Transfers and Rumours 2016 > 2017

[BigMac]

Re: Re:

Costa talks about the team like it's a completely different project from Lampre. He also says that he will be the team's main leader.

I just hope he isn't targeting the Tour GC again.

Why?

I think he could achieve a top ten bar any bad luck (2013 having to wait for VV on echelons stage while being 9th, 2014 approaching pneumonia and abandoning, 2015 out due to crash).

However, a couple of stages > Top 10. This year Lampre had Meintjes, though. If this Chinese project doesn't hire a real GT GC rider, I fear he'll be tempted to lead the team in the Tour, unfortunately.

 

[Kokoso]

Re: Re:

Costa talks about the team like it's a completely different project from Lampre. He also says that he will be the team's main leader.

I just hope he isn't targeting the Tour GC again.

Why?

I think he could achieve a top ten bar any bad luck (2013 having to wait for VV on echelons stage while being 9th, 2014 approaching pneumonia and abandoning, 2015 out due to crash).

However, a couple of stages > Top 10. This year Lampre had Meintjes, though. If this Chinese project doesn't hire a real GT GC rider, I fear he'll be tempted to lead the team in the Tour, unfortunately.

To me it seems that at least some riders value top ten at Tour more couple stage wins. IMHO stage wins are overrated and GC underrated here. And - there is no certainity that he would win a stage. There is stage win and stage win for me. I personally value top ten much more than couple sprinter flat stage wins or win where rider like Costa beats Jeanesson or Riblon for stage win. Such stage win is nothing big. On the other hand you have stage With Costa it's really uncertain that he manages to win stage. He didn't this year.

 

[GP Blanco]

Trek will extend the contract of Boy van Poppel with two years.
http://www.ad.nl/wielrennen/boy-van-poppel-verlengt-bij-trek-segafredo~a5ab96f0/

Ten Dam extends for one more year his contract with Sunweb-Giant.
http://www.ad.nl/wielrennen/laurens-ten-dam-35-gaat-nog-een-seizoen-door~a16458e7/

 

[rekhyt]

Denk basically confirmed Patrick Konrad will stay, too:

“I always said that we also need to strengthen our roster for the Grand Tours. With Rafal Majka we signed a rider who is able to finish a Grand Tour in the top 5. As an add-on our young, German speaking talents, like Buchmann, Herklotz, Konrad or Mühlberger will take advantage, learn from his experience and improve their performance in order to be able to finish a Grand Tour in the top ten in the future.”

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

Bora just confirmed the signing of Rafal Majka and Pawel Poljanski.

Nice! Now they just need a GT rider. One that attacks at least.

Perhaps one for the Giro, but for the Tour KoM and Green are enough, no need for GC. Majka will probably ride the Vuelta for GC, I think.

Majka already said he is riding the Tour next year for GC

 

[carolina]

Re: Re:

Costa talks about the team like it's a completely different project from Lampre. He also says that he will be the team's main leader.

I just hope he isn't targeting the Tour GC again.

Why?

I think he could achieve a top ten bar any bad luck (2013 having to wait for VV on echelons stage while being 9th, 2014 approaching pneumonia and abandoning, 2015 out due to crash).

However, a couple of stages > Top 10. This year Lampre had Meintjes, though. If this Chinese project doesn't hire a real GT GC rider, I fear he'll be tempted to lead the team in the Tour, unfortunately.

To me it seems that at least some riders value top ten at Tour more couple stage wins. IMHO stage wins are overrated and GC underrated here. And - there is no certainity that he would win a stage. There is stage win and stage win for me. I personally value top ten much more than couple sprinter flat stage wins or win where rider like Costa beats Jeanesson or Riblon for stage win. Such stage win is nothing big. On the other hand you have stage With Costa it's really uncertain that he manages to win stage. He didn't this year.

He didn't win but he was very close several times.

Even a top 10 at the tour would be dificult. He struggles to much in the high mountains and his ITT has become worst in the last two years. With the current competition, I think it would be very hard for him.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Gianni Meersman will ride for Fortunéo - Vital Concept in 2017.
https://twitter.com/FortuneoVitalC/status/770597477246468098

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

Bora just confirmed the signing of Rafal Majka and Pawel Poljanski.

