Returning for a third year as a member of the MGUCI is Tryg - Gobik, formerly Tryg - Ritter Sports. Following a torrid third season, with a talismanic Tim Wellens the only bright point the squad has found themselves returning to the Continental Tour as relegated freshmen. Despite regulations requiring them to cut more than €1,000,000 in annual payroll, the team will be looking to bounce right back up.


Despite the demotion to a lower level, and the reduction in funding that accompanies it, nothing has changed from Tryg - Ritter Sports's previously established multiannual dedication to the development of a new generation of Danish cycling talents. The 2021 season showed that there are no shortcuts to success, banking on imported talents at the expense of our development focii did not pay off. Relegation is a nasty business, and certainly a hit to our reputation; some of our partners were not satisfied with our performance of their goals. Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co have elected not to renew their sponsorship, but stepping into their place is Gobik.

Establishing a new team from the ground up, rather than merely taking over a pre-existing one, meant signing an entire squad in a single transfer season. Weeks of meticulous scouting meant that many of the incoming cohorts greatest talents had been identified. Tryg was quick to pounce on their targets, quickly bringing future greats such as Jonas Vingegaard, Max Kanter, and Niklas Larsen into the fold. Although the likes of Marc Hirschi and Tadej Pogacar went elsewhere, the majority of Danish and German talents joined the Tryg family.


That wasn't all however; as talented as they may be, the neo-pros weren't ready to lead the team, and instead more regional talent was brought in from free agency. Local stage racer Magnus Cort Nielsen, Norwegian puncheur Daniel Hoelgaard, and Belgian Nikolas Maes formed the core of the team's leadership. Genki Yamamoto and 2019 Chilean RR Champ Wolfgang Burmann also joined to support Cort Nielsen. Together, they formed a squad which saw great success in the hills and cobbles; Cort Nielsen also did well to pick up points in stage races, despite the lacklustre performances of his supporting cast.

Although discussion between management and the sponsors did not see Tryg - Ritter Sports' remit expanded beyond development, there were promising signs heading into the 2020 season. Genki Yamamoto and Wolfgang Burmann were out, and coming in to replace them were Sindre Skjostad Lunke, Alexander Krieger, and Andris Smirnovs. These signing were, however, somewhat dwarfed by the announcement that the extremely talented Andreas Kron had reached a deal with the team. Management seemed rather pleased with themselves at the post-window press conferences.


That pleasure proved well-founded come the seasons end. Although there had been period of quite some concernation, it all came together in the closing rounds. Although all of our riders mustered good efforts throughout the season, it looked as though Project: Africa were to take the final automatic promotion spot thanks to an inspired performance by Thibaut Pinot. However, Alexander Kriger's victory at Course de Solidarnosc and Mathias Norsgaard's shock podium at the Herald Sun Tour were more than enough to leap frog the hapless African team. The scenes as Tryg - Ritter Sports's promotion were ecstatic.

A move to the ProContinental Tour meant that there was going to be a significant amount of expansion required for the team. Legendary flandrienne Nikolas Maes made the decision to retire, whilst Alexander Krieger failed to reach an agreement with the team. Cort Nielsen and Lunke were also out, as part of the deal which saw Scandinavia Open RR winner Toms Skujins join the squad. The other big name joining the squad was Belgian stageracer Tim Wellens; whilst Tobias Halland Johannessen was brought in as one for the future.


It was always going to be an interesting season for Tryg, with their fortunes wholly dependent on the duo of Skujins and Wellens. If the pair were on form then the upper reaches of the division were a possibility, if either of them fell flat then relegation was a certainty. Wellens struggled early on, but gradually found his feet well enough to produce a handful of stellar results: capped off with an overall victory in the Tour d'Andorra. Skujins followed a similar early pattern, but where Wellens was eventually able to meet expectations the Latvian just continued to disappoint. Two excellent stageracers and €2,000,000 down the drain.

TryghedsGruppen are the primary shareholder of Tryg Forsikring, the largest Danish insurance company. They also own interests in Falck Healthcare and SATS, a Nordic fitness chain. The membership of TryghedsGruppen is formed primarily from policyholders with Tryg Forsikring or alternative Danish insurance broker Alka. The acquisition of RSA Insurance Group means that Codan A/S is now owned by Tryg as well.


TryghedsGruppen have just signed on to a three-year sponsorship deal, in which time their dedication to the development of Danish cycling ought to start bearing fruit. As an insurance broker, it is only natural that TryghedsGruppen would ensure the sport's continued growth in the country. There is some hope that the stability granted by confirmation of another three years will provide a platform for the growth of the programme.

