|
GP Liechtenstein Discussion
|
| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 29-12-2025 22:36
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16635
Joined: 27-07-2011
PCM$: 14238.70
|
The report will be brought to you by Imladrik!
We head to the tiny country of Liechtenstein for a circuit like no other. 14 climbs over 240 kilometers, paired with about one bike length of flat road along the way. This is a race for the climbers, which goes without saying. Since 2012, we've regularly seen the best climbers in the world duke it out here. No time trials, no stage races tactics, no frills. Just the world's best one vs. one.
The startlist is something of an anomaly then this year, because many of the world's best climbers are not here. Traditionally, the fact that GP Liechtenstein requires only two race days meant almost every PT climber could fit it in their schedules, and we'd see potential GT winners finish even outside the top 10 just from the sheer strength of the competition. But whether due to teams fearing that level of competition, or the especially strong startlist at the clashing Giro d'Italia, that's not the case this year. In fact, not a single rider in last year's top 7 have returned to repeat. While the startlist still contains some huge names, the battles for minor placings look much more open.
In general, the below list of favorites follows two principles. First and foremost, we expect the best pure climbers to win. But additionally, those with particularly strong endurance should exceed expectations compared to their short fused counterparts—both the race length and the amount of climbing will require riders to dip into the very last of their reserves.
| Mtn | MM | Hill | Sta | Res | Acc |  Herklotz | 84 | 83 | 81 | 79 | 80 | 76 |  Sivakov | 82 | 77 | 72 | 79 | 77 | 69 |  Oomen | 81 | 78 | 75 | 78 | 77 | 69 |  Phinney | 81 | 77 | 73 | 71 | 68 | 69 |  Carapaz | 80 | 76 | 71 | 71 | 76 | 65 |  Plapp | 79 | 78 | 76 | 74 | 78 | 68 |  Warchol | 79 | 76 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 68 | | Carboni | 79 | 78 | 76 | 73 | 73 | 69 |  Arensman | 79 | 76 | 73 | 72 | 77 | 68 |  Lopez Nolasco | 79 | 75 | 71 | 72 | 71 | 70 |  Schlegel | 79 | 78 | 77 | 71 | 74 | 75 |  Leemreize | 79 | 78 | 76 | 70 | 74 | 72 |  Gregaard | 78 | 75 | 71 | 78 | 75 | 70 | | Eenkhoorn | 78 | 76 | 73 | 76 | 77 | 71 | | Lunke | 78 | 75 | 72 | 76 | 74 | 65 |  Mas | 78 | 78 | 77 | 74 | 74 | 77 |  Frankiny | 78 | 77 | 76 | 72 | 75 | 75 |  Chaiyasombat | 78 | 76 | 74 | 71 | 75 | 74 |
The outright favorite is clearly Silvio Herklotz. The 2023 winner skipped last year's edition, but he's returned to a much more favorable field this time around. The German is the best climber, puncheur, engine, and attacker in this field. The only thing between him and victory is the pressure of expectations, and Herklotz has never had a problem with those.
The top returning rider from last year is Pavel Sivakov, who finished 8th and has become even stronger in the offseason. He's a strong GT rider who generally likes to flex his supreme recovery and solid time trialing ability, but here he can rest on his climbing ability alone. The one thing that may hurt is his pretty weak support squad, though he can expect Puma to control the race, so it may not matter.
Oomen similarly may not have expected to walk in as a podium favorite, but his climbing ability and strong stamina have clearly put him in that position. A trip to the podium would be a welcome site for a Lierse team more focused on the future, and he has a solid right hand man in De Plus.
It will be interesting to see how Taylor Phinney goes here. Phinney won this race in 2022, but frankly, he's not the same rider anymore. These days, he relies more on his mtn/TT combo for top results, and it remains to be seen if he still has the endurance to contest for a win after 240 kilometers. He's still a top 5 favorite in this field based on his climbing ability and experience.
Carapaz is in a similar situation in terms of skillset, though in his case, it's not a matter of decline. Carapaz has been around the block, and has always seemed to underperform his pure talent in big races. He has an opportunity to capitalize on a weak field and prove that reputation wrong here, though he'll have to do it essentially on his own.
Beyond the favorites, the field for the top 5 and top 10 is absolutely wide open. In this type of race, it will likely come down to how their legs feel on that particular day. Spectators will be curious to see how young stud Plapp does in the absence of his formidable team leader. Gazelle have brought Warchol and Carboni to maximize their chances of either having a good day, which could lead to some interesting tactics. Schlegel and Leemreize will likely be hoping for some short bursts of action, while Arensman and Lopez Nolasco would prefer a steadier pace.