Nice! Now they just need a GT rider. One that attacks at least.

Perhaps one for the Giro, but for the Tour KoM and Green are enough, no need for GC. Majka will probably ride the Vuelta for GC, I think.

Majka already said he is riding the Tour next year for GC

What a shame. I hope he'll change his mind and take the dots (and stage wins) again.

 

[lenric]

Re: Re:

Bora just confirmed the signing of Rafal Majka and Pawel Poljanski.

Nice! Now they just need a GT rider. One that attacks at least.

Perhaps one for the Giro, but for the Tour KoM and Green are enough, no need for GC. Majka will probably ride the Vuelta for GC, I think.

Majka already said he is riding the Tour next year for GC

Then he'll beat the crap out of TJVG and is going to win the GC. As in, the general classification of wheel suckers.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Considering he has never been able to ride the GC in Tour de France and that being the pinnacle of the sport, its only natural he will try himself out next year. Its what everyone dreams of.

Whether its smart its a whole other discussion and it most probably isn't. Vuelta or Giro GC + dots/stage wins in TdF would likely be a much better way of maximising his potential than what looks like an anonymous top-10 (probably around 6th-9th).

 

[Anderis]

He's already won 2 KoMs and 3 stages, another one or two will not add that much to his palmares. It makes no sense NOT to try GC at some point. It's not like it compromises the chance of reverting back to his old approach with success in the following yeas if he finds himself unable to make as big impact on GC fight as he would like to.

 

[TMP402]

Re:

Gianni Meersman will ride for Fortunéo - Vital Concept in 2017.
https://twitter.com/FortuneoVitalC/status/770597477246468098

I think I remember this rumour from a while ago, but I dismissed it at the time. Pretty crazy for him to move down considering he always seems to get a few wins, often at WT level, and he's been the best sprinter at the Vuelta so far. Unless he wants to go down to pro conti, but even then he could have picked a better team - they already have McLay (maybe he's leaving Fortuneo?).

 

[staubsauger]

I hope Majka does not change his mind so it opens the door for Gesink to hunt the polka dot jersey.

Back on topic. Any rumors about Pozzovivo? Has he already prolonged with Ag2r or is he gonna go elsewhere like Lampre, Bahrein or Astana!?

 

[GP Blanco]

Re: Re:

Gianni Meersman will ride for Fortunéo - Vital Concept in 2017.
https://twitter.com/FortuneoVitalC/status/770597477246468098

I think I remember this rumour from a while ago, but I dismissed it at the time. Pretty crazy for him to move down considering he always seems to get a few wins, often at WT level, and he's been the best sprinter at the Vuelta so far. Unless he wants to go down to pro conti, but even then he could have picked a better team - they already have McLay (maybe he's leaving Fortuneo?).

Isn't McLay more of a pure sprinter because Meersman is in my opinion better suited for thougher races. Besides his last two seasons where not pretty succesful apart from the current Vuelta.

 

[StryderHells]

Re:

I hope Majka does not change his mind so it opens the door for Gesink to hunt the polka dot jersey.

Back on topic. Any rumors about Pozzovivo? Has he already prolonged with Ag2r or is he gonna go elsewhere like Lampre, Bahrein or Astana!?

The only thing that has been confirmed is that he's leaving Ag2r, haven't heard anything on what team he's going to but Bahrain likes the Italians so I guess it's a possibility

 

[PeterB]

Re: Re:

Gianni Meersman will ride for Fortunéo - Vital Concept in 2017.
https://twitter.com/FortuneoVitalC/status/770597477246468098

I think I remember this rumour from a while ago, but I dismissed it at the time. Pretty crazy for him to move down considering he always seems to get a few wins, often at WT level, and he's been the best sprinter at the Vuelta so far. Unless he wants to go down to pro conti, but even then he could have picked a better team - they already have McLay (maybe he's leaving Fortuneo?).

