The last few years, Carlsberg has gone for a very all or nothing approach when it comes to talents. They signed Matthias Skjelmose Jensen before the 2022 season, and Tobias Lund Andresen last year, but otherwise haven't sprung for anyone of note in recent years, in an attempt to focus on their current roster. This year, the core they signed in the late 2010's is finally starting to show it's age, and a decision was made to focus on developing the next crop of young Danes (and others). While there are no world-beaters among them, they will hopefully form the backbone of the team for years to come.
Simon Dalby | $275,000 | Climber | Lvl. 1.00
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Dalby is the highest priced talent Carlsberg signed this year, thanks to the significant competition for his services, which lasted from day 1 of transfers almost until the end of the period. While the sticker shock is therefore a bit high for his projected ability, he is a pure climber with a lot of talent who could cause a lot of chaos in GT breakaways in the future. His development could go a bunch of different ways, but this is one idea which accentuates his current skillset. He joins DK Zalgiris on loan for his neo-pro season.
Lewis Askey | $90,000 | Cobbles | Lvl. 3.55
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Carlsberg went into this offseason hoping to get two types of cobbles talents from FA: a future absolute leader from this year's crop of youngsters, and a slightly older lieutenant who wouldn't need an expensive 1>3 loan. The first pursuit failed, part due to miscalculation, part due to the enormous costs. The second almost failed as well, but Carlsberg shifted to the transfer market, where the 24 year old Lewis Askey was acquired for a $375,000 fee from Ekoi. He's not a perfect rider, as he lacks the strong engine of a leadout rider, which limits his versatility. But he's a strong cobbler who climbs well, and he should be a solid secondary scorer on the terrain starting in two years.
Gustav Wang | $75,000 | Time Trialist | Lvl. 1.000
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Wang is a really interesting time trialists to have on board because he is also able to handle uphills well even under intense pace. Some considerations will have to be made as to whether his development will focus on accentuating that versatility over his engine on that flat. In either case, he is a really cool rider already, and reminds management of one time Post Danmark Rundt podium finisher Andre Steensen. He signed for 75,000 and will ride with Peugeot - Bancolombia during his first season.
Robin Juel Skivild | $50,000 | Stage Racer | Lvl.
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Carlsberg didn't join the sweepstakes for the 24 year old Skivild's services when he signed his first pro contract and have regretted it ever since. This year, his previous team, Sauber, made him available, and Carlsberg had to pounce on the opportunity, buying him for $200,000. He's a typical stage race domestique who can be plugged into any race throughout the year, and he completed most of his development at Sauber, so he'll be fully ready to go by next year.
Carl-Frederik Bevort | $50,000 | Time Trialist | Lvl. 1.00
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Like Wang, Bevort is a a 22 year old time trialist with a lot of potential. He's a bit more of a traditional time trial than his compatriot teammate though. He has a huge engine for the flats and a bit of a kick as well, so he'll be great for leadouts and flat stage breakaways. He will also join Peugeot - Bancolombia for a year to start his development.
Mangus Waehre | $10,000 | Climber | Lvl. 1.00
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Waerhe is a Norwegian with a natural talent for climbing. He flaws are very noticeable, namely his distaste for any road that doesn't go uphill, he hatred for time trials, and his inability thus far to handle longer stage races. While these issues make it hard to see him keeping a PT contract long term, he gets a chance to prove the doubters wrong as a stagiare this year.
Carlsberg also welcomes Mathis Le Berre on loan from Euskotren. He will finish his development by supporting David Per on the cobblestones this season.
We spoke with team manager baseballlover312 about the Carlsberg youth movement:
"We're super excited to have brought in a selection of young talents this offseason that we think will be big pieces going forward. It's been a while since we really restocked the farm and addressed the core of our team, which has slowly but surely creeping up in age. None of these guys are huge scorers, at least not for a while, but each will serve a really important role for us, and hopefully, for a long time. It's easier to splurge on leaders when you have that security, and while it may have limited us a little this offseason, we hope it will help us in upcoming transfer seasons to have this settled already."
