# 2016 Signings and Roster Changes



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

It sounds like D. Martin will end up with Etixx and will replace Kwiatkowski, who will be moving on to Sky. Rolland and Uran will be in Cannondale Garmin's green. I am guessing Etixx will add at least one more GC/climber type. BMC will add Porte and I expect him to quickly replace Tejay as the team's #1 GC guy. Ryder will be riding for Trek as will Stetina (I'm not completely sold on either of those moves, though Ryder is probably an upgrade over Mollema). Anyone hear of any other moves?

Vaughters hints Urán to join Cannondale-Garmin - VeloNews.com


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

Rashadabd said:


> It sounds like D. Martin will end up with Etixx and will replace Kwiatkowski, who will be moving on to Sky. Rolland and Uran will be in Cannondale Garmin's green. I am guessing Etixx will add at least one more GC/climber type. BMC will add Porte and I expect him to quickly replace Tejay as the team's #1 GC guy. Ryder will be riding for Trek as will Stetina (I'm not completely sold on either of those moves, though Ryder is probably an upgrade over Mollema). Anyone hear of any other moves?
> 
> Vaughters hints Urán to join Cannondale-Garmin - VeloNews.com


Peter was one of Ryder's domestiques in the 2012 Giro and I think Trekk is going to use Ryder and hopefully Peter as part of their team in 2016. I hope it works out well for Ryder in his final years of pro racing. Cannondale is really shaking up things and losing some long time GC guys.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

love4himies said:


> Peter was one of Ryder's domestiques in the 2012 Giro and I think Trekk is going to use Ryder and hopefully Peter as part of their team in 2016. I hope it works out well for Ryder in his final years of pro racing. Cannondale is really shaking up things and losing some long time GC guys.


Yeah, they have kept a core group together for quite a while, but it looks like a few teams will be shaking things up this season. I wonder whether Cavendish and Renshaw will stay at Etixx? I am also interested to see what Mtn Qhubeka adds and subtracts after finding success this year and picking a new sponsor or two as rumored.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

I guess the question that is begging to be asked is, are any of these moves really upgrades that will help the teams perform better next year?


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

Rashadabd said:


> I guess the question that is begging to be asked is, are any of these moves really upgrades that will help the teams perform better next year?



Porte should make a difference at BMC. I've heard BMC was looking at him to win more mid-range stage races (7-10 days). They don't get enough GC attention with Tejay tailoring his schedule toward to TdF. Trek should be a little better off, but not by much, unfortunately.


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## AirForceNole (Jun 28, 2015)

Landa to Sky.... guess he doesn't like working for Nibali and Aru and will opt for Froome instead


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Jungles to Etixx:

Jungels signs with Etixx-Quickstep | Cyclingnews.com


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## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

AirForceNole said:


> Landa to Sky.... guess he doesn't like working for Nibali and Aru and will opt for Froome instead


At giro and vuelta, he was stuck riding for Aru. If he had ridden Tour instead, he'd have ridden for Nibali. If he rides for Froome at Tour, he will get his own chance at Giro or Vuelta. Smart move on his part.


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## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

I'm glad Jungels is going to Quick-Step. I guess I'm happy about Dan Martin as well. Solid rider. Very sad to lose Kwiatkowski though. Hopefully Sky will use him wisely and not send him to the meatgrinder like Bo-Hoss.
Uran to Garmindale? Meh, no loss.
Porte to BMC is a bit interesting. He obviously has had some reassurance that he will get to ride for himself, so tough luck for Tejay and Taylor.
Dunno if Pierre Rolland leaving Europecar is a good move, but it could be.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Cannondale is collecting a nice group additions:

Craddock to Cannondale-Garmin in 2016 - VeloNews.com


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## AirForceNole (Jun 28, 2015)

RRRoubaix said:


> I'm glad Jungels is going to Quick-Step. I guess I'm happy about Dan Martin as well. Solid rider. Very sad to lose Kwiatkowski though. Hopefully Sky will use him wisely and not send him to the meatgrinder like Bo-Hoss.
> Uran to Garmindale? Meh, no loss.
> Porte to BMC is a bit interesting. He obviously has had some reassurance that he will get to ride for himself, so tough luck for Tejay and Taylor.
> Dunno if Pierre Rolland leaving Europecar is a good move, but it could be.