Further down, Gregaard, Eenkhoorn, and Lunke are three riders who don't necessarily have chances of their own at this level very often. Here, however, their stamina could allow them to punch above their weight at the end of a grueling race. In the cases of Eenkhoorn and Lunke, one wonders if it could allow them to surpass their teams' aforementioned traditional leaders.
Startlist
Spoiler | Donovan | Mark | Aker - MOT | | Canal | Carlos | Aker - MOT | | Bakke Christophersen | Cedric | Aker - MOT | | Rodriguez | Cristian | Aker - MOT | | Vabo | Tore Andre | Aker - MOT | | Yates | Joel | Aker - MOT | | Laporte | Christophe | Aker - MOT | | Kalf | Steven | Aker - MOT | | Gregaard | Jonas | Carlsberg - Danske Bank | | Bablidze | Irakli | Carlsberg - Danske Bank | | Meiler | Lukas | Carlsberg - Danske Bank | | Menten | Milan | Carlsberg - Danske Bank | | Askey | Lewis | Carlsberg - Danske Bank | | Norsgaard | Mathias | Carlsberg - Danske Bank | | Cannister | Goldwijnn | Carlsberg - Danske Bank | | Finkst | Tilen | Carlsberg - Danske Bank | | Schlegel | Michal | Cedevita | | Wright | Fred | Cedevita | | Penko | Izidor | Cedevita | | Stojnic | Veljko | Cedevita | | Poljanec | Miha | Cedevita | | Fedorov | Yevgeniy | Cedevita | | Fagundez | Eric Antonio | Cedevita | | Duric | Dorde | Cedevita | | Stancu | George Alexandru | cycleYorkshire | | Skaarseth | Anders | cycleYorkshire | | Silva | Pedro | cycleYorkshire | | Bonnamour | Franck | cycleYorkshire | | Andersen | Kasper | cycleYorkshire | | Asgreen | Kasper | cycleYorkshire | | Ballerini | Davide | cycleYorkshire | | Ries | Michel | EA Vesuvio | | Munton | Byron | EA Vesuvio | | Geniets | Kevin | EA Vesuvio | | De Bod | Stefan | EA Vesuvio | | Gunnlaugsson | Kristofer | EA Vesuvio | | Pelikan | Janos | EA Vesuvio | | Onodera | Rei | EA Vesuvio | | Lampawog | Jay | EA Vesuvio | | Ioannidis | Nikolaos | ELCO - ABEA | | Agrotis | Alexandros | ELCO - ABEA | | Soulious | Zisis | ELCO - ABEA | | Sergis | Kaspars | ELCO - ABEA | | Vila | Aimiliano | ELCO - ABEA | | Koumpetsos | Anastasios | ELCO - ABEA | | Bonneu | Kamiel | ELCO - ABEA | | Kortsidakis | Michail | ELCO - ABEA | | Plapp | Luke | Evonik - ELKO | | Eenkhoorn | Pascal | Evonik - ELKO | | Bergstrom Frisk | Hannes | Evonik - ELKO | | Gomez | German Dario | Evonik - ELKO | | Mendoza | Bryan Fernando | Evonik - ELKO | | Dversnes | Fredrik | Evonik - ELKO | | Neilands | Krists | Evonik - ELKO | | Bauhaus | Phil | Evonik - ELKO | | Phinney | Taylor | Fastned | | Guerreiro | Ruben | Fastned | | Denz | Nico | Fastned | | Hessmann | Michel | Fastned | | Guernalec | Thibault | Fastned | | Braet | Vito | Fastned | | Stedman | Travis | Fastned | | Gonzalez Salas | Mario | Fastned | | Carboni | Giovanni | Gazelle | | Warchol | Bartosz | Gazelle | | Vervaeke | Louis | Gazelle | | Budenieks | Kristaps | Gazelle | | Peters | Nans | Gazelle | | Brkic | Benjamin | Gazelle | | Teunissen | Mike | Gazelle | | Ponomar | Andrii | Gazelle | | Arensman | Thymen | Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team | | Lunke | Sindre Skjostad | Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team | | Jacobsen | Tormod | Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team | | Fjellheim | Henrik Teslo | Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team | | Tjotta | Martin | Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team | | Della Lunga | Francesco | Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team | | Hagenes | Per Strand | Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team | | Madsen | Erik Nygaard | Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team | | Ssabagwanya | Samuel | Grieg-Maersk | | Gaudu | David | Grieg-Maersk | | Charmig | Anthon | Grieg-Maersk | | Kusuma | Terry | Grieg-Maersk | | Hulgaard | Morten | Grieg-Maersk | | Foldager | Anders | Grieg-Maersk | | Jansen | Amund Grondahl | Grieg-Maersk | | Johansen | Julius | Grieg-Maersk | | Frankiny | Kilian | Indosat Ooredoo | | Wibisono | Rachmad