Cafe Roubaix

Concluzii după Turul Andaluziei

Zece luni au trecut de la precedentul triumf al lui Chris Froome într-o cursă pe etape (Turul Romandiei), perioada de secetă fiind oprită de rutierul lui Sky în Turul Andaluziei, unde a devenit primul britanic învingător la general. Aflat la un nivel mult peste aşteptări pentru startul stagiunii, ciclistul lui Sky a avut o sincopă în prima rundă cu finiş la altitudine, dar o zi mai târziu a fost într-o formă devastatoare, ce i-a permis să îl distanţeze pe Alberto Contador şi să treacă pe locul întâi la general, unde a rămas până la final, trecându-şi în palmares al optulea succes al carierei într-o cursă pe etape. Prin victoria obţinută, Froome a arătat că va fi omul de învins pe munţi în 2015, cel la care se vor raporta Contador, Vincenzo Nibali şi Nairo Quintana.

Forma lui Alberto Contador a fost contradictorie în cursa de pe teren propriu: după o victorie entuziasmantă, pe Alto de Hazallanas, spaniolul în vârstă de 32 de ani a surprins în mod negativ cu înfrângerea fără drept de apel suferită o zi mai târziu, când pur şi simplu s-a scufundat la momentul atacului dat de Froome. Tocmai de aceea, pentru iberic nu înfrângerea a durut atât de mult, cât felul în care a pierdut în faţa adversarului său. Evident, până la Tirreno-Adriatico, următorul său obiectiv al sezonului, Alberto Contador are suficient timp pentru a mai pierde din greutate şi a ajunge la un nivel mai bun, însă va trebui să se asigure şi că nu va rămâne din nou izolat între mai mulţi ciclişti de la Sky, aşa cum s-a întâmplat pe Allanadas.

Movistar a făcut o afacere excelentă atunci când a decis să semneze cu Juan Jose Lobato, rămas fără contract după desfiinţarea lui Euskaltel. Spaniolul a crescut enorm în ultima vreme şi a ajuns un rutier redutabil în cursele valonate, mai ales dacă acestea au sosirea în uşoară urcare. La doar 26 de ani, Lobato traversează cea mai bună formă a carierei, iar forma excelentă arătată în primele competiţii din această stagiune îl transformă pe ciclistul originar din Andaluzia într-unul dintre marii favoriţi la victorie în Milano-San Remo, clasică în care doar doi spanioli s-au impus până acum: Miguel Poblet şi Oscar Freire.

Cum toată lumea s-a concentrat pe lupta dintre Chris Froome şi Alberto Contador, rezultatele altor rutieri au trecut neobservate. Aşa a fost cazul şi cu talentatul Alexander Foliforov, de la RusVelo, care este neo-profesionist. În vârstă de doar 22 de ani, acesta a terminat pe locul 15, un rezultat solid pentru un ciclist aflat la prima cursă pe etape în compania unor rutieri de World Tour. Autor al unui sezon 2014 impresionant, cu două victorii în Ronde de l’Isard şi un loc patru în prestigiosul Tour de l’Avenir, rusul este un ciclist de care avem toate şansele să mai auzim în următoarele luni.

Who is Rayane Bouhanni?

First of all, he’s the younger brother of Nacer Bouhanni, winner of three stages and the points jersey at the 2014 Giro d’Italia. At the moment, people tend to remind this every time they are talking about him, but it won’t take long before they will speak of Rayane alone, because at just 19 he is one of the most talented riders in the U23 peloton, a very versatile cyclist, capable of making a name for himself from his first season at this level, which finds him in the roster of AWT-GreenWay (formerly known as Etixx-Ihned).

Rayane Bouhanni started cycling four years ago, inspired by his older brother, and the determination that characterizes also Nacer has helped him during his first season, when he got a victory and a 3rd place in the first two events he raced. After a quiet 2013 – which saw him getting just a handful of top 10 results – the French cyclist emerged on the Junior scene one year later, with an incredible run, during which he won five races and scored six more podiums, in some of the most prestigious junior races of the calendar.

