Teams & Riders The Great Big Cycling Transfers, Extensions, and Rumours Thread

[Red Rick]

How much did Jakobsen want?

Sprinters pretty much have the highest floor and lowest ceiling of what they can achieve. With a good schedule they should always score heaps of points, but on the big stage all they can win that matters in the big picture is basically GT stages, and many of them will then only race the TdF. They don't compete in Sanremo anymore, and have a large dependence on leadout and their performance varies a lot season to season to begin with.

 

[search]

until Sepulveda's victory in Castilla y Leon, I would have said that his season showed that he is not competitive anymore, tbh. Lots of opportunities, almost no results. Now he has a win of course, so it's a bit of a different story, but I can see why Lotto didn't keep him.

On the other hand, they gave Drizners a new two year deal as well, so their standard doesn't seem to be particularly high.

 

[Valv.Piti]

How much did Jakobsen want?

Sprinters pretty much have the highest floor and lowest ceiling of what they can achieve. With a good schedule they should always score heaps of points, but on the big stage all they can win that matters in the big picture is basically GT stages, and many of them will then only race the TdF. They don't compete in Sanremo anymore, and have a large dependence on leadout and their performance varies a lot season to season to begin with.

I wrote my post not having a single clue about what he actually wants tbh, but I'd assume he'd want a lot more money than I realistically would want to spend on a one dimensional sprinter who struggles just to get through hard stages.

Unless the middle of the Tour is very easy, he wont see that many stages to contest next year and god knows he's in trouble in the mountains. And as you say, realistically, that's the only real big target for a rider of his calibre since he can't contest the more prestigious one day races. And while a stage in Paris-Nice here and there is great, Tour de France is the bread and butter for fast men like him.

 

[RedheadDane]

Lotto doesn‘t renew Sepulveda?

That would be extremely unfair… The guy begged for a new contract via Twitter last year, got one at Lotto, and showed a great, constantly good, season - including GC win at Castilla y Leon…

I hope Lotto will think better of it, and renew him… I see that they prefer to sign every second 20-year-old male Belgian that has ever ridden a bike, but Argentinean Sepulveda is a special guy, in a very good way…

Isn't he mostly known as that guy who once got thrown out of the TdF, because he got a lift in a car for a KM, or so?

 

[tobydawq]

Isn't he mostly known as that guy who once got thrown out of the TdF, because he got a lift in a car for a KM, or so?

Yes, but SRF always pretends he has some deep knowledge of riders' personalities for no apparent reason.

 

[RedheadDane]

Yes, but SRF always pretends he has some deep knowledge of riders' personalities for no apparent reason.

Or rates them based on their shoulders.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

De Lie is good but is he really someone a top team would want as a "sprinter." Last I checked he has 0 WT-level wins.

 

[jaylew]

De Lie is good but is he really someone a top team would want as a "sprinter." Last I checked he has 0 WT-level wins.

I would say absolutely yes. He's only 21, has been a pro less than 2 years and has 14 wins. He really hasn't even participated in very many WT level races that aren't major one day races yet.

Edit: That's actually much more than Philipsen had accomplished by that time. And that Het Nieuwsblad ride was super impressive.

 

[DNP-Old]

Sergio Chumil to Burgos, finally! Three years too late, but better late than never.

 

[OlavEH]

What's common for all the names you're naming is they are varying from good to great in harder races as well which makes them infinitely more valuable IMO, especially riding WT races which after all are the races you sign them for. That means harder classics, even Flanders and Roubaix, and some of the harder stages in the WT stage races. It also means they can do quite well on their own and you don't need to devote a few guys just to get them through mountain stages. I also means they can join breaks and can be helpful to a team's other ambitions, for example a top-10 or top-5 in Tour de France or similar, and lastly it means they can win some of the easier stage races (Belgium, Denmark etc).

Koolj isn't that strong in harder races? For now he is more of a pure sprinter, but the potential is there to be something like Phillipsen.