Very cool class of Danish talents and you snapped them up well for reasonable wages, great stuff! Askey is an absolute bargain to add onto that. Future is bright for Carlsberg
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [PT] Xero Racing
Looking at my two Austrian talents signed for a combined 170K, and feeling pretty happy. I know Dalby is probably a small tad better, and with a regional focus, but seemed to be a high wage, that could have been avoided if you had offered him a better deal early. Still a brilliant long term signing!
Askey is a really cool talent! I have been looking at him for two seasons now, without ever really getting the proper timing. The others are perfect long term domestique riders!
Very cool class of Danish talents and you snapped them up well for reasonable wages, great stuff! Askey is an absolute bargain to add onto that. Future is bright for Carlsberg
Thank you! I was quite happy with it. It's a little eerily similar to our talent splurge in 2018-2019 before we relegated from PCT, but I like having a core in hand for flexibility later.
Looking at my two Austrian talents signed for a combined 170K, and feeling pretty happy. I know Dalby is probably a small tad better, and with a regional focus, but seemed to be a high wage, that could have been avoided if you had offered him a better deal early. Still a brilliant long term signing!
Askey is a really cool talent! I have been looking at him for two seasons now, without ever really getting the proper timing. The others are perfect long term domestique riders!
It was a pretty classic miscalculation on my end. I set a limit of what I thought he was worth, moved onto other priorities when he got too expensive, then lost out on those when they got too expensive. By that time, Dalby was still open, I didn't have a ton left to do with the money, and overpaying seemed like the best option to not leave empty-handed. Pretty similar to Kamna/Aranburu many years ago, which is ominous.
Yes, I probably should have put down a bigger starting bid, but sometimes it's just luck too as far as who catches a bidding war. My starting bid (90k) for Dalby was higher than both your Austrian guys signed for, so I thought it was a pretty reasonable place to start. But the regional competition got him.
The Walls swap makes a lot of sense and Askey was a bargain. Good moves!
Hope the Walls/Rodenberg swap ends up making sense! If it's the reason I relegate, it will suck, but if not, I think I'm very happy with the opportunity to get another young Danish leader. Surprised Askey went that cheap too! Very happy with him.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
No big training for Carlsberg this year, but they were left with a little extra cash to do a little something with due to the Olesen sale, and tried to make a couple of moves that could have an impact on their scoring potential. The team prioritized training moves that would affect their riders' potential on medium mountains as well as sort of a two for one move.
Frederik Rodenberg | $220,000 | Age 27
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Carlsberg would have loved to do something a little more bold and interesting with their new sprint leader, but unfortunately that just wasn't in the budget. Instead, Rodenberg trains on hills this offseason to hopefully save a bit more energy for sprints. This also increases his Medium Mountain to 63.
Lukas Meiler | $120,000 | Age 30
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As a 30 year old who isn't a homegrown talent and has spotty energy stats, Meiler is sort of a strange training target. There were even rumblings he might be sold this transfer cycle. Instead, it seems Carlsberg are doubling down on him in order to try to get some extra scoring impact. He went for some mountain training this offseason. Despite his age and backups, he was chosen over Milan Menten because this training also increased his ability on Medium Mountains to 70.
Alex Aranburu | $320,000 | Age 30
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It's lucky for fans and investors everywhere that Carlsberg will finally not be able to compulsively train Alex Aranburu anymore after this offseason due to his age. This last training is likely too little, too late even for a minimum training, and the team likely would have been better off just saving the cash for next year. But instead, Aranburu does some work on the TT bike, with the hope that it may move him up a minor placing or two on GC in some stage race this season.
Without further ado, we are pleased to present Carlsberg - Danske Bank 2025.
