Always one of my favourite Continental teams. No riders on massive wages but still a lot of talent spread throughout the squad. We have always had a productive relationship so I am sure that we will have a discussion about some developmental loans. If you ever want an updated jersey design you know where to find me.
It was a big transfer season this year with a significant number of riders departing and an investment in a higher quality of rider. This is the first season where we haven't filled up our roster to the maximum and that's shown via a number of higher quality riders. Still no world beater amongst our line-up, but we're confident in a stronger push toward promotion with a new strategy
William Barta- 70k
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
William Barta
69
76
74
72
73
71
74
70
54
72
67
65
56
75
29
Barta arrives from IESE as a strong TT rider alongside quality uphill capabilities as well as opportunities to sprint after a tough day. At 70k, we believe that he'll be able to score even more than his 79 at the CT level from last season. Where appropriate, he'll join the TTT and serve as high level mountain support for our next incoming signing. Our American roots are also happy to positively support a very successful American.
Elias Abou Rachid - 90k
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Elias Abou Rachid
70
77
74
70
74
73
73
76
58
62
68
69
66
73
30
Rachid had been identified as a potential leader for our team over the past two seasons as we value his combination of mountain and time trialing. Representing a Mediterranean market, Rachid joins us from Everesting in the largest deal in SEE Turtles history. At the PCT level, he often supported Joao Rodrigues, but here, he'll be our clear leader, especially in stage races with a time trialing element. We hope that he can be a clear contributor in every race he sees.
Santiago Montenegro - 85k
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Santiago Montenegro
69
70
74
77
64
71
73
72
62
64
74
73
68
64
27
Joining Rachid in that Everesting deal is Santiago Montenegro, the best Ecuadorian rider to join our team. Montenegro allows us opportunities to target hilly races that were simply out of our team contribution last year. Montenegro should be our best ever puncheur, just narrowly beating out Duchesne from our first season. Montenegro's acceleration and strong medium mountain should contribute positively to some top 10 results throughout the season. If nothing else, we are happy to invest in a young Ecuadorian who could potentially become a future star.
Kent Main- 75k
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Kent Main
68
75
73
71
74
72
75
76
58
63
69
73
71
74
29
Kent Main transfers over to conclude our GC investment this season after two solid seasons at Glanbia. Main no longer needs to be the top GC rider in stage races, which should allow him a bit less pressure in the major groups. Again, Main will be able to contribute in the mountains and in the hilly TT or TTT races. We're confident we can increase his 52 CT points from last season.
Michael Hepburn- 50k
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Michael Hepburn
69
62
63
64
77
71
74
67
58
64
66
65
60
77
34
It wouldn't be a SEE Turtles transfer season if we didn't inject our team with another time trialist. Hepburn joins from EA Vesuvio and clearly knows how to contribute at the highest levels of TTTs. Clearly no expectation for Hepburn to lead our team for years to come, but at his wage and price, Hepburn was well worth the investment to strengthen our TTT and hopefully gain minor placings in a ITT or two.
Etienne Tuyizere- 55k
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Etienne Tuyizere
67
63
60
57
69
66
70
64
60
64
58
69
62
71
22
After the prologue success of the Turtles in 2024, our management only thought it would be fitting to find a new prologue talent for our team's future. While Tuyizere was originally excited to see a bid from home squad Bralirwa - Cegeka, we just couldn't let that happen. Tuyizere should max out at 76TT/78PR (a bit lower than we estimated when submitting our bid), but well worth the investment as our only level 1 rider this year. We see a spot for Tuyizere for many years to come.
Roman Senyenov- FREE Draft
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Roman Senyenov
70
62
70
77
63
68
73
65
60
68
73
72
73
63
32
As recognized in the CT draft discussion, Senyenov was not worth a wage, but he's absolutely worth a spot in our team. He can positively contribute in hilly races as a great domestique to Santiago Montenegro. While his MO isn't strong, adding a MM stat should help Senyenov's capabilities. Additionally, he's comfortable on the flat and has a SPR/ACC combo to be useful in larger groups at the end of races. No major plans for him here as he only gets one race as a pure leader, but we expect to gain free points from this late pick-up.
