Team FL
Moderator: englishmods
Re: Team FL
50+1 for Team FL
In a weekend full of classic races, Team FL is able to win 2 out of 3 and stands now at 51 classic wins
It started on Sunday, 3rd September in Western France: Julio Juantorena almost won his first classic race, almost. He got third in the end, but the team tasted blood. After five days of meticulous preparation, Julio won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec solo after his team prepared his late attack with great effort, wearing down the opponents. Friday, 1 out of 3. And it was the 50th classic win for Team FL! Yay. But no rest for Team FL as it flew back to Europa and started at the GP de Fourmies, where Spiridon Sprenger outsmarted all the teams with sprinters (!) with again a late attack. Again a solo win. Saturday, 2 out of 3. There was kind of a pattern forming for the weekend, so back to Canada, this time the GP de Montréal. The team felt strong again, but another team was stronger. free team dominated the whole race from the beginning, leaving no chance for its opponents. So no late attack from a Team FL rider this time, still okayish placements. Sunday, still 2 out of 3. Despite a flight heavy weekend and the unsuccessful finale in Montréal, everybody felt happy at Team FL and already fit enough to start in the US today, having a little detour and running down on the way back home.
In a weekend full of classic races, Team FL is able to win 2 out of 3 and stands now at 51 classic wins
It started on Sunday, 3rd September in Western France: Julio Juantorena almost won his first classic race, almost. He got third in the end, but the team tasted blood. After five days of meticulous preparation, Julio won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec solo after his team prepared his late attack with great effort, wearing down the opponents. Friday, 1 out of 3. And it was the 50th classic win for Team FL! Yay. But no rest for Team FL as it flew back to Europa and started at the GP de Fourmies, where Spiridon Sprenger outsmarted all the teams with sprinters (!) with again a late attack. Again a solo win. Saturday, 2 out of 3. There was kind of a pattern forming for the weekend, so back to Canada, this time the GP de Montréal. The team felt strong again, but another team was stronger. free team dominated the whole race from the beginning, leaving no chance for its opponents. So no late attack from a Team FL rider this time, still okayish placements. Sunday, still 2 out of 3. Despite a flight heavy weekend and the unsuccessful finale in Montréal, everybody felt happy at Team FL and already fit enough to start in the US today, having a little detour and running down on the way back home.
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Team FL offseason overhaul ongoing
Old riders gone, new riders in: Team FL uses offseason to build for 2024.
After major changes to the team roster in August, November offers the next big overhaul. In August, it was mainly the sprint crew that left Team FL, while a young, fresh, new one joined in Aron Abreha, Tesfaye Tsegaye and Gianni Giannelli. Now, the staff for the harder stages left. Clément "Le Clé" Clévenot, the team's polific climber and Vitor Ventura, our beloved chubby little portuguese hill specialist retired from cycling on their own whish. Both will join the management of a bodega chain in Valencia, answering Fortunato Fontdevila's call. Together with Carlos Lampe, Le Clé has been Team FL's most successful mountain stage hunter. Both gathered 10 victories in their career. Contrary to Lampe, who has a full set of Palmares, Le Clé with his 6'315 eternal points was not known for doing anything else than winning stages. The same counts for Vitor Ventura with 3 stage wins in his career.
For the moment, the Team FL hill department will only consist of Julio "JJ" Juantorena and Przemyszwoddc... dammit, the polish guy with the stupid name. Besides that, three new riders join the team: Ndamukong Nkengasong from Cameroon, Walter Walkenhorst from Germany and Keorapetse Kgositsile from South Africa. All of them will not replace Le Clé or Vitor, but rather add to the roster for the spring 2024 campaign and support the still young sprint personnel. The goal is clear now: use the offseason to develop the young talent and prepare the team for the 2024 classics, as well as the Giro and maybe the Criterium in France after the Giro. Team FL will start without a climber this time, more focused on sprint and pavé, maybe some hilly stages. In the meantime, we will have fun being rude promoting good and creative abbreviations and awesome alliterations. Now gtfo of my press center, there is nothing more to read!
Old riders gone, new riders in: Team FL uses offseason to build for 2024.
After major changes to the team roster in August, November offers the next big overhaul. In August, it was mainly the sprint crew that left Team FL, while a young, fresh, new one joined in Aron Abreha, Tesfaye Tsegaye and Gianni Giannelli. Now, the staff for the harder stages left. Clément "Le Clé" Clévenot, the team's polific climber and Vitor Ventura, our beloved chubby little portuguese hill specialist retired from cycling on their own whish. Both will join the management of a bodega chain in Valencia, answering Fortunato Fontdevila's call. Together with Carlos Lampe, Le Clé has been Team FL's most successful mountain stage hunter. Both gathered 10 victories in their career. Contrary to Lampe, who has a full set of Palmares, Le Clé with his 6'315 eternal points was not known for doing anything else than winning stages. The same counts for Vitor Ventura with 3 stage wins in his career.
For the moment, the Team FL hill department will only consist of Julio "JJ" Juantorena and Przemyszwoddc... dammit, the polish guy with the stupid name. Besides that, three new riders join the team: Ndamukong Nkengasong from Cameroon, Walter Walkenhorst from Germany and Keorapetse Kgositsile from South Africa. All of them will not replace Le Clé or Vitor, but rather add to the roster for the spring 2024 campaign and support the still young sprint personnel. The goal is clear now: use the offseason to develop the young talent and prepare the team for the 2024 classics, as well as the Giro and maybe the Criterium in France after the Giro. Team FL will start without a climber this time, more focused on sprint and pavé, maybe some hilly stages. In the meantime, we will have fun being rude promoting good and creative abbreviations and awesome alliterations. Now gtfo of my press center, there is nothing more to read!
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Front page update: Current team roster
In the upcoming weeks, Team FL will update the front page of the press center and present the latest information and statistics. For the beginning, this is the current and updated team roster:
In the upcoming weeks, Team FL will update the front page of the press center and present the latest information and statistics. For the beginning, this is the current and updated team roster:
team fl wrote: ↑Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:57 amCurrent Team Roster (November 2023):
- Aron Abreha, 24, Sprinter, Eritrea
48-60-77-48-89, 63 Pavé, 41 Reg
- Chérif Cissé, 23, Helper/Allrounder, Senegal
56-76-79-47-51, 70 Pavé, 38 Reg
- Gianni Giannelli, 22, Lead out sprinter, Italy
49-75-67-58-71, 69 Pavé, 42 Reg
- Gilberto Godoy, 30, Helper/Allrounder, Brasil
53-81-77-50-47, 78 Pavé, 63 Reg
- Holger Hässig, 29, Helper, Switzerland
50-81-50-52-53, 72 Pavé, 42 Reg
- Julio Juantorena, 33, Hill/Pavé specialist, Cuba
75-83-71-48-46, 81 Pavé, 40 Reg
- Keorapetse Kgositsile, 21, Flat specialist, South Africa
50-74-51-51-54, 71 Pavé, 53 Reg
- Ndamukong Nkengasong, 28, Helper/Flat specialist, Cameroon
48-73-71-49-55, 66 Pavé, 52 Reg
- Przemyslaw Pszczolarski, 32, Hill specialist, Poland
72-79-74-55-64, 69 Pavé, 43 Reg
- Spiridon Sprenger, 27, Allrounder, Liechtenstein
58-86-77-53-53, 79 Pavé, 39 Reg
- Tesfaye Tsegaye, 23, Flat sprinter/Pavé specialist, Ethiopia
53-79-48-46-69, 79 Pavé, 37 Reg
- Walter Walkenhorst, 21, Pavé specialist/Allrounder, Germany
50-74-77-57-58, 73 Pavé, 47 Reg
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Next front page update: Team statistics - Stage wins
The Team FL PR department proudly presents the all time stage/race wins by riders (with a complete date set, hopefully).
Four rider stand out in this statistic: Fran Peterlin, Ngo Nguyen, Stefano Benni and Eduardo Spohr are the only four Team FL riders with 20 or more race wins. Phineas Federspiel, the only Team FL rider who won the same race twice (Scheldeprijs 2014 and 2015) comes close with 18, while everybody else is under 15 race wins. The most current riders that have 10 or more race wins are Frits Flaskjer (11) and Clément Clévenot (10), both retired in 2023. From the current roster, which is very young (25.5 in average, 7 under 25), only 4 have race wins, with Julio Juantorena leading with 5, followed by PrzPszcz with 4, Spiridon Sprenger with 3 and Tesfay Tsegaye with 1.