Last season, Carlsberg launched into the PT top 10 due to some efficient team construction and a strong amount of luck throughout the year. This year's team looks worse on paper. It lacks the top level leaders and has a longer tail of domestiques than is ideal for success. The loss of Fredrik Strand Galta and his 700 points are accounted for only by the improvement of Mathias Skjelmose Jensen, who is more likely to get something like half that total. The decline of Asbjorn Kragh Andersen is also palpable. Clearly, the team has gotten worse overall.
As has been the case the last two seasons, the team will live and die by David Per. The additions of Menten and Askey give him a bit more support, but the calculus remains unchanged. The PT cobbles field is as thin as it ever has been, and ever will be, with great talents quickly ascending. If Per and his helpers can take advantage of this in-between period, there's a chance to score huge this year. But given that Pedersen is still superior and Per has already been a top 10 rider since joining Carlsberg, it's questionable how much better he could actually do in terms of points.
For GC, it's Hugh Carthy and Skjelmose. Carthy impressed last season, but it's almost a certainty he will see a substantial regression from his 1,000 point season last year. That said, the GT schedule this year is favorable. Skjelmose, on the other hand, is not quite at top level yet, and will need to overcome his poor stamina and find some luck with the U25 competition to score well. Gregaard and Eg have been joined by Hellemose and Skivild to make that happen.
Alex Aranburu is a question mark as always. His stamina looks to be a larger problem than ever, which makes his usefulness a question mark. The ever present questions about his calendar and lack of suitable PTHC race days also raise issues. The next generation of puncheurs has quickly caught and surpassed the Spanish champion despite his training, so he will need to overcome a bit to stay near the front.
Sprint wise, we have another question mark. AKA's decline has taken him out of his role as a flat classics rider, which means that role now has to go to Rodenberg, with only 79 sprint. The sprint field in PT appears thinner than usual this year, but the lottery can go any direction, and neither Carlsberg sprinter is a favorite.
Finally, Mathias Norsgaard may offer a few depth points in TT races, but that's about it. Carlsberg have arranged their schedule to avoid TT's as much as possible since selling Kamna, and that deemphasis stays true this year.
The team has gotten younger though. And more Danish. Those don't help on the scoresheet, but they're good for the sponsors and good for the soul. The money "wasted" on talents will hopefully pay dividends down the line, one way or another.
Overall, we see Carlsberg as a team that is likely to be in the relegation fight all year with a few similarly situated teams. Survival is possible, but will require quite a bit of fortune up and down the lineup. The good news is, we believe the team has a strong backbone now to bounce back if relegated. A Carthy sale, an AKA retirement, a few wage decreases and cuts, a couple of talent loanouts, and some Skjelmose training, and this is already almost a cap compliant PCT team for 2026. This puts Carlsberg in a better position than if they relegated over the last two years.
What do you think? Let us know down below, and be honest!
Mr. Pickles
Sporting News
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
You picked up some very interesting talents that will help you in the future, but I think your overall score will regress this season. Should still be enough to stay up (I believe, without having looked at the entire division yet) with Per, Aranburu and Carthy but lower on the table than last year.
I wouldn't really think about relegation, but I guess you never know if one or two leaders underperform. Also I'm not sure if I would call the PT cobbles field as thin, but maybe I can't quite see it from the perspective of having a rider like Per.
I see why your fearing relegation danger, but I assume this squad will be enough to stay up. And as you said yourself a relegation probably wouldn't hurt as much as in other years anyway (at least roster-wise) which shows you're on a good way of rejuvenating the squad on the go!
You picked up some very interesting talents that will help you in the future, but I think your overall score will regress this season. Should still be enough to stay up (I believe, without having looked at the entire division yet) with Per, Aranburu and Carthy but lower on the table than last year.
I think my team will certainly regress, and it likely would have regressed even if we ran the 2024 season back again since guys like Carthy overperformed so much. The hope is that I end up back around ~15th this year, but it feels like I have a few pretty risky riders I'm relying on, so we'll see.