Noka | Indosat Ooredoo | | Herrera | Erick | Indosat Ooredoo | | Hefnar | Ilham Sultansyah | Indosat Ooredoo | | Mohammad | Fikri Azka | Indosat Ooredoo | | Silva | Thomas | Indosat Ooredoo | | Klahan | Noppachai | Indosat Ooredoo | | Firdaus | Prasetyo | Indosat Ooredoo | | Abdurrahman | Muhammad | Jura GIANTS | | Tiberi | Antonio | Jura GIANTS | | Castrillo | Pablo | Jura GIANTS | | Delco | Lorenzo | Jura GIANTS | | Aebi | Antoine | Jura GIANTS | | Setiawa | Andreas Odie Purnama | Jura GIANTS | | Stehli | Felix | Jura GIANTS | | Froidevaux | Robin | Jura GIANTS | | Chaiyasombat | Thanakhan | King Power | | Fung | Ka Hoo | King Power | | Conca | Filippo | King Power | | Chiu | Ho San | King Power | | Van Baarle | Dylan | King Power | | Matsuda | Shoi | King Power | | Phonarjthan | Patompob | King Power | | Milesi | Lorenzo | King Power | | Oomen | Sam | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | De Plus | Laurens | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Covi | Alessandro | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Fedeli | Alessandro | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Piccolo | Andrea | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Benedetti | Gabriele | Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam | | Lopez Nolasco | Luis Enrique | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Galvan Ramirez | Oscar Samuel | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Beltran | Guillermo Andres | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Yamamoto | Masaki | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Abolaji | Fatiu | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Quintana | Hector Exequiel | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Aguilar Mendez | Jose Pablo | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Malacarne | Alex | Los Pollos Hermanos | | Mas | Enric | Polar | | Nsengimana | Jean Bosco | Polar | | Diaz Suarez | Andy Alihonay | Polar | | Brockhoff | Jan | Polar | | Rajapakshage | Tushantha | Polar | | Ferreira | Ricardo | Polar | | Korsaeth | Truls Engen | Polar | | Durbridge | Luke | Polar | | Vader | Milan | Rabobank | | Sossa | Juan | Rabobank | | Kron | Andreas | Rabobank | | Frigo | Marco | Rabobank | | Bolor-Erdene | Enkhtaivan | Rabobank | | Van Den Berg | Marijn | Rabobank | | Meeus | Jordi | Rabobank | | Bloem | Joren | Rabobank | | Carapaz | Richard Antonio | Simba Cement - Tanga Fresh | | Azman | Muhamad Zawawi | Simba Cement - Tanga Fresh | | Vandenabeele | Henri | Simba Cement - Tanga Fresh | | Kulindwa | Lameck Marco | Simba Cement - Tanga Fresh | | Holzer | Roman | Simba Cement - Tanga Fresh | | Moiruri | Moses | Simba Cement - Tanga Fresh | | Bittner | Pavel | Simba Cement - Tanga Fresh | | Demiri | Mikel | Simba Cement - Tanga Fresh | | Leemreize | Gijs | Sony - Force India | | Broxham | Ricardo | Sony - Force India | | Hofstede | Lennard | Sony - Force India | | McCormick | Hayden | Sony - Force India | | Rossi | Diego | Sony - Force India | | Arias Villanueva | Sergio | Sony - Force India | | Allegaert | Piet | Sony - Force India | | Alben | Esow | Sony - Force India | | Herklotz | Silvio | Team Puma - SAP | | Kämna | Lennard | Team Puma - SAP | | Schiffer | Anton | Team Puma - SAP | | Stork | Florian | Team Puma - SAP | | Van Wilder | Ilan | Team Puma - SAP | | Cemazar | Nik | Team Puma - SAP | | Zahiri | Abderrahim | Team Puma - SAP | | Van Vliet | Indy | Team Puma - SAP | | Buchmann | Emanuel | Team UBS | | Barbio | Antonio | Team UBS | | Ryan | Archie | Team UBS | | Jenni | Luca | Team UBS | | Weiss | Fabian | Team UBS | | Schäppi | Martin | Team UBS | | Maciejuk | Filip | Team UBS | | Dillier | Silvan | Team UBS | | Sivakov | Pavel | Tinkoff Team - La Datcha | | Vlasov | Alexander | Tinkoff Team - La Datcha | | Bereznyak | Aleksandr | Tinkoff Team - La Datcha | | Strakhov | Dmitry | Tinkoff Team - La Datcha | | Skujins | Toms | Tinkoff Team - La Datcha | | Tikhonin | Evgenii | Tinkoff Team - La Datcha | | Zakarin | Aydar | Tinkoff Team - La Datcha | | Razumov | Nikita | Tinkoff Team - La Datcha | | Blums | Martins | Xero Racing | | Martinez | Daniel Felipe | Xero Racing | | Martin | Guillaume | Xero Racing | | Redy | Dylan | Xero Racing | | Bazhkou | Stanislau | Xero Racing | | Van Niekerk | Morne | Xero Racing | | Novardianto | Jamalidin | Xero Racing | | Andersen | Michael Valgren | Xero Racing |