The Team FL PR department proudly presents the all time stage/race wins by riders (with a complete date set, hopefully).
Four rider stand out in this statistic: Fran Peterlin, Ngo Nguyen, Stefano Benni and Eduardo Spohr are the only four Team FL riders with 20 or more race wins. Phineas Federspiel, the only Team FL rider who won the same race twice (Scheldeprijs 2014 and 2015) comes close with 18, while everybody else is under 15 race wins. The most current riders that have 10 or more race wins are Frits Flaskjer (11) and Clément Clévenot (10), both retired in 2023. From the current roster, which is very young (25.5 in average, 7 under 25), only 4 have race wins, with Julio Juantorena leading with 5, followed by PrzPszcz with 4, Spiridon Sprenger with 3 and Tesfay Tsegaye with 1.
Stage Wins (553):
25 - Fran Peterlin
22 - Ngo Nguyen
21 - Stefano Benni
20 - Eduardo Spohr
18 - Phineas Federspiel
13 - Cédric Schmarotz
13 - Perry Henzell
12 - Jean OlléOllé
12 - Iwan Franko
11 - Frits Flaskjer
10 - Gaudenz Taverna
10 - Xaver Unsinn
10 - Carlos Lampe
10 - Clément Clévenot
9 - JungGi Kim (NC)
8 - Stefan Küng (3x NC)
8 - Joe Friesenbichler
8 - Elwyn Oxley (NC)
8 - Afshin Pirhashemi
7 - Harald Mühlenberg
7 - Lorenz Dürr (U23 WC, NC)
7 - Luigi Mastrangelo
7 - Ryan Kilfeather
7 - Nodirkhan Kadyrkhanov
7 - Karl Kopinski (NC)
7 - Zach Wheeler
7 - Magnus Marxer
6 - Eric Lichtenstein
6 - Breyten Breytenbach
6 - Lukas Marxer (NC)
6 - Luca Spirito (NC)
5 - Pedro Garrido
5 - Severino Nicolosi
5 - Kari Steinsson
5 - Martti Rosenblatt
5 - Carlos Tejeda
5 - Harrison Tasher (2x NC)
5 - Pavel Sitko
5 - Feliciano Centurion (NC)
5 - Julio Juantorena*
5 - Pierluigi Piano
4 - Omar Pene
4 - Steve Hasler
4 - Gilles Braas
4 - Roy Lichtenstein
4 - Jan Flachbart (NC)
4 - Royston Lighting
4 - Robertlandy Simon
4 - Bambang Megaranto
4 - Tony Woodcock
4 - Serghei Pascenco
4 - Lorenz Looser
4 - Przemyslaw Pszczolarski* (2x NC)
3 - Andrea Clavadetscher
3 - Sylvain Boss
3 - Louis Thuilliez
3 - Raffael Kämpfer
3 - Keyser Söze
3 - Alex Goop
3 - Guus Nederlof
3 - Victor Fargas
3 - Eddie Sixpence
3 - Ariel Weisman
3 - Thibault Rossard
3 - Baltasar Banzer (NC)
3 - Jay Blankenau
3 - Bana Hassana
3 - Aaron Armleder
3 - Volkmar Vogt (NC)
3 - Spiridon Sprenger*
2 - Roger Schnitzer
2 - Jens Scholz
2 - Frantz Granvorka
2 - Toni Hassler
2 - Nathaniel Biedermann
2 - Janis Smedins
2 - Wilhelm Wahlforss
2 - Paul Betancourt
2 - Valentin Bratoev (NC)
2 - Hassan Dif
2 - Otto Ospelt
2 - Amartya Sen
2 - Anselmo Grau
2 - René Ritter
2 - Carlos Kaiser
2 - Sean Murphy
2 - Nicola Nicoli
2 - Gunther Grün
2 - TTT (TdS'18, TdF'18)
1 - Josef Fichtl
1 - Knut Bakke
1 - Bill Schneider
1 - Ewald Wolf
1 - Dimitri Jiriakov
1 - Elmar Goop
1 - Zak McKracken
1 - Tommy Zech
1 - Larry Erkisson
1 - Steve Becker
1 - Hannes Büchel
1 - Chuck Bass
1 - Hugo Marxer
1 - Wesley Lichtenkiesel
1 - Tim Hamberger
1 - Harry Hole
1 - Tomasz Kowalski
1 - Lars Hirschfeld
1 - Alain Yoda
1 - Elvis Bodganic (NC)
1 - Desideriu Vatca
1 - Fridolin Tschugmell
1 - Samir Sellami
1 - Dong Dong (NC)
1 - Juan Villafuerte
1 - Kahlid Satour (NC)
1 - Wael Afifi (NC)
1 - Sandro Spaeth
1 - Arthur Arpagaus (NC)
1 - Timo Tammemaa
1 - Yuji Nishida
1 - Bertram Büchel
1 - Ben Bollendorff
1 - Tesfaye Tsegaye* (NC)
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Next front page update: Team statistics - Classic wins
One of the main things Team FL has been focussing on since it's founding in 2006 are classic races.
And who is the Team FL king of the classics? Well, there has been only two kings in the history of Team FL: King Küng and Pierluigi Piano, the King of Flanders. But looking at the number of classic and monument wins, we come to the following conlusions:
Most classic wins (3) are shared among Phineas Federspiel, who even won a classic race twice (Scheldeprijs), Iwan Franko and Pierluigi Piano with a Flandrian hattrick, although slighlty different, but both inluding RVV.
The classic race that has been won the most by Team FL is the Scheldeprijs. 7 victories by 6 different riders (sorted chronologically): Frits Flaskjer ('23), Eduardo Spohr ('20), Thibault Rossard ('19), Phineas Federspiel ('14+'15), Kari Steinsson ('13), Roger Schnitzer ('09). Interstingly, among the winners are sprinters (Flaskjer, Spohr, Federspiel), lead out sprinters with a decent flat skill (Schnitzer), pavé specialists (Steinsson) and early escapers (Rossard).
Team FL has 10 monument victories in its palmares: 3 x RVV, 3x PR, 2x MSR, 1x LBL, 1x Lombardia. Most monument wins (2) are held by Team FL all time favourite rider Stefano Benni with the Italian monument double: Lombardia and MSR.
Most 2nd places in classics (2): JungGiKim (Harelbeke, PR), Karl Kopinski (Omloop, PR), Perry Henzell (Fourmies, Hamburg), Stefano Benni (Omloop, LBL), Steve Hasler (Hamburg, Placci), Zacharias Zahn (Tre Valli, Montreal)
Most 3rd places in classics (2): Iwan Franko (Scheldeprijs, Harelbeke), Fran Peterlin (RVV, San Sebastian)
Most disappointing rider in classics: Fran Peterlin. He's the rider with the most stage wins for Team FL (25) but managed not to win a single classic race in his whole career. Second most eternal points (behind Stefano Benni), 4 stage race wins, 4 podiums, 6 sprint jerseys (incl. Giro), 2 youth jerseys. But no fucking single classic race win! grrrrrrr.....
Finally, the full overview:
One of the main things Team FL has been focussing on since it's founding in 2006 are classic races.
And who is the Team FL king of the classics? Well, there has been only two kings in the history of Team FL: King Küng and Pierluigi Piano, the King of Flanders. But looking at the number of classic and monument wins, we come to the following conlusions:
Most classic wins (3) are shared among Phineas Federspiel, who even won a classic race twice (Scheldeprijs), Iwan Franko and Pierluigi Piano with a Flandrian hattrick, although slighlty different, but both inluding RVV.
The classic race that has been won the most by Team FL is the Scheldeprijs. 7 victories by 6 different riders (sorted chronologically): Frits Flaskjer ('23), Eduardo Spohr ('20), Thibault Rossard ('19), Phineas Federspiel ('14+'15), Kari Steinsson ('13), Roger Schnitzer ('09). Interstingly, among the winners are sprinters (Flaskjer, Spohr, Federspiel), lead out sprinters with a decent flat skill (Schnitzer), pavé specialists (Steinsson) and early escapers (Rossard).
