The Official Cycling Magazine is proud to present you a new kind of articles: the “division updates”. On a regular basis, divisions Top, Zyte, third and fourth will have their own and specific reviews. Read us tomorrow if you want to get the latest news on Top Division and on day 36 for Zyte’s update. It’s almost one third of the season, and those have been the highlights in Division three so far. But not only that, many more! The community view, the overall panorama and some curious and funny moments:
  
  I proposed myself not to do an article starting with Day 1, I wanted something more dynamic, but I have to do it… Day 1 we had Wels GP in Austria. That was (aside from Monte Rosa Tour) the race which had more feedback from the community, a proof that third division isn’t a mid-division anymore. It was an excited CiderJ who, in Day 84 of season 17 and after hiring the World Tour American star Travis Plowman, opened Pandora’s box (in a positive sense). Everyone then had a good word for Division 3: those in the upper divisions that were there in the past, those aiming to reach it someday and of course those who were and are on it.
  
  In CiderJ’s words, “the teams here [in division 3] are settled enough to build up some friendships (and better, rivalries…)”. A day later he asserted: “interesting that we have some statements about top form for MRT coming out already. It seems sometimes that the managers in the higher divisions like to keep things like that as secret as possible, but it’s good I think that we are less serious about things here.”
  
  Just look at the field we had in that Wels GP. Would you believe it’s a Division 3 race? Saturnin Garrido, Ture Ivansson, Vincent Aerssen, Aksana Putin, Travis Plowman, Silvanio

Mantilla, Fabrycy Pietrzyk, etc. The winner was Garrido (so we were able to make the joke of Team Wells winning Wels GP), who later did a good Monte Rosa. He was followed by Ture Ivansson from Crescent DBS, winner of that Tour, and Aksana Putin from Asymm Project, who climbed to Zyte Division just in time to win Volta ao Porto. I would suggest (or even demand) Wels GP as an instant classic if we hadn’t just add Tour of Hawaii last season.
  
  By day 8, rumours appeared that Perm Tour could be downgraded to Division three (it is currently on Top Division) while a new Tour was going to be created for Top Division. The opinions among the managers were mixed, as some saw something deserved, another Tour for the division, but others didn’t wanted “the rejected races from Top Division”.
  
  On the meantime, some teams as Hommerts Cycling Team and Asymm Project were trying to reach Zyte Division in time to qualify for Volta ao Porto, which suited their riders better than Monte Rosa Tour, while the MRT to-be-contenders were sharing their thoughts and getting their riders in the best form possible.
  
  The aforementioned CiderJ, manager of Cider Riders, enjoyed a good time with his still-on-trainings-old-rider Garth Duncan’s victories in Torumalet, Balzers, and Terepaima, and so did team tdb with Theofilus Harding, winner in Lyon outsprinting Joselito Rangel (TKT), and repeating victory (and defeated rival in second place) the next day in Jaén.
  
  Monte Rosa stole the focus then, as the (until this season) only Tour in Third Division. From Bern to Genève, we saw an exciting challenge where Ture Ivansson (Crescent DBS) won where he wasn’t expected (the hills of stage two) and then managed the difference in the pure

mountains. Caluwé won the king stage to Monte Rosa, but that wasn’t enough to secure a podium place. Those went to Garrido (Team Wells) and Pietrzyk (Emerge), this last being the best in the mountains and winning the fourth stage. Ivansson also won the young classification. Out of the mountains, Yushua (Faustus) owned the prologue and Dehaese (TACXkin) the “parade” sprint.
  
  Taking advantage of his great form after Monte Rosa, Caluwé won the Vejle Omegn ahead of award-nominated Yannick Elssen (Team JAN). However, Elssen got even of the defeat the next day winning in Halifax, Canada.
  
  On day 26, it was confirmed that Perm Tour will be the new Tour for the division, so many teams started looking for it and getting their captains ready. Also this day, we had the first edition of a 3.1 race, the awkwardly named Mr. Madman’s Mad Race, won by Abraham Cojuango (tundra).
  
  With the new Tour and the classics coming (first one being Turnai – Turnai on day 29), the third division teams will show their strengths and weaknesses. Those not ready will be downgraded while the strongest will touch the promised land of Zyte or even Top division. Whatever it happens, the show will be epic, and your Magazine will be there.
  
  Did you know…
  that Anton Levin (karelracing) is the first Israeli rider to win in division three? He did that on San Cipirello ITT, Italy, on day 6.
  
  that Garth Duncan (Cider Riders) set the new record on getting three victories in less days (starting on day 1) for third division? He just needed 18 days to win three times.
  
  Written by Holger Czukay from Asymm Project, division 3 updater to OCM Magazine