Well TJ would never win or Podium a Vuelta, the climbing doesn't fit his style. Too punchy. The only thing TJ could podium would be the Giro or Tour and IMO he needs to taper to what Froome doesn't do in 2016. Its like using the additive in other sports, you need to be there before you can win it. How many times teams come close to winning a championship after being in the playoffs for a few years in a row.
Well


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Cavendish will likely move to MTN Qhubeka. I kind of like that one. They can easily focus on a number of races for him. 

Cavendish likely to ink MTN deal, say agents - VeloNews.com


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

AirForceNole said:


> Well TJ would never win or Podium a Vuelta, the climbing doesn't fit his style. Too punchy. The only thing TJ could podium would be the Giro or Tour and IMO he needs to taper to what Froome doesn't do in 2016. Its like using the additive in other sports, you need to be there before you can win it. How many times teams come close to winning a championship after being in the playoffs for a few years in a row.
> Well


Tejay has the same problem as his predecessor Cadel Evans. He needs some good luck and he need hit top competitors to have some bad luck to win. I agree that it would be better for him to stay away from the Vuelta. The difficulty for Tejay is as an American team leader, the Tour is everything - since it's all that Americans pay attention to. I'd like to see him ride the Giro; I just don't have any confidence that he will actually do that.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

RRRoubaix said:


> I'm glad Jungels is going to Quick-Step. I guess I'm happy about Dan Martin as well. Solid rider. Very sad to lose Kwiatkowski though. Hopefully Sky will use him wisely and not send him to the meatgrinder like Bo-Hoss.
> Uran to Garmindale? Meh, no loss.
> Porte to BMC is a bit interesting. He obviously has had some reassurance that he will get to ride for himself, so tough luck for Tejay and Taylor.
> Dunno if Pierre Rolland leaving Europecar is a good move, but it could be.


Yeah losing Kwiat stinks. Uran, Kwiat, and Cav were some of my favorite Etixx guys and now they will all likely be gone. Not cool. Boonen is probably on his last ride as well. They still have Alaphilippe, Stybar, Terpstra, Tony Martin, Dan Martin, and a lot of young talent though, so I am hoping they don't end up looking and performing like Trek's team last year. 

It sounds like MTN Qhubeka may be turning all of those former star sprinters they picked up last year into a sprint train for Cav. That could be interesting if it pans out. Losing Mentjes was a big blow for them though. They were slowly building him into their GC guy of the future and it was working. We'll see who else they add as a replacement, but I like what they are doing over there in general.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Giant expected to extend Dumoulin (no surprise there) after the huge year he's had and add some climbing support for him. (which might explain why they let Craddock go, maybe they felt they could get better for the money).

News shorts: Chavanel interested in Hour Record, Giant hoping to tie down Dumoulin | Cyclingnews.com


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Simon Clarke to Garmin. They have recovered about as well they could from their losses IMO.

Simon Clarke signs for Cannondale-Garmin | Cyclingnews.com


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Trek adds three more good ones (Reijnen, Theuns, and Bonifazio):

All of these guys should help and could be nice additions:

Theuns and Bonifazio join Trek Factory Racing | Cyclingnews.com

Reijnen joins Trek Factory Racing for 2016 | Cyclingnews.com


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

Team Sky to sign seven new riders for 2016 | Cyclingnews.com


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

MMsRepBike said:


> Team Sky to sign seven new riders for 2016 | Cyclingnews.com


I am not a Sky fan at all, but those are all great additions (and they kept the guys they should have).


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Cavendish and Eisel are reportedly moving to MTN Qhubeka.

Report: Cavendish and Eisel to MTN-Qhubeka | Cyclingnews.com


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

Rashadabd said:


> Cavendish and Eisel are reportedly moving to MTN Qhubeka.
> 
> Report: Cavendish and Eisel to MTN-Qhubeka | Cyclingnews.com


add renshaw, stir and watch that team win races. nice!
Mark Cavendish joins Team Dimenson Data for 2016 | Cyclingnews.com


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

Pretty cool. The team had a cool position on it. They said they don't have any lead out men for him and they can't afford him so it's not going to happen. They said if he brought his own money/sponsor to pay his own salary and brought his own lead out man they'd love to have him. They said they're not going to make a train just for him and they're not going to just support him, they want everyone on the team to have their own chance. 