Team FL has 10 monument victories in its palmares: 3 x RVV, 3x PR, 2x MSR, 1x LBL, 1x Lombardia. Most monument wins (2) are held by Team FL all time favourite rider Stefano Benni with the Italian monument double: Lombardia and MSR.
Most 2nd places in classics (2): JungGiKim (Harelbeke, PR), Karl Kopinski (Omloop, PR), Perry Henzell (Fourmies, Hamburg), Stefano Benni (Omloop, LBL), Steve Hasler (Hamburg, Placci), Zacharias Zahn (Tre Valli, Montreal)
Most 3rd places in classics (2): Iwan Franko (Scheldeprijs, Harelbeke), Fran Peterlin (RVV, San Sebastian)
Most disappointing rider in classics: Fran Peterlin. He's the rider with the most stage wins for Team FL (25) but managed not to win a single classic race in his whole career. Second most eternal points (behind Stefano Benni), 4 stage race wins, 4 podiums, 6 sprint jerseys (incl. Giro), 2 youth jerseys. But no fucking single classic race win! grrrrrrr.....
Finally, the full overview:
Classic Wins (51):
3 - Phineas Federspiel (Gent-Wevelgem'14, Scheldeprijs'14+'15)
3 - Iwan Franko (Omloop'16, RVV'16, DdV'17)
3 - Pierluigi Piano (Harelbeke'23, DdV'23, RVV'23)
2 - Harald Mühlenberg (Züri-Metzgete'07, MSR'08 )
2 - Pedro Garrido (Omloop'11, Gent-Wevelgem'11)
2 - Luigi Mastrangelo (Flèche'11, Tre Valli'11)
2 - Stefano Benni (Lombardia'12, MSR'13)
2 - Kari Steinsson (Scheldeprijs'13, PR'13)
2 - Perry Henzell (Brussels'16, Paris-Tours'16)
2 - Frits Flaskjer (De Panne'23, Scheldeprijs'23)
1 - Andrea Clavadetscher (Lazio'08 )
1 - Roger Schnitzer (Scheldeprijs'09)
1 - Keyser Söze (Tre Valli'09)
1 - Guus Nederlof (Omloop'10)
1 - Jens Scholz (Flandern'10)
1 - Gilles Braas (PR'11)
1 - Hugo Marxer (Piemonte'11)
1 - Stefan Küng (Omloop'12)
1 - Harry Hole (Quebec'12)
1 - Alain Yoda (Montreal'14)
1 - Elwyn Oxley (Hamburg'15)
1 - Eric Lichtenstein (Quebec'15)
1 - Breyten Breytenbach (LBL'16)
1 - Carlos Lampe (Emilia'16)
1 - Pavel Sitko (Gent-Wevelgem'17)
1 - Omar Pene (San Sebastian'17)
1 - Luca Spirito (De Panne'19)
1 - Thibault Rossard (Scheldeprijs'19)
1 - Eduardo Spohr (Scheldeprijs'20)
1 - Karl Kopinski (PR'20)
1 - Zach Wheeler (Fourmies'20)
1 - Timo Tammemmaa (Gent-Wevelgem'21)
1 - Spiridion Sprenger (Fourmies'23)
1 - Volkmar Vogt (GW'23)
1 - Aaron Armleder (Montreal'22)
1 - Zacharias Zahn (Quebec'22)
1 - Clément Clévenot (Flèche'23)
1 - Julio Juantorena (Québec'23)
-> 2. Plätze: Josef Fichtl (Züri-Metzgete'06), Ewald Wolf (P-B'07), Steve Hasler (Placci'08, Hamburg'08 ), Sylvain Boss (Piemonte'08 ), Elmar Goop (Harelbeke'09), Mavolio Bent (Omloop'10), Luigi Mastrangelo (AGR'11), Cédric Schmarotz (MSR'12), Toni Hassler (E3'12), Stefano Benni (Omloop'13, LBL'13), Jean Ollé Ollé (GW'13), Jan Flachbart (MSR'14), Fran Peterlin (LBL'15), Perry Henzell (Hamburg'16), Iwan Franko (Omloop'17), Feliciano Centurion (PR'17), Ngo Nguyen (Scheldeprijs'18), JungGi Kim (PR'18, Harelbeke'18), Karl Kopinski (PR'19, Omloop'19), Uros Kovacevic (GP de Bruxelles'21), Aaron Armleder (RVV'22), Zacharias Zahn (Tre Valli'22), Montreal'22), Terry Tiktak (Omloop'23), Clément Clevenot (Emilia'23)
-> 3. Plätze: Schavi Nator (LBL'07), Ewald Wolf (Fourmies'07), Andrea Clavadetscher (MSR'08 ), Tim Hamberger (PR'11), Stefan Küng (E3'12), Xaver Unsinn (Tre Valli'12), Arni Steinsson (RVV'13), Wilhelm Wahlforss (Harelbeke'14), Eric Lichtenstein (GW'15), Fran Peterlin (RVV'15, San Sebastian'15), Perry Henzell (MSR'16), Breyten Breytenbach (San Sebastian'16), Iwan Franko (Harelbeke'17), Pieter Coolman (Omloop'19), Karl Kopinski (RVV'19), Baltasar Banzer (Tours'19), Nicola Nicoli (GW'20), Halvor Haugen (Brabant'20), Fiorino Fontdevila (Fourmies'22), Fiorino Forte (Harelbeke'23), Volkmar Vogt (Schledeprijs'23), Julio Juantorena (Plouay'23)
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Next front page update: Team statistics - Stage race wins
Something Team FL doesn't do often is riding stage races. But 30 times so far it has led to a stage race win.
Out of these 30 stage race wins, the Tour des Pavés with 5 times has been won the most, followed by Sachsen Pflaster (3). Shows kind of the faible for pavés here... Next in line are the Tour Down Under and Three Days of De Panne, each won 2 times. It is very telling, that Team FL hasn't won a single stage race since 2021.
Team FL riders with the most stage race wins are Fran Peterlin and Carlos Lampe (4), followed by Gaudenz Taverna (3), one of the few time trial specialists in the history of Team FL.
The most important win arguebly is Afshin Pirhashemi's victory at the Tour de France in 2018. It certainly was also the most stressful stage race ever ridden by Team FL. Anyway, the Tour de France is not the favourite stage race, the Giro d'Italia is. Although Team FL has never won it and the team is not really built for stages race, the Giro is one of the highlights in the cycling season. It is also the stage race that Team FL attended the most so far: 13 times in 17 years of existance.
Something Team FL doesn't do often is riding stage races. But 30 times so far it has led to a stage race win.
Out of these 30 stage race wins, the Tour des Pavés with 5 times has been won the most, followed by Sachsen Pflaster (3). Shows kind of the faible for pavés here... Next in line are the Tour Down Under and Three Days of De Panne, each won 2 times. It is very telling, that Team FL hasn't won a single stage race since 2021.
Team FL riders with the most stage race wins are Fran Peterlin and Carlos Lampe (4), followed by Gaudenz Taverna (3), one of the few time trial specialists in the history of Team FL.
The most important win arguebly is Afshin Pirhashemi's victory at the Tour de France in 2018. It certainly was also the most stressful stage race ever ridden by Team FL. Anyway, the Tour de France is not the favourite stage race, the Giro d'Italia is. Although Team FL has never won it and the team is not really built for stages race, the Giro is one of the highlights in the cycling season. It is also the stage race that Team FL attended the most so far: 13 times in 17 years of existance.
Stage races (30):
4 - Fran Peterlin (Solidarnosc'14, Alberta'14. Minas Gerais'14, Romandie'15)
4 - Carlos Lampe (Lux'16, Sibiu'16, Utah'16, Argentina'16)
3 - Gaudenz Taverna (Bayer '12, Elk Grove'12, Moldova'12)
2 - Kari Steinsson (Sachsen Pflaster'12, De Panne'13)
2 - Iwan Franko (Sachsen Pavés'16, Tour des Pavés'17)
2 - Nodirkhan Kadyrkhanov (SPIH Nostalgia'17, TDU'18)
2 - Afshin Pirhashemi (TdF'18, AtlasTour'18)
1 - Luigi Mastrangelo (Akropolis Tour'11)
1 - Jan Flachbart (Beijing'13)
1 - Janis Smedins (Tour des Pavés'14)
1 - Tomasz Kowalski (De Panne'14)
1 - Phineas Federspiel (WPC'14)
1 - Valentin Bratoev (Tour des Pavés'15)
1 - Paul Betancourt (Down Under'15)
1 - Harrison Tasher (Tour des Pavés'16)
1 - JungGi Kim (Sachsen Pavés'17)
1 - Lukas Marxer (BinckBanck'18)
1- Uros Kovacevic (Tour des Pavés'21)
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Next front page update: Team statistics - Classement wins
Youth, Points, Mountain or Team classement: Team FL has won them all. At least a few times.
