BORA-hansgrohe 2024 Preview | Lanterne Rouge Cycling Podcast

In this episode Patrick Broe and Benji Naesen preview BORA-hansgrohe.

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Welcome back to Lantern Rouge cycling podcast post Christmas recording although this is going up a little bit later I’ve got my friendly little gecko looking at me trying to go into the back of the cables he needs to pick up his act cleaning up the mosquitoes in this

Room uh I’m dazed and confused but uh Boran girl preview Benji big Chang of the team kit changes uh big roster changes but first we have to review their 2020 three season you’ve got the notes Here how would you assess or how should we assess their

Season well it’s a team that should be doing relatively well on world T level with the rers they have in store before 2023 so seven wter wins 23 total wins that’s the numbers of 2023 but if we take a look at the ground tours they were actually present in grand Tours as

In Kem Not Top 10 thejo but in addition to that niiko was a Godlike bodur in in 2023 like won two stages became your enemy so I can’t give him too much credit or o I’m in trouble two of the front incoming J Henley finishing seven in GC but he crashed

There so without that crash I think he could have fought for a top five maybe because he was looking really good in week one and stage stage win the day in yellow is nice yeah and it was a big stage as well it was the Breakaway stage

On mdy Blanc where then we had a finger God dropping got in the back and was a magnificent stage that one in addition to that y was also won on Shan I feel like that’s kind of a a fluke not really he still did it

He’s still good enough to do it but it’s not like he’s going to repeat that every year to me you know it’s not like he’s the next upcoming philipson for me does that make sense well yeah I mean would you let’s see I mean just looking through the rest of Jordi May results

Like he’s not maybe I’m under rating him a little bit like he seventh in Milano Torino and you know Swiss wasn’t exactly he actually wasn’t bad in pure Sprints he actually just didn’t get sent to a lot of pure Sprints it’s kind of curious in fact like T Swiss is not the

Best race for sprinters Norway isn’t like a uh well I lie like T of Norway he’s getting beaten by Mike Turners in pure Bunch Sprints so like maybe it’s cuz he a little uphill yeah it’s not replicable um maybe but maybe also he is better than just like ah freak he’s like

A scrub who just got lucky like he had to he had to have been doing good power he had to like by definition he’s not a scrub he’s not a scrub he did benefit from being on the right side of the road on Shan which that’s research and being

Able to pull it off due to positioning so still credits to him for pulling that off I just don’t think that on the flat he’s competing with the top sprinters yet maybe maybe in the future he will now we see Patrick trying to attack mosquitoes cuz gecko is not doing it

Right but anyway onto laa vazov and Keon were seven F eight in GC there was a bit of a a rupture opening up in the team at that point and lard K now won one stage it was a stage where GC was neutralized and he was fighting against uh Soo if I

Recall correctly where it was like the the yo-yo effect on alos hill but overall that’s that’s five Stags in grand Tours which I think that’s good and that’s top 10 in every single Grand Tour I will say however that there’s one issue Patrick with this I would have

Expected them to top five but maybe I’m being too harsh because of the crash of hendley then I think in terms of GC this team is in the perception of people’s minds worse than people think it is okay in terms of like consistent GC competitiveness throughout the season

Throughout the three grand Tours and that’s not just me saying it if you listen to uh Ralph dinks interview or was it a dark one of their interviews on the cycling podcast recently very good interview actually uh and he said it wasn’t good enough yeah they do it every year but they do

It every year yeah it was all it was all he he said the season wasn’t good enough but he said emotions eh fight on emotions that is yeah that is funny that people think that yeah um I’m not sure I’m not sure that’s a necessarily a good thing but or

People just say it like yeah we we make decisions on emotions but it’s like I reckon you don’t I reckon you look at the power da and think logically who’s going to be your best chance to win today uh but yeah he said their season

Wasn’t as good as they hoped it would be and I think he he meant in the in the stage races in GC in particular uh with that cuz the winds were good we as you said wins in all three grand Tours this team knows how to win particularly a

Breakaway stage they know how to win uh even when they’re not necessarily the best in that Breakaway and I think the highlight of the season for me is that GI hindley stage just CU that was yeah just such an entertaining stage and you know UA are panicking he’s got in there showing just

Good racing now so I really like that stage so but classics Classics literally nowhere like they’re they’re AR and the classics right yeah it’s only the the B Classics and the asan Frank for S so for that they can Podium Sebastian a Podium as well and then lombardia for with

Vazov that’s okay but I feel like my overall feeling is that I would expect them to Podium a one day race a bit more than they are you currently doing because those races that they Podium are also not the ones that are the the top level Welter Classics obviously in the Cobble

Classics I don’t expect it but I like expect the vazov to do better in the hill Classics maybe in like uh an lbl for example then look at the one RAC him and him and and lbl what 22 yes if I yeah yeah correct one week races the same thing with ground tours

It’s just that they top 10 a lot of them like do with hinley k with kemna basun with Hig then to ROM and swiss with Keon and then I’m feeling like okay I expect kind of a bit more than that I expect fighting for top five where they now top

10 and fighting for the Podium where they’re now top top five so kind of in 2024 it’s just yeah I won’t go into it do in depth yet but I feel like they should just aim up one step higher than they reach everywhere if that makes

Sense yeah and I think that’s the plan with rogl right it’s they’re kind of there well they are a mid-table team like in terms of points aren’t everything they really aren’t but it is surprising when you when you see that alerson de kernick Lotto Destiny group Arma Bahrain by a

Big margin are way ahead of borans grower in terms of points which is more indicative of General competitiveness throughout the season and they were 10th so firmly a mid a mid-table team in in 2023 uh just with a couple more obviously more Premier wins than say a

Groupa uh and EF but maybe they just they were just missing that that finisher uh in terms of RS but they do have a lot of money as well tied up in guys that that maybe didn’t perform like uh like Bookman like like Bennett this season uh he’s obviously gone now like

Jungles like shackman like like vlasov really yeah because like I rer like buet is also he Podium through Bay back in the day like this is a rider that’s not super cheap anymore as a consequence I would reckon so it’s not like he’s on so they expect him to to perform well

