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

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

It's just a bit too much for me. Bora has signed now a whole bunch of very strange names - a British track rider in Matthew Walls, a nondescript Danish U23 rider in Frederik Wandahl, an average MTB rider in Ben Zwiehoff and now this Palzer guy with god-knows what kind of qualification for road racing. Yeah, I know, the "numbers" are great with those, but for now this is more a media stunt than sensible recruiting for one of the world's best cycling team.

 

[RedheadDane]

a nondescript Danish U23 rider in Frederik Wandahl,

Wandahl (or should I say "Wandmann"?) does have some okay junior results; chief among them winning the road race back in 2018. Of course, he was only 15th at the Course de la Paix Juniors that same year. For a Danish rider that's not really anything to write home about.
Unfortunately, he didn't get much of a chance of riding any U23 races this year.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

It's just a bit too much for me. Bora has signed now a whole bunch of very strange names - a British track rider in Matthew Walls, a nondescript Danish U23 rider in Frederik Wandahl, an average MTB rider in Ben Zwiehoff and now this Palzer guy with god-knows what kind of qualification for road racing. Yeah, I know, the "numbers" are great with those, but for now this is more a media stunt than sensible recruiting for one of the world's best cycling team.

I don’t see how Walls is a strange signing other than nationality. A very successful young track rider who has won a Baby Giro stage and a few .2s as a part time road racer is a very normal signing for a WT team.

 

[WKA311]

It's just a bit too much for me. Bora has signed now a whole bunch of very strange names - a British track rider in Matthew Walls, a nondescript Danish U23 rider in Frederik Wandahl, an average MTB rider in Ben Zwiehoff and now this Palzer guy with god-knows what kind of qualification for road racing. Yeah, I know, the "numbers" are great with those, but for now this is more a media stunt than sensible recruiting for one of the world's best cycling team.

I'm with you that I'm very surprised by their transfers and there is certainly a lot of questions. This will defintely put their performance testing and Lorang under spotlight.

But as already mentioned, Walls doesn't belong in that list. Only beaten by Groenewegen at the ToB stage to Birkenhead and obviously all the results Zinoviev already mentionend. Generally the British Academy riders have had an excellent training program and he has already shown his capabilities both on the road and on the track.

And with Zwiehoff it was widely mentioned that he lacks explosivity to be a top guy in MTB and therefore should do better in road racing with his power numbers.

Wandahl is interesting as he hasn't got any results, but is supposed to have great numbers (surprise lol). He was recruited by Schrot, who is also running the U19 team of Bora and knows Wandahl from the races they do at junior level. He must've been pretty convinced of him.

It's a weird transfer period for Bora. But if we consider the guys that left the team, they reinforced themselves with a young and promising group. Granted there is a lot of risks and is looks like a trial run but they have a very solid core of riders and if there is a time to try and be innovative with this things, it's now. They don't have to deliver results. They can develop them, and try to bring the power numbers onto the road. If it fails with, say Plazer, Zwiehoff or Wandahl, so be it. They got Schachmann, Ackermann etc. to cover. They are not dependent on every one of them to deliver short term. Furthermore, they have an excellent performance team, coaches and the needed patience. The view is mid- or longterm.

Looking at last years transfers, there were also people surprised by the Schelling transfer. He wasn't very flashy. But he already showed how good a rider he can become at the Vuelta. Same for Laas, who they also singled out as a long term project and who people were wondering over how he got his WT contract. He was very good this year.

 

[Mayomaniac]

With Aleotti Bora also grabbed one of the best Italian prospects on the market. IMO he has more potential as a one day racer than as a gt rider, but you never know.

 

[janraaskalt]

With Aleotti Bora also grabbed one of the best Italian prospects on the market. IMO he has more potential as a one day racer than as a gt rider, but you never know.

Plus a Giro GC podium rider of 2020.

 

[ciranda]

Ok seems like a nice guy, I had no idea such a thing as ski mountaineering existed. Could be fun to watch on tv maybe. I would still hate rowingman who choose to start cycling to earn money.

Wandahl was a first year under 23 this year but did not get to do any races really. Top ten in the last two junior world's, fifth the year Evenepoel won, and so far seems to be mostly about Ardennes type one day races.

 

[adamski101]

Ok seems like a nice guy, I had no idea such a thing as ski mountaineering existed. Could be fun to watch on tv maybe. I would still hate rowingman who choose to start cycling to earn money.

Wandahl was a first year under 23 this year but did not get to do any races really. Top ten in the last two junior world's, fifth the year Evenepoel won, and so far seems to be mostly about Ardennes type one day races.

Sorry, but why would you hate anyone for trying to earn a living?

 

[jarvo]

Dibben retires

 

[ciranda]

Sorry, but why would you hate anyone for trying to earn a living?

Don't know, I think you have to do it for the love no (also)? Maybe I'm prejudiced against rowers. But your point is valid, hate is too much.

 

[adamski101]

Don't know, I think you have to do it for the love no (also)? Maybe I'm prejudiced against rowers. But your point is valid, hate is too much.

Not everyone can do it for love of the sport, but whose to say he doesn't have a love for cycling? If you show ability and potential at any pursuit (sport or otherwise) you should be entitled to try and make something of it.

I love cycling as much as the next person, but am not entrenched enough to think that everyone who turns pro as had to follow a similar path. To me its prejudicial to think that all should have come up the same way. Personally, I think its good for the sport that it attracting participants from other sports.

I am glad you agreed that hate was too much.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Ok seems like a nice guy, I had no idea such a thing as ski mountaineering existed. Could be fun to watch on tv maybe. I would still hate rowingman who choose to start cycling to earn money.