One of the best moments of Rayane’s career was winning the French Championships, after a 139,5 km race, at the end of which he beat Léo Danes. That triumph came less than a month after taking the yellow jersey in the Tour de l’Abitibi, where he also won a stage along the way, ahead of Magnus Bak Klaris, from Denmark, the same rider who defeated him in the Course de la Paix (where Rayane made his debut with the national team), thanks only to time bonuses. Beside the killer instinct, all the races in which he went last year showed that Rayane Bouhanni isn’t similar to his brother, being more an all-rounder (fast in a sprint, but also very strong on the hills), who has the potential to become one of the best riders in the pro peloton in the years to come.

A natural born winner, the French cyclists received many offers for 2015, and finally chose to pursue his career in Belgium, with AWT-GreenWay, where he’s ready to learn, to gain experience, but also to prove himself in races like Paris-Roubaix or Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Many questioned his decision to leave France and go to a foreign team, but this move underlines Rayane Bouhanni’s bold character and his motivation for having a big season this year.

Ruta del Sol Stats

Historical stats:

– The race was created in 1925, by the secretary of the Union Velocipedica Española, Miguel Arteman

–1986 went down in history as the year in which the peloton visited Gibraltar for the first time

– Alejandro Valverde is the rider with the most GC wins (3), while Spain tops the nation standings, with 35 victories so far

– Besides Spain, only five other countries got at least one win: Australia, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Netherlands

– Freddy Maertens is the rider with the most stage wins, 13, between 1974 and 1981

– The only cyclist to finish first in the GC while wearing the rainbow jersey was Belgium’s Jean-Pierre Monseré, in 1971

– That edition was the shortest, only 674 kilometers; the longest one came in 1959, and had a total of 1342 kilometers

– Youngest ever winner is Angelino Soler, who had 21 years and 86 days in 1961; oldest champion is Francisco Cabello Luque, 35 years and 273 days in 2005

2015 stats:

– 22 teams will race this edition (10 World Tour, 11 Pro Continental, one Continental)

– 13 of these teams haven’t scored a win in 2015: AG2R, Burgos-BH, Caja Rural, CCC Sprandi Polkowice, Cofidis, Colombia, FDJ, LottoNL-Jumbo, Roompot, RusVelo, Tinkoff-Saxo, Topsport Vlaanderen, UnitedHealthcare

– The riders who are at the start have won a combined total of 9 Grand Tours, 3 Monuments, and more than 70 Grand Tour stages

– Of the 153 cyclists, only five have won at least a stage in the Ruta del Sol: Jimmy Engoulvent, Moreno Hofland, Danilo Napolitano, Sergio Pardilla, and Giovanni Visconti

– Youngest rider in this years’ race is Roman Kustadinchev, 19 years and 199 days; oldest one is Italy’s Matteo Tosatto, 40 years and 280 days

– None of the four former winners (Pablo Lastras, Michael Rogers, Markel Irizar, Alejandro Valverde) who are still in the pro peloton will take part in the 61st Ruta del Sol

– 25 countries will have at least one rider in the race, with Spain topping the list (25)

– Alberto Contador, the most successful cyclist who will be at the start of the Vuelta a Andalucia, will make his debut in this race

Cine este Marlen Zmorka?

“X e noul Y” este una dintre cel mai des întâlnite exprimări din sport, deoarece oamenii (fani, jurnalişti, specialişti) îşi aleg un favorit, iar atunci când acesta se apropie de finalul carierei, iar apoi se retrage, simt nevoia să îl înlocuiască, de preferat cât mai curând, cu un alt sportiv pe care să îl susţină şi care să le amintească de fostul idol. Dacă aşa gândesc fanii, pentru noul candidat aceste comparaţii aduc o presiune suplimentară şi nedorită, astfel încât, de cele mai multe ori, sportivul respectiv ajunge să nu se ridice la nivelul aşteptărilor create.