Looks like a win win situation. And as a bonus he doesn't have to ride the abomination anymore. He can be on a nice, normal sprint bike now.


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

Report: Kittel to transfer to Etixx-QuickStep for 2016 | Cyclingnews.com

this would be huge. it would also explain why cav got the cold shoulder from etixx.


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## SBKron (Aug 18, 2015)

dnice said:


> Report: Kittel to transfer to Etixx-QuickStep for 2016 | Cyclingnews.com
> 
> this would be huge. it would also explain why cav got the cold shoulder from etixx.


This is interesting. We'll probably never exactly know what went on behind the scenes but I suspect Cavendish's Olympic bid annoyed Lefevere.

Of course Kittel seems like an upgrade if he can regain his form of two years ago too.

Kittel obviously still upset with Giant for leaving him off the Tour team.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

dnice said:


> Report: Kittel to transfer to Etixx-QuickStep for 2016 | Cyclingnews.com
> 
> this would be huge. it would also explain why cav got the cold shoulder from etixx.


They have had a great week (and season). It sounds like they might be headed to World Tour as well. I think they are quickly becoming my favorite team. 

Dimension Data planning step up to WorldTour | Cyclingnews.com


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

SBKron said:


> This is interesting. We'll probably never exactly know what went on behind the scenes but I suspect Cavendish's Olympic bid annoyed Lefevere.
> 
> Of course Kittel seems like an upgrade if he can regain his form of two years ago too.
> 
> Kittel obviously still upset with Giant for leaving him off the Tour team.


This could be a great fit. I think they will expect more from him in the Classics than Giant did though (particularly with Boonen being near the end of his career).


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## SBKron (Aug 18, 2015)

Rashadabd said:


> This could be a great fit. I think they will expect more from him the Classics than Giant did though (particularly with Boonen being near the end of his career).


I think we'll find out how tough mentally Kittel is, this squad is a pretty no-nonsense hardman team.

I never thought about the classics angle just because Kittel seems to be the worst climber of all the sprinters but really as has been proven time and time again if properly motivated even big sprinters can make it to the finish of races like Milan-San Remo at least once in their career.

I would think though for the short term the possibility of winning multiple grand tour stages a year is too great to risk shifting the focus too much on the classics right away but I could see the focus changing down the road ala Museeuw, another Lefevere protege.

A lot of these transfers are real interesting IMO.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

SBKron said:


> I think we'll find out how tough mentally Kittel is, this squad is a pretty no-nonsense hardman team.
> 
> I never thought about the classics angle just because Kittel seems to be the worst climber of all the sprinters but really as has been proven time and time again if properly motivated even big sprinters can make it to the finish of races like Milan-San Remo at least once in their career.
> 
> ...


Agreed, Etixx is definitely a team that values multiple sprint wins in grand tours as much as they do GC success. If he can provide that, they will be satisfied for a while. He will eventually have to pull his weight in the spring though.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

It seems all the old Garmin boys are leaving Cannondale. Nathan Haas is the latest to leave going to MTN Qhubeka


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## AirForceNole (Jun 28, 2015)

Anything to stop Sky...


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## SBKron (Aug 18, 2015)

love4himies said:


> It seems all the old Garmin boys are leaving Cannondale. Nathan Haas is the latest to leave going to MTN Qhubeka


That's a bit of a surprise as was Hesjedal leaving. I do think the Uran signing is big, he's much more consistent than anyone they had previously. I'm intrigued by the Rolland signing, he is just another tough attacking rider. Supposedly Vaughters hasn't had a lot of success with French riders in the past.

A lot of movement with Garmin.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

SBKron said:


> That's a bit of a surprise as was Hesjedal leaving. I do think the Uran signing is big, he's much more consistent than anyone they had previously. I'm intrigued by the Rolland signing, he is just another tough attacking rider. Supposedly Vaughters hasn't had a lot of success with French riders in the past.
> 
> A lot of movement with Garmin.



I talked to Ryder in Montreal and he didn't seem to be his happy self, it was his last race with Garmin.


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## SBKron (Aug 18, 2015)

love4himies said:


> I talked to Ryder in Montreal and he didn't seem to be his happy self, it was his last race with Garmin.