As we've already established, Team FL is not much of a stage rage type of team. Hence, the number of classements won has accumulated over the years, but doesn't look that impressive. Anyway, there have been some important jersey gatherings, worthy to be mentioned here:
Fran Peterlin is not only Team FL's most successful stage race rider, he's also the only rider that won a youth classement twice. Afshin Pirhashemi is the only one that managed to do it in a GT, at the Giro 2018, right before winning the Tour de France in the same year. The tours Team FL has won the youth classement the most is the same as in stage race wins: Tour des Pavés (4) in front of Sachsen Pflaster (3). Every other youth classment has only been won once.
Even rarer than youth classement wins have been mountain classement wins. Not only because Team FL doesn't ride stage races often, but also because it barely goes for mountain points. Hence, it has either been a lucky coincidence or a very intensly and well planned out strategy for special occasions (haha, as if...). The result is, that Team FL riders have never won the mountain classement more than once. But, it has been won twice at the Giro d'Italia by Luigi Mastrangelo in 2011 and Bana Hassana in 2021 (for the 10 years anniversary!) and once at the Tour de France by Prometheus Proulx in 2022. The most lucky win has to be considered Wesley Lichtenkiesel's at Paris - Nice in 2012, a guy that retired with 45 mountain at 35 years old. It was not planned, it was not chased, it just happened somehow.
When Team FL gathered a classement's jersey, it was the points/sprint jersey most often. And the two most prolific riders in the category, you've heared their names already a couple of times during these front page update posts, are Stefano Benni and Fran Peterlin, both winning it 6 times, both also at the Giro d'Italia. But they are not the only ones with GT points classement wins at Team FL. The Giro sprint classement has been won 5 times so far, by the aforementioned two (2013 and 2015), Elwyn "the Ox" Oxley (2016), Pavel Sitko (2017) and Magnus Marxer (2022).The maillot vert at the Tour de France has only been won once so far by Ngo Nguyen in 2017. You see the priorities.
Last but not least, or maybe least: The team classement. A nice addition, you happily take the money, but nothing to chase for. 25 times, it happend for Team FL to win it, most at the Tour des Pavés (the pattern again) and the Tour Down Under with each 4 wins. Team FL has never managed to win it at a GT though, maybe something to go for in the future. Or rather not.
Youth, Points, Mountain or Team classement: Team FL has won them all. At least a few times.
As we've already established, Team FL is not much of a stage rage type of team. Hence, the number of classements won has accumulated over the years, but doesn't look that impressive. Anyway, there have been some important jersey gatherings, worthy to be mentioned here:
Fran Peterlin is not only Team FL's most successful stage race rider, he's also the only rider that won a youth classement twice. Afshin Pirhashemi is the only one that managed to do it in a GT, at the Giro 2018, right before winning the Tour de France in the same year. The tours Team FL has won the youth classement the most is the same as in stage race wins: Tour des Pavés (4) in front of Sachsen Pflaster (3). Every other youth classment has only been won once.
Even rarer than youth classement wins have been mountain classement wins. Not only because Team FL doesn't ride stage races often, but also because it barely goes for mountain points. Hence, it has either been a lucky coincidence or a very intensly and well planned out strategy for special occasions (haha, as if...). The result is, that Team FL riders have never won the mountain classement more than once. But, it has been won twice at the Giro d'Italia by Luigi Mastrangelo in 2011 and Bana Hassana in 2021 (for the 10 years anniversary!) and once at the Tour de France by Prometheus Proulx in 2022. The most lucky win has to be considered Wesley Lichtenkiesel's at Paris - Nice in 2012, a guy that retired with 45 mountain at 35 years old. It was not planned, it was not chased, it just happened somehow.
When Team FL gathered a classement's jersey, it was the points/sprint jersey most often. And the two most prolific riders in the category, you've heared their names already a couple of times during these front page update posts, are Stefano Benni and Fran Peterlin, both winning it 6 times, both also at the Giro d'Italia. But they are not the only ones with GT points classement wins at Team FL. The Giro sprint classement has been won 5 times so far, by the aforementioned two (2013 and 2015), Elwyn "the Ox" Oxley (2016), Pavel Sitko (2017) and Magnus Marxer (2022).The maillot vert at the Tour de France has only been won once so far by Ngo Nguyen in 2017. You see the priorities.
Last but not least, or maybe least: The team classement. A nice addition, you happily take the money, but nothing to chase for. 25 times, it happend for Team FL to win it, most at the Tour des Pavés (the pattern again) and the Tour Down Under with each 4 wins. Team FL has never managed to win it at a GT though, maybe something to go for in the future. Or rather not.
Youth jerseys (17):
2 - Fran Peterlin (Solidarnosc'14, Wallonie'14)
1 - Gilles Braas (Sachsen Pavés'11)
1 - Luigi Mastrangelo (Tour Med'11)
1 - Stefan Küng (Tour des Pavés'11)
1 - Stefano Benni (Correze'12)
1 - Roy Lichtenstein (Oman'13)
1 - Eddie Sixpence (Trentin0'13)
1 - Wilhelm Wahlforss (Sachsen Pavés'13)
1 - Phineas Federspiel (WPC'14)
1 - Valentin Bratoev (Sachsen Pavés'14)
1 - Royston Lighting (Tour des Pavés'15)
1 - Carlos Lampe (Ruta del Sol'16)
1 - Bambang Megaranto (De Panne'16)
1 - Samir Sellami (Tour des Pavés'17)
1 - Afshin Pirhashemi (Giro'18)
1 - Luca Spirito (Tour des Pavés'18)
Mountain jerseys (9):
1 - Luigi Mastrangelo (Giro'11)
1 - Wesley Lichtenkiesel (PN'12)
1 - Eddie Sixpence (Scotland'13)
1 - Alain Yoda (Down Under'15)
1 - Carlos Lampe (Utah'16)
1 - Afshin Pirhashemi (TdS'18)
1 - Hieronymus Hilti (TDU'20)
1 - Bana Hassana (Giro'21)
1 - Prometheus Proulx (TdF'22)
Points jerseys (32):
6 - Stefano Benni (EAT'13, Down Under'13, Ruta del Sol'13, Trentino'13, Romandie'13, Giro'13)
6 - Fran Peterlin (Alberta'14, Minas Gerais'14, Mexico'14, Tour des Pavés'15, Romandie'15, Giro'15)
3 - Elwyn Oxley (Ruta del Sol'16, TA'16, Giro'16)
2 - Cédric Schmarotz (Burgos'11, Qatar'12)
2 - Iwan Franko (Sachsen Pavés'16, Tour des Pavés'17)
2 - Ngo Nguyen (TdF'17, TDU'18)
1 - Afshin Pirhashemi* (TdS'18, Andes'18)
1 - Luigi Mastrangelo (South Alps'11)
1 - Nathaniel Biedermann (California'12)
1 - Kari Steinsson (Sachsen Pflaster'12)
1 - Phineas Federspiel (WPC'14)
1 - Carlos Lampe (Lux'16)
1 - Fridolin Tschugmell (Oman'17)
1 - Pavel Sitko (Giro'17)
1 - JungGi Kim (Sachsen Pavés'17)
1 - Magnus Marxer (Giro'22)
Team classement (25):
4 - Tour des Pavés ('10,'11,'16,'17)
4 - Tour Down Under ('15,'16,'17,'19)
2 - Dunkerque ('12,'14)
1 - Alberta ('14)
1 - BinckBank ('18)
1 - California ('12)
1 - Denmark ('12)
1 - De Panne ('12)
1 - Deutschlandtour ('16)
1 - Dubai ('18)
1 - Giro della Toscana ('17)
1 - Oman ('13)
1 - Romandie ('13)
1 - Sachsen Pflaster ('12)
1 - Sibiu ('16)
1 - Tour de Suisse ('13)
1 - Tour du Maroc ('09)
1 - Trentino ('13)
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Internal irritations while in India
While Team FL is riding the December Tour in India, you will never believe what happend back in Liechtenstein!