And you're right that there is fewer sprint stages now. But there is still enough to get some wins in GTs and the biggest one week races. But none of the more pure sprinters have achieved more than mostly victories in smaller races:

Dylan Groenwegen: One stage win in the Tour last year. His other wins are in races like Slovenia, Hongrie, UAE Tour and Saudi Tour.
Pascal Ackermann: One stage win in the Giro this year. Otherwise just victories in smaller stage races and one day races.
Sam Bennett: Two wins in Vuelta last year only of significance.
Caleb Ewan: Only some minor one day races, a stage in TA and stages in races like Turkey and Saudi Tour.
Fernando Gaviria: A stage in Romandie is only result of interest in 2022 and 2023. Really not many good results after 2019.

Merlier and Jakobsen is a bit better. And I would possibly consider Jakobsen or Ewan if the wage demand wasn't too high and it was a team that needed profiles and has fewer option in the GC or one day races. But no way any of the others.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

De Lie is good but is he really someone a top team would want as a "sprinter." Last I checked he has 0 WT-level wins.

I'm actually not sure if that is sarcastic or not based on the hype for him vs. the lack of WT experience, but the main reason he hasn't done much WT-level racing is that Lotto were trying to avoid relegation last time and are getting a head start on their way back to WT status by taking advantage of the large number of points available in some pretty mediocre flat to rolling one-day races in France and Belgium (the bias of points between stages of stage races and one-day races is huge, meaning it's worth more to them to send Caleb Ewan to a WT stage race in the hope that he can rekindle some of his lost form of previous years, and send de Lie to three or four races like the GP Fourmies, Gooikse Pijl, Antwerp Port Epic, Egmont Cycling Race, Heistse Pijl and Paris-Chauny. Any other time and last year he'd have been testing himself against the WT in at least races like Tour de Pologne and the Renewi Tour having earned the chance in the early season... and if Lotto hadn't been relegated he'd probably have done a few of the races that have lesser sprinting fields, like Catalunya and Romandie, this season too, to get a feel for sprinting in a WT-level sprint field.

De Lie is clearly capable of far better than the kind of calendar he's been doing for the last year and a half and is still super young as well as showing himself in a number of races to be more durable than 'just' a sprinter, the UCI's rules and regulations are to blame for his lack of results to speak of at the WT level.

 

[Samamba]

I'm actually not sure if that is sarcastic or not based on the hype for him vs. the lack of WT experience, but the main reason he hasn't done much WT-level racing is that Lotto were trying to avoid relegation last time and are getting a head start on their way back to WT status by taking advantage of the large number of points available in some pretty mediocre flat to rolling one-day races in France and Belgium (the bias of points between stages of stage races and one-day races is huge, meaning it's worth more to them to send Caleb Ewan to a WT stage race in the hope that he can rekindle some of his lost form of previous years, and send de Lie to three or four races like the GP Fourmies, Gooikse Pijl, Antwerp Port Epic, Egmont Cycling Race, Heistse Pijl and Paris-Chauny. Any other time and last year he'd have been testing himself against the WT in at least races like Tour de Pologne and the Renewi Tour having earned the chance in the early season... and if Lotto hadn't been relegated he'd probably have done a few of the races that have lesser sprinting fields, like Catalunya and Romandie, this season too, to get a feel for sprinting in a WT-level sprint field.

De Lie is clearly capable of far better than the kind of calendar he's been doing for the last year and a half and is still super young as well as showing himself in a number of races to be more durable than 'just' a sprinter, the UCI's rules and regulations are to blame for his lack of results to speak of at the WT level.

You're making things up here. What WT stage race should he have been riding this season so far? The reason why he didn't do Benelux Tour last season was because it got cancelled. His schedule this year has almost nothing to do with points. He wasn't/isn't riding the races you're mentioning...

Also you don't get a "feel" for sprinting in a WT level sprint field in Romandie or Catalunya, like at all.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

You're making things up here. What WT stage race should he have been riding this season so far? The reason why he didn't do Benelux Tour last season was because it got cancelled. His schedule this year has almost nothing to do with points. He wasn't/isn't riding the races you're mentioning...

Also you don't get a "feel" for sprinting in a WT level sprint field in Romandie or Catalunya, like at all.