Lewis Stroll- FREE Draft
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Lewis Stroll
66
72
71
69
72
71
72
73
55
62
68
70
75
72
27
Stroll was our first pick-up in the CT draft and he's really here to fill up squads, especially when the road goes uphill. He's not expected to make a huge difference, but at 27, if he contributes well, Stroll should be able to earn a low wage in future years. Stroll's biggest benefit to the team is his TT quality, where he should be able to contribute where we aren't able to send our 100% top squad. Otherwise, he'll be a workhorse and maybe join a couple breakaways. Stroll knows his expectation and sees a potential future as here where he can help guide younger riders while supporting the top leader. Our leadership is also excited to welcome another Canadian rider after missing that representation in 2024.
Overall, the SEE Turtles Management is extremely excited for the 2025 season. With the exception of cobbles, this is the most balanced team to wear our iconic shell jersey. With potential stage winners in the mountains, hills, sprints, and TTs - our Ecuadorian squad should be able to find new successes in stage races across the calendar. Unlike previous years where our team failed to secure real leaders, we feel that we've stepped up our leader potential in almost every area and secured even more support in the team time trial department.
There's still room to grow in finding a true star, but development into a team that can score across the board leads our team into the season with lots of positivity.
Something strange happened with that MM on Sheffield on that pic
Darn! Was hoping no one would notice us creating a monster. Sheffield did reach out to us this offseason wondering about a hillier training regimen than we've provided him so far. No 77MM in the future, but who knows what might be in store.
The prologue crew will help pick up your expected pts so no real changes there, though Kopauf and Chavene really hurt there production in the shorter races
Rachid feels like a smart addition not as confident on Montenegro but you really only need him to top 15 throughout the season to pay his wage. Think this is a solid top 10 team just could be a nail-biter for promotion again
The list of goal races is rather similar to last year, with a few alterations. The Olympia TTT takes over the C1 race goal with a rather modest Top 10. Without realizing it at the submission point, the conflict between Tour de Romandie should also help us achieve this, even though we do have to split the TTT squad for the race. Monterrey TTT keeps its position as well with an almost guaranteed Top 5 position. We've failed to win the race and wanted to prioritize potential success and feel rather confident in this squad. A Team Top 5 goal also remains the same as we hope to have continued to learn in planning from last year. We thought we could do it last year... and we're confident again we can make it.
Changing from previous seasons, we have added our first mountain GC race to the list with Tour of the Middle East. We had to decide between Herald Sun and Tour of the Middle East and without an increase in ITT capabilities, we simply couldn't lock into a Herald Sun win. We don't think that Merchan can actually take this one, but with short stages, if there's any race he can contend in it's this one. Finally, Isle of Man ITT takes a top 5 spot. Looking at the lineup, we assume that we'll end up Top 10 without a Top 5 slot depending on who attends, but even if we don't fulfill the goal, we expect a good point haul here.
Tour of the Middle East - Win
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Didier Merchan
63
79
75
71
59
68
69
72
58
58
69
69
63
60
26
Mohammad Ganjkhanlou
73
61
63
65
63
70
70
76
62
77
79
55
74
74
28
Alex Frame
71
50
56
62
69
69
74
72
62
77
76
52
68
79
32
Kevin Vermaerke
70
71
72
73
72
75
75
70
62
65
68
64
64
70
25
Lewis Stroll
66
72
71
69
72
71
72
73
55
62
68
70
75
72
27
Franklin Joel Revelo
68
72
72
72
57
68
70
68
58
60
67
68
69
62
23
Ronaldo Laitonjam Singh
70
61
63
64
61
68
74
61
61
73
74
58
67
69
23
Etienne Tuyizere
67
63
60
57
69
66
70
64
60
64
58
69
62
71
22
Merchan really should not be the leader at any race, but we had to invest in him with our goals not knowing how transfers would go and knowing he wouldn't leave (this season). There really wasn't another option to consider. Merchan only needs to navigate one hilly stage and then a final mountain stage which shouldn't really challenge the stamina. Maybe things will go right? Probably not, but we're also excited to have Ganjkhanlou to sprint with Frame as leadout for the first two stages and find some success during the race. Our youngsters will also be in attendance while Vermaerke and Stroll can help provide stability to a the squad. We'll put our likelihood at a victory here at 5%.