Julio Juantorena was furious when he got the message. He was one of the three Team FL riders that have not been nominated for the December Tour 2023 that started in India on Monday. During the team meeting when Hugo Marxer told the team, he was furious, left the room and never came back. Later that day, he announced his retirement from cycling. He also wrote that as long as Hugo Marxer has anything to say at Team FL he doesn't want to have anything to do with the Liechtenstein cycling team anymore. Rumour has it, that he ist now working at the Cuba Club in Vaduz.
The other two rider that had to stay at home didn't seem to be unhappy about the decision. Przemyslaw Pszsxczcvs....dammmit... the polish guy is now on holiday in Poland at his parents house while Keorapetse Kgositsile is just happy that he still has a job as a cyclist, being named one of the worst riders bought in November.
After the team management was initially shocked about Julio Juantorenas reaction, it acted swiftly and successfully. One day after "JJ" left, Team FL presented its latest acquisition already: Zacarias Zuzunaga from Valencia, Spain. The young prospect for hilly races fits well among all the young riders in the team. It is not just a lucky coincidence that the spanish prodigy landed in Liechtenstein. His agent is nobody else than Team FL hall of famer Stefano Benni. Benni now has also the mandate to look out for more talent to support Zuzunage in the future, while he is able to learn from Przemyslaw Pszczvczxxz... oh for fuck's sake!
While Team FL is riding the December Tour in India, you will never believe what happend back in Liechtenstein!
Julio Juantorena was furious when he got the message. He was one of the three Team FL riders that have not been nominated for the December Tour 2023 that started in India on Monday. During the team meeting when Hugo Marxer told the team, he was furious, left the room and never came back. Later that day, he announced his retirement from cycling. He also wrote that as long as Hugo Marxer has anything to say at Team FL he doesn't want to have anything to do with the Liechtenstein cycling team anymore. Rumour has it, that he ist now working at the Cuba Club in Vaduz.
The other two rider that had to stay at home didn't seem to be unhappy about the decision. Przemyslaw Pszsxczcvs....dammmit... the polish guy is now on holiday in Poland at his parents house while Keorapetse Kgositsile is just happy that he still has a job as a cyclist, being named one of the worst riders bought in November.
After the team management was initially shocked about Julio Juantorenas reaction, it acted swiftly and successfully. One day after "JJ" left, Team FL presented its latest acquisition already: Zacarias Zuzunaga from Valencia, Spain. The young prospect for hilly races fits well among all the young riders in the team. It is not just a lucky coincidence that the spanish prodigy landed in Liechtenstein. His agent is nobody else than Team FL hall of famer Stefano Benni. Benni now has also the mandate to look out for more talent to support Zuzunage in the future, while he is able to learn from Przemyslaw Pszczvczxxz... oh for fuck's sake!
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Eritrean festivities in Kerala
Aron Abreha wins his first race and is the first Eritrean rider to ever win a race in C4F.
It was a long fight to allow Eritrean cyclists to start in C4F races, until 2023. One of the first riders from Eritrea to join a team was Aron Abreha, a young sprinter talent from Asmara, who found an employer in Team FL. Now, with 25, he won his first race and is the first Eritrean rider to win a race in C4F. He did it on the 9 December 2023 at the Tamil Nadu & Kerala International Bicycle Race, stage 6 from Ooty to Kozhikode. In Kozhikode, a spontaneous party emerged, including friends and family and - according to sources - fellow Eritrean rider Haregot Woldemariam from Big Donkey. Besides common Italian cuisine the partygoers could also enjoy indigenous Eritrean specialities served on Injera, including Tsebhi, Alicha birsen, Zigini and Zigini assa, Tibzi, Ful, Kitcha fitfit and more. Everything was accompagnied with traditional coffee (Bun) or tea (Shahi). Of course, Eritrean drinks like Siwa, Mess, Daga, Caticala or Abake (for Muslims) fostered the good mood. And in the middle of everything was Aron Abreha, happily enjoying the festivities and answering the questions from journalists. Unfortunately, he got a bit too much Siwa (ok before the rest day) and started answering the questions in Tigrinya. Asked how he won the race, his answer was: ክሳብ ሕጂ ስትራተጂ ቅጽበታዊ ውድድር ድኹም እዩ ነይሩ። ሁጎ ማርክሰር ኣብ ኬራላ ዘሎ መግቢ ክጻወሮ ኣይክእልን እዩ። ስለዚ እየ ድማ እንታይ ክገብር ከም ዘለኒ ባዕለይ ወሲነ። ጽቡቕ ኣፍንጫ ነይሩኒ ኣዝየ ድማ ዕጉብ እየ። ንኤርትራ በረድ ሰቢረ ምህላወይ ሕቡን እየ። ኣብዚ’ዩ ንብዙሕ ካልእ ዓወታት! ካብ ታሕቲ ንላዕሊ!
Aron Abreha wins his first race and is the first Eritrean rider to ever win a race in C4F.
It was a long fight to allow Eritrean cyclists to start in C4F races, until 2023. One of the first riders from Eritrea to join a team was Aron Abreha, a young sprinter talent from Asmara, who found an employer in Team FL. Now, with 25, he won his first race and is the first Eritrean rider to win a race in C4F. He did it on the 9 December 2023 at the Tamil Nadu & Kerala International Bicycle Race, stage 6 from Ooty to Kozhikode. In Kozhikode, a spontaneous party emerged, including friends and family and - according to sources - fellow Eritrean rider Haregot Woldemariam from Big Donkey. Besides common Italian cuisine the partygoers could also enjoy indigenous Eritrean specialities served on Injera, including Tsebhi, Alicha birsen, Zigini and Zigini assa, Tibzi, Ful, Kitcha fitfit and more. Everything was accompagnied with traditional coffee (Bun) or tea (Shahi). Of course, Eritrean drinks like Siwa, Mess, Daga, Caticala or Abake (for Muslims) fostered the good mood. And in the middle of everything was Aron Abreha, happily enjoying the festivities and answering the questions from journalists. Unfortunately, he got a bit too much Siwa (ok before the rest day) and started answering the questions in Tigrinya. Asked how he won the race, his answer was: ክሳብ ሕጂ ስትራተጂ ቅጽበታዊ ውድድር ድኹም እዩ ነይሩ። ሁጎ ማርክሰር ኣብ ኬራላ ዘሎ መግቢ ክጻወሮ ኣይክእልን እዩ። ስለዚ እየ ድማ እንታይ ክገብር ከም ዘለኒ ባዕለይ ወሲነ። ጽቡቕ ኣፍንጫ ነይሩኒ ኣዝየ ድማ ዕጉብ እየ። ንኤርትራ በረድ ሰቢረ ምህላወይ ሕቡን እየ። ኣብዚ’ዩ ንብዙሕ ካልእ ዓወታት! ካብ ታሕቲ ንላዕሊ!
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Colour of 2024
Team FL has chosen green as its colour of 2024. Why? Read the text you lazy bugger.
2024 arrived and the Team FL refresh is complete. as last of the "old" generation, Przemsl..., Przszzczw..., ehm the polish tounge twister left the Liechtenstein cycling team while the African revolution is ongoing in the team roster. Latest addition is Thierry Tiendrébéogo from Burkina Faso. So, most flags of our riders' nationalities have green in it. No blue, no red, no yellow. Green. The colour, eritrean rider Aron Abreha has in his flag too and hence was more than happy to win green with 3 stage wins in the december tour 2023: Tamil Nadu & Kerala International Bicycle Race (TN&KIBR). So, green is Team FL's colour for 2024. Green is also the colour of hope and hope dies last, as it is known. The hope for a succesful start into the new year (the team is still on vacation), a successful spring classics season, a successful Giro, the heck, a succesful year. And the hope is, that Thierry Tiendrébéogo may contribute to that success as a valuable helper on hilly terrain and in the Giro. Happy green 2024!
Team FL has chosen green as its colour of 2024. Why? Read the text you lazy bugger.