Isn't McLay more of a pure sprinter because Meersman is in my opinion better suited for thougher races. Besides his last two seasons where not pretty succesful apart from the current Vuelta.

I guess his decision is driven mainly by an opportunity to race TdF, which he has missed since 2011. It is quite difficult for a rider of his characteristics to find a WT team which would give him free role in the TdF. Fortuneo is ideal for this.

 

[TMP402]

Re: Re:

Gianni Meersman will ride for Fortunéo - Vital Concept in 2017.
https://twitter.com/FortuneoVitalC/status/770597477246468098

I think I remember this rumour from a while ago, but I dismissed it at the time. Pretty crazy for him to move down considering he always seems to get a few wins, often at WT level, and he's been the best sprinter at the Vuelta so far. Unless he wants to go down to pro conti, but even then he could have picked a better team - they already have McLay (maybe he's leaving Fortuneo?).

Isn't McLay more of a pure sprinter because Meersman is in my opinion better suited for thougher races. Besides his last two seasons where not pretty succesful apart from the current Vuelta.

I remember McLay doing pretty well on a Paris-Nice sprint that was a definite uphill ramp.

 

[May0maniac]

Re: Re:

Bora just confirmed the signing of Rafal Majka and Pawel Poljanski.

Nice! Now they just need a GT rider. One that attacks at least.

Perhaps one for the Giro, but for the Tour KoM and Green are enough, no need for GC. Majka will probably ride the Vuelta for GC, I think.

Majka already said he is riding the Tour next year for GC

What a shame. I hope he'll change his mind and take the dots (and stage wins) again.

For me that's ok, so Buchmann and Konrad (if he resigns with them, but why shouldn't he?) will get their chance to shine at the Giro and the Vuelta, Sagan and Majka will take pressure away from them and ride the Tour, so they'll get to ride the gts that should suit them more (for Buchmann that would be the Giro, for Konrad the Vuelta). They've got a decent amount of very interesting, mosty German speaking, gc prospects that could become great riders, so those big names could take a bit of pressure away from them and they'll still get their chances to shine, I like the idea.

 

[Richeypen]

Was Diego Rosa to Sky ever confirmed? It seemed to go quiet after his 'Whereabouts' court case.

 

[TMP402]

Trusov to RusVelo. https://twitter.com/ProCyclingStats/status/770680103839920128 I believe Trofimov and Petrov are the last Tinkoff Russians without a new home.

Zabel to Katusha http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rick-zabel-joins-katusha-on-two-year-contract-news-shorts/

T de Clercq to Etixx http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20160830_02445275

Dougall, Behane, Kudus and R Janse all re-sign with DD https://twitter.com/TeamDiData/status/770559598025707520

 

[TMP402]

Re:

Was Diego Rosa to Sky ever confirmed? It seemed to go quiet after his 'Whereabouts' court case.

Sky have often not confirmed transfers until after the season.

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

Trusov to RusVelo. https://twitter.com/ProCyclingStats/status/770680103839920128 I believe Trofimov and Petrov are the last Tinkoff Russians without a new home.

Zabel to Katusha http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rick-zabel-joins-katusha-on-two-year-contract-news-shorts/

T de Clercq to Etixx http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20160830_02445275

Dougall, Behane, Kudus and R Janse all re-sign with DD https://twitter.com/TeamDiData/status/770559598025707520

I don't know hoe to feel about that, say what you want about Copeland, but at least he really cared about African cycling, the team hasn't been day same since he left. I don't know if it's the right team for the Eritrean guys, they had Kudus training at high altitude with 35° in Eritrea before sending him to ride a snowy LBL (from what I've heard they really thought that bringing him to Europe a few days before the race was a good idea).

 

[Ricco']

CyclingFever says that Jenthe Biermans is going to Katusha.

 

[Samamba]

Re:

CyclingFever says that Jenthe Biermans is going to Katusha.

Jenthe has a lot of potential, great signing.

 

[Lexman]

Moreno Hofland is in negotiations with Lotto-Soudal

http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20160830_02446411