Did you get the impression he was unhappy because he wasn't resigned or just the situation at Garmin?

Of all the riders over the years for Garmin/Slipstream he's been my favorite.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

SBKron said:


> Did you get the impression he was unhappy because he wasn't resigned or just the situation at Garmin?
> 
> Of all the riders over the years for Garmin/Slipstream he's been my favorite.


We'll probably never know the reason whether it be he left on his own because of the team, or JV wasn't going to resign him. When I asked if this was his last race with Garmin, he just seemed so sad when he said yes.


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

love4himies said:


> It seems all the old Garmin boys are leaving Cannondale. Nathan Haas is the latest to leave going to MTN Qhubeka


Nathan wrote:

Nathan Haas: New Beginnings |



> I had a choice this year, and it was not by any means an easy choice to make: Its a trusted old friend or the blind unknown. I’ve made the change, the jump, scary as hell, but my gut told me new beginnings were what my heart, soul, and legs needed.


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## SBKron (Aug 18, 2015)

love4himies said:


> We'll probably never know the reason whether it be he left on his own because of the team, or JV wasn't going to resign him. When I asked if this was his last race with Garmin, he just seemed so sad when he said yes.


Thanks. Can't help but wonder if the Tommy D. positive affected this decision.

Sad to see Ryder go.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

AirForceNole said:


> Anything to stop Sky...


I am not a Sky fan at all, but it's hard to deny the fact that they strengthened their squad for next year. It's definitely going to be tough to watch Kwiatkowski ride in Sky colors. I am trying to focus on all of the positive things going on Dimension Data/Qhubeka so that I don't have to think about it to be honest.


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## thalo (Jul 17, 2011)

The biggest question out there is: Who is Phil Gaimon signing with?


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## Cannot (Jun 27, 2012)

Marcel Kittel is leaving Team Giant-Alpecin

Team Giant-Alpecin


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## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

thalo said:


> The biggest question out there is: Who is Phil Gaimon signing with?


Is he leaving Optum??


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

More support for Dumoulin????

Ten Dam linked to Giant-Alpecin | Cyclingnews.com


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

Cav may wind up with a heckuva lead out train. Farrar and Renshaw is a helluva way to cover those final 2K.
Ettix will be fine, Stybar will become the main guy for Flanders and Roubaix after Tommeke calls it a career.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

atpjunkie said:


> Cav may wind up with a heckuva lead out train. Farrar and Renshaw is a helluva way to cover those final 2K.
> Ettix will be fine, Stybar will become the main guy for Flanders and Roubaix after Tommeke calls it a career.


I agree that it will likely be Stybar, Trentin, Boonen, and Terpstra for the Cobbled Classics for now (the also have some young guns in the pipeline) and Alaphillipe and Dan Martin for the Ardennes. Still better than most, but we will see how they do against Degenkolb, Kristoff, VanMarcke, and Sagan, etc.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

atpjunkie said:


> Cav may wind up with a heckuva lead out train. Farrar and Renshaw is a helluva way to cover those final 2K.
> Ettix will be fine, Stybar will become the main guy for Flanders and Roubaix after Tommeke calls it a career.


I also agree that Dimension Data could be ridiculous.


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## SBKron (Aug 18, 2015)

atpjunkie said:


> Cav may wind up with a heckuva lead out train. Farrar and Renshaw is a helluva way to cover those final 2K.
> Ettix will be fine, Stybar will become the main guy for Flanders and Roubaix after Tommeke calls it a career.


Was listening to a British cycling podcast and they were saying that Farrar and Cavendish aren't particularly on friendly terms. They also weren't sure how excited Boasson Hagen, goss or Ciolek would be to have Cavendish on board since he would instantly change the focus and limit their chances.

It'll be interesting to follow and I'm sure there will be some rough patches getting everything ironed out in terms of a good sprint train for Cav.

I don't disagree with the strategy, I think about Lotto essentially being able to bank one (and occasionally more) Tour stage every year since Greipel has arrived.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

SBKron said:


> Was listening to a British cycling podcast and they were saying that Farrar and Cavendish aren't particularly on friendly terms. They also weren't sure how excited Boasson Hagen, goss or Ciolek would be to have Cavendish on board since he would instantly change the focus and limit their chances.
> 
> It'll be interesting to follow and I'm sure there will be some rough patches getting everything ironed out in terms of a good sprint train for Cav.
> 
> I don't disagree with the strategy, I think about Lotto essentially being able to bank one (and occasionally more) Tour stage every year since Greipel has arrived.


