We select the eight stand-out acquisitions for 2015
Thursday 30 October 2014 14:12, UK
Professional cycling’s top men's teams have been busy boosting their squads for the 2015 season since the window for making new signings opened on August 1.
Here are the eight best acquisitions so far…
Including Sagan on such a list is, admittedly, stating the obvious, but this is cycling’s equivalent of Real Madrid signing Cristiano Ronaldo and has the potential to be just as successful a deal. Sagan will have cost Tinkoff-Saxo owner Oleg Tinkov an arm and a leg but, given the breadth of his talents, young age and results so far, he should be worth every euro. His 2014 season was below par by his own exceptional standards, but rejuvenated by a new team and with a stronger supporting cast around him than he enjoyed at Cannondale, Sagan will be expected to get back to his best - and possibly even reach new levels - in the yellow and blue of Tinkoff-Saxo.
Seventh at this year’s Tour de France and ninth at last year’s Vuelta a Espana, the Czech climber appears to be a shrewd acquisition for Team Sky. As well as flourishing uphill, Konig can churn out a strong time trial and is also just 26 years old, so his peak years are still in front of him. It remains to be seen if Team Sky deploy him as a domestique or hand him leadership roles in stage races or even Grand Tours, but either way, he represents a significant bolstering of their climbing ranks.
With uncertainty surrounding the future of Belkin earlier in the season, Trek Factory Racing seized the opportunity to snap up Mollema and recruit a highly competitive climber who has finished in the top ten in each of the last two Tours de France. Mollema is frequently found in the final group on summit finishes and although he has so far struggled to convert those good positions into wins, the 27-year-old Dutchman has age on his side and potential to keep improving. He is a strong option for leadership roles at stage races and Grand Tours, and is also capable of challenging for wins at hilly one-day races.
While Sagan was Tinkoff-Saxo's headline-grabbing signature, Kiserlovski flew in more under the radar but could prove just as good value for money. The 28-year-old Croatian climber hinted at his general classification pedigree by finishing tenth at the Giro d’Italia and seventh at Tirreno-Adriatico this year, but his true worth is likely to be found in the supporting role he could potentially play for Alberto Contador. Kiserlovski has already shown his aptitude in this area, having been instrumental in Chris Horner’s win at the 2013 Vuelta.
The 24-year-old Frenchman came of age in 2014 by delivering three stage wins at the Giro d’Italia (admittedly after Marcel Kittel had left the race) and two wins at the Vuelta a Espana, as well as one at Paris-Nice. With Arnaud Demare also on the books at FDJ.fr, Bouhanni was allowed to join fellow French team Cofidis, who should now see their number of visits to the podium significantly increase as a result.
Another good bit of business for Team Sky, Viviani will significantly improve the team’s sprint options. The 25-year-old Italian is not in the same league as Kittel, but he can deliver wins on his day and offered evidence of his speed by twice beating Mark Cavendish at this year’s Tour of Turkey - two of his six victories in 2014.
The 28-year-old Dutchman is a versatile operator who should strengthen Astana’s challenge in both the spring Classics and one-week stage races in Belgium and the Netherlands. The former world cyclo-cross champion won the cobbled fifth stage of this year’s Tour de France and with pave back on the menu for the 2015 race, he will be a valuable addition to Vincenzo Nibali’s support team.
Any rider who wins the prestigious Tour de l’Avenir under-23 stage race is highly sought after and Astana beat their rivals to the signature of the 2014 champion. The 20-year-old Colombian won a stage and topped both the general and mountains classifications at the race, singling himself out as one of the most promising young climbing talents in cycling. He will initially take up a role as domestique, principally for Fabio Aru, but could develop into much more than that later in his career.
For a full team-by-team breakdown of which riders are on the move and where, click here