And yes he’s a good ruler but there are cheaper versions that kind of do the ruler work that poet can do but you’d expect more than just that from poet is how I I would say it but let’s go to those outgoing transfers for a second Benet is going like you said to

Deaton a con is going to a little Tre P it 8 memores first of all those three I think those those are three routers that were on notable salaries Conrad because Ando and so forth those three Riders are on decent money so it’s logical to me that they let them go even

Though I think they’ll Miss po it I don’t think they can financially compete with You2 memb on that so that’s you just have to I said it just wasn’t worth hands up [ __ ] it let him go the other ones Edis Kelling going to estana Fabro going to B

Keta matchu walls going to grama ketki somewhere he’s just out he was that a mountain biker if I recall correctly yeah mountain biker archb retiring before we go to before we go to White Brooks let’s talk about those for a second could they have kept Edis

Kelling and would it have been clever to do so don’t you think that one was strange cuz I swear him to aana was announced early yeah in the year it wasn’t like you know September I it was earli and I was like e is King cuz the

Start has not exactly been like the uh you know where everyone wants to go to to go win the Tour like theyve not been they didn’t pay rise for a bit they not not exactly been performing well if you look at the table so that was

Strange to me I think but I did hear they offer some R some money okay and they do love a Dutchman every now and then like B and now ising so they’ve got a history with Dutch people in their past so maybe they just like having Dutch Rider in but

If you’re skelling like and he don’t you think they always underrated him a little bit like I remember uh and he was I remember now I remember catalunia stage one uh I think Conrad crashed and like Conrad’s never want to Sprint right he’s 32 years old I don’t think he’s ever

Want to Sprint uh he’s won one Road Professional what road RAC was that tour to France stage and he gets a lot of opportunities this guy like yeah he he he gets to go for his own race a lot uh caseing point was uh anyway stage one of catalon he he they

Were supposed to go for him it was the uphill kicker yeah and shellings got a better Sprint than than uh Conrad it’s undeniable and he only got to go for his own race came third there behind and Rog who a killer on that sort of finish because Conrad crashed and then he ended

Up winning a Catalonia stage maybe maybe a month later so maybe they weren’t kind of preferencing him where he thought maybe and in that case justifiably hold on why why am I riding for Conrad in this situation um and estana said hey you want to lead every

Arden race cuz I heard they offered heia contract so maybe they’re saying aing you get to lead Amel your Dutch you get to lead bman pale you get to go for the stage in any of those Spanish mix mixed races beat Aaron buru uh anytime you like maybe it’s that Benji y that’s

Possible that’s very possible but I also feel like I still wouldn’t have gone for a St if I was calling I think there would have been better options for him towards the end of the season I would expect just because it’s a rider that in the past has performed but feels like

There’s still potential to the upwards trajectory and Fabro is also an insting one he’s had really good moments in his past remember that tyo stage too Rao whatever I always say it wrong he he got like four for fifth or something I recall correctly the one that Pacha won seven close enough fourth

And seven I’ll let him go I would probably too he’s a dast but it’s kind of like he stagnated in the same way that Dunbar stagnated at in you know where he he had some performances at Welter level on that privo climb and then he was doing hungry esque kind of

Stage or was it that Romanian stage race I don’t remember what it’s called cotour for example on that Hill towards the the end of that race also those kind of races he was competitive in necessarily for GC I would expect but that’s kind of where it stopped he did DTI well in

Certain races but it’s not Irreplaceable is how would say it and matchu walls I think is replaceable gki I don’t remember seeing at any point in 2023 yeah I think that was he’s just I don’t know he was supposed to go to B&B and then they collapsed walls is an

Interesting he’s had a lot of crashes I think a lot of bad luck like if you look at his season he had four months out but maybe the sickness from Hungary to T Britain only 33 Race days his Neo proo season was his best came in with two pro

Wins out the gate Norway and Pon but yeah hasn’t he wasn’t able to continue it I’m glad he’s going to group armor I think that’s a good spot for him actually but J he’ll have a good program there so hopefully he can kick things back off there but I think he’ll yeah

That it also makes sense if I was him group has a nicer program I think so yeah none of those guys are irreplaceable and certainly the first three you mentioned uh maybe even add up to RIT or not not nearly but there’d be some way to it uh

And then there’s also k o Brooks uh there’s the finally the agreement was reached between the two teams and the rider for him to go to VI molisa bike uh so he’s out the door we’ve already spoken at length about it I guess what we haven’t spoken about Benji was or is

Could bore a hir like that’s the one like if he goes to Visa bike and wins the tour or podiums even podiums the J or something like could they have done anything differently to to keep him well it depends like is the story about The Bullying True or not are we just going

To ignore it because the teams have reached an agreement or because nobody’s spoken about it ever since the team’s got an agreement yeah can we like bring that up for a second Bora did you do anything wrong or not or hion wants to keep it aside

Because he doesn’t want to make in the so poer of it but someone leak it I don’t think it’s Kon I don’t think it’s Bora so I thought it was again like if someone makes a say say let’s think about it right say someone signs a a four-year contract

Sponsors sign onto the team yeah and then a staff member or someone else makes a WhatsApp group for two weeks about a rider can they rip up a four-year contract on the basis of that but that’s not the conversation we’re having right it’s like did that aside because I that if that’s the

Litmus test if it’s just that then oh man sponsors are in a precarious position contracts are in a precarious position but it’s still that can constitute bullying or but we don’t know and as you said it’s like kind of now no one wants us to really speak about it

Like I did think some of the responses were strange when they were like like even that ad do interview when he’s like oh well you know sometimes it does r older riters up the wrong way you know when a young rer is is is obsessed with

Performance I was like what do you mean by that like uh yeah I heard I heard a similar thing from from kelderman on the road Larn the other day where he said it was it was sad to read um but he saw a very motivated guy uh who wants to get

To the top as fast as possible he’s ambitious and so forth um but he also mentioned that I don’t remember the exact quote so I won’t misquote him so I’ll just skip what what I was going to say but then the flip side is and we were saying this I was

Saying this like I thought they program in general like from Earth uh outside perspective their handling of him was perfect he had 1% of the pressure Remos had on him in his neoo contract maybe less than 1% mate they rejected arcp interview three years ago for yeah cuz he had to study which