Cav and Farrar definitely have history, but Tyler already addressed this and he is looking forward to working with Cav:

Farrar welcomes Cavendish, promises to lead-out former rival - VeloNews.com

Ciolek hasn't been resigned as I understand it, but I could still see a strong role for him/and or Edvald for the Spring Classics (the northern cobbled ones in particular) and other one day races. Cav will be hunting for stage wins and sprinter jerseys in stage races primarily and that hasn't been any of those other guys' strength anyway, so I think the idea of a conflict is being overstated a bit.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

SBKron said:


> Was listening to a British cycling podcast and they were saying that Farrar and Cavendish aren't particularly on friendly terms. They also weren't sure how excited Boasson Hagen, goss or Ciolek would be to have Cavendish on board since he would instantly change the focus and limit their chances.
> 
> It'll be interesting to follow and I'm sure there will be some rough patches getting everything ironed out in terms of a good sprint train for Cav.
> 
> I don't disagree with the strategy, I think about Lotto essentially being able to bank one (and occasionally more) Tour stage every year since Greipel has arrived.


Well that whole "sprint train" thing isn't going to have much of a place with them. They've been clear, since before signing him, that they were not going to change the team up to suit him. If he wanted a train or lead out, he'd have to bring one with him. And even if he did, they'd still push him to race on his own without one. They're not going to turn into a sprint team, that's for certain.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

MMsRepBike said:


> Well that whole "sprint train" thing isn't going to have much of a place with them. They've been clear, since before signing him, that they were not going to change the team up to suit him. If he wanted a train or lead out, he'd have to bring one with him. And even if he did, they'd still push him to race on his own without one. They're not going to turn into a sprint team, that's for certain.


They may have said all of that before they had him on their roster. They have backed off that since obtaining him and bringing on sponsors that are invested in his success. He will clearly have a train that the whole organization is invested in, but they also keep reiterating that there will still be roles and opportunities for everyone including the African talent they have been developing.

Cavendish to have freedom to attack at Dimension Data | Cyclingnews.com


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Here's more on how the Cavendish deal actually went down:

Cavendish to have freedom to attack at Dimension Data | Cyclingnews.com


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## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

As far as a train, Cavendish had apparently brought Eisel and Renshaw with him. Farrar has stated he'll be happy to be part of the train. Looks like Cav will end up with a pretty decent train when he wants/needs it.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Jwiffle said:


> As far as a train, Cavendish had apparently brought Eisel and Renshaw with him. Farrar has stated he'll be happy to be part of the train. Looks like Cav will end up with a pretty decent train when he wants/needs it.


Top 10 rider transfers of the season | Cyclingnews.com


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Another good one for DD/MTN:

Aussie Cameron Meyer signs with Dimension Data - VeloNews.com


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

Really didn't think Porte wanted a shot at Le Tour - going to be an interesting year for BMC!


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

AJL said:


> Really didn't think Porte wanted a shot at Le Tour - going to be an interesting year for BMC!


Yeah, he's made it pretty clear now that he wants the risks, pressure, and rewards that come with cycling's biggest stage. I think the underlying point is that he's done being a #2. He, like many of us, can see that BMC questions whether Tejay can be a true overall GC threat in the Grand Tours and he believes he can take that #1 role for the TDF. Given all of that, I agree with you that it should be an interesting year for the team.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Giant locks down their two GC leaders long-term:

Barguil and Dumoulin commit long-term to Giant - VeloNews.com


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

Rashadabd said:


> Giant locks down their two GC leaders long-term:
> 
> Barguil and Dumoulin commit long-term to Giant - VeloNews.com


Wow, three year contracts - good for them! Big pivot for Giant, as the article points out.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

AJL said:


> Wow, three year contracts - good for them! Big pivot for Giant, as the article points out.


It sure is. Meanwhile, Dimension Data is still at it. Now they add Siutsou, who showed what he can do at the UCI World Championships this year.

Workhorse Siutsou joins Dimension Data - VeloNews.com


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## SBKron (Aug 18, 2015)

love4himies said:


> Is he leaving Optum??