Founded in 2010, Gobik are a Murcian cyclingwear company which will appear on, and manufacture, the Tryg - Gobik jerseys through the 2022 season. They have grown into an internationally recognised brand, sold across a variety of nations. With the absence of Spanish sponsors in the previous season, a deal was struck in order to foster talent development in the nation.


Gobik manufactures sportswear for cyclists, so it only stands to reason that they would look to be involved at the professional level. Unlike TryghedsGruppen, they lack the loyal customerbase established by decades of service, and will be looking to use this as an opportunity to forge relationships with their core customerbase. That isn't to say that they will be entirely inward-looking, instead Tryg - Gobik will form a key part of their expansion into new markets.

The presence of TryghedsGruppen and Gobik mean Tryg - Ritter Sports will be looking to build upon their already established squad of young riders. Primarily this will involve Danish and Spanish riders, although both sponsors now have concerns outside of merely the domestic market.


TryghedsGruppen primary concern has shifted to Danish and Norwegian riders. With the likes of Andreas Kron, Frederik Rodenberg, and Tobias Halland Johannessen onboard the team is already well stocked with riders from the home countries. There are, however, a number of other talented youth from the region which might pique the team's interest if they are able to free up enough funds for it.


Xabier Mikel Azparren and Oier Lazkano were brought in on stagiaire contracts as part of the effort to bring Gobik onboard. Although both are decent riders, and probably have a place as solid domestiques somewhere in their future, neither of them are world beaters. Gobik mightn't be the more talent-focused of the title sponsors, but if the team fails to acquire an already established name then they might need to seek out one for the future as an alternative.


Outside of the primary areas of interest are Germany, where TryghedsGruppen operates some subsidiaries, as well as Mexico, Korea, and Belgium: which are emerging markets for Gobik's operations. Max Kanter and Georg Zimmermann (of Germany) have reached their full potential, and will now be looking to pay back the investment that has been put into them.

	Provide a pathway to the ProTour for Danish Talents	Succeeded
	Expand the development programme's Iberian reach	Failed
	Continue developing Nordic cyclists	Succeeded

A host of future stars currently ply their trade with Tryg - Gobik. This was the greatest desire of the title sponsor in the previous seasons, and they now look forward to the continued growth of these riders within the Tryg programme. It is the mission of TryghedsGruppen to ensure a pathway for young Danish cyclists from the local amateur scene into fully professional outfits in the ProTour. Gobik expands this focus to include granting the opportunity for promising riders from Spain.

	Produce a leader from Denmark	Ongoing
	Sign a leader from Spain	Failed
	Secure an immediate return to the PCT	Ongoing

Although Tryg's twin leadership in 2021 was certainly backed by a significant investment, only half it boomed while the other was a complete bust. The abysmal failure of the team's top heavy approach might have put management off it, but the sponsors still have their demands. TryghedsGruppen want to see their youth investments starting to pay off, while Gobik want a big name Spanish rider to immediately establish themselves on the scene.

	Provide employment to riders from Denmark	Succeeded
	Finance continued development of talents	Failed
	Limit wages for riders outside target regions	Failed

Returning to the Continental Tour will undoubtedly be accompanied by a reduction in budget, and the fact the team is on a downturn might see the financing be less than it was two years ago. Despite this, financial policy remains largely the same as previous seasons, although garnering money in excess of the salary cap is necessary for the continued development of the team's upcoming stars.

Ulrich Ulriksen wrote:
The CT is holding the 4th anniversary reunion of the class of 2019. Hopefully the 5th anniversary can be in the PCT.

A new year, a new jersey manufacturer, it must mean a new kit for the Tryg - Gobik boys. Gobik decided to really devote their creative energies to this one. Gone are the tradition halves, with the colouration division perpendicular to its previous position. Once something of a reverse Malta, the riders will now look like they are wearing the flag of Poland (or reverse Indonesia if you prefer).

The wooden slats of the inaugural jersey were abstracted in the team's sophomore year, then given a gradient, and are now confined to only the lower back in this year's edition. Instead, a wash of red has flooded across the front of the kit, whilst a solid white occupies the chest, shoulders, and upper back.

The red colouration is obviously borrowed from TryghedGruppen's colour scheme, while the white has crept in across the years. Initially confined to the sleeves, the addition of Ritter Sports as title co-sponsor saw it spread to the shoulders and flanks. Given that Gobik tends towards a minimalist monochrome branding, the further extension of white might be seen as a moment of self-aggrandisement.