Unul dintre cicliştii din plutonul actual cărora li s-a încercat identificarea unui urmaş este Fabian Cancellara. Mai întâi, a fost adus în discuţie Tony Martin, dar germanul a acoperit doar contratimpul, nefiind dornic să încerce clasicele pe pavate, în ciuda faptului că Rolf Aldag a spus că dacă ar merge în aceste curse, ar surprinde pe toată lumea cu evoluţia sa. Apoi, a apărut Taylor Phinney, recomandat de aptitudinile sale contracronometru, dar şi de cele două victorii consecutive obţinute în versiunea pentru tineret a Paris-Roubaix. Nici americanul nu a reuşit să arate că poate prelua coroana elveţianului, în mare parte, din cauza accidentărilor care l-au chinuit în ultimii ani.

Atunci, a mai rămas cineva? Există vreun ciclist despre care să se poată spune că îi este similar lui Fabian Cancellara, având potenţialul de a obţine rezultate mari atât la contratimp, dar şi în clasice? Răspunsul este da, şi vine din Ucraina, via Italia. E vorba despre Marlen Zmorka, aflat la Palazzago-Fenice, o echipă de amatori, pentru care rutierul în vârstă de doar 21 de ani concurează din 2012, la un sezon şi jumătate după ce a obţinut medalia de bronz în cursa de contratimp de la Campionatele Europene pentru Juniori.

Primul an al lui Zmorka alături de Palazago-Fenice a fost unul mai mult decât reuşit, cu victorii în Coppa Comune di Livraga şi Coppa Mobilio Ponsacco (ITT), dar şi clasări în top zece la Europenele şi Mondialele de Tineret, în cursa de contratimp. În stagiunea următoare, succesele au depăşit numărul clasărilor pe podium, ucraineanul bifând cinci triumfuri, între care şi cel din Coppa Mobilio Ponsacco, unde a devenit doar al doilea ciclist care s-a impus de două ori consecutiv. Pe parcursul stagiunii, rutierul din estul Europei a devenit o “bestia nera” pentru italieni, printre cei obligaţi să se mulţumească doar cu un loc pe podium numărându-se Nicola Ruffoni, Nicolas Marini sau Davide Martinelli.

Aşa cum era de aşteptat, numărul succeselor a crescut în 2014, an în care Marlen Zmorka a arătat că a înregistrat un progres fantastic, ce i-a permis să se transforme într-un veritabil “motor diesel”, un ciclist cu resurse foarte mari de energie, capabil să îşi lase în urmă adversarii cu zeci de kilometri înainte de final şi să obţină victorii impresionante, aşa cum a fost cazul în Trofeo Frasconi Fosco, unde un minut şi 40 de secunde – o diferenţă uriaşă la tineret – l-au separat de următorul sosit.

În 2015, Marlen Zmorka va fi unul dintre cei 21 de ciclişti pe care Palazzago-Fenice se va baza pentru calendarul italian, mai mulţi directori sportivi ai unor echipe profesioniste (cel puţin una de World Tour) fiind interesaţi să vadă parcursul pe care ucraineanul îl va avea. Dacă acesta va merge cel puţin la fel de bine ca anul trecut şi va confirma calităţile ce îl recomandă atât pentru contratimp, cât şi pentru clasice, sunt şanse mari ca din 2016 să îl vedem la un nivel superior, acolo unde vor începe, din nou, discuţiile cu privire la urmaşul lui Fabian Cancellara.