I wouldn't really think about relegation, but I guess you never know if one or two leaders underperform. Also I'm not sure if I would call the PT cobbles field as thin, but maybe I can't quite see it from the perspective of having a rider like Per.
I guess for cobbles, I'm only thinking about it from the perspective of the very top guys. The last two years, the top 4 have pretty clearly been Pedersen, Per, Wisniowski, Gerts. Wisniowski has declined and demoted to PCT, and Gerts has now declined too. Senechal/Van Hooydonck/Spengler have clearly been a tier below unless the new engine changes that. Anderberg and/or Gamper could be trained, but not enough to actually overtake Per and Wisniowski in normal classics this year. And we're still a year away from the new generation like Girmay/Siric/Vermeersch reaching that level with training. But the competition has definitely gotten wider in that tier and it will certainly bleed into Per's points a bit. My hope is that this year is still our window to take a lots of points from cobbles.
I see why your fearing relegation danger, but I assume this squad will be enough to stay up. And as you said yourself a relegation probably wouldn't hurt as much as in other years anyway (at least roster-wise) which shows you're on a good way of rejuvenating the squad on the go!
Yeah, I was pretty scared of it before I started thinking about what it would actually mean for me and the ways I could maneuver my roster. Would still like to avoid it of course, but a year back down in PCT wouldn't be the worst thing now that we have a solid based to build from along with some fat still to trim. Relegation from PCT to CT is way more disruptive, as I discovered in 2020.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
After Carlsberg's top 10 season, the sponsors got a little bit more ambitious, and perhaps even a bit delusional, about the team's prospects going forward.
The first goal is a head scratcher. Carlsberg have zero chance to win the Pro Tour, so this is a dud off the bat.
The majority of Carlsberg's goals are unsurprisingly on the cobbles, where they have David Per leading the way again, and have bolstered his support squad with Milan Menten and Lewis Askey. They're searching for top 3's in each of the cobbled monuments, as well as a threepeat in E3 Prijs, which Per won in both 2023 and 2024. Admittedly these goals looked a lot more achievable before various factors raised the PT cobbles competition, most notably several massive trainings and wildcards for these races. They're still possible, but will be much more difficult now.
Finally, the team hopes to secure a top 10 in the Vuelta a Espana this season. Last year, they had a top 10 rider in all three GT's (and a top 5 rider in the Vuelta), although they also had Fredrik Strand Galta still on the team, who they sold this offseason. So, this year will probably be tougher. Nevertheless, they hope this will be achievable as their mandatory GT goal.
The standings goal was probably just to boost the budget this year. The cobbled goals are somewhat easy choices with a rider like Per. E3 might be hard as winning any race is difficult for most, but shouldn't be far off even in the worst case. A GT top 10 also seems very doable unless you have some very rotten luck.
Like the goal choices - Per is an easy rider to plan for
Also, looks like Carthy's riding the Vuelta - he could do well there I think
Yes, easy to plan for, but with the competition growing, who knows if I went too bold! And indeed, Carthy going to the Vuelta, but I anticipate a lot of similar riders will be there too thanks to the lack of TT km's.
The standings goal was probably just to boost the budget this year. The cobbled goals are somewhat easy choices with a rider like Per. E3 might be hard as winning any race is difficult for most, but shouldn't be far off even in the worst case. A GT top 10 also seems very doable unless you have some very rotten luck.
Standings goal is indeed just for cash since avoid relegation would be my only other goal with this roster and is worth nothing. Think winning E3 for a third year in a row will indeed be difficult, but we did need a win goal. Looking at startlists, Roma Maxima might have been the better option to avoid some big cobblers, but hard to know where everyone will end up before transfers.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
Simon Dalby 
Lewis Askey 
Mangus Waehre 
Mathis Le Berre on loan from Euskotren. He will finish his development by supporting David Per on the cobblestones this season.
Lukas Meiler 
Alex Aranburu 
Ronde Van Vlaanderen