In line with that minimalism, quite a lot has been cut from the design. Gone are the flurry of sponsorship logos (although the team's demotion might have something to do with that); and in their absence a much cleaner look has been assembled. Dedicated fans will be disappointed by the quasi-disappearance of the iconic lifepreserver, with a large "Tryg" now emblazoned in its place. Perhaps they will be placated by the introduction of an image-like pattern on the jersey's front?

Tryg - Gobik's 2022 maillot stands as a significant departure from the team's previous colours. Given how the red-brown of yesteryear somewhat disappeared in the peloton, it might well be a change for the better. To quickly spot a Tryg cyclist this year one need only look for red from the front, white from the top, and brown from the rear.

Ulrich Ulriksen wrote:
The CT is holding the 4th anniversary reunion of the class of 2019. Hopefully the 5th anniversary can be in the PCT.

Sure you will be a strong contender for promotion this year and like the options the Spanish secondary sponsor opens up.

Fabianski wrote:

+1

Agree it's good to see another team having Spain as their secondary focus - the void Desigual left is starting to get filled

I doubt that you could talk Wellens down to a wage that actually makes him viable in CT, but maybe you managed to do so for Skuijns after his horrible year? Otherwise, I think a good transfer here and there would make you bounce back up immediately
Good luck!

knockout wrote:
I hated to see how Skujins did not do well enough to save you last year. Hope you'll be able to bounce back quickly from that!

jandal7 wrote:
Beautiful HQ, will dig in at some point to the text but graphically and layout looks amazing Love the sponsor focuses/future goals, may very well steal that at some point Good luck in the CT this year, really hope you can bounce straight back into the best division and we can race together at last!

baseballlover312 wrote:
Agree that you have a real knack for making a great looking HQ. Adding the Spanish focus to your Danish team should be a really interesting combo.

For the first time in our history we have suffered through the ignominy of struggling through the renewals process with a contracted budget. Last season we looked to scrape every last cent out of the €2.5M available to us, and there was never much hope that our cyclists would accept wage cuts significant enough to see us under the new €1.2M limit. Thus it became a question of who stays, who goes, and how much are we willing to pay in fines.


Having sacked the intern who made egregious mistakes in our first series of renewals, things proceeded in much better form this time round. Everyone was well aware of the precarious financial position that the team was in, and although they remained in contact throughout the entire process, many of the team's domestiques and lesser talents were not offered contract extensions. Others were given a definitive take-it-or-leave-it offer, and the remainder went through an extensive negotiation process the produced quite reasonable results.

The biggest name leaving the squad was Andris Smirnovs. In two seasons with us - first as co-leader with Hoelgaard and then as a domestique for Skujins - the Latvian put in some rather solid shifts. Chasing breakaways and sheltering one's leader are pieces of important work themselves worthy of praise, but Smirnovs went above and beyond to secure a trio of additions to his palmarés. In his first season he won a stage of the Tour de San Luis, and last year he put in an excellent performance at the Tour de Pologne: winning a stage from the break and securing the King of Mountains jersey in the process. Unfortunately, after several years earning a domestique's wages Smirnovs decided that these results were sufficient evidence that he deserved better. Management decided that he would have better luck finding the wages he sought on the open market.


Of the remainder, both Bjorn Tore Hoem and Casper Pedersen were offered new contracts, but neither were willing to come to an agreement with the team. The rest were not offered a new contract, not necessarily because they were seen as surplus to requirements, but rather because management didn't think they were worth €50,000 in salary cap space as well as €100,000 in fines. If any of those who have been released happen to find themselves back through the free agency process then all the better.

Going into the transfer window it is clear that Tryg - Gobik have several contracts which they are going to need to offload. Although retaining both Toms Skujins and Tim Wellens means that we have great bargaining chips it comes at the cost of €1,340,000 in fees. There are several talents that are going to be in need of expensive loans to the ProTour (⬤⬤⬤⬤), and Tobias HJ's development might be bettered by a spell at the ProContinental level. Daniel Hoelgaard has shown several times that he is a solid leader at the lower levels, and with Zimmermann and Kanter in their first peak year the team has a solid basis with which to challenge for the promotion.


Aside from the two big names, almost every rider still on Tryg's books is available should the right offer come in for them. With the team transitioning away from a German focus both Max Kanter and Georg Zimmermann might be better suited in greener pastures, although either would need a rather great offer if they were to depart without delay. Andreas Kron and Frederik Rodenberg, who we have pegged as the future of Danish cycling, will stay barring any surprises. Daniel Hoelgaard and Mikkel Honore might move on if swaps can be arranged for anything other than a sprinter. The team is looking for, in this order: (a) cash, (b) talents, (c) riders who will retain value; so no old-fogeys if you please. Cash + rider deals will be looked on favourably as well.