Is a good reason to be fair but I mean he must been like 17 um he yeah he got to do lavenir which he won he got to then start the Welter zero pressure got a top 10 really good start got to do other stage races like T Romy

Again no pressure bear in mind this like his one and a half years into his neopro contract cuz really started after properly after to laen year so thought from that perspective the slowly slowly approach and and he was getting good results and Performing I thought thought that was all a really good job

Um but but but has a lot to FK to borrow too yeah um so but ultimately we don’t know we don’t know I we weren’t there in the in the anti group yeah did it exist I must have nobody’s gon to make that up

Eh to be a strange thing to make up and the fact that nobody’s like going out there and saying that it didn’t exist also no one said that group didn’t exist no one you notic that no one said it didn’t exist it’s like no no we supported him

We supported him on the road exactly anyway bullying stories aside because I I don’t like that topic in this sport I hope that goes away bullying but go ahead but from their perspective like maybe they like we actually have a pretty standard normal profession environment he didn’t fit in with it and

And there’s nothing they could have done then there there’s nothing we could have done unless we change our whole structure to accommodate this one person there’s nothing we could have done to keep him so no like it like we can’t maybe they think we are equal to everybody we’ve got a bullying group

Against every Rider in our team not just Keon so that seems fair I don’t know but I think it’s it’s hard to really draw firm conclusions without actually knowing exactly what happened but that’s just something to bear in mind that they will we if he’s a

Flop at visma everyone will say oh well Bad Apple and Bor hansra did you know and if he does well at Vima say oh well what how could they have let that Talent go or not not made him the king and it’s like well actually it was a bit more complicated than

That the one thing that stuck badly to me was I think Michelle wz Belgian commentator you always got to take what he says the grain of Soul of course but he did mention that one of the staff members I think one of the scouts at Bora was like saying that oh he saying

That he was a bad apple Keon and that uh yo will realize that soon enough but how bad can an apple be if you win avanir so young and if you are one of the best performing youngsters on their first ground tour behind pogacha and so forth like as

In pogacha our first gr through was great as well well obviously the F if I Rec correctly Podium yeah but Keon already stepping up to top 10 in his first ground tour how bad of an apple can you be even when it comes to personality you got to be motivated if

You’re a dick or not behind the scenes that hey as long as a team can handle that to be able to perform still in yeah but it’s okay to be a dick if you’re the best that’s like that’s it’s not a no people will put up if you if you go

Do the business people will put up with a lot but if I agree but if you’re being a dick I’m not saying you should I’m just saying in life if you if you are the best and you win people will accommodate a lot more than if you’re coming eighth in the

Welter there’s less room uh I think so what was my point oh yeah but that’s SC said he that’s said he can’t climb and can’t improve his climbing so I they should maybe fire that guy um how battle with d can it be if your scouting Department that you’re a part

Of scouted him yeah it was also worse just saying stuff like yeah I don’t know if it the guy wasn’t directly quoted uh anyway that was a big soap opera uh during the offseason it certainly kept us going at the start of December um but

Uh yeah we’ll see how it goes but again they got rit in and right now if you compare the victories in 23 of RIT and er Brooks uh there’s only one clear winner that’s Primal RIT the best Rider to change team since when Benji since santu toal Sant to

Bora well depends on whether you consider their entire palmeres no no no no when if they’re actually not watch like luk just put in the chat from I don’t mean no not for like someone who’s good Richie port to Tre yeah yeah yeah he was good he was

Good I think this is the best I think this is the best Rider to transfer since since Sant to Bora in 2016 where did gador end his career Tre yeah but he W he he won the jro then was kind of me yeah h it’s a big signing it’s it’s like

A this is not a every annual signing this is not even a once every two years this is a big big signing and they got Prim Rog which in as well as a host of other Riders the Slovenian who obviously you know won the jro uh Podium of Welter

And a whole won a whole host of other races is this I think it’s a coup for them like they had to do it right if you you got they said they got the money they saved it up if you were them you got to pull the trigger I think so as

Well and it’s also we’ve seen over the last few years that they’ve been trying to like assess a a group of Podium Avengers for ground tours as in rers that could potentially put him a ground tour but there was no one really in there that shown to me as that one can

Win the Tour to FR they won the jro with hinley but I didn’t see hinley as suddenly winning the tter fronts necessarily as a follow-up of that so that wasn’t that wasn’t Envision yet so they need to find a rider that can do that winning the to rounds because that

Was the next step so Rog being on the market and they’re visibly trying to get that Rider and you have the money like you say then I think you need to shoot at it and they shot at it and yes is it risky yes he’s not 21 anymore he will go

Downwards in form over the next couple of years but he still has the potential to fight for a ground tour Victory and potentially for the T fron Victory if everything goes right but everything has to go ride sometimes for GC he’s a good Rider with a solid TT a good TT I would

Say k timing he’s good does he win with minutes no because he doesn’t necessarily drop people by minutes he he’s a finisher but that’s also a beautiful skill in my opinion it’s it also makes the races a lot more entertaining of the Gap is 10 seconds

Versus a minute I’m okay with it but I would also say outside of that the boore the boore was not the boore the jur was terrible that’s true that’s a you know that Kurt Angle meem that’s on Tik Tok at the moment have you seen the video of Kurt Angle he

Just in at people who the [ __ ] is angle brother wait who the [ __ ] is c angle he wrestler never heard seen guy in my life you don’t know Kur was Olympic wrestler the only WWE person I know is Logan Paul at this point dude the angle slam uh I’ll put

You in an ankle lock next time I see you enie anyway he how I look at people when they say the Jos actually actually if you really think about you really think about it the jro is the best race on it’s the best Grand Tour the it’s the

Most beautiful and it’s got the most exciting it’s like no you you’re outing yourself you don’t watch the race like oh look at that person while David bias is like him and Carol vek are doing three wats per Kil to win a stage and you tell me versus like hindley against

[ __ ] pagat and vingard in the M blonc anyway why I go there um so I just I just had Co so I’m I’m all over the place today I just say the EUR wasn’t that exciting and Ro yeah yeah they had to do it uh which also changes the the role of