He'd already have earned a shot at WT races by the time most of those races took place last year, ordinarily.

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Yes, but SRF always pretends he has some deep knowledge of riders' personalities for no apparent reason.

No, it‘s rather, as I get closer to 40 years of age, after having watched pro cycling for more than 25 years, I don‘t care about height, weight, body fat percentage, VO2max, haematocrit, and all that stuff, too much, any more.

It‘s the person, the human, within the rider, which interests me, these days. And I like these guys, like Sepulveda, these special biographies…

 

[tobydawq]

No, it‘s rather, as I get closer to 40 years of age, after having watched pro cycling for more than 25 years, I don‘t care about height, weight, body fat percentage, VO2max, haematocrit, and all that stuff, too much, any more.

It‘s the person, the human, within the rider, which interests me, these days. And I like these guys, like Sepulveda, these special biographies…

Oh, okay. I only care about the heights of the riders.

 

[RedheadDane]

No, it‘s rather, as I get closer to 40 years of age, after having watched pro cycling for more than 25 years, I don‘t care about height, weight, body fat percentage, VO2max, haematocrit, and all that stuff, too much, any more.

Unfortunately, teams are quite interested in all that. An interesting biography is not gonna make a rider win.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

I would say absolutely yes. He's only 21, has been a pro less than 2 years and has 14 wins. He really hasn't even participated in very many WT level races that aren't major one day races yet.

Edit: That's actually much more than Philipsen had accomplished by that time. And that Het Nieuwsblad ride was super impressive.

Philipsen had a WT win before the age of 21 in a field that included Sagan, Viviani and Bauhaus. At the time all three were better sprinters than any of the 10 other riders who podiumed in De Lie's 5 sprint wins this year.

 

[tobydawq]

Philipsen had a WT win before the age of 21 in a field that included Sagan, Viviani and Bauhaus. At the time all three were better sprinters than any of the 10 other riders who podiumed in De Lie's 5 sprint wins this year.

It was also a win that came after a relegation. Those wins tend to be quite random.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I do wonder what the Baron Cini will do at UAE, what's gonna be his role?

 

[postmanhat]

I do wonder what the Baron Cini will do at UAE, what's gonna be his role?

Super Dom for Hirschi? Utility rouleur? Can't blame him for taking the money, but his career is just getting started after endless crashes. He could be a lot more at other teams.

 

[Salvarani]

Super Dom for Hirschi? Utility rouleur? Can't blame him for taking the money, but his career is just getting started after endless crashes. He could be a lot more at other teams.

I think it is actually a pretty great move for him and I dont necessarily think it is for the money in his case. He is not in the best position to have demanded that imo. Another team would have not been offering him a great deal right now either is what I am thinking.

I think he is going there because it is one of the best teams, where he has the best chance to improve. Get the help and resources to improve. Fresh start.

Sure, there may be a lack of opportunities on paper... but if he steps up he might have a few good results here and there for himself. That in return can set up a great offer from another team, where he could become a leader in the future. It is one step back to get two ahead and if he would be a success at UAE, it is not like they dont have the money to improve his deal I am assuming.

 

[Red Rick]

I do wonder what the Baron Cini will do at UAE, what's gonna be his role?

Vanity signing.

It sounds like a real UAE signing to me. Former u23 WC, so young enough you can call it investing in talent, but then there's probably not a great idea there about how to develop him or what sort of role or schedule to give him.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Vanity signing.

It sounds like a real UAE signing to me. Former u23 WC, so young enough you can call it investing in talent, but then there's probably not a great idea there about how to develop him or what sort of role or schedule to give him.

Yeah, sounds really like your typical UAE signing.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

I do wonder what the Baron Cini will do at UAE, what's gonna be his role?

He's gonna have to duke it out with others

 

[Tim Cahill]

Baroncini will make an outstanding 6th GC leader at the early season weeklong Spanish stage races, can't wait to see him attack Marc Soler, Ayuso and the others.

'Don't worry Filippo we won't make you work for Joao even if he's in yellow'