|
| |
|
|
| alexkr00 |
Posted on 29-12-2025 23:10
|
World Champion
Posts: 13619
Joined: 05-08-2008
PCM$: 400.00
|
That startlist feels so underwhelming. Didn't bring Formolo here as with 78 mountain it was very unlikely for him to crack the top 20, but with this startlist he probably would have had a decent shot.
That being said, we are here to collect as many finishing points as possible.
|
| |
|
|
| knockout |
Posted on 30-12-2025 00:32
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8291
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 500.00
|
This startlist is shockingly weak. Must be the weakest Liechtenstein startlist ever?
Wish i found a way to bring Lecuisinier here but it would have cost him one of his three stage races this year without many good alternatives on the calendar. Now im surprised that Plapp/Eenkhoorn can possibly do a good job here after all.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
| |
|
|
| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 30-12-2025 00:41
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16635
Joined: 27-07-2011
PCM$: 14238.70
|
Forgot that I can also comment as a manager for this one!
I also was quite shocked by the startlist, so much so that I redownloaded the participation file several times thinking I had corrupted it somehow, and still am not sure. Crazy weak compared to previous years. Personally though, I can see why people decided to avoid it given how strong the startlist usually is. I sent Carthy (foolishly perhaps) to the Giro, and decided against sending Skjelmose here because I figured it would be useless with the heavy startlist and his weak stamina (plus no U25 points). In this field, maybe it would have been worth it.
Gregaard is our only real rider here though, and it has to be his chance for a surprise result as a leader with stamina well above his mountain and a very weak field. In theory, this race should be a true litmus test for the role of STA overall, given both its length and grueling repetition. If stamina is the decider, a guy like Oomen should be way ahead of Phinney, though daily form may affect that test too.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
| |
|
|
| AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 30-12-2025 05:26
|
Directeur Sportif
Posts: 12758
Joined: 27-07-2015
PCM$: 1961.50
|
Given how other races have gone, guess it would've been better to send Haig here. Always easier in hindsight. Anyway, hoping Leemreize can live up to his stats for a change and get a Top 15 at least. Anything else is a bonus for him as well as the rest.
Thanks for the preview!
|
| |
|
|
| SotD |
Posted on 30-12-2025 06:26
|
World Champion
Posts: 12709
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
|
Wow extremely weak startlist here! I guess I should have brought Giannoutsos here instead of the Giro, despite his recent stagewin.
We have absolutely nothing here ourselves.
|
| |
|
|
| Ollfardh |
Posted on 30-12-2025 14:55
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15062
Joined: 08-08-2011
PCM$: 11500.00
|
Somehow Oomen can (should?) actually podium this one. Thanks for the preview!
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
|
| |
|
|
| whitejersey |
Posted on 30-12-2025 15:07
|
Classics Specialist
Posts: 3276
Joined: 07-08-2011
PCM$: 300.00
|
One of the craziest PT startlists I have ever seen.
|
| |
|
|
| Caspi |
Posted on 30-12-2025 18:50
|
Breakaway Specialist
Posts: 761
Joined: 22-09-2022
PCM$: 16300.00
|
Hey, Carapaz isn't here all on his own. Useless Assman is here as well.