Other riders in the team necessarily as in hindley is not the number one GC rider in the team anymore when ret joins so and maybe not even allowed to lead a different Grand Tour like maybe he has to be a domestique now in the tour that’s going to be a very serous one

We’ll discuss it pretty before we do that though quickly other transfers completely forgot about this one by the way Daniel Filipe Martinez going to Bora that was announced so long in my head that strange and it’s also like Martinez was kind of just not that good in 2023 like

He had previous years that were much better where he was fighting for GC in B country if I recall correctly won that ahead of Remco Eno Remco yeah yeah uh then he also was a great D for Bernal in 2021 but he wanted to climb up from that

The man has potential to top 10 a ground tour to top five a jro to top five a lower competition VTA but he’s a mque in this team if all these Riders join right four-year deal I wouldn’t have given Danny Martinez a four-year deal would you have taken a fouryear deal if you’re

Martinez [ __ ] yeah are you ser it won’t be cheap um he won the he he’s won the Doan a he’s he’s top five the jro he’s he’s won bass country not 18 months ago it won’t be cheap but man boy your deal uh Grant as a onewe racer I

Love him good TT good on the easy Mountain stages good punch good racer like if you see how if you want to watch someone managing a a tricky tricky final stage to win GC that stage six in bass country he was just really like really really good stuff yeah uh but in grand

Tours aart from that jro with Bernal he’s he’s he’s sick half the time he dnfs he he’s yeah he’s not look good for a lot of the ground tours and then he sometimes he does come good for a stage can win a stage and maybe that’s

What they want him for maybe he’s in the cous roll maybe maybe that’s but they sign him before R bear in mind I I see him in the C World regardless of this now that the the tables have turned I think they sign him for GC purposes though and that he

Signed for GC purposes on purpose though that being said I think his roles have changed after RL joined because the the tables just turn and he’s part of that thing that change but also I think if rage doesn’t join wellsford goes to the tour to France to Sprint do you reckon

Yeah probably so wellsford an incoming transfer a sprinter that came from DSM which Bennett is leaving from Popp staying behind which is a great lead out still in my opinion I know you feel like he’s gone down a little but I think it’s still there I think it also depends on

The Sprinter and the chemistry between the two so it’s curious of how that’s going to work with wellsford but wellsford is a sprinter in 2023 which in my opinion is still very underrated where sonan and also in rui tour the Sprints that he did there in the renui

Tour he beat Meier head on and so forth so he’s a really fast pure Sprinter problem is he’s not the most versatile to be certain and his positioning is an issue but that’s also partially because DSM was goddamn terrible at positioning him well so if imple can help that if Mullen

Who stays can help that then I think wellsford can make a real step forward and can be competitive in the jro because that’s I think where he’s likely to be going then if he if he doesn’t go to the tour front necessarily right yeah I mean he has to go to jro if

He’s not like otherwise you can’t send the Welter have and made it illegal so unless you’re not going to send him to a grand tour he has to do the g seven days all sprinters wela I have to even some of them are tricky but yeah I also I would send Well

Yeah if you can do the first week but yeah that’s I thought that was a good signing at the time I still think it is and they’ll be saving a bit of money in that respect uh others are young austri Alexander haek from T KTM he’s 20 years

Old looks like a solid sort of allrounder more of a puncher type Rider so nice three-year deal there we’ll see how he’ll develop they have a good program for those sort of riders at Bora like I assume he’ll do cibu tour or uh setti Manor all those

Sort of races so probably won’t see him in the grand Tours but um yeah just another German speaker coming in uh Masuk the Byron Victorious Rider the pole who took everybody down in the tour tour of Flanders uh he he actually is a decent Rider as remember Tiber we

Remember Tiber because of the cat killing but is what Mauk did that bad that we need to name him that every single time we see well it’s the most it’s the most like notable thing he’s done yeah that’s true I do he was like the punishment was a little bit over the

Top I think uh or inconsistent rather maybe it was correct but inconsistent uh he’s actually a decent rouer though so for someone probably not on very much money I think he’s actually a nice signing uh although you know not going to not going to change your team too

Much uh rer Adria is from a keok Kern farmer he’s 25 he’s uh Catalan sort of puncher type Rider good in like a he’s been good in the 2.1 or the 1.1 Classics uh without winning anything except I mean flesh is a he’s 12th in flesh that’s that’s probably his best big boy

Result yeah yeah and it’s interesting cuz like I swear we’ve been talking about this man for ages and he was like a combination between Hill Classics and also Classics because I swear he was doing stupid tactical [ __ ] in in par t two years ago or something because we

Were hosting him in in something related to par at some point but this man this man’s talented he’s already 25 so that’s not the youngest but I think there’s still a a move upwards possible so a bit of a classic SL Punchy situation going

On I’d love to see what he does in an Amal gold race personally just strange he’s going to bore right send him to braon sel I think he can top five like when I heard yeah I agree I agree but if you can top five grand GP

Iner rain like you should have the physiological capability at top 10 at least for bounce so in is actually a hard race but is strange going to bore yep we don’t have many Spaniard going to Bora is that weird you know it must be like did pachy Villa because patri

Villa’s gone from moar now back to Bora but then did he did he say sign Adria before but no but someone else has been signing these hispanophone someone signed AA someone signed Martinez yeah agent or not I agent I don’t know either actually but yeah it’s just uh I thought he I thought

He’d go to moar for sure but anyway I got no problem with it it’s just curious uh saero from Jaco Lula not sure if you mentioned him he won the jot t ajot t in 22 a little bit Anonymous in 23 apart from that Welter break he got beaten by

His now teammate cam in and came second on that stage curious Rider who’s like quite slender good TT but actually can’t really climb which always like doesn’t add up too much for me so maybe he’ll kick on I don’t think it’s the biggest loss for jao actually and Herzog from hogen sperman action

Hugely uh hyped junior he in fact won the World Championships Junior road race in Wen gong uh in 2022 ahead of Morgado who’s joining UAE and won a hell of a lot else in that year including cor Le Jor which is what not no’s guard uh