Monterrey TTT - Top 5
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Kent Main
68
75
73
71
74
72
75
76
58
63
69
73
71
74
29
Atsushi Oka
73
65
66
67
74
71
72
73
64
76
76
67
64
79
30
Julian Cardona
73
64
64
63
77
72
74
68
62
64
67
62
65
77
28
Michael Hepburn
69
62
63
64
77
71
74
67
58
64
66
65
60
77
34
Kevin Vermaerke
70
71
72
73
72
75
75
70
62
65
68
64
64
70
25
Similo Nyoni
69
56
59
62
77
67
72
69
52
70
68
71
64
77
30
Joshua Kelly
73
66
69
72
74
69
73
60
60
71
72
72
62
76
29
Lewis Stroll
66
72
71
69
72
71
72
73
55
62
68
70
75
72
27
The TTT battle has gotten even stronger this year compared to last and the year before and we expect a huge fight here. Still, we bring our best possible team with extra horse power up front in the form of Nyoni, Hepburn and Cardona. We still think we have the right team balance to find success with this goal and we're glad we didn't overcommit on a win goal. We're very happy to have a strong enough team to not need to bring Rachid or Barta and preserve their days. Likelihood here for success of 90% but definitely some risk still.
Olympia's TTT - Top 10
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Santiago Montenegro
69
70
74
77
64
71
73
72
62
64
74
73
68
64
27
Atsushi Oka
73
65
66
67
74
71
72
73
64
76
76
67
64
79
30
Julian Cardona
73
64
64
63
77
72
74
68
62
64
67
62
65
77
28
Michael Hepburn
69
62
63
64
77
71
74
67
58
64
66
65
60
77
34
Similo Nyoni
69
56
59
62
77
67
72
69
52
70
68
71
64
77
30
Joshua Kelly
73
66
69
72
74
69
73
60
60
71
72
72
62
76
29
Lewis Stroll
66
72
71
69
72
71
72
73
55
62
68
70
75
72
27
Etienne Tuyizere
67
63
60
57
69
66
70
64
60
64
58
69
62
71
22
We don't have quite as strong a squad at Olympia TTT as we needed to truly split the squad to allow a strong team to also contest the Tour de Romandie with a decent TTT. The trio of Nyoni, Hepburn and Cardona will lead the team and we don't think there should be much trouble here. We hope to still contend for a Top 5, but with our Top 10 goal, we'll put likelihood at 90%. The real question is whether we should've just left Montenegro at home and started with 7.
Isle of Man ITT - Top 5
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Julian Cardona
73
64
64
63
77
72
74
68
62
64
67
62
65
77
28
Michael Hepburn
69
62
63
64
77
71
74
67
58
64
66
65
60
77
34
Similo Nyoni
69
56
59
62
77
67
72
69
52
70
68
71
64
77
30
Who else would come here? Cardona, Hepburn and Nyoni should all be close to each other, with Cardona our best shot at success we think. Sadly, we just couldn't find our way to a top TTer, but this is still a group that should have 3 Top 10-15 results. Hopefully a few of the stars decide to skip this or didn't have this on the planner. Likelihood of success - 25%.
Prediction - 3/5 Goals
Our full schedule can be found at the beginning of our HQ. This feels like our best team yet and a much more representative example of our vision. We've finally got hope for some mountainous races, especially with TTTs and are willing to put our full backing into those efforts.
Monterrey TTT should be in the bag, but on the other hand I don't see Merchan winning TOME.
That leaves three ambitious goals, which are all doable, but if I were to guess I would say you will complete one of three. Consequently, I think you end with 2/5 goals completed instead of your predicted 3/5.