Looking forward to the teams first PT outing. Can we top 10, top 20, top 30?
|
| |
|
|
| knockout |
Posted on 30-12-2025 21:15
|
Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8291
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 500.00
|
Such a tough race to follow with all the overlaps rendering the later screenshots almost useless. Often was a bit of a guessing game which of the riders in the background were contenders. No blame obviously, just tough
7th and 9th are okay. After the preview i hoped for a bit more but beforehand, i would have taken this result in an instant so hardly can complain too much about this. I'm a bit regretting that i didnt take Lopez here as well as he probably would have done quite well in this weaker field. Although im not sure how PCM would have dealt with triple leadership. Odds are that Eenkhoorn might have suffered a lot because of that.
Congrats cio and even more so bbl. Gregaard on the podium is so wild!
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
| |
|
|
| Ollfardh |
Posted on 30-12-2025 21:43
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15062
Joined: 08-08-2011
PCM$: 11500.00
|
If we ignore how it happened, 4th and 12th is acceptable I guess. Congrats to those who did finish on the podium!
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
|
| |
|
|
| Ad Bot |
Posted on 28-01-2026 22:02
|
Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
|
|
| IP: None |
|
|
| Eden95 |
Posted on 30-12-2025 23:09
|
Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4649
Joined: 05-10-2010
PCM$: 1000.00
|
Shocker from Frankiny in his first real race for us. In a screenshot towards the end he was right up the front, and then just disappeared. Putting it down to his Sta I think, otherwise he must have decided to stop by a McDonald’s drive thru or something on the way to the finish.
Congrats cio on the inevitable, and also to bbl for Gregaard blowing everyone else out of the water! Thanks for the lovely report.
Indosat - ANZ HQ
"This Schleck sandwich is going to cause serious indigestion for Evans" - Phil Liggett |
| |
|
|
| baseballlover312 |
Posted on 31-12-2025 03:18
|
Tour de France Champion
Posts: 16635
Joined: 27-07-2011
PCM$: 14238.70
|
What a crazy performance by Gregaard! I suspected in planning that he could overperform here given his energy stats, but I thought that would mean ending up somewhere in the top 20. And then even after seeing the weak startlist, I hoped for something in the lower half of the top 10.
3rd is obviously well above everything I could have hoped for. Seeing him come back up to Herklotz after his attack, even briefly, was really cool, especially when his only domestique went in the early break. Great daily form luck and an awesome day in the saddle. Way more than we could have dreamed of in planning.
Thanks for the great report! Appreciate your explanations and tracking everything with the lapped riders.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy |
| |
|
|
| AbhishekLFC |
Posted on 31-12-2025 07:12
|
Directeur Sportif
Posts: 12758
Joined: 27-07-2015
PCM$: 1961.50
|
I wonder how is it that in every race barring with MVD it is my leader that is the worst of anyone on the favourites' list. Needed some luck here, got nothing. Bad month keeps getting worse.
Thanks for the report.
|
| |
|
|
| SotD |
Posted on 31-12-2025 07:36
|
World Champion
Posts: 12709
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
|
Incredible stuff by Gregaard here, proving that he is ready for training ;-)
Phinney destroyed by poor physical stats I suppose. Nothing for us here. Would have liked to see us in the break atleast.
|
| |
|
|
| alexkr00 |
Posted on 31-12-2025 11:03
|
World Champion
Posts: 13619
Joined: 05-08-2008
PCM$: 400.00
|
They all finished 
Congrats on the big result, bbl!
|
| |
|
|
| ember |
Posted on 31-12-2025 13:27
|
Team Leader
Posts: 7112
Joined: 27-03-2008
PCM$: 900.00
|
The expected winner, but then a crazy podium by Gregaard. Big congratulations, bbl, a massive result!
Thank you to both for the preview and the report  |
| |
|
|
| Caspi |
Posted on 01-01-2026 22:51
|
Breakaway Specialist
Posts: 761
Joined: 22-09-2022
PCM$: 16300.00
|
Great performance from Demiri.
Also, we've never been outside the top 10 in a PT race thanks to Carapaz 
|
| |
|
|
| beagle |
Posted on 04-01-2026 22:28
|
Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4239
Joined: 06-10-2007
PCM$: 200.00
|
14th place in such surprisingly weak field is an average result.
Congratulations to all successful managers and thanks for the report.
Manager of Polar in Man-Game
|
| |
|
|
| redordead |
Posted on 05-01-2026 08:36
|
Team Leader
Posts: 5569
Joined: 18-10-2017
PCM$: 200.00
|
Given the relative weak startlist 18th from Schlegel is pretty much a bottom of the barrel result.
"I am a cyclist, I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying." - Tadej Pogačar
|
| |
|