What’s his name Nord haen Nord haogen he beat he beat Nord haen and Morgado in that race in 22 as a second year Junior uh is U23 season not the best in fact not sure if he’s injured because he didn’t do lavenir didn’t do baby jro

Didn’t do pay junior or pay zinski uh didn’t do World Champ so he must have been something must have been wrong yeah there’s something off with a I don’t know the exact reason either but it just wasn’t on the level of the of the junior years and maybe it maybe it’s just

Transition that didn’t happen as well as he expected the hsog transition from Junior and U23 and then you’re wondering oh why did Bora sign him then but maybe they already signed him in in in the junior years as in maybe they already signed a contract saying you will come

To Bora true aens burans and that way it was already written in stone so that’s the gamble teams make when they make long-term agreements like that and where I wants to push forward on headed do and um I kind of want to see where it goes

I go ahead oh he said so he posted on Instagram that the 2023 season comes to the end not the season he hoped for till the end of May things are going okay then he got six several times and wasn’t able to train longer than two weeks consistently some weeks ago we figured

Out that I had water in my heart that which gives a conclusion while the second part of the season was so bad lucky nothing was damaged W’s already out again time to start my prep super motivated for the next year with board so that explains that then yep let’s

Hope uh let’s hope he kicks on and let’s hope we we see the progression that we expected from him a few years ago yeah but overall when it comes to these transfers by the way I do want to push in there I feel like wellsford should do

A combination of the jro renei tour and so forth but also some of those Powerhouse World Tour races I want to see him do ponia just clean up some Welter races add on to the palmeres of Bora for a bit because because I feel like they should

Be having more than seven witer wins if they send them to the right schedule yeah I think so um and maybe that was what they were hoping out of Bennett but it wasn’t able to it didn’t happen for whatever reason um I think he thought he was doing the Welter or the

Tour I can’t remember uh certainly with rby and Martinez and a last offed be hoping for more than 10 World Tour wins uh next year you can combine Benji the the renei tour and the first week of the welta next year can be combined but I’m not sure and

Rish P you P’s earlier yeah that’s uh that’s the week before the Welter it’s GNA be a busy period for wellsford at the end of the year sorry wellsford Sam going to guangji R of Welter Welter won’t be allowed to go uh so how would you rate their signings Benji would give it

A I give it’s good I think it’s good like they got in a lot of good Riders but in terms of like value for upside apart from wellsford I’m not so sure but then like German world champion in juniors Herzog like you have to sign him and they did

That so that’s good but uh I think it’s an transfer season yeah I think it’s okay Sao Martinez not my not I personally would but RIT I think you got to give him credit for having the money ready to go and just make obviously pitching pitching him and and beating

Other teams that would have been pitching I still think that Martinez will be a better Dom than Conrad was I still think saera will be a better domesti than a Faber was for example will that necessarily be the same type of domesti not necessarily even though soero can climb better than

You would think from a flat time troll list initially in his early days so I don’t know I’m I’m relatively positive about the the transfer season especially with Rish com in with wellsford coming in yes they’re replacing a they’re replacing Kon Brook’s a potential future great GC Talent with a rider that is

Going to need to benefit in the next two years from his transfer because R is coming towards the end of his career in a few years that’s undoubtedly true so it’s that choice they made they want instant success versus future success which is a they they need to do that while vizar

Can afford to go for the future success with vinga already in the team so it’s a logical trade in my head yeah it’s still a big loss ideally they would have kept both but hey there was nothing to do about it anymore after after what potentially happened so 20224 schedule

We spoke about it a tiny bit already first on points just just to just to draw B just on points rage 5,600 in 23 yeah Bor is biggest points scorer Vaso of 2,000 so he’s got 2.5 times the point like that is yeah that’ll be tough that’s a lot of

Points that’s all one of the highest ones I reckon that had the last couple years that’s that’ll be tough but still you take four uh onto their schedule Benji Classics let’s be honest about it their Classics steam isn’t isn’t really that great they’ve got some opportunities right is that good try

And anticipate in the real Classics like e3s the rvvs and so forth like holler like he did in the past I want to see what AA does um surrounding that go Herzog Mauk but I reckon their Classics focus should be the kuna Brussel k k BR with

Yos I agree I think ad said that as well like the flatter Classics they can really try to do something I really want to see mayus I want to see wellsford too like wells’s good in the [ __ ] if it’s flat in in bad weather wind rain W is

Actually really good and in the in the heat in the heat too in that sort of condition like in Saudi shelder pra is good so he made like group one as a Neo Pro that that was a really good race with Kasper van as well in the same

Great race that was a really good race but um who won that was it Kristoff or was that different Edition I think Kristoff hit them with it possible I think everyone was attack there was no control quickstep had like three weak riders in the group and it was chaos and

Van uden was super strong but yeah uh de race they should Target even a race like E3 andem seem realistically out of their reach because they they don’t even have someone making group two anymore except van Popple I think van popp’s their and is it van poppo their best Classics Rider

I wouldn’t say he’s that great in Classics he came n ninth in yeah but K wam is also not necessarily the the craziest race to top 10 in if it’s a regular Sprint yeah but who’s better than him a him you know who he is actually and um his schedule

Now that I’m looking at it is a Madness Bob jungles true the answer is in is right here they have Bob jungles he didn’t do a one- day race until San Sebastian on a team that has one of the worst world tour classic squads why is

He doing Twitter romendy he did 74 race days or Valen I or valenciana valencian is fine but I’m like he in the modern cycling if a guy won ker Russell ker and Le my mind thinks he can at least participate in E3 for a top 15 and the way they race it

Now well he he won ker back in the day kav is who no kava Bob jungles 2019 is what Cav thinks he is it’s what M I hope he is yeah yes but anyway I agree with you I agree with you jles needs to be in the classics like you mentioned but it’s

Like it’s a combination he’s won lbl as well in the past so he might feel like third and 12 two those were great races jles was really good and yeah I reckon they should try that again I would love to see that again but jles was always stuck in this like limbo

Between all the disciplines to the point that I think he sometimes chose the wrong one and he was a good dble they marmed him fact they did they Mar was a great domestique I will I will add that though it’s not like he was useless in