Good luck
While each of our TT specialists also have to show up for a few non-TT races, the three 77/77 TTers show up together for the important races on their calendar. They appear for the Isle of Man ITT where we hope one can be on their best form and contest for a top 5, and then for every TTT on the calendar except for Tour de Romandie (due to the Olympia TTT conflict). In all the TTT focused events, they come knowing their role is to pull around Rachid, Main, and Barta to great times depending on the race. We expect these guys to be true workhorses for the team, rarely getting their own top result, but bringing our GC leaders into an ideal position for success.
German Nicolas Tivani
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
German Nicolas Tivani
70
63
65
67
63
68
78
76
56
77
78
72
68
72
30
12-Jan
17-Jan
Tour Down Under
C1
16-Feb
GP Yekaterinburg
C2
25-Mar
28-Mar
Tour of Guadeloupe
C2
12-May
25-May
Tour of America
C1
10-Jun
Frankfurt Eschborn
C2
01-Jul
Torshavn GP
C1
06-Jul
GP Plouay
C2
15-Jul
18-Jul
Euskal Bizikleta
C2
01-Aug
05-Sep
Tour of San Luis
C2
22-Aug
GP Lugano
HC
03-Sep
08-Sep
Tour de Romandie
HC
16-Sep
22-Sep
Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt
C2
Tivani represents our best sprint hope throughout the season, even with the addition of Mohammad Ganjkhanlou joining the team again in his highest form. Tivani can really handle the bumpy sprint courses well and has even made the top 16 at Euskal back in 2023. He's really looking to return to top form at the Tour of America, where he has won the Green Jersey and to finally take a win at GP Plouay, where he has won the sprint from the main group the past two years, just lost against the breakaway.
Mohammad Ganjkhanlou
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Mohammad Ganjkhanlou
73
61
63
65
63
70
70
76
62
77
79
55
74
74
28
14-Feb
16-Feb
Tour of Eritrea
C1
18-Feb
26-Feb
Vuelta al Tachira
C2
01-Mar
05-Mar
Herald Sun Tour
C2
25-Mar
28-Mar
Tour of Guadeloupe
C2
05-Apr
11-Apr
Tour de Pologne
C1
01-May
05-May
La Tropicale Amissa Bongo
C1
07-May
10-May
Tour of the Middle East
C2
13-May
16-May
Tour of Luxembourg
C2
25-Jul
28-Jul
Uppsala Classic
C2
15-Aug
20-Aug
Tour of Japan
C1
22-Aug
Milano - Torino
HC
Ganjkhanlou is very excited to attempt a full schedule as a sprint leader and he might actually outperform Tivani this year. While Tivani gets Tour of America, Ganjkhanlou gets to try his hand at Vuelta a Tachira as the lead sprint. He also takes the sprinter focused GC race of Tour of Guadeloupe, where he should be able to handle the flat field a tad better than his Argentine compatriot. Ganjkhanlou will be aiming just for stage races this year, as he avoids all one day races except for Milano-Torino, where he has to domestique.
Shoutout to Fabianski for the inspiration and formatting, heading back to the 2023 season at least!
Rachid has to take our leader role at the most important races of the year, including most of the longest races on our calendar. Rachid can handle 14, 9 and 7 days as well as anyone else on our team and think that he will gain time in each's TT efforts. He also joins the team for every mountain effort including TTTs except for Tour of South Africa and Vuelta a Pais Vasco, which he hasn't performed well at in the past. We think his best shot at a win might be Giro del Trentino, where he receives the best TTT support he can. Even if he isn't taking victories, he should bat above his weight and represent us well in each of these races.
