioration in physical health, my mental/emotional well-being has not been great. My symptoms remain debilitating and various medications involved in control/treatment exact their own toll. Catching up on MG reports/content during this time period has often offered small windows of respite. Therefore I am embarrassed not to have acknowledged the efforts of those involved in MG content creation with my own timely responses. Hopefully this will not re-occur for any lengthy periods of time in future, although I know that I have at least 1 more operation/recovery period to be scheduled which will necessitate absence.
Nowadays, my day-to-day life and relationships in particular can often feel defined by my illness. This being such a great community of people I know that many will want to offer sympathy or ‘check-in’ on me. However in the context of the Man-Game/Daily I’d prefer to put my health issues to one side and hopefully not need to touch on this again. Take it as read that we’d all wish each other well during trying times.
So my final apologies to the dedicated team of MG reporters/admins, and to those who have reached out through DM’s/Skype, etc. for my radio silence. So let's put that all to one-side now and move forward as the MGUCI has accepted our admission for the 2021 season. The CB radio in the team car is finally wired up properly, and an exciting new season approaches.
Confounding the pundits, ISA- Hexacta survived their debut season in the elite PT category, although at times it looked to be on a knife-edge! As the season ran out, we emerged around 400 ranking points above the relegation line to secure 15th place.
Our season was defined in the main by the exploits of team leader John Degenkolb who was responsible for the majority of our seasons eye-catching performances, including an inaugural Monument victory for the organisation at Milano San Remo as well as the overall title at the Ronde van Nederland and numerous individual stage victories scattered across the calendar. Individual stage victories throughout the season were also achieved by Vakoc, Harrison, Contreras, Zakarin and Anacona, backed up by continual steady points accumulation by the likes of Berhane, Sepulveda and Feng as the season evolved. Out on loan El Medhi Chokri got in on the victory parade with an impressive win at the prestigious U23 Paris – Roubaix event.
There were a number of sponsor goals that were missed during the 2020 campaign, however the main goal of PT survival plus the continual good publicity generated by easily surpassing 10 individual stage wins across the season has convinced our cadre of sponsors to return for the 2021 season:
* 2nd named sponsor, Hexacta are a nearshore and offshore software development company that service a global client base from their HQ in Argentina and expanding network of offices across the Americas.
* Banque Populaire du Maroc is our final major financial sponsor
* Long-term equipment sponsorship and logistics partnership arrangements with Scott Bicyles, Campagnolo, Skoda and Pearl Izumi continue uninterrupted.
ISA - Hexacta have been accepted to race in PTHC bands 2, 3 and 6. Similar to last season, although band 2 replaces band 4 this year just to provide some variety. We are pleased to have avoided unecessary race clashes where possible, and have ensured contrasting rider requirements where band selection impacts to maintain full strength options across the calendar. The full 193 RD calendar can be viewed below:
Spoiler
9th-11th
PT
Tour of Tasmania
3
20st-25th
PT
Tour of Qatar
6
2nd
PT
Copenhagen-Malmo TTT
2
12th-18th
PT
Tirreno-Adriatico
7
13th-20th
PT
Paris-Nice
8
13th
PT
Classique de Grande Duche
2
26th
PTHC (B3)
Pro Hallstatt Classic
2
28th
PTM
Milano San Remo
2
4th
PT
Strada Appia Antica
2
13th-16th
PT
Praha–Karlovy Vara–Praha
4
13th-18th
PTHC (B3)
Vuelta a Colombia
6
19th-21st
PT
Ronde van Nederland
3
25th
PTM
Ronde van Vlaanderen
2
1st
PTM
Paris – Roubaix
2
3rd-23rd
PTM
Giro d’Italia
21
10th
PTHC (B6)
Macskako Kerekparverseny
2
20th
PT
GP Liechtenstein
2
30th
PT
Amstel Gold Race
2
1st-5th
PTHC (B2)
Cheshire Cycling Tour
5
3rd
PT
Fleche Wallone
2
7th
PTM
Liege-Bastogne-Liege
2
9th-10th
PTHC (B3)
Chrono d’Arenberg
2
9th
PT
Rund um Koln
2
11th-31st
PTM
Veulta a Espana
21
27th-31st
PTHC (B2)
Tour of Norway
5
8th-16th
PT
Tour de Suisse
9
16th-23rd
PT
Criterium du Dauphine Libere
8
3rd – 23rd
PTM
Tour de France
21
29th-30th
PT
Chrono Herbiers
2
8th
PTHC (B6)
Clasica San Sebastian
2
10th
PT
GP Moscow
2
15th-19th
PTHC (B3)
SAA Tour d’Afrique
4
21st
PT
East Midlands Cicle Classic
2
1st
PTHC (B6)
Paris Tours
2
15th - 22nd
PT
Tour of Northern Europe
8
26th
PTHC (B2)
Tour of the Battenkill
2
1st - 8th
PTHC (B6)
Tour de Maroc
8
3rd
PTHC (B2)
Japan Cup
2
14th-15th
PT
Grands Prix Cyclistes
2
18th
PTM
Giro di Lombardia
2
* Note: Race clashes marked with red dates
Goals have been agreed with sponsors for the season, and will be transmitted appropriately after the transfer season/rider selection process has been completed.