2024 arrived and the Team FL refresh is complete. as last of the "old" generation, Przemsl..., Przszzczw..., ehm the polish tounge twister left the Liechtenstein cycling team while the African revolution is ongoing in the team roster. Latest addition is Thierry Tiendrébéogo from Burkina Faso. So, most flags of our riders' nationalities have green in it. No blue, no red, no yellow. Green. The colour, eritrean rider Aron Abreha has in his flag too and hence was more than happy to win green with 3 stage wins in the december tour 2023: Tamil Nadu & Kerala International Bicycle Race (TN&KIBR). So, green is Team FL's colour for 2024. Green is also the colour of hope and hope dies last, as it is known. The hope for a succesful start into the new year (the team is still on vacation), a successful spring classics season, a successful Giro, the heck, a succesful year. And the hope is, that Thierry Tiendrébéogo may contribute to that success as a valuable helper on hilly terrain and in the Giro. Happy green 2024!
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Spiridon secures solo success
After 136 km, Spiridon Sprenger won the Gravel and Tar classic solo with a succesful late attack.
Team FL celebrated its first race win in 2024 in New Zealand. At the Gravel and Tar classic, Spiridon Sprenger crossed the finish line first. In the short but intense race, Team FL's routinier and angry bird Holger Hässig hat a good eye and followed an early attack to represent his colours in the escape group. In the peloton, it were r Quick and enzano veloclub who controlled the tempo, while Holger found himself among riders from S L Benfina, Giotti Victoria and Fraegg. 40 km before the finish line, it was r Quick who stopped playing games and got serious with a hard split on a slightly steep gravel part. With the 7% hill waiting at km 126, this looked like a superb groundwork for Maximiliano Montealegre (r Quick) and maybe Ronny Weller (Fraegg). For Team FL, Spiridon Sprenger and pavé leader Tsefaye Tsegaye were still present in the group of favourites, still feeling good. So good in fact, that at km 118, Tsegaye got rid of the two classic riders and their helpers with a courageous effort. Only his teammate Sprenger, two rider from Giotti Victoria, Abdelhafid Messaoudi (Fraegg) and Ricardo Santinho (S L Benfica) could follow the pace that he continued with the help of Klaus Meiers (Giotti Victoria), to increas the gap against the classic riders from r Quick and Fraegg. While Tsegaye powerd himself out for Sprenger's chances, Folke Holmstrom (Giotti Victoria) tried to attack at km 126, where he got a slight advantage. But now enough to be ahead for a long time as Sprenger increased the pace at the upcoming gravel part and successfully attacked with nobody else being able to follow him. And nobody else being able to catch him in the process. He crossed the finish line with a 14 second gap to Abdelhafid Messaoudi while Tsegaye could ended up on place 8, happy for his teammate. With this victory, Spiridon Sprenger is the active rider with the most races wins (4) for Team FL at the moment. So we proucde praise the Team FL rider of the hour: "Spiridooom!"
After 136 km, Spiridon Sprenger won the Gravel and Tar classic solo with a succesful late attack.
Team FL celebrated its first race win in 2024 in New Zealand. At the Gravel and Tar classic, Spiridon Sprenger crossed the finish line first. In the short but intense race, Team FL's routinier and angry bird Holger Hässig hat a good eye and followed an early attack to represent his colours in the escape group. In the peloton, it were r Quick and enzano veloclub who controlled the tempo, while Holger found himself among riders from S L Benfina, Giotti Victoria and Fraegg. 40 km before the finish line, it was r Quick who stopped playing games and got serious with a hard split on a slightly steep gravel part. With the 7% hill waiting at km 126, this looked like a superb groundwork for Maximiliano Montealegre (r Quick) and maybe Ronny Weller (Fraegg). For Team FL, Spiridon Sprenger and pavé leader Tsefaye Tsegaye were still present in the group of favourites, still feeling good. So good in fact, that at km 118, Tsegaye got rid of the two classic riders and their helpers with a courageous effort. Only his teammate Sprenger, two rider from Giotti Victoria, Abdelhafid Messaoudi (Fraegg) and Ricardo Santinho (S L Benfica) could follow the pace that he continued with the help of Klaus Meiers (Giotti Victoria), to increas the gap against the classic riders from r Quick and Fraegg. While Tsegaye powerd himself out for Sprenger's chances, Folke Holmstrom (Giotti Victoria) tried to attack at km 126, where he got a slight advantage. But now enough to be ahead for a long time as Sprenger increased the pace at the upcoming gravel part and successfully attacked with nobody else being able to follow him. And nobody else being able to catch him in the process. He crossed the finish line with a 14 second gap to Abdelhafid Messaoudi while Tsegaye could ended up on place 8, happy for his teammate. With this victory, Spiridon Sprenger is the active rider with the most races wins (4) for Team FL at the moment. So we proucde praise the Team FL rider of the hour: "Spiridooom!"
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
First Ethiopian classic win!
Tesfaye Tsegaye won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. With his 26 years, he is the first Ethiopian rider ever to win a classic race in C4F. With 2 race wins, he's also the Ethiopian rider with the most race wins currently. Thanks go out to Spiridon Sprenger, who could have won the race himself but followed the team orders, got second and was happy for his African team mate. The race itself was very quiet in the first half, until olafcelts decided to send three riders into escape. In the peloton, it was Bearclaw Cycling that started the chase. Its impressive pavé armada including Flanders prototype Roni Kytonen domated the second half, but never got rid of the Team FL riders. They just did the unexpected cuddeling tactic and held on to the Bearclaw Cycling riders with their dear life. In the end, this tactic payed off and the rest is history.
The first race of the spring classic season has alway been a good "pavé" for Team FL. Tsegaye's victory was the 5th win for the Liechtenstein cycling team. His predecessors were: Guus Nederlof (2010), Pedro Garrido (2011), Stefan "King" Küng (2011) and Iwan Franko (2016). After the 2010-2012 hattrick and Franko's win in 2016, it's been time after 8 years without winning Omloop.Surprisingly, it was one of the few races, Pierluigi Piano, the Kind of Flanders, could not win in 2023.
Tesfaye Tsegaye won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. With his 26 years, he is the first Ethiopian rider ever to win a classic race in C4F. With 2 race wins, he's also the Ethiopian rider with the most race wins currently. Thanks go out to Spiridon Sprenger, who could have won the race himself but followed the team orders, got second and was happy for his African team mate. The race itself was very quiet in the first half, until olafcelts decided to send three riders into escape. In the peloton, it was Bearclaw Cycling that started the chase. Its impressive pavé armada including Flanders prototype Roni Kytonen domated the second half, but never got rid of the Team FL riders. They just did the unexpected cuddeling tactic and held on to the Bearclaw Cycling riders with their dear life. In the end, this tactic payed off and the rest is history.
The first race of the spring classic season has alway been a good "pavé" for Team FL. Tsegaye's victory was the 5th win for the Liechtenstein cycling team. His predecessors were: Guus Nederlof (2010), Pedro Garrido (2011), Stefan "King" Küng (2011) and Iwan Franko (2016). After the 2010-2012 hattrick and Franko's win in 2016, it's been time after 8 years without winning Omloop.Surprisingly, it was one of the few races, Pierluigi Piano, the Kind of Flanders, could not win in 2023.
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Adieu and arrival after an average April
The classic spring 2024 ended with an unsuccesful April, the departure of old and arrival of new rider.
First things first: No classic win in April or March. Unlucky Zuzunaga could not profit at MSR while Abreha won the sprint in the next group. Sprenger missed the win at RVV by a bike length and Tsegaye got outsprinted at PR. LBL was not on the list this year, but no luck there either. At least, Giannelli and Nkengasong could celebreate their first race wins and Sprenger won the Ardenne finale at the Famenne Ardenne Classic. Now, Team FL fully concentrates on the Giro d'Italia...
... and grabbing some money on the road before that, after spending it on a new youth prospect. But before that, two riders left the Liechtenstein cycling team. Both, the brasilian horse lung Gilberto Godoy and Swiss angry man Holger Hässig decided to end their professional cycling career. They were valuable helpers for all kinds of riders during 2023 and 2024. As helpers, they have never been first in a race themselves, but many Team FL victories built on their sweat and tears from the their work during races.