William Barta
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
William Barta
69
76
74
72
73
71
74
70
54
72
67
65
56
75
29
Start
End
Race
Category
01-Feb
Coppa Placci
C2
18-Feb
26-Feb
Vuelta al Tachira
C2
13-May
16-May
Tour of Luxembourg
C2
22-Jun
28-Jun
Tour of Vancouver
C2
09-Aug
11-Aug
Giro del Trentino
C2
22-Aug
GP Lugano
HC
03-Sep
08-Sep
Tour de Romandie
HC
16-Sep
22-Sep
Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt
C2
25-Sep
30-Sep
Vuelta al Pais Vasco
C1
01-Oct
Hong Kong Challenge
C2
10-Oct
15-Oct
Tour of South Africa
C1
Barta was one of the toughest riders to plan for with his unique stat line, needing to be present for a few important stage races as top domestique and back-up leader, while also needing to appear in hilly races where he might make the final group and be able to sprint. We're probably most excited for his chances at GP Lugano to fight way above his weight, while he should also be crucial at Vancouver and Trentino. Really not sure how to view his schedule, but we think he's going to find his way to at least a few good results this year.
Kent Main
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Kent Main
68
75
73
71
74
72
75
76
58
63
69
73
71
74
29
Start
End
Race
Category
18-Feb
26-Feb
Vuelta al Tachira
C2
16-Mar
Monterrey TTT
C2
12-May
25-May
Tour of America
C1
22-Jun
28-Jun
Tour of Vancouver
C2
09-Aug
11-Aug
Giro del Trentino
C2
15-Aug
20-Aug
Tour of Japan
C1
03-Sep
08-Sep
Tour de Romandie
HC
16-Sep
22-Sep
Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt
C2
01-Oct
Hong Kong Challenge
C2
Main really overperformed at Glanbia due to his TT ability and strong companions and we hope the same will be true here. It's a shame that Main really won't get to lead a single race himself, but he should be a fantastic contributor, especially in the two "GTs". Main also joins the team for Monterrey TTT as we try to maximize our chances of a win there and will be aiming to be a GC leader for Trentino, Vancouver, and Romandie through strong TTT results.
Dider Merchan
Nat.
Name
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Age
Didier Merchan
63
79
75
71
59
68
69
72
58
58
69
69
63
60
26
Start
End
Race
Category
14-Feb
16-Feb
Tour of Eritrea
C1
18-Feb
26-Feb
Vuelta al Tachira
C2
07-May
10-May
Tour of the Middle East
C2
12-May
25-May
Tour of America
C1
22-Jun
28-Jun
Tour of Vancouver
C2
15-Jul
18-Jul
Euskal Bizikleta
C2
22-Aug
Milano - Torino
HC
03-Sep
08-Sep
Tour de Romandie
HC
01-Oct
Hong Kong Challenge
C2
17-Oct
Zuri Metzgete
C2
Looking back at Merchan's schedule, I'm really not sure what we were hoping for. Well, we do really hope that Merchan's energy stats don't crush him. Merchan goes to Eritrea and Middle East as the true leader as well as Hong Kong Challenge and Milano-Torino where we hope he can manage to the finish. Otherwise, we hope that Merchan is allowed freedom for individual stages at Tour of America, Vuelta a Tachira, Tour de Romandie and Tour of Vancouver while allowing the better TTers to remain in the GC. Not sure that will be allowed by management, but let's see how it goes.
Becoming less confident with our planning as we analyze it here, but do think that our boom or bust potential is high with not a ton of middle ground.
Shoutout to Fabianski for the inspiration and formatting, heading back to the 2023 season at least!
William Barta- 70k
Elias Abou Rachid - 90k
Santiago Montenegro - 85k
Kent Main- 75k
Michael Hepburn- 50k
Etienne Tuyizere- 55k
Roman Senyenov- FREE Draft
Lewis Stroll- FREE Draft
Monterrey TTT
La Tropicale Amissa Bongo
Isle of Man ITT
Uppsala Classic
Giro del Trentino
Olympia TTT
Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt
Vuelta al Pais Vasco
German Nicolas Tivani
GP Yekaterinburg
Tour of Guadeloupe
Frankfurt Eschborn
Torshavn GP
GP Plouay
GP Lugano
Tour of Eritrea
Vuelta al Tachira
Tour de Pologne
Tour of the Middle East
Tour of Luxembourg
Coppa Placci
Hong Kong Challenge
