OCM In Focus
With Season 14 already 10 days old, we can now turn our attention to which young riders are likely to make an impression this year and in years to come. Yes, one of the most eagerly awaited competitions of the season, Young Guns III, is upon us. In the past two years, our Young Guns have won World Championships and Season Awards. So, who will follow in Papadimitriou and Miyazaki’s footsteps and become Young Gun of the Year?
(written by HC Alpine, redop and Gradient Levellers)
Vasco Assis – 24 – redop - All-round Sprinter
In the recording industry, 'VA' is a term used when various artists are featured on a work, each of them adding their skills to produce a quality record. But 'VA' is also the nickname of redop’s Vasco Assis. Some would say that it is because of the initials of his name, but others say it is because of his impressive compilation of skills that can gain results in all types of races. Still a rider with modest experience, VA starts the season at a lowly rank of 457th, but this will surely change. His first victory was in the last race of Season 13 and having just been made the youngest rider ever to join the Portuguese setup, expectation is growing for this to be his breakthrough season.
Darrel Randel – 26 – nrk - Climber
Darrel Randel is already a well-known name in OCM world but this is not for his performance on the bike. Instead, it was his high profile and big money move from Gradient Levellers to nrk last season that caught the headlines. However, it would be wide of the mark to say that this Barbadian in not talented, for talented he is. Randel’s strength in going up and down the mountains makes him, arguably, the most impressive climbing Young Gun we’ve ever seen. With two podium places already | | this Season, Equipo Easy On may be kicking themselves for letting the best Caribbean climber ever seen get away.
Elton Lonergan – 25 – johny2 – Time-triallist
"A whiskey a day keeps the doctor away." Elton Lonergan, the lonely Kilt wearing Scotsman from johny2, is an extremely promising pure time trialist with a canny climbing ability. He had a slow start last season scoring only 5 points in 30 days but with some intense training and some luck he finished the season with 2 victories and a total of 7 results. Look out for this youngster in the youth jersey classification in the Cymru Taith tour and especially in any Time Trials with tough climbs. It’s rare to see a time trialist single-handedly carry a team on his back to the top of Division 2.
Heinrich Uttenberger – 24 – The Killers - Cobbler
From Liechtenstein to the Netherlands, a new star is rising. Heinrich Uttenberger was spotted last season for his ability on the pavé and this is where we will see him ply his trade in OCM. At The Killers, Uttenberger learned much from his mentor Arve Guttormsen, the main cobble captain of the team, who has already scored 7 victories and 16 results in his career. But now the student has become the master and this season we will see Uttenberger captaining the team on the pavé. Last season Heinrich was able to gain 2 results but he hasn’t yet tasted victory. With his ability and good support it won't certainly be long before he does.
Gerasim Shishkova – 25 – Team Wells – All-rounder
New Ukrainian star, Gerasim Shishkova , is on this prestigious list because OCM has not seen a rider quite like him before. With the ability to drop down mountains like a mad man and then sprint
| | like a gazelle, the 25 year-old is going to surprise a few this year. With 3 victories last year, he has been steadily rising up the ranks and is now the highest ranked Ukrainian in OCM. His lack of climbing ability and flat line speed is likely to hinder him in the pure climbs and sprints, but in the all round races, particularly those finishing after a long descent, Shishkova is going to win a lot of races.
Lean Ahnfeldt-Mollerup – 24 – ABK - Sprinter
Hanneken Engelborgh (Monkeys United) was mighty close to getting the nod for the YG3 sprinter, but the award was finally given to rising Danish powerhouse, Lean Ahnfeldt-Mollerup. Engelborgh may be the slightly better flat sprinter now, but we have heard that Mollerup has the potential to be the best OCM has ever seen. Already with 8 results to his name, Mollerup could well be the biggest name in OCM for year to come. The question is, will he fulfil that potential? Or have we made a mistake in choosing him? He is, arguably, the Young Gun that will be followed most closely this year.
Theodoor van Someren – 25 – Amersfoort - Climber
Theodoor van Someren from Amersfoort had an incredible Season 13, with 6 victories and 3 podiums, boosting the team from Division 6 to the top of Division 3. This year has also started off strongly for the Dutchman with 3 results in 3 races. Soon turning 26, van Someren is one of our older Young Guns and shouldn't disappoint but a key question is how well he can do the higher the team moves up the divisions? Another possibility is his future in tours. With some Time Trial training this rider could possibly be a top 9 tour contender. First however, the team needs to get him a few domestiques, otherwise this youngen might start to struggle.
(Thanks to Kremer and Hommerts Cycling Team for their research)
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