2023 no no I love bobol he’s like those sort of riders my favorite type of riders like kovski different Rider of course but like these Swiss Army knives um they’re my favorite but I he asked to do the classics to me but um Herzog should go if he’s healthy uh

Because that’s the sort of profile Rider hopefully he can do something like hopefully he’s just the God and and he’s all of a sudden you know even if even top 10 in some of the leadup to the tour of flas races would be fantastic I think

It’s like a process uh so I would I would send Herzog with uh those guys you mentioned and uh try and hope for the best I also think that may needs a better a better schedule as in I agree after to the France he went to RI tour

Then tour of Luxembourg Spar musango bu Party tour I would send this guy to a shitload of Belgian chat GPT generator races after the tour yeah yes dude do they do then they have done some in the middle of the season for example he I know the

I know the table’s not everything but like it is good to like not be 10th yep and if you can s also rides like mayus they like Riders like winning races so especially at home uh do yeah uh okay so that’s probably the weakest part of their roster now the

Part that I think is really looking strong particularly if pogy doesn’t do all the Arden is the hill Classics based on rit in the past and 2022 Bora and that is they sort of got four leaders rogich vlasov Martinez IG how will they work together I’m not

Entirely sure the best Sprint in that group is they are got a decent Sprint on them actually yeah and we’ve seen them sprint against each [Laughter] other but that’s a good squad that is a good I mean for flesh you just go for RIT but for amst and and Le I think you

Got numbers you can play there yep I think so as well I think RIT for lbl is still a good is still a good de but I agree that you can use vazov and Martinez to respond to people that try and benefit early and try and benefit

From the question is like if Remco goes please follow with RIT or something or try and figure out a way to catch him that doesn’t require you to send vazov with him and then vlasov getting dropped by Remco later on in the race so that’s

Like the one thing that I also look out for but I agree that numbers wise they should be looking good for the hill Classics Ro is a good bet for those races I would love to see is pogacha doing flesh this year I don’t remember I don’t think he is [ __ ]

I would have loved to see rogl versus Pacha win that race what flesh oh got yeah he just did I know so I was always like can’t win that I remember the days yeah I was like [ __ ] but I agree that the hill Classics are definitely and also Italian Classics

Similar fashion it simar Squad oh this team should clean Italian Classics Emilia lombardia this is the moment where RIT can step up to second or first in lombardia with his team not that yo was necessarily a bad team to be in for Lombard either but I feel like s

Vazov Martinez supporting you I take it ground tours now ground tours jro we said Wellford has to go so he goes the lead out of Van Popple and Mullen uh and then I don’t really know what they’ll do with camna if if camna wants to be a

Domestique he can go the tour mhm if he wants I have a feeling cam will do the jro and maybe go for GC again for his own result cu the time trial is good for him really good time trial the the the mountain stages are not brutal that once

He can kind of hang on a lot of them I think it’s a good jro parkour for CNA I’d send Soo with him so we’re at five Riders then right Wellford from poo Mullen soero and kemna outs of that I don’t really care who they send cuz like

What do you think will do do you think he’ll do T to fr’s VTA then he’ll have to he’ll have to do the T yeah yeah but the problem is T to fr’s VTA means that he’s going to be combined with roit every single time well that’s the way the cookie crumbles I’m

Afraid uh but yeah they need to he’s unfortunately too good to send to the jro whereas C like they oh well yeah you got to do GC there um so yeah that’s the jurus squad I think they can actually get some nice results out of that race uh top 10 NGC and a

Couple of stage wins I think would be at the minimum goal send him to the J to avoid having as domestique for the T front yeah I think they will Twitter France rogl will be leading the team in GC I presume they’ll send hindley because I think he’ll be in the cous

Role or maybe even a co-leader that might be the uh the smarter thing to do uh and then they need some rulers so obviously I think jungles is a no-brainer as a stage racer uh holla I think you have to send because this team is this team is thin on rulers like

Den yeah Den is solid denz is solid so denz Hara and but can they climb denz was Den can climb no den can climb Den can climb both that’s the problem with someone like Mullen right like Mullen cuz you might want to bring Mullen to keep to keep RIT safe on the

Sprint stages because that that’s if you want to win the Tour half the half the thing with RIT is is not having him crash so like it’s all well and good to talk about all right we need hinley to do the cous roll to set him up for this

Stage finish but [ __ ] if he’s crashed it’s not very helpful it’s you got to think also about the rulers and I don’t think Nik Den can do that role polet can gone Hala yeah but nor own yeah but that’s where ibly they’ll probably better off than we think I

Think oh I I I disagree I disagree I think the danger of crashing is real no no I’m just saying it’s something you got to focus on and you got to you got to try hold hold front position to 3ks and the guys that I see that can do that

Being uh Mullen for sure is very good at that uh and mayus they can’t climb a lick like they can’t climb so can they get round the course the the three weeks can they help in a a stage start that’s not pancake flat but there’s a lot of stages that are

Traditional Sprint stages too so it’s all a trade-off maybe Dan does Danon po will climb okay or no he climbs Rel like he Hills yes like laort climbing leaport was really good when it comes to his climbing last year that’s as well though but I’d say B

Leward yeah uh but you know maybe those guys focus on it and maybe they like if you get told in December hey you need to be like a you know two 3 kilos lighter than normal for the tour so you can get around I mean that’s 6 months 7 months

You can probably do that and someone like mull probably super motivated so y maybe maybe I’m I’m making a mountain out of a mole just something to bear in mind because that is something important do you think weakness do you think they’ll be on the level how do you think

They’ll be the third strongest team at the race as in UAV Got U and Vima we’ obviously got Vima and U I wonder how Tre will fit in G hard and Ro are still a difference like R is still on paper better GC than G hard but

G hard at the jro was really good so if G hardt can show up with a level he had at the jro at the start and you’ve got Pon and so for a [ __ ] animal Pon is like M such a good Dom the stuff he did for skel MOA yeah true

Like I don’t remember where he’s I think he’s going to the jro if I recall correctly but yeah yeah he’s doing the jir T also has a team where I’m like they could also potentially compete for that third spot and then I look at inos