Wandahl was a first year under 23 this year but did not get to do any races really. Top ten in the last two junior world's, fifth the year Evenepoel won, and so far seems to be mostly about Ardennes type one day races.

Rebecca Romero - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[BlueRoads]

Yeah, hate is too strong a word, but in a colloquial meaning I feel it a bit, too. For me it's this "you just take the guys with the best power numbers", like the technical and tactical part plays no part at all. Nothing against the individual who takes up cycling later, and for someone who's done mountainbiking on a high level that doesn't account at all, but if it looks like you can just take up professional cycling at any time when you've not been good enough in another sport or did not make enough money with that, that's not the nicest outlook for a sport (and also does not do it justice, I think).

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Maybe Palzer does a bit of amateur racing on the side to keep in form, a bit like Martina Sabliková winning the Czech national RR most years while still an active speed skater.

Anton is 27 years old, so it is very late to do this, but I think the bigger issue is him getting a WT contract with pretty much zero road racing experience. I know Movistar have done similar with people like Eloy Teruel in the past, but at least Teruel was a track rider. Michael Woods is probably the best analogue as he also turned pro at 27 (whereas Hagen and Roglič were both 23 and started at Continental level) but that was with a smaller team for a couple of years before he came to the World Tour.

 

[search]

Michael Woods is probably the best analogue as he also turned pro at 27 (whereas Hagen and Roglič were both 23 and started at Continental level) but that was with a smaller team for a couple of years before he came to the World Tour.

how about someone like Cink, who moved directly to the WT with Bahrain at age 27? MTB is a bit closer to road cycling of course, but he had also never done a race before

 

[Mayomaniac]

Maybe Palzer does a bit of amateur racing on the side to keep in form, a bit like Martina Sabliková winning the Czech national RR most years while still an active speed skater.

Anton is 27 years old, so it is very late to do this, but I think the bigger issue is him getting a WT contract with pretty much zero road racing experience. I know Movistar have done similar with people like Eloy Teruel in the past, but at least Teruel was a track rider. Michael Woods is probably the best analogue as he also turned pro at 27 (whereas Hagen and Roglič were both 23 and started at Continental level) but that was with a smaller team for a couple of years before he came to the World Tour.

Palzer mainly did trail running/vertical races during the summer, a friend of mine has competed with him in races before.
Ski mountaineering is really close to classic XC skiing, if you look at the muscles that are being used the effort is much closer to running than cycling (unlike skating). The difference is that in ski mountaineering it's all about power to weight ratio. They are also totally obsessed with the weight of their gear, I've seen people remove the upper part of the ultralight skiing shoes to save some weight.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Maybe Palzer does a bit of amateur racing on the side to keep in form

No, nada, zilch. He never took part in any form of organized cycle race. And that's the main difference to guys like Woods, Roglic, Cink, Teruel etc. - they all had at least some kind of experience in bike racing on the road before riding for a WT team. It's absolutely ridiculous to put a guy without any cycling experience into a WT team. This is just a lame publicity stunt.

 

[WKA311]

No, nada, zilch. He never took part in any form of organized cycle race. And that's the main difference to guys like Woods, Roglic, Cink, Teruel etc. - they all had at least some kind of experience in bike racing on the road before riding for a WT team. It's absolutely ridiculous to put a guy without any cycling experience into a WT team. This is just a lame publicity stunt.

He did take part in an MTT in Austria. But no road race ever.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It's Christmas time at Drops Cycling

https://twitter.com/x/status/1337459173274116097

And Riwal will probably be back at Conti level next season after failing to land a new sponsorship deal. They hope to become a ProTeam again in 2022. This development has also effectively ended Jesper Hansens career, who now has no remaining possibilities to get a new pro contract.

Riwal Securitas give up on fight to continue as a ProTeam

Owners look at return to Continental ranks amid sponsorship crisis

www.cyclingnews.com

 

[ciranda]

Quaade and Eriksson would be nice additions to any WT team that still need riders. Lisson and Schultz are neos so maybe have money to cover their salaries with a new team.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

And Riwal will probably be back at Conti level next season after failing to land a new sponsorship deal. They hope to become a ProTeam again in 2022. This development has also effectively ended Jesper Hansens career, who now has no remaining possibilities to get a new pro contract.

Riwal Securitas give up on fight to continue as a ProTeam

Owners look at return to Continental ranks amid sponsorship crisis

www.cyclingnews.com

Apparently team rider James Shaw hasn't heard anything until this news was released to the public. Nothing, including no renegotiations of contracts, since the team said they were struggling back in the summer/autumn.

 

[RedheadDane]

Quaade and Eriksson would be nice additions to any WT team that still need riders. Lisson and Schultz are neos so maybe have money to cover their salaries with a new team.

So, a potential doubling of the number of Swedes on the WT?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Apparently team rider James Shaw hasn't heard anything until this news was released to the public. Nothing, including no renegotiations of contracts, since the team said they were struggling back in the summer/autumn.

Yes, they don't seem to have done a good job communication wise, and the riders are now left in difficult positions. One can only hope, that they can find new contracts. For Danish cycling it will also be crucial that Riwal survives as a Conti team. The hope of a seeing a Danish team on the startline of the 2021 TdF, doesn't look likely anymore. But with all the talented Danish WT riders at the moment, it's not really a major blow.

 

[Jungle Cycle]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1338148005631975430

View: https://twitter.com/TeamUAEAbuDhabi/status/1338148005631975430

 

[Landeirovic]

Molano, Laengen, Troia renew for 2 year
Mirza renew for 1 year