Back to Garmin for Gaimon.

Phil Gaimon Journal: Another round of the Tour de Phil - VeloNews.com


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

SBKron said:


> Back to Garmin for Gaimon.
> 
> Phil Gaimon Journal: Another round of the Tour de Phil - VeloNews.com


He's a good fit for them. Betancur might have also found a better fit after signing with Movistar:

Betancur Signs With Movistar - Peloton Magazine


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## SBKron (Aug 18, 2015)

Rashadabd said:


> He's a good fit for them. Betancur might have also found a better fit after signing with Movistar:
> 
> Betancur Signs With Movistar - Peloton Magazine


Gaimon does seem like a good fit for Garmin.

Betancour is an amazing talent, wins big races when he is clearly not in shape. If Movistar can get him in shape and motivated they definitely have something.

Sounds like they grabbed Dani Moreno too, good helper for Valverde in the hilly classics.


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## RaptorTC (Jul 20, 2012)

Fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but 21 year old American Alexey Vermeulen has signed with LottoNL-Jumbo. His hometown is around ~20 mins from me and I've raced against him on occasion throughout the local scene wherein he proceeded to lay waste to the field. In one p/1/2/3 circuit race there was a 6 man break with over half a lap on the field (around 3min I think it was) before Alexey went to the front, pulled for 40 minutes, dropped a big chunk of the field, and caught the break by himself. Then he took 4th in the bunch sprint after everyone had been just sitting on his wheel. It's what I'd expect from a now World Tour Team Pro, but damn was it impressive to see live.


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## BikeLayne (Apr 4, 2014)

Once again Chris Horner may finally be at the end of his career. I was watching the Tour of Utah earlier this year and I remember thinking if Horner wants to get a contract again he is going to need to show something now as it's the last chance of the year. He took a 5th place which is good and all but probably not good enough.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Aldag to MTN/Dimension Data to support Cav:

Aldag links up with Cavendish at MTN-Qhubeka as performance manager | Cyclingnews.com


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

BikeLayne said:


> Once again Chris Horner may finally be at the end of his career.


Well, they've had to drag him off his bike kicking and screaming. I wouldn't be surprised to see him pull a Ned Overend and just keep showing up at elite races prepared to kick ass.


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

JSR said:


> Well, they've had to drag him off his bike kicking and screaming. I wouldn't be surprised to see him pull a Ned Overend and just keep showing up at elite races prepared to kick ass.


Lol! What did Jens Voight use to say, that they'd have to shoot him off his bike - of course, ultimately he retired fairly quietly.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

SBKron said:


> Gaimon does seem like a good fit for Garmin.
> 
> Betancour is an amazing talent, wins big races when he is clearly not in shape. If Movistar can get him in shape and motivated they definitely have something.
> 
> Sounds like they grabbed Dani Moreno too, good helper for Valverde in the hilly classics.


They are a really dangerous squad IMO. You have one of the top grand tour threats, one of the best Ardennes Classics/one day race/stage hunter guys, and a very deep squad around them. They should be tough to beat barring injury issues.


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## AJL (Jul 9, 2009)

Rashadabd said:


> Aldag to MTN/Dimension Data to support Cav:
> 
> Aldag links up with Cavendish at MTN-Qhubeka as performance manager | Cyclingnews.com


This is another team that going to be *allot* stronger than last year. They must have a pretty good budget!


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

AJL said:


> This is another team that going to be *allot* stronger than last year. They must have a pretty good budget!


I agree. They are my new team to follow closely and pull for. It looks like we will continue to see a more well rounded Giant Alpecin team as well next year. I really enjoy watching that team too.

Life after Kittel: new-look Giant-Alpecin to fire on all fronts in 2016 | Cyclingnews.com


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## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

Thinking about these transfers, I just hate knowing Kwiatkowski went to Sky. Don't want what happened to EBH happen to Kwiatkowki too...A huge talent lost in a team of huge talent.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

I feel the same way. His departure (along with Cav's and Uran's) is a big part of the reason Etixx isn't my primary team this season. They were my favorite guys (along with Stybar) and he was at the top of the heap for me. I'm not a Sky fan at all, so seeing him go there was disappointing. I hope he does well though.


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