Cadel Evans’ career in numbers

– First Australian cyclist to win the Tour de France (2011)

– First Australian to become world champion in the road race (Mendrisio, 2009)

– Raced 17 Grand Tours and finished them all, bar one (first – 2002 Giro, last 2014 Vuelta)

– Got a GC podium in all three Grand Tours

– Won two stages in the Tour de France and another one in the Corsa Rosa

– Only Australian rider to take the points classification in the Giro d’Italia

– Wore the Tour de France yellow jersey for eight days

– First cyclist from Down Under who has won Tirreno-Adriatico

– Only the third rider to win Flèche Wallonne while wearing the rainbow jersey (2010); he’s also the first Australian to finish first in the Belgian Classic

– Holds the record for the longest time span between two victories in the Tour de Romandie (2006 – 2011)

– Rode for five teams: Saeco Macchine per Caffè, Mapei-Quick Step, Telekom, Davitamon-Lotto and BMC

– During his pro career, he took part in 87 races from 21 countries

A star was born in San Luis: Fernando Gaviria

Climbs? Mountains? GC races? Forget about these for a moment, Colombia’s latest talent comes from the track and he’s a fascinating prospect, who has a brilliant future on the road. His name? Fernando Gaviria? His latest results? Two stage wins in the Tour de San Luis, each time in a head-to-head duel with Mark Cavendish. But was it a duel? Not quite, as the 20-year-old Colombian won without too much trouble the two flat stages of the Tour de San Luis, showing a fantastic anticipation, a phenomenal acceleration and an incredible burst of speed, and thus finishing a couple of bike lengths ahead of the 2011 World Champion.

Coming from the province of Antioquia, like many other talented cyclists that already have an impressive palmares, Gaviria made a name for himself on the track, where he took multiple wins, including two U23 world titles and a stage in the World Cup. But when it comes to the young South-American, there is more to him than meets the eye, because he is very versatile and his transition to the road was really smooth, which we all could see in 2014, when he took the Pan-American U23 road race. That win came in May, three months before the Tour de l’Avenir, where the Colombian went on to take a 3rd place in the Paray-le-Monial stage and finished second in the green jersey classification, missing the first place for just a point.

At the moment, Fernando Gaviria – who began his career dreaming of the legendary mountains of the Tour de France, before turning his attention to the sprints – has a contract with Coldeportes-Claro, but things are expected to change next season, as he already is fielding offers from the World Tour teams. Regardless of his choice (and he will have enough options), the Colombian is keen on racing on the track at the 2016 Olympics, which means he’ll not have a busy program next year. But considering what a fascinating talent he is, that shouldn’t be a problem for his future team, which will have at the start of the 2017 season a rider fully committed to the road and ready to rock the World Tour.

2015 World Tour stats

– Eduardo Estrada (Colombia, Lampre-Merida) is the youngest rider of the peloton, 19 years and 11 months

– The oldest cyclist is Matteo Tossato (Italy, Tinkoff-Saxo), 40 years and 7 months

– 476 riders from 41 riders will race for the 17 World Tour teams, France being the country with most cyclists, 56

– No less than 32 of these riders are neo-pros

– The U.S.A. is the country with the most World Tour teams, three: BMC, Cannondale-Garmin and Trek Factory Racing

– 10 Grand Tour winners will be in the peloton: Ivan Basso, Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans, Chris Froome, Ryder Hesjedal, Vincenzo Nibali, Nairo Quintana, Michele Scarponi, Alejandro Valverde and Bradley Wiggins

– Since the World Tour was created, Joaquim Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde each won the individual classification three times

– Tinkoff-Saxo was on four occasions the best team, while Spain won the nation classification eight times

– Lotto-Soudal is the team with the oldest continuing sponsor – Lotto – which supports the team since 1985

– Cannondale-Garmin and Trek Factory Racing are the teams with riders coming from the most countries – 14 – a record for the new season

– In 2015, Cannondale-Garmin will be the youngest team in the peloton, 26,42 years, while Tinkoff-Saxo will be the oldest: 29,59 years

– This year, there will be 27 races in the calendar: 14 one-day races and 13 stage races

– Almost half of these races are controlled by three organizers: ASO (Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix, Flèche Wallonne, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Criterium du Dauphiné, Tour de France, Vuelta a España), RCS Sport (Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-Sanremo, Giro d’Italia, Il Lombardia) and Flanders Classics (Gent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders)

