Written by your secret reporter Dries Kervel 
  
  Since vanishing in the realms of darkness, mysterious stories have arisen about the movements of Niccolo Maffia. But there will now be some light shed on this evil. He is now working as a full-time undercover agent. However, through sources even muddier that the great marshes of Caw, we have discovered his list of targets. We present you, Niccolo Maffia’s Hitlist. 
  
  B?a?ej Urbanek 
  
  This Polish superstar left his home country soon after becoming a pro. His successes started to arrive in the Netherlands, at 1 2 Cycle. The highlight of his career in the Netherlands was undoubtedly his victory in Antwerpen - Huy in Season 40. 
  Last season he made a shocking transfer to Denmark, where he found a new employer in Aesop. Did Blazej get on the Hitlist because of revenge for his betrayal? Or is it jealousy? We’ll probably never know. The 31yo still has some promising seasons ahead of him, but will Niccolo Maffia get to him first? 
  
  Sherlock Toll 
  
  Obviously a guy named Sherlock needs to be spied on. In season 41, he won two Awards, for Best Sprinter, and Best Tour Rider. The latter is probably also the reason why he’s on this Hitlist, because The Don refuses to admit that sprinters can be tour riders as well. There is strong evidence that Niccolo has already hindered Toll in his races last season, as he only managed one victory and failed to win the SC of Germany Tour. 4th in Season 40, 6th in Season 41, 101st in Season 42. Are the days of Sherlock Toll over or will he make a comeback? What’s sure is that Maffia will be following every move he makes. 
  
  Dominic Haidegger 
  
  A German philosopher in Iran is surely curious enough of a thing to investigate. But a talented downhiller on Team Oasis is definitely not weird. Season 38 was his most successful season by far with three victories, resulting in the Award for Best Downhiller. But Haideggers career has often been hindered by having to share the spotlight with many other captain-worthy downhillers. Season 41 saw him rise again, but Season 42 was a season of second places. However, this might have had to do with the involvement of Niccolo. Or will his cunning manager be able to strike a deal with the devil? 
  
  Eleonor Berka 
  
  Well, Niccolo’s boss sure

doesn’t seem to like downhillers an awful lot. Another legend of the trade on this list. Originating from a family of aristocrats, Eleonor Berka was 22 when he moved to neighboring Poland to pursue a career in cycling. He was picked up by Simon de Montfoort, who managed to get the most out of Berka’s talents. He managed to win more than a few downhill races and was crowned Best Downhiller in Season 36. Season 42 however, was arguably his best ever season and at the age of 34, he has received his second Award. A possible reason for him being on this list is that Simon and The Don have been seen talking in a Czech bar in Warsaw. The results of this talk might have been too important for The Don to not keep an eye on things. This might also explain Berka’s second youth. If only we had functioning doping authorities... 
  
  Birk Backe 
  
  This young Swede is a promising member of Team Unibet, one of the silent giants of OCM. After a top-100 finish in the OCM rankings in Season 42, he has now started Season 43 as hot as you can get, winning on home turf while finishing third in Portugal. As a pure climber, he might have a very bright future ahead of him. Why would such a bright young prospect be on a Maffia Hitlist? One theory could be that The Don sees him as competition. But it is also a well-kept secret that The Don loves camping in Sweden, so he might just have sent Maffia around the country to check for new spots to put up his tent, making up an excuse to keep up his status. 
  
  Theofanis Anastasakis 
  
  It is fairly obvious why this rider would be on the Maffia list. He has been a pain to The Don in Seasons 38 and 39, having to pronounce his name on the Awards. A very good U23 season saw him just miss out on getting an Award, but this cobble-monster has definitely shown he is a force to be reckoned with in the following seasons. California Mist seems to be a good team to evolve into this, being a former Breakthrough Team. Double-incredibles are rare goods though, and this means they are also valuable. Is Niccolo on the hunt for a steal? 
  
  Sepp Görgl 
  
  Sepp was raised in a Tyrol village, and this meant he was born to be a mountain goat. Trained in Poland at WestPomeranian, he soon became a true specialist. His first win was at home in Innsbruck, but a transfer to Swedens Skogs Riders revealed that he was destined for even greater things. In Season 41, he won Alpe D’Huez

Classic, and could write his name among the OCM climbing-greats. However, he is a man of moments, and through huge stretches of every season he disappears to his village in Tyrol. Some say he takes up his hobby of yodeling there. This would also explain his presence on a hitlist. 
  
  Erik Roney 
  
  Erik Roney is one of those riders that you probably never heard of, but has steadily built quite a decent amount of results. He is also one of those riders that have truly been pivotal for their team’s history. He’s been with Crouch End right from the start, and got the vast majority of the results for this small English team. A steady rise to Division 5 followed and in Season 41, Roney almost won Bali Classic. Season 43 saw him win 3 races and at the age of 33, he still looks to be comfortable carrying the team on his shoulders. But will he be as comfortable knowing that Big Niccolo is watching him? 
  
  Jesse Goossens 
  
  One of the loyal servants of Indurain Team, his value is not only visible through results. When he was still racing in the Netherlands at Il Grillo he would still win the occasional race, and even a rare Division 1 race, but his career seems to have come to a halt. But there are always opportunities. In Season 42, he got them in two division 1 classics, and at the age of 25, a 7th and 8th place is not bad at all. Is this the little push that Goosens needs to get him to the next level? Only time will tell, but let’s hope Maffia won’t push him in a different direction. 
  
  Remi Guttormsen 
  
  The final rider on this list comes from the land of fjords and lutefisk. Our little Remi has to live in England however, and this might make him feel lonely. His stats look better than the results he has to show for them. There is only one race that makes him feel good, and it’s Auch Sprints, where he got his only two wins. But most of his time, he has to serve better riders in their pursuit of victory. These riders are often undervalued, but it’s not exactly heartwarming that there still is room for one of them on Maffia’s Hitlist. Let’s hope he’s just a part of the Norwegian smuggle-network. 
  
  Our shady sources have confirmed that there will be reasonably regular updates on this list. You might even want to contact Don Hamstre if you have any suggestions for riders that need to be featured at some point