And they’re also not too far off so I’m looking at these like these these five team so they could compete for third spot I think they’re probably more likely to be third best GC team in my opinion than then little and inos but it’s still fragile dependent on

Primos crash rate for example because he’s not exactly the most crash avoiding Rider just like Remco is these days kind of yeah Remco same same thing I think bore will definitely have the have a better Mountain domestique than either of inios or y t in in hindley uh

Question but those they might have better rers Gus Adam Yates hindley as your super domestique can hindley compete with Adam in 23 are super nor myque oh was Yates 2024 Yates is Yates is like the [ __ ] third best rider in the world is better than Rish dude

Br oh God sort of joking um sort up on Long climbs in a hard stage is sorry he is [ __ ] good I’m onel feed he’s the best in the world no I’d take roll on her feed get the [ __ ] out of here on Lort roll on

Angaro and Lort roll well to him mad yeah that’s true that’s true on a un like that I would take I would take RIT against anyone on her feet anyone Ro glitch at Bora will that be different than roit at Vima I don’t know about that but like right now like on

That finish I’ll take him on against anyone on that finish but um what this was the question oh can hinley do that job yeah 100% 100% yeah he he was he was on track to come fifth at the tour let’s say like you put that guy in a domestique role of

Yeah he’s also I reckon he can do a nice Sprint lead out too uphill Sprint lead out for RIT like hey got a decent Sprint on him yeah we we saw that well we can say we saw that but that was also against Roman B and so forth at the J no

He does have like for a slend like I’m not saying he’s I’m not saying he’s any po but like he can do it he can do finish between 2016 faio and Roman B were judging here yeah they don’t got me yeah but I think I think he I think he’s

The best part of the support Henley if if indeed that’s his role they may be Co leaders we’re just I don’t know I don’t know martinz is also good which one do you get domestique Martinez will show up do youc Martinez I have less confidence in he didn’t show up the

2022 toour of France ah he’ll come back he okay you’re picking that one ground tour most of the ground tours not been good except well a couple of stages here or there but um certainly those two for a Sprint those two are very very good on

On form but yeah I can’t wait to see it’s good it’s good to have this discussion who’s going to challenge the two visma and UA and and I hope Bora are right there and and Breakaway like imagine Breakaway formation with now a third team jumping with trying to get

Hindley in but also now Henley’s teammates RIT sitting in the group on the Marie Blanc stage like imagine that situation like that’s that’s got to be good for fans in the tour next year so hopefully hopefully they are firing Welter I think yeah RIT and uh uh

Whoever else don’t really mind uh to go I think they you see that well to parkour Benji it’s a it’s a good parkour for RIT yeah I think you need to send hi somewhere do you just stay in Colombia the entire year is that what your plan is

For well he was at this Welter was he yeah he’s kind of like uh he’s kind of like who’s that was an Ecuadorian guy that was invisible in the jro three years ago what’s his name oh who was good in tour of the Alps I know what

Mean yeah sepa he everyone put him in everyone put him in their V games team because he was cooking in two of the Alps and then he disappeared yeah and then JV got him on that point on that point when you go to a grand tour with the

Pre-race favorite or pre-race top three favorite yeah all of a sudden you can’t just have someone like hi there filling up numbers and oh oh he he no everyone everyone has to do a role there has to be rulers controlling breakaways there has to be rulers keeping guys safe in

Hectic situation there got to be medium Mountain guys there’s got to be a guy doing Sprint lead outs fored into media there’s got to be guys keeping him safe to 3 km to go there’s got to be guys doing getting in bottles on medium Mountain Stage and Mountain stages you

Need all seven support riders for a proper top tier favorite you’d almost need to send them to the jro or something to to have have a ground tour this year because that’s the ground tour where they don’t necessarily have that unless hindley surprisingly does the jro which right now I wouldn’t expect I’d

Expect him to do I think will do it now I think about it should we vov cense TT yeah yeah we completely skipped vlas off didn’t we okay that’s uh what are the realistic aims of Bora like if you setting their goals I think it’s got to be

Benji one is win the Tour to France you got a threeyear contract with it’s attain it’s attainable it’s yeah it’s realistic it’s realistic it’s smart I don’t see it as realistic but I see it as a goal they should have regardless of it being realistic that makes sense yeah as in

You signed him for that now try and make it happen yeah and something can always happen too or pachar yeah yeah so it’s not impossible in that sense the second one’s win of Welter I I think it’s win a grand tour and honestly if you send vov

And I mean I know pogy’s there but Podium nirro probably yeah it’s not a it’s not an a it’s a good yeah the leino CL I’m kind of like that’s a bit long for yeah it won’t happen won’t happen try and try and win a hill Cloud try and try and win a

Monument yeah lombardia early AG yeah exactly and in addition I would also add to the point you’ve got Rish you’ve got wellsford coming to the team win more yeah I think win be more consistent throughout the year 15 World Tour races minimum I’d probably set the goal at 20 yeah I think

I wouldn’t say with those guys and Martinez and igit having better Seasons I think realistically like to say hey we really knocked out of the park this year you want to have 20 World Tour wins uh which is still it’s half of Yambo this year so like that’s realistic too with

Those Riders they got in like R won like 13 World Tour races year 15 on himself so I think 20 minimum and then uh finished at Le probably finished third in the ranking and then on more of a the Sprint train spoking a lot about Roy I

Think I think have the best Sprinter and Lead Out combo in the world I think that’s a difficult one against alberon but I think you need to try true true yeah I think they could do it though I think philipson is the best but I think I don’t think without Vanderpool

Particularly all year yeah uh I think bores can be the best and so I want to see that really click and then when it comes to youngsters you always expect the youngsters to make a step forward like the head of the world and so forth but I would

Also why doesa choose to work with Troll and with Hain burmans instead of having their junior team and building a U23 team on top of that towards their willour team it’s like they have a gap in their pipeline that they have to Outsource to other Continental teams right

Now yeah and is but I think they kind of get all the German speakers they want if they anyway like they get first dibs on them anyway except for Brena so that didn’t happen like the reason they did work with t and so forth was because they they wanted to fill up that

Gap but I I don’t think it works as well to have an an Outsource team do that then having it internally because then you have let’s be honest about it you you only select a few Riders from your youth 19 to go through that system so