– France has the most race days (39), followed by Spain (35) and Italy (30)

– Just 8 of the 148 race days are outside Europe (Australia and Canada)

– There is a total of 16116 World Tour points put up for grabs

Statistici World Tour 2015

– Eduardo Estrada (Lampre-Merida) este cel mai tânăr rutier din pluton, 19 ani şi 11 luni

– La polul opus se află italianul Matteo Tosatto (Tinkoff-Saxo), 40 de ani şi şapte luni

– 476 de ciclişti din 41 de ţări vor concura pentru cele 17 echipe de World Tour, Franţa fiind naţiunea care oferă cei mai mulţi rutieri – 56

– Nu mai puţin de 32 dintre aceşti ciclişti sunt neo-profesionişti

– S.U.A. este ţara care are cele mai multe echipe de World Tour, trei: BMC, Cannondale-Garmin şi Trek Factory Racing

– 10 câştigători de Mari Tururi se vor afla în pluton: Ivan Basso, Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans, Chris Froome, Ryder Hesjedal, Vincenzo Nibali, Nairo Quintana, Michele Scarponi, Alejandro Valverde şi Bradley Wiggins

– De la introducerea sistemului World Tour, Joaquim Rodriguez şi Alejandro Valverde au obţinut câte trei victorii individuale

– Tinkoff-Saxo a fost de patru ori cea mai bună echipă din lume, în timp ce Spania şi-a adjudecat clasamentul pe naţiuni în opt ocazii

– Gruparea cu cel mai vechi sponsor principal este Lotto-Soudal, care susţine formaţia belgiană din 1985

– Cannondale-Garmin şi Trek Factory Racing sunt echipele care au rutieri reprezentând 14 naţionalităţi, un record pentru noul sezon

– În 2015, cea mai mică medie de vârstă o va avea Cannondale-Garmin: 26,42 ani; la polul opus se va afla Tinkoff Saxo: 29,59 ani

– Anul acesta, în calendar sunt 27 de curse: 14 de o zi şi 13 pe etape

– Aproape jumătate din aceste curse sunt controlate de trei mari companii: ASO (Paris-Nisa, Paris-Roubaix, Flèche Wallonne, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Criteriul Dauphiné, Turul Franţei, Turul Spaniei), RCS Sport (Tirreno-Adriatico, Milano-San Remo, Turul Italiei, Turul Lombardiei) şi Flanders Classics (Gent-Wevelgem, Turul Flandrei)

– Franţa are cele mai multe zile de cursă (39), fiind urmată în această ierarhie de Spania (35) şi Italia (30)

– Doar 8 dintre cele 148 de zile de cursă se vor desfăşura în afara Europei (Australia şi Canada)

– 16116 puncte World Tour sunt puse în joc sezonul acesta

Neo-pros to watch for in 2015

Year after year, it becomes more and more difficult to have a list of the debutants that can make a name for themselves in their first season, the main reason being that many very talented riders have signed with a World Tour or Pro Continental team. After having 10 cyclists in 2013, and 20 in 2014, now I stopped after picking 25, but not without difficulties, skipping plenty of riders who maybe would have deserved to be here.

Simone Andreetta – many Italians will become professionals this year, but none can be considered a real gem. However, of all these, Andreetta stands out. An alumni of Zalf-Euromobil, he signed for Bardiani, which will give him the perfect environment to develop. In the past two years, Andreetta has won many important races in his country, including the famous Bassano-Monte Grappa, twice. Each time, he demonstrated not only that he climbs well, but that he also is very fast, a rare thing amongst climbers nowadays.

Carlos Barbero – with the dismantling of Euskadi, many riders had problems finding a team, but not Carlos Barbero, who signed for Caja Rural. Very strong in a sprint and on short climbs, the Spaniard will step into cycling’s pro scene with a solid record, including the Circuito de Getxo, a stage in the Volta ao Alentejo and a third place at the National Championships, where he won the bunch sprint, just ten seconds after Ion Izagirre and Alejandro Valverde have crossed the finish line. On paper, Barbero can’t miss getting at least one win in 2015.

