Re:
Zinoviev Letter said:
There’s an argument to be made that Bora should focus almost entirely on sprint and classics support. They have a team designed to be competitive in all kinds of races, but it’s their sprinters who regularly deliver. I wonder though how they will juggle having three ambitious sprinters on their roster next year. It works this year because there’s a clear order of priority - Sagan gets the Tour, Bennett the Giro, Ackermann is the development prospect - and they are all comfortable with it. But with all of them doing well it gets harder to keep them all happy. In particular, there’s only so long Ackermann is likely to be hapoy with the chances available to a team’s no 3 sprinter.
Ackermann, exactly like Bennett, is a very clever guy: they are not of the type of guys that want everything straight away. They perfectly know what's the best to develop themselves.
Bennett extended his contract last year with year for two years (and not just one!). He knew that Sagan would still be here and he would have to deal with. What's that a problem for him?
Somehow yes of course. But somehow not at all. Simply because Bennett knew he could trust Bora (a team that brought so much so far). He knew it was perfect for his development: he would have the needed support and he would have the calendar that is needed for his development. Bennett is ambitious but he understands how a hierarchy works.
For now, he's still too far to compete with Sagan.
He just did prove he was one of the best sprinters in the world during the Giro. But he perfectly knows it is not enough. Before to even pretend to have more, he has to win some very WT one-day races, such as Francfort, Hambourg, London or Plouay. His palmares is still short for the one-day races. His best one so far is a Münsterland Giro (I like the race, and the field was *** impressive, but still it is not enough)
About Ackermann, it is exactly the same thing. Eaxctly as Bennett, he still has to prove a lot. First of all, he would have to compete in la Vuelta and to win there. He's still young. Leaving Bora without even having raced a GT would be quite stupid (and I don't see Bora let him race la Vuelta if he will not stay with the team).
Ackermann will not find anywhere else such a perfect environment as Bora has been able to deliver to him. Bora made Ackermann, the guy knows that (and so does Bennett btw).
Ackermann is a eager guy, he always wants more, and especially always wants to be the best. I like that! And I also like his intelligence, the way he's aware of his strengths and weaknesses, the way hes' able to analyse a race. He knows he still has a lot to do. And he also has a very high level of self-confidence.
Why would you guys want him to leave Bora then?
He still knows he has a lot to improve. That requires time. It requires to race la Vuelta and see if he's competitive there. It requires to discover the Flanders Classic (there is hardly a better way than doing at Bora by assisting the master himself on the big races and getting some opportunities on less important races like Dwaars door Vlandeeren for instance).
If he becomes so good, then he would be a danger for Sagan. Then, it's a new game.
Both Bennett and Ackermann can still perfectly be happy next year. They can share the GTs, the WT races among them, so that everyone would be happy.
That far, excepted the Tour de France, MSR, the Tour of Flanders and Roubaix, every other race is possible for Bennett or Ackermann. Both of them are still not of the level to demand to participate for that.
And fact is among all teams, Bora is the best team for them to developp themselves into riders that will eventually be able to reach that level.
Both know that
If Bora is as clever as they are, a perfect understanding between them all should happen.
(And I would add another point: Sagan himself. Sagan's contract ends at the end of 2019. Then what? Will he still be interested by racing on road? Will he still want to aim the same races? Nothing is sure with the guy. He's a big factor of uncertainty. Bennett, Ackermann and Bora would all be wrong to take him as a given. Everything can happen.)
(I would also add a second other point and a third one
If you look at this year, Bora managed so far perfectly well its calendar to make everyone happy and to put everyone in the best possible situation so that they developp themselves. One could argue it worked because many of the Bora top riders were still young and in development and they would want more. That's true. But again, it's a matter of time and of progressing step by step and it's a matter of being aware of their own abilities. No need to hurry. And to me, everyone is aware of that.
Which leads to my third point, Bora has to BE clever and helps the riders in this approach. Which means that Majka should leave Bora because he's now completely useless in the team. And which means it's plain stupid to want to get a Mollema as I've seen ITrumored... so I really hope it's not true. Room needs to be made in Bora for the sprinters, but also for the young prospects (Konrad, Buchmann, Formolo). There is no point in having such useless riders as Majka and Mollema that brings nothing more the three other guys cannot bring (and with the money they cost, it would be possible to give more to everyone, i.e. also better support for the sprinters.
If Bora is not too stupid and the current Bora riders are not too stupid too, they should all realize what is best in their interests. The optimum for all of them is a collective optimum. I really hope they'll see that
)
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