Transfers and Rumours 2018 > 2019

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Combine his inability to get over a bump with his lack of expertise in positioning himself and you have a sprinter who needs a lot of help and doesn’t often get to use his (very real) speed. On a more positive note, he’s one of the few sprinters where there is zero overlap with GVA in terms of potential wins.
 
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janraaskalt said:
staubsauger said:
Mareczko is a fine sprinter IMHO. If the polish core build a nice sprint train around him he's a good leader for the Giro d'Italia! Mareczko can challenge Viviani, who won't repeat his 2018 to full extent anyway.
Sure Mareczko is fast, but his sprint train must also be capable to flattening hills and mountains.
In the first week of the Tour he could be a serious threat with no mountains hampering him until stage 10, in the last two years when he was able to sprint he was beaten (and not by much) only by Viviani and Gaviria. And he was in the Giro where the first week has already mountain stages and without a proper lead out against Quick-Step train.
 
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Cance > TheRest said:
yaco said:
Affini makes four neo-pros signed by MS for 2019 - In saying that, Affini as a potential classics rider with a big engine is a good fit for MS.
I thought he was more of a potential TT specialist (not that it excludes his classics potential) ?

He is. His classics potential is probably there, given his power, but he isn't really known for it in the U23. MS are mostly getting a strongman who could develop into a TT specialist. And maybe also into a classics rider.
 
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Cance > TheRest said:
yaco said:
Affini makes four neo-pros signed by MS for 2019 - In saying that, Affini as a potential classics rider with a big engine is a good fit for MS.
I thought he was more of a potential TT specialist (not that it excludes his classics potential) ?

MS will be hoping he can develop into a classics rider or be a component of the classics squad - Affini is a self-driven individual who is intent on having a good career in the WT - Very confident he'll have a long career.
 
Jun 30, 2014
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WKA311 said:
Cance > TheRest said:
yaco said:
Affini makes four neo-pros signed by MS for 2019 - In saying that, Affini as a potential classics rider with a big engine is a good fit for MS.
I thought he was more of a potential TT specialist (not that it excludes his classics potential) ?

He is. His classics potential is probably there, given his power, but he isn't really known for it in the U23. MS are mostly getting a strongman who could develop into a TT specialist. And maybe also into a classics rider.
Yes, he's a TT specialist (in 2 weeks he won the mediterranean games ITT, he beat Domingos Goncalves, the NC and the EC ITT) and a strong rouleur, but this year he also won the Italian U23 RR (one week before starting his TT streak).
The guy was a decent one day races in the junior ranks, in 2014 he won the EC RR, won a few italian one day races and finished 4th in the WC RR and his favourite one day race is Paris-Roubaix, he could become a TT specialist who's also good in one that races that suit the big guys with big engines.
 
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Flamin said:
Sestriere said:

Excellent transfer for Bora that is. Took a long time until the confirmation.

Bora seem to be trying to set themselves up as THE germanophone team, much as Movistar have benefited from being THE hispanophone team. They’ve been hoovering up all of the German and Austrian talents. Schachmann was one they’d missed as he signed for QS when they were still just a PCT outfit. It makes sense that he’d be a big target for them as he’s so all purpose useful as well as bringing his own wins.
 
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Nirvana said:
janraaskalt said:
staubsauger said:
Mareczko is a fine sprinter IMHO. If the polish core build a nice sprint train around him he's a good leader for the Giro d'Italia! Mareczko can challenge Viviani, who won't repeat his 2018 to full extent anyway.
Sure Mareczko is fast, but his sprint train must also be capable to flattening hills and mountains.
In the first week of the Tour he could be a serious threat with no mountains hampering him until stage 10, in the last two years when he was able to sprint he was beaten (and not by much) only by Viviani and Gaviria. And he was in the Giro where the first week has already mountain stages and without a proper lead out against Quick-Step train.

Maybe but that’s a pretty narrow window against the toughest competition. In this year’s Giro he had a whole team dedicated to him and in a race with seven sprint stages he was present and in a reasonable position once and didn’t win that one stage. I like the guy and think that he’s fast enough to challenge anyone, but it’s almost impossible to give a good return as a sprinter when you can neither get over a bump nor position yourself. He really needs to improve at one or the other.
 
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El Pistolero said:
Flamin said:
Sestriere said:

Excellent transfer for Bora that is. Took a long time until the confirmation.

Leaving Quickstep never turns out well. You'd think these guys would know by now.

Few riders Bora have signed have declined there. Mostly just guys who have had health issues (Nerz, Konig on his second stint with them). It’s an ambitious team that wins a lot, although not as much as QS (nobody does). It’s also a team with a strong record at protecting and developing riders.
 
Sep 6, 2014
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So schachmann to Bora, And they seem to be going for mostly German according to their press release.
So the big question is...
Where does that leave Sam Bennet?
 
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grizzlee said:
So schachmann to Bora, And they seem to be going for mostly German according to their press release.
So the big question is...
Where does that leave Sam Bennet?
That "mostly German" is not what they said:
This move is also important to me as we want to underline our German roots. We want to be successful in the future, but not only with Peter, also with our German speaking talents.
 
Sep 6, 2014
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janraaskalt said:
grizzlee said:
So schachmann to Bora, And they seem to be going for mostly German according to their press release.
So the big question is...
Where does that leave Sam Bennet?
That "mostly German" is not what they said:
This move is also important to me as we want to underline our German roots. We want to be successful in the future, but not only with Peter, also with our German speaking talents.
No mention of Bennett who won three stages in the Giro for them this year.
Only mention being successful with Sagan and their German speaking talents.