Tiesj Benoot – an all-rounder with a big punch, very similar to Greg Van Avermaet, the new rider of Lotto-Soudal comes from an exceptional generation of Belgians, which provided some exciting talents lately. A 20-year-old, Benoot will make his debut in the World Tour after he scored some remarkable results last season, in the Tour of Flanders, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Flèche Ardennaise, World Championships, Ronde de l’Isard and Denmark Rundt, while also winning the Tour de Moselle in 2013, when he finished ahead of Julian Alaphilippe.

Sven Erik Bystrom – the Scandinavian has shown what he’s capable of in the past two seasons, racing in Norway, but also abroad, the climax being reached in Ponferrada, where he won the world title with a perfectly timed attack, that surprised the big favorites. In 2015, the Norwegian will race for Katusha, alongside his good friend, Alexander Kristoff. Very likely, he’ll discover the Classics and will also get some opportunities to make a name for himself, especially in the hilly races, which really suit him.

Hugh Carthy – after two seasons in the UK with Rapha Condor, the Englishman decided to change something, so he headed to Spain, where he’ll race for Caja Rural. Language should not be a problem, because Carthy studied it for a few years at school, which is one of the reasons that made Caja Rural transfer him. The other qualities that caught up the attention of the Spanish squad are his climbing and ITT abilities, which allowed him to be one of the UCI Asia Tour’s stars in 2014, with a GC win in the Tour de Korea and a 6th place in the Tour of Japan.

Clément Chevrier – after a two-year spell with Chambéry, AG2R’s feeder team, he went to the United States to race for Bissell Development. Both experiences have helped him develop, so now Chevrier’s palmares is stacked with solid results in the Tour des Pays de Savoie, Giro della Valle d’Aosta, Tour de l’Ain, Tour of Utah and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Another thing worth mentioning is that the 22-year-old rider of IAM Cycling isn’t suited just to stage races, but also to Classics like Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Il Lombardia, which he is very fond of.

Magnus Cort – many expected the Danish to go to Tinkoff-Saxo, but he caught people by surprise, choosing Orica-GreenEdge instead. Winner of no less than 11 races in 2014, with many of his wins coming against experienced World Tour riders – in the Tour des Fjords or the Denmark Rundt – Cort is not only very fast in a sprint, but also very versatile, which allows him to fight for the general classification in some stage races. In the future, he is expected to be a protagonist in the Classics, as he has a sharp acceleration and enjoys a tougher race.

Caleb Ewan – he’s the subject of the most awaited debut of a neo-pro in a while, due to the fact that the 20-year-old Aussie has a fantastic potential in a sprint, on the flat, but also on a hilly course. So, the question is not whether he will get a win in 2015, but on how many occasions he will be the first to cross the finish line. Runner-up in Ponferrada, Ewan will race for Orica-GreenEdge, a team that couldn’t have missed getting its hands on a rider whose palmares includes Junior and U23 national titles, three stages in the Tour de l’Avenir, as well as other wins in important races, like the Thüringen-Rundfahrt and Tour Alsace.

Campbell Flakemore – his childhood dream was to play football in the Premier League, but eventually decided to focus on cycling and based on how things went so far, he couldn’t have taken a better decision. In 2014, Flakemore didn’t have a great start to the season, but came back in time for the last months of the year, when he won the prologue of the Tour de l’Avenir and the World Championships ITT title, two victories that sparked the interest of BMC, a team whose policy for 2015 was to bring many young cyclists. If he’ll continue his natural progression, good things will come in the next months.

Alexander Foliforov – it’s always difficult to say what will be the trajectory of a Russian rider, despite his U23 results, but one thing is certain: Foliforov does not lack the necessary talent to make a name for himself. In 2014, while riding for Itera-Katusha, he won two tough mountain stages in the Ronde de l’Isard (where he was 6th) and finished just off the podium in the Tour de l’Avenir, for only seven seconds. In contrast, he lacked consistency, something he’ll have to work on with RusVelo, his new team.