Why don’t you have a larger pool of U23 rides to pick from then that’s what I I’d like to see this team have a U23 team in the future instead of working with U23 teams in the future it’s true didn’t isn’t that what ag2r just filled the Gap

With ag2r had a u19 and u20 three team uh back in the day but I think one of them fell away no I think yeah I think I feel like they just filled that Gap Rec I don’t know in my head one of their teams folded maybe the junior team folded yeah

Maybe the junior team maybe I’m just misremembering um okay uh I think that’s all for this oh hot takes Benji and wilter wins how much do you think oh oh let me just check how many roll which one this year elevator music tune in well I can’t

I can’t say he won he won 11 World Tour races so they won seven this year Martinez and have a better year and then V probably win one then uh okay I still don’t think wellsford how they win when they were go you got to go first Benji I’m thinking

About this too much I think Bora is going to make the biggest step in witer wins of any team in witer right now yeah I think so so far when it comes to my world tour Victory picks that I had for all the teams I feel like I went

Backwards with yumbo Vima because the lack of roit and that Keon won’t be able to step up to that plate yet and for the other teams It’s relatively similar but I’ve got a bit less world to wins than you so I’m gonna have to bet a bit high

On Bora so I’m G to go for I’m going to go for 18 wilter wins yeah I’m going 18 as well oh my you’re cheating you’re taking my Pi well cuz when they had they had aaman Bennett and San they won 22 in 2018 but they don’t have three sprinters

They got depend the schedule it does Wells for to Pia I’m saying it Wells for to Guang Shi you’re going to clean Welter winds yeah yeah yeah yeah he might but he might if welsa wins seven World Tour races that’s a pretty [ __ ] good year yeah but like are you are you

Sure Ro is going to win 10 he’s doing he’s he’s doing a nasty he’s going to do a more competitive schedule next year I’ll be fine I don’t think to win 10 I think wford is going to win be the one that steps up if the schedule is right and to

Be honest I don’t expect the schedule to be right yeah anyway 18’s 18 is a increase of uh 11 2.5x so yeah it’s a big it’s a big goal uh hot takes Benji who do you question who do you think is out of contract is uh for Bor hounds grower is

A lot of riders over half the team I think Bob jungles vlasov Bookman shackman hendley agita camner are the main ones uh we who do you think is uh who do you think’s leaving or staying out of vlasov hindley IG jungles if I’m hinley I’m considering leaving because I’m

Working for RIT all [ __ ] year yeah that’s kind of It kind of bites hinley in the ass the coming of Rage so it depends on whether his future proof at Bora if they can promise that the second RIT leaves his King again then he in 2027 that is in 202 well depends whether

Rog goes backwards or not so might already be 2026 flaz off I don’t think they’ll resign B no I wouldn’t sign resign bman they’ll resign Bookman I think he’s German depends on the price I wouldn’t sign him for decent money he’s spum to tour to France no or fourth fourth no

Four no which one we always get Stevie K and him mixed up Stevie K podiumed right did he did he not Bookman Bookman four no icebergs in the T France so no skip you let him go yeah for sure yeah I’d resign denz yeah yeah I would I’d keep

Baler palter yeah I mean if Red Bull pay the salary sure but I watch the tour of turkey man he was on fire um did you not watch the T come on man it was that huge yeah I watch it but he Balter was a decent domestique sof was better though

Sof is a resign sof’s good no no no am iing I think you palter I don’t think is very good like iof is what I meant zof zof is zof is a legit good riter like he I think he’s he’s legit good um K lipitz is actually very good I really

Like I think he’s I think he’s one of Luke’s like his favorites or is that angle am I mixing the two Germans I think you’re mixing the two Germans no he W check to no no he’s actually he’s good I signed this guy on proing manager two years ago and he [ __ ]

Sucked it’s very sad Floren Li is good they should resign him for sure I’d like to see him on another three-year deal as a sort of see what he can do as a climber uh alotti I would let go uh gamper i’ need to see something

Lewis Joe lwis was a strange one that they they signed so so young when he clearly wasn’t ready um but anyway we’ll we’ll see so there’ll there’ll be some changes there Shan’s also out of contract but uh hot takes for this team I think they win I was trying to figure out could

They win more World Tour stage races than UAE they could but they won’t that will be my hot take that will be my hot take I think Bora win more World Tour stage races in UAE I’ll accept that as a hot that’s for sure oh I don’t know how that will happen NE

Let’s put it out there uh I think they win uh I think they win lombardia I think they’re the best Italian Classics I mean pogy actually pogy and yat are pretty good [ __ ] I’m I’m overring them now um we at jro stage yeah I’ll take that they should

Send all the German All Stars to to the zero yeah what else can we say I reckon they got zero shot keeping RIT safe they got to send him to GP D again that was an epic race with rit in it he was cooking dude yeah he was [ __ ] good and even

In the Cobble stage in the tour he was in the front group he actually wasn’t doing anything wrong he just got uh uh so yeah actually I don’t just I don’t assume Ro to hit the gravel and just go and like like he’ll be front group like

He’s Punchy Rider the issue is not the gravel the issue is the Run stages yeah yeah it’s not the gravel it’s it’s the Sprint stages The Hectic and the flat and that stuff um so we’ll see we’ll see uh do you think there’ll be a mutiny do

You think there’ be a mutiny though nah you got no hot takes s Benji all right that’s B I said a hot take we have jro no he’s a [ __ ] good roer come on jles wins I don’t [ __ ] know jungles wins two is that good enough is that

Good enough yeah that’s actually finally we’re getting some hot takes out of you Bob jungles okay no that’s Benji let’s be let’s be serious this a serious podcast yeah I reckon jles will go Classics now and he’ll be best Rider uh okay that’s all from the bans Go preview big changes

Biggest transfer I think of the last 5 years at least I can’t wait to see how it pans out definitely good for neutral fans next year and uh I can’t wait for that tour to France battle hopefully they all get to the start line without issues thanks for listening as always

And we’ll see you with the alto Mar circus W go materio Tom Dent special win circus is gone are they they are spoilers okay well we’re about to discuss who what a circus is until then ciao