Written by Holger of Asymm Project as a member of the Awards Committee
  
  Few times we can see the best climbers and the best sprinters all together in the same place. Is this one of the infamous “all 3” races? Oh, wait! I can see Solomon Henschel and Fenton Sommers sharing a joke, then... this is the awards thing! I may have imagined it, as I can see a Red Lobster in a suit... the canapés are sublime!
  
  Cyclists feel at home here in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as this country is one of the biggest cycling-lovers of the world. We’re here to honour the best rider of last season, Jens Waesbergen, who again shone this season and is a firm candidate to revalidate his title.
  
  Nico Holt, Dutch rider retired this season, is a proud presentator of the first award. As usual, Best Hiller Award is given out first and, as usual, Vancil and Wajeeh are clear candidates. And the winner is... Salim Wajeeh (Equipe 44) for second time in a row! Few words, please! “This is a special thing for me, as reckons all the effort done by the team. Some may be surprised that I win this again, as they thought that the once third of the ranks was done, but being around the top 10 is extremely difficult if you are not a sprinter or a climber”. New guns arrive to the hills: runner up was Ghidarcea.
  
  Fergal Lemire Trophy, award given to the best sprinter out there, goes to... Jens Waesbergen (The Killers)! Not a big surprise, but the crowd cheers and shouts his name. His eight impressive victories were too much for his rivals: as in many sprints, he won the award with a clear advantage over the rivals.
  
  Keegan Shiable jumps up the stage to give the Best Climber award. As Holt, he also decided to retire this season, after winning one of the climbers’ classics (Alpe d’Huez). Great way to say goodbye! Dionizy Ignaciuk (adamo1999) wins! He had a great time this season as he really destroyed division 3 with his climbing skills. To prove that he can do really well in upper levels, he has already won two races this season, up to division 1.1, making his team reach Top Division.
  
  Prepared for a cheering crowd? Sieuwerd Schimmel (Team RI) wins the Best Cobbler award again! Three in a row! Titus Stauffer was a great runner up, but didn’t threaten the winner. Schimmel speech shows a not so confident

win: “Some of the managers and fans think that cobbles are not a truly competitive place. They think that the level here is so low that guys like me can win this award over and over. But I’m not that sure. I think that I can do as good [in season 18] as I did [in season 17], and being out of next year’s nominations. Pope, Rivera, Persoens and many others will show how strong the cobbles are.”
  
  A Portuguese rider is the winner of the Best Time Trialist Award. That is for sure. And his name is…Rogério Aleixo (Team Revolutie)! Celso Leitão, the other clear candidate, finishes second. It’s been an amazing season for Team Revolutie, a small breathe for Syria’s complicated situation. This is the first award ever won by an Asian team. However, neither the manager nor any of the current riders are Asian.
  
  Give me a G, give me an O…, winner of Best Tour Rider Award is Goddard Scothern (Telstra)! He was just unremarkable, and won the award with a good margin over Kondrotas. Scothern impressed in many Tours this season, and his team, is now a consolidated Top Division one.
  
  Best Young Rider Award winner looks better year after year. The five contenders of this season are, in my opinion, the best pack we ever had. To give the award we have the newest addition to the Committee: Mick of Scorpions POPRAD, who elaborated the list. A little problem with the envelope but the winner is there… it’s Rytis Kondrotas (Red Star)! He won it with 155 points, being Ghidarcea the runner up (second second place for him!) with 76 points, meaning the biggest difference of the whole Awards. Kondrotas’ season was perfect for a young star, and almost perfect for a Top rider (nominated for Best Sprinter and Best Rider).
  
  Best Breakthrough Rider, that rider that appeared from nowhere to win a bunch of points, is… Spiridon Apetri (Equipe Hollandia)! Another happy country with this season’s results is Romania, who may be in the World Tour again if they find the correct national coach. Personal congratulations to gwk, Apetri’s manager, for such a nice team building! The competition was extremely close, as Nijholt finished second by very few points (124 vs. 116).
  
  No worries, red lobster, as you are the next winner! Avery Nijholt (Emerge/Greenride) is the Best Rider Outside Top Division! Not much applause from the crowd,

as they expected Darius Yvard to win. He was the runner up, by the way. The authority giving this award is our dear Nick Lissner, willing to show that he cares about lower divisions’ development.
  
  Well, Nick, now that you are there, why not sharing a few words with us? "Season 17 has been and interesting season for the whole cycling community. The OCM organization have received financial support from unexpected sources, which enables the organization to help the many race organizers stabile races and handle the ever growing administrative assignments that follow the increasing interest in cycling. I would like to take this opportunity, to address a big 'thank you' to the financial supporters - you know who you are. You make it possible to keep cycling as an organized international sport."
  
  Oh, and give that prize that you have at your left. The other left! That one. “Best Rider of the Season is… JENS WAESBERGEN from The Killers!!!!!” He repeats with two awards! He is very happy, hugs everyone in his way to the stage, and even Nick when he’s up there. Scothern and Kondrotas, second and third this time respectively, are not that sad: they already collected an Award tonight. People in the theatre are not hiding their beers anymore, this is a national party!
  
  We’re still two to go, so let’s focus a bit, guys… Yuri, president of the Committee, will give the awards reserved for the teams. A warm applause receives him in recognition of his great work. Best Breakthrough Team goes for… Team Revolutie! We have to say that Equipe Hollandia was very close. Michieltje receives his award in deep emotion. His calculations, development, and great management put his team in the Top Division in no time. Two awards for this team!
  
  After years of Equipo Easy On dominance on top of the ranks, this season we’ve seen others taking the lead. I want to quote Jacek in the Committee’s discussion, when he wanted to nominate EEO again. He is extremely right when saying “he may be nominated for the best manager as he searched solutions actively for his team’s crisis”. At least, we wanted to recognize his efforts. And the winner is… Team Whalers! JackO, the team’s manager, is the brand new top spot holder, and with this award probably the happiest manager of the OCM right now.
  
  Congratulations to everyone!