So, goodbye Gilberto and Holger, and (imaging a sultry voice) hello handsome swedish rider Sten Stenberg. You want a skill? They guy has everything. Mountain, Flat, Downhill, Time Trial, Sprint, Pavé, Regeneration. Everthing there. You look for it, you find it. But most importantly. Sten seems to be Adonis impersonated. I guess this guy might be the solution of all demographic problems of Liechtenstein too...
The classic spring 2024 ended with an unsuccesful April, the departure of old and arrival of new rider.
First things first: No classic win in April or March. Unlucky Zuzunaga could not profit at MSR while Abreha won the sprint in the next group. Sprenger missed the win at RVV by a bike length and Tsegaye got outsprinted at PR. LBL was not on the list this year, but no luck there either. At least, Giannelli and Nkengasong could celebreate their first race wins and Sprenger won the Ardenne finale at the Famenne Ardenne Classic. Now, Team FL fully concentrates on the Giro d'Italia...
... and grabbing some money on the road before that, after spending it on a new youth prospect. But before that, two riders left the Liechtenstein cycling team. Both, the brasilian horse lung Gilberto Godoy and Swiss angry man Holger Hässig decided to end their professional cycling career. They were valuable helpers for all kinds of riders during 2023 and 2024. As helpers, they have never been first in a race themselves, but many Team FL victories built on their sweat and tears from the their work during races.
So, goodbye Gilberto and Holger, and (imaging a sultry voice) hello handsome swedish rider Sten Stenberg. You want a skill? They guy has everything. Mountain, Flat, Downhill, Time Trial, Sprint, Pavé, Regeneration. Everthing there. You look for it, you find it. But most importantly. Sten seems to be Adonis impersonated. I guess this guy might be the solution of all demographic problems of Liechtenstein too...
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Italian aftermath
The Giro d'Italia is over. Hugo Marxer is lying on the Italian beach, enjoying the quiet of the day
Hugo Marxer is lying on a cosy on his loung chair at Ligniano beach and sips on his Strawberry Margherita. The sun is shining on his growing belly and slowly turnes it red. It seems that all his sorrows have been gone and nothing is able to disturb the comforting silence. His thoughts are lost in day dreams about doing another "Marxer" (what is Luigi Mastrangelo doing btw?), his days in Shanghai (is the nefarious ape gang gone forever or do they only want him to believe it?) and winning the polka dot jersey (if he doesn't care enough, he will get the red part on his upper body sooner or later...). No thoughts about Team FL, Aron Abreha's failure(s) at the Giro, the constant pressure of a incessantly demanding team management (only two wins in three weeks of a GT!). He's just lying on his loung chair at Lignang beach and sips...
Then suddenly a noise throws him back into reality. "Fuck! Who shot the Strawberry Margherita out of my hand?! Sten! I told you not to throw with the bricks!! You stupid.... Dammit!" His daydreams are vanished in an instant, the headache returns. Maybe it's the sun (he should wear a hat), maybe the Strawberry Margheritas (he should not start before noon, he knows), but most likely it's the dissapointing Giro performance that is still worrying him. Why couldn't Aron Abreha win just one sprint stage? Why?! Tesafye Tsegaye and especiall Gianni Giannelli were devastated that he could not finish their hard work. Zacarias Zuzunaga and Ndamukong Nkengasong are mocking him for not winning a stage constantly. Hugo Marxer fears, that Abreha might never be the same after the Giro. Maybe it's time to focus on other strenghts of the team?
Another noise interrups his selfdestructing thoughts. "Aaaaaaaaaahh!!! Sten!!! Not another one! Come here you bastard, I show you how it feels to get a brick thrown at your head". He jumps out of his lounge chair and starts chasing Sten Stenberg across the beach. Unfortunately, after five steps he has to stop as he feels a pain in his hamstring. Damn this young Swede and all these young riders who are fitter and more agile than he is! Before he gets knocked out by another brick to his head, he sees Eberhard "the Boar" Eberled handing Sten more bricks he dug out of the cobbled street the beach is next to...
The Giro d'Italia is over. Hugo Marxer is lying on the Italian beach, enjoying the quiet of the day
Hugo Marxer is lying on a cosy on his loung chair at Ligniano beach and sips on his Strawberry Margherita. The sun is shining on his growing belly and slowly turnes it red. It seems that all his sorrows have been gone and nothing is able to disturb the comforting silence. His thoughts are lost in day dreams about doing another "Marxer" (what is Luigi Mastrangelo doing btw?), his days in Shanghai (is the nefarious ape gang gone forever or do they only want him to believe it?) and winning the polka dot jersey (if he doesn't care enough, he will get the red part on his upper body sooner or later...). No thoughts about Team FL, Aron Abreha's failure(s) at the Giro, the constant pressure of a incessantly demanding team management (only two wins in three weeks of a GT!). He's just lying on his loung chair at Lignang beach and sips...
Then suddenly a noise throws him back into reality. "Fuck! Who shot the Strawberry Margherita out of my hand?! Sten! I told you not to throw with the bricks!! You stupid.... Dammit!" His daydreams are vanished in an instant, the headache returns. Maybe it's the sun (he should wear a hat), maybe the Strawberry Margheritas (he should not start before noon, he knows), but most likely it's the dissapointing Giro performance that is still worrying him. Why couldn't Aron Abreha win just one sprint stage? Why?! Tesafye Tsegaye and especiall Gianni Giannelli were devastated that he could not finish their hard work. Zacarias Zuzunaga and Ndamukong Nkengasong are mocking him for not winning a stage constantly. Hugo Marxer fears, that Abreha might never be the same after the Giro. Maybe it's time to focus on other strenghts of the team?
Another noise interrups his selfdestructing thoughts. "Aaaaaaaaaahh!!! Sten!!! Not another one! Come here you bastard, I show you how it feels to get a brick thrown at your head". He jumps out of his lounge chair and starts chasing Sten Stenberg across the beach. Unfortunately, after five steps he has to stop as he feels a pain in his hamstring. Damn this young Swede and all these young riders who are fitter and more agile than he is! Before he gets knocked out by another brick to his head, he sees Eberhard "the Boar" Eberled handing Sten more bricks he dug out of the cobbled street the beach is next to...
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Team FL not cycling in FL!
Over night, a scandal errupted at Team FL. You will never guess which rider left the team! #clickbait
Long story short: The Team FL management decided yesterday not to take part in this year's Tour de Suisse. This comes as a surprise, as the it starts in Vaduz, with an ITT from Vaduz to Vaduz. And even stage two starts in Vaduz. Even the Team FL management hasn't known that there is so much space in Liechtenstein, let alone Vaduz, to accomodate the Tour de Suisse for two days! And the Liechtenstein cycling team is not being part of it.
But the bigger surprise was the riders' reaction, esp. of one rider. Spiridon "Spiridoom" Sprenger announced that he could not take such a decision lightly and not represent his country in his country. Consequently, he resigned as a rider for Team FL and instead will be present on Sunday and Monday as a helper in Vaduz. Rumour also has it, that he tried to contact Hugo Marxer in Italy, but for some reason he would not answer the calls or text messages. He also tried to contact he's fellow citizen Eberhard "The Boar" Eberle, who then told him nervously he didn't know what happened to Hugo Marxer. When Spiridon told him the latest news, the Boar seemed not very shocked, when he suddenly hung up shouting something about Sten Stenberg and bricks.
Anyway, it was a sad day for Team FL. The only positive: On the same day, a new rider arrived in Vaduz (not to ride the TdS though). Joffrey Jouffroy from France join the Roster and will help to assist the team leaders on every terrain. Is this a sign that Team FL will ride the Tour de France at least or is it just coincidence? Nothing seems to be sure these days anymore...
Over night, a scandal errupted at Team FL. You will never guess which rider left the team! #clickbait
Long story short: The Team FL management decided yesterday not to take part in this year's Tour de Suisse. This comes as a surprise, as the it starts in Vaduz, with an ITT from Vaduz to Vaduz. And even stage two starts in Vaduz. Even the Team FL management hasn't known that there is so much space in Liechtenstein, let alone Vaduz, to accomodate the Tour de Suisse for two days! And the Liechtenstein cycling team is not being part of it.