Edited by Scorchio on 09-09-2021 18:42
ISA - Hexacta enter the transfer season with 24 riders on our books. The majority of the class of 2020 were awarded new contracts. Released to Free Agency were 1-and-done solutions Raymond Kreder and Muhammad S. Ghani, and with a more heavy heart longer term team members Jianhua Ji and Daniel Juarez. Jianhui Ji was a significant contributer to our 2019 PCT promotion campaign after an underwhelming 2018 introduction. In 2020, he had a steady PT campaign with his results and overall ranking points contribution reflecting his 1st decline, but still proving important. Daniel Juarez similarly joind us in 2018 and provided a reliable presence willing to work tirelessly for his team-mates across multiple terrains. Both are now contemplating whether to hang up their wheels or offer their experience elsewhere.
For the riders re-signed, wages reflect 2020 season performances. Degenkolb's agent had plenty of ammunition to force our hand into a quite significant raise, whereas riders signed from FA in the last season or two like Vakoc and Sepulveda saw the loss of their initial signing bonus premiums. The increasing impact of professional riders agents coming across from other sports (read MGUCI OVR re-alignment) also benefitted some of our core riders when it came to wage negotiations.
Team management enter the transfer season with an open mind as to how the 2021 line-up will come together, and hence there could be significant turnover or status quo in the roster depending upon how the chips fall.
Rider
Wage
Change
Availability
John Degenkolb
€ 765,000
€ 90,000
Likely
Natnael Berhane
€ 275,000
-€ 10,000
Unlikely
Adrien Petit
€ 155,000
-€ 45,000
Yes
Petr Vakoc
€ 285,000
-€ 190,000
Unlikely
Eduardo Sepulveda
€ 160,000
-€ 55,000
No
Sam Harrison
€ 135,000
€ 15,000
Maybe
Emiliano Contreras
€ 115,000
-€ 20,000
No
Ilnur Zakarin
€ 110,000
€ 10,000
Maybe
Emerson Santos
€ 100,000
€ 50,000
Maybe
Winner Anacona
€ 86,000
-€ 14,000
Likely
Abou Sanogo
€ 75,000
€ 16,000
Unlikely
Getachew Sendeku
€ 70,000
€ 20,000
No
Piter Campero
€ 70,000
-€ 10,000
Likely
Ilia Koshevoy
€ 65,000
€ 15,000
Yes
Murilo Affonso
€ 60,000
€ 10,000
Yes
Jhonatan Restrepo
€ 50,000
€ 0
No
Daniel Felipe Martinez
€ 50,000
€ 0
No
Ahmad Arrisol
€ 50,000
€ 0
Unlikely
Nicholas Dlamini
€ 50,000
€ 0
No
Salah Eddine Mraouni
€ 50,000
-€ 5,000
No
El Medhi Chokri
€ 50,000
€ 0
No
Chun Kai Feng
€ 55,000
€ 5,000
Yes
Jefferson Cepeda Hernandez
€ 50,000
€ 0
Loan
Diego Agustin Ferreyra
€ 135,000
-€ 95,000
Loan
Biggest news is that John Degenkolb could be on the move for the right offer, but could equally well be leading the line for us in 2021.
John Degenkolb
Petr Vakoc
Eduardo Sepulveda
Natnael Berhane
Raymond Kreder
Jianhua Ji
Sam Harrison
Illa Koshevoy
Diego Agustin Ferreyra
Murilo Affonso
Ilnur Zakarin
Muhammad Suhaimi Ghani
Chun Kai Feng
Ahmad Arrisol
Adrien Petit
Getachew Sendeku
Nicholas Dlamini
Jhonatan Restrepo
Abou Sanogo
Salah Eddine Mraouni
Piter Campero
Jefferson Cepeda Hernandez
Robert Bush
David Boily
Sven Vandousselaere
Flavio De Luna
Evgeny Russo
Souheil Khederi
Farzad Khodayari
Jesus Villegas [Stagiare]
Heiko Redecker
Saulo Lay
Giovanni Visconti
Andriy Vasylyuk
Kasper Asgreen [Loan]
Brenton Jones
Goodnews Clifford
Thanawut Sanikwathi [Stagiare]
Georgios Bouglas
Muhammet Eyüp Karagobek
Dominique Mayho
Cesar Andre Fonte
Armands Becis [Stagiare]
Michal Golas
Nariyuki Masuda