Eduard Grosu – last year, he was the best cyclist of Nippo-Vini Fantini, winning five races for the Continental team. Now, after Nippo got a Pro Continental license, the Romanian will have the opportunity to compete in World Tour races and he isn’t scarred of taking on the well-established sprinters of the peloton, after he showed in the Tour de Slovenie that he can be at the same level as Elia Viviani and Michael Matthews. In addition, Grosu isn’t good only on the flat, but also when the finish is on a short and punchy climb, as was the case with the last stage of the Carpathian Couriers Race.

Karel Hnik – coming from Etixx-Ihned, where he spent two seasons, the 23-year-old Czech riders stands out thanks to his strength and aggressive riding on the short, tough climbs, which can be found in the Classics and in many races stages. These qualities helped him take a stage of the Trofeu Joaquim Agostinho and the Tour Alsace, and thus receive a contract from CULT Energy, which will have a Pro Continental license in 2015. For many, Hnik is an unknown, and this might help him be one of the revelations of the season.

Sondre Holst Enger – Norway enjoys a fantastic generation at the moment, which includes the 21-year-old rider, who exploded in 2013, when he won the Coupe des nations Ville Saguenay and finished third in the Tour of Norway, ahead of many World Tour cyclists. Unfortunately for him, next season had many bumps, but the Scandinavian found what it took to win the National Championships and finish 5th in the Tour des Fjords. IAM Cycling gave him a chance and Holst Enger promises to be one of the neo-professionals to lighten up the season, thanks to his speed and fierce punch.

Alex Kirsch – he began as an ITT rider, but since then has worked on his sprint, so now he has become a more complete rider, which gives him much more chances of scoring a win. His consistency is remarkable, bringing him in 2014 17 top-10 placings, in a big range of races, from Le Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux to the Oberösterreichrundfahrt, and from the Tour of Flanders to the Tour de l’Avenir in. In 2015, Kirsch decided to race for CULT Energy and the choice seems to be a very good one, because there he will not be under that extra pressure that comes with a place in a World Tour team, and so he’ll be able to develop his skills.

Ilia Koshevoy – comes from Belarus and started cycling late, when he was 16, but his talent came to the surface almost immediately, so he filled the gap on the other cyclists from his generation rather quickly. In Italy, the results came from his first races, the Giro della Lunigiana and Giro di Basilicata, so he decided to stay there, eventually being spotted by Lampre-Merida. Winner, as an amateur, of the Gran Premio della Liberezione and Cronoscalata Gardone, Koshevoy secured a professional contract in the summer, after he finished 13th in the Tour Utah, one of the toughest stage races in the calendar.

Stefan Küng – at just 21, he is already seen as one of the future stars of the cobbles, not only due to the fact he has already raced there, but also because of his excellent ITT skills, which drew many comparisons with Fabian Cancellara. Road and ITT European champion in 2014 and bronze medalist in the Ponferrada Worlds ITT, the Swiss – who has a past on the velodrome – is a force of nature, and BMC became aware of this ever since his win in the Tour de Normandie, which was at that time (March) the starting point of an excellent season.

Pierre-Roger Latour – 2014 wasn’t a year of victories, but of consistency, a factor which earned the Frenchman a contract for three seasons with AG2R. 5th in Tour des Pays de Savoie, 6th in the Tour de l’Avenir and 9th in the Tour de l’Ain were the best results of Latour, his ride in L’Ain being the most impressive, due to the fact he raced against World Tour cyclists. Besides stage races, the new rider of AG2R finds appealing also the one-day races, which he demonstrated by finishing 3rd in the Tour de Jura and the Piccolo Giro di Lombardia.