But the bigger surprise was the riders' reaction, esp. of one rider. Spiridon "Spiridoom" Sprenger announced that he could not take such a decision lightly and not represent his country in his country. Consequently, he resigned as a rider for Team FL and instead will be present on Sunday and Monday as a helper in Vaduz. Rumour also has it, that he tried to contact Hugo Marxer in Italy, but for some reason he would not answer the calls or text messages. He also tried to contact he's fellow citizen Eberhard "The Boar" Eberle, who then told him nervously he didn't know what happened to Hugo Marxer. When Spiridon told him the latest news, the Boar seemed not very shocked, when he suddenly hung up shouting something about Sten Stenberg and bricks.
Anyway, it was a sad day for Team FL. The only positive: On the same day, a new rider arrived in Vaduz (not to ride the TdS though). Joffrey Jouffroy from France join the Roster and will help to assist the team leaders on every terrain. Is this a sign that Team FL will ride the Tour de France at least or is it just coincidence? Nothing seems to be sure these days anymore...
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Aron Breaks the Curse
After some Bad sprint Calls lately, Aron Abreha finally Builds up the Count of his race wins again at Midden-Brabant Poort Omloop.
And he sings:
A B C, It's easy as
1 2 3, as simple as
do re mi, A B C, 1 2 3
baby you and me baby
A B C it's easy, it's like counting up to 3
singing simple melodies
that's how easy love can be
singing simple melodies
1 2 3 baby you and me
Here is some footage of Aron performing it as a child already:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho7796-au8U
After some Bad sprint Calls lately, Aron Abreha finally Builds up the Count of his race wins again at Midden-Brabant Poort Omloop.
And he sings:
A B C, It's easy as
1 2 3, as simple as
do re mi, A B C, 1 2 3
baby you and me baby
A B C it's easy, it's like counting up to 3
singing simple melodies
that's how easy love can be
singing simple melodies
1 2 3 baby you and me
Here is some footage of Aron performing it as a child already:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho7796-au8U
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Bye Aron, welcome Alex
Often unlucky Eritrean sprinting legend Aron Abreha quit professional cycling and makes place for Alex Alailefaleula.
Aron Abreha will not be known as one of the most succesful sprinters for Team FL. With only 5 race wins in 98 races and one sprint jersey (Tamil Nadu&Kerala International Bicycle Race), he's not setting new records. Often, he was unlucky or had to admit that the competition was too good. So he could never fill the footsteps of Team sprint legends like Federspiel, Flaskjer or Ollé Ollé.
Nevertheless, Aron was an Eritrean cycling pionier. And he was the first Eritrean rider with a race win in C4F. For this, he's earned the respect of his team mates. With only 34 years old, he retired from professional cycling. He will still support Eritrean cycling as a Team FL scout.
Despite that, new Team FL sprinte rAlex Alailefaleula is not from Eritrea. He might have the same initials than Abreha, but he's a US citizen from American Samoa. He's a shot in the dark, as not much is known about the new sprint talent at Team FL. his footsteps are not those of the Team FL sprint legends, his footsteps are those of Aron Abreha...
Often unlucky Eritrean sprinting legend Aron Abreha quit professional cycling and makes place for Alex Alailefaleula.
Aron Abreha will not be known as one of the most succesful sprinters for Team FL. With only 5 race wins in 98 races and one sprint jersey (Tamil Nadu&Kerala International Bicycle Race), he's not setting new records. Often, he was unlucky or had to admit that the competition was too good. So he could never fill the footsteps of Team sprint legends like Federspiel, Flaskjer or Ollé Ollé.
Nevertheless, Aron was an Eritrean cycling pionier. And he was the first Eritrean rider with a race win in C4F. For this, he's earned the respect of his team mates. With only 34 years old, he retired from professional cycling. He will still support Eritrean cycling as a Team FL scout.
Despite that, new Team FL sprinte rAlex Alailefaleula is not from Eritrea. He might have the same initials than Abreha, but he's a US citizen from American Samoa. He's a shot in the dark, as not much is known about the new sprint talent at Team FL. his footsteps are not those of the Team FL sprint legends, his footsteps are those of Aron Abreha...
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Who shot the Sheriff?!
Team FL rider Chérif "The Sheriff" Cissé is missing. And with him, Tesfaye "The Deputy" Tsegaye.
There was a dull atmosphere over the Team FL training premises at the beginning of the week. A heavy silence dominated the locker room, where the whole roster was assembled. Well, not the whole roster. Two spots remained free: Chérif "The Sheriff" Cissé and Tesfaye "The Deputy" Tsegaye were missing. Nobody knew anything about their whereabouts. Everybody looked at Sten Stenberg and Eberhard Eberle after what happened during the Hugo Marxer incident. Both shrugged their shoulders, when suddenly the door opened.
Two young riders entered the room. Both in full Team FL cycling uniform. Now everybody shrugged their shoulders. Not shy, both new arrivals started smiling and introduced themselves as Quincy Qinnuayuak from Canada and Yossi Youshimatz from Mexico. The former an allrounder, the latter as addition to the new sprint squad around Alex Alailefaleula.
After some more shrougging, the team started its training and after a while, The Sheriff and his Deputy were only a distant afterthought. But the question remains: What happened to them? Did somebody shoot them? And if so, only the Sheriff but not the Deputy? Is Hugo Marxer behind all this, pulling the strings in the dark? And what has Spiridon "Spiridoom" Sprenger to do with it? We will find out soon..... or not.
Team FL rider Chérif "The Sheriff" Cissé is missing. And with him, Tesfaye "The Deputy" Tsegaye.
There was a dull atmosphere over the Team FL training premises at the beginning of the week. A heavy silence dominated the locker room, where the whole roster was assembled. Well, not the whole roster. Two spots remained free: Chérif "The Sheriff" Cissé and Tesfaye "The Deputy" Tsegaye were missing. Nobody knew anything about their whereabouts. Everybody looked at Sten Stenberg and Eberhard Eberle after what happened during the Hugo Marxer incident. Both shrugged their shoulders, when suddenly the door opened.
Two young riders entered the room. Both in full Team FL cycling uniform. Now everybody shrugged their shoulders. Not shy, both new arrivals started smiling and introduced themselves as Quincy Qinnuayuak from Canada and Yossi Youshimatz from Mexico. The former an allrounder, the latter as addition to the new sprint squad around Alex Alailefaleula.
After some more shrougging, the team started its training and after a while, The Sheriff and his Deputy were only a distant afterthought. But the question remains: What happened to them? Did somebody shoot them? And if so, only the Sheriff but not the Deputy? Is Hugo Marxer behind all this, pulling the strings in the dark? And what has Spiridon "Spiridoom" Sprenger to do with it? We will find out soon..... or not.
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
Re: Team FL
Search and Rescue at Bernocchi
Ndamukong Nkengasong wins the Coppa Bernocchi, while Hugo Marxer is still missing.
While it gave up to look for Cissé and Tsegaye, Team FL's latest search for former technical director Hugo Marxer brought them to Lombardia, Italy. At the Coppar Bernocchi, the search and rescue mission was unsuccessul, but Ndamukong Nkengasong won the race in the process. Team FL was accompagnied by a huge search party, who split into two groups. Unfortunately, neither of them found a new lead. Ndamukong finished the search together with Tom Gruber from Harryaner, who also had no clue about Hugo Marxer's whereabouts.
Before the race, the team mangement was even thinking about hiring a professional, but could not agree on a name. Anyway, if you have any information about Hugo Marxer whereabouts, feel free to contact the Team FL management. If you know somebody who could help, Team FL is happy about every support. Thanks!
Ndamukong Nkengasong wins the Coppa Bernocchi, while Hugo Marxer is still missing.
While it gave up to look for Cissé and Tsegaye, Team FL's latest search for former technical director Hugo Marxer brought them to Lombardia, Italy. At the Coppar Bernocchi, the search and rescue mission was unsuccessul, but Ndamukong Nkengasong won the race in the process. Team FL was accompagnied by a huge search party, who split into two groups. Unfortunately, neither of them found a new lead. Ndamukong finished the search together with Tom Gruber from Harryaner, who also had no clue about Hugo Marxer's whereabouts.
Before the race, the team mangement was even thinking about hiring a professional, but could not agree on a name. Anyway, if you have any information about Hugo Marxer whereabouts, feel free to contact the Team FL management. If you know somebody who could help, Team FL is happy about every support. Thanks!
I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said.
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