Kevin Ledanois – is the son of Yvon Ledanois, sports director of BMC and a stage winner in the Vuelta a España, and 2015 will find him in Bretagne-Séché’s roster, where he will get plenty of opportunities to put on the display his aggressive ride, which could already be seen at the Worlds Championships in Ponferrada. The Frenchman, win ner fo the 2013 Trophée Loire Atlantique, is not only an offensive rider, but also a very powerful one and with a high stamina, his ride in the Arctic Race of Norway, where he came in 6th, and his win in the Tour of Jura being very revealing.

Lorrenzo Manzin – with a nice background on the velodrome, the Frenchman is an exotic presence in the peloton, as he comes from the Reunion Islands. He is also one of the young riders to whom FDJ decided to give a chance, which will come more than sure. A fast sprinter-puncheur with a volcanic character and very strong psychic, Manzin got four wins last year, it’s true, in smaller races, but this doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a big potential. As a matter of fact, it’s very likely to see the 20-year-old having a similar debut to the one Bryan Coquard has had, two seasons ago.

Mike Teunissen – only the second cyclist to win Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Tours in the same season, the 22-year-old Dutch rider excels on the cobbles, thanks also to the years spent doing cyclo-cross, where he became U23 World Champion. Giving that he raced for Rabobank Development, it was somehow logical for Teunissen to sign with LottoNL-Jumbo, where he got a contract for two seasons. In addition to his skills on the pavé, Teunissen has a nice ITT and feels good on a hilly parcours, which can help him set his goals also in week-long stage races.

Kristoffer Skjerping – after the bronze medal he got in the road race at the World Championships, Sky became interested in Joker’s rider, but Cannondale-Garmin moved faster, so the Norwegian 21-year-old will make his debut in the pro ranks with the US team. Well suited to one-day races, Skjerping stands out when the course is very difficult, and the Worlds isn’t the sole proof, but also the Tour of Flanders, where he finished second. Another strong point is his sprint, which often helps him make the difference when there’s a small group at the finish.

Dylan Teuns – as stated earlier, BMC has focused on transferring many young riders in the past months and the Belgian promises to be one of the sensations of the year, if we take into account his 2014 season, during which he was a protagonist in almost all the races he did. Thus, his resume includes podiums in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Piccolo Giro di Lombardia, as well as victories in the Tour de Bretagne, Tour de l’Avenir and Giro della Valle d’Aosta. At just 22, Teuns seems to have a fantastic future in the Classics, but he sure won’t be a stranger when it comes to stage races, giving that he was the best young rider of the Tour of Utah and finished 10th the Tour of Britain, both as a trainee.

Lars van der Haar – the young Dutch is one of the greatest talents seen lately in cyclo-cross and that’s why his transition to the road is awaited by many. Very aggressive and fast, Van Der Haar can become something of a phenomenon with Giant-Alpecin, where he comes recommended by his stage win and points jersey in the Oberösterreichrundfahrt, and his 5th place in 2013 Tour d’Azerbaijan. His speed and climbing skills might surprise many in the future.

Louis Vervaeke – just 21-years-old, the new Lotto-Soudal rider is the most promising climber Belgium has sent to the World Tour in recent seasons, coming here after an excellent 2014, with four wins, two of them being the overall standings of the Ronde de l’Isard and Tour des Pays de Savoie. In addition to this impressive “double” – which was obtained by just a single other rider before – Vervaeke got a memorable victory in the last stage of the Tour de l’Avenir, when he was in the escape all day long. All these were enough reasons for Lotto-Soudal to offer him a professional contract starting with the summer of 2014.

Ruben Zepuntke – another alumni of Axel Merkcx’s project – which has sent over the years 19 riders to the World Tour – Zepuntke stood out in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, where he took advantage of the fact he wasn’t selected for the Tour de l’Avenir (a big mistake of the German national team). After being 18th in Colorado, Bissell Development’s cyclist came again in the spotlight during the Tour of Alberta, where he won stage one in a sprint. Zepuntke is an all-rounder and has a huge potential, which recommends him for stage races, but especially for the Classics he loves so much.