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cycling: 5 to watch: These professionals are worth watching in 2018

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5 to watch 2018

Cycling: 2017 is behind us and the new season can begin. There will again be some winners and losers. It is very exciting to watch the development of the young talents year after year. We picked five professionals from the peloton who are still at the beginning of their careers. What leap do Phil Bauhaus (Sunweb), Kilian Frankiny (BMC), Felix Grossschartner (Bora, hansgrohe), Guillaume Martin (Wanty Groupe Gobert) and Marc Soler (Movistar) in this season? Velomotion is observing the five youngsters more closely over the coming months in the new section "5 to watch".

Five talents - one goal

Professional cyclists have turned their hobby into a profession. Nevertheless, the job of a professional cyclist is certainly not easy. Those who have made the leap to a top team can look to their future as athletes with hope. But even within the teams, elbows are extended among teammates. After all, every talented driver wants to be a captain at some point. But the path is rocky and difficult. This is exactly where we would like to accompany the five talents we have chosen this year. All of them have made headlines in their still short careers. We decided on the following five professionals because we expect a very good development from all of them, which will be exciting to follow.

Phil Bauhaus: The next German top sprinter

There is certainly no shortage of good sprinters in Germany. After André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) and Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors), Phil Bauhaus could become the next big star. In the Sunweb team, he is not currently the captain, but he is occasionally given his freedom in the sprints.

Kilian Frankiny: Already a real hero at the age of 23

2017 was not a good year for Kilian Frankiny. The Swiss only completed a few races because he suffered from bad luck with injuries. At first his heart threw a spanner in the works. After heart surgery, he started at the Vuelta a Espana. There he retired on the 15th stage from Alcala la Real to Alto Hoya de la Mora with a broken pelvis. At the age of 23, he is already a real hero for many fans. We want to accompany the talent on its future path.

Felix Großschartner: Finally in the WorldTour

At the end of the 2015 season, Felix Großschartner was able to hope for a contract with a WorldTour team for the first time. At that time he did his rounds as a stagiaire for the Tinkoff-Saxo team. Unfortunately, his performances did not commend himself for a permanent commitment. In the past two years, however, he recommended himself for higher tasks via the Polish team CCC Sprandi Polkowice. In 2018 he will be at the start for Bora-hansgrohe - and we will be there.

Guillaume Martin: Ranked #23 on tour debut

The French yearn so much for a home country winner at the Tour de France. No one has stood on the top step of the podium since Bernard Hinault in 1985. Hopes were high, whether it was Laurent Jalabert and Richard Virenque in the past, or Warren Barguil, Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet in the present. But maybe in the future we will talk about a rather unknown French class driver. With Guillaume Martin, a highly talented professional drives for the Belgian team Wanty-Groupe Gobert. Since the team does not have a WorldTour license, he must hope for a wild card.

Marc Soler: Will he save Spanish cycling?

Spanish cycling is in crisis. After numerous world-class professionals, a whole generation seems to be missing. This becomes particularly clear when you look at the age of the best Spaniards. Alberto Contador has already ended his career and unfortunately Alejandro Valverde's won't last forever either. Marc Soler is one of the few young Spaniards who could close this gap in the future. He is considered a strong climber and maybe a future classification driver.

Cover photo sources: Bauhaus, Frankiny, Martin & Soler © Getty Images / Großschartner © Bora-hansgrohe

Tags:20185 to watch5towatch5towatchbauhaus5towatchfrankiny5towatchgrossschartner5towatchmartin5towatchsolerBauhausFrankinyGrossschartnerGuillerme MartinNewsSoler

About Michael Behringer

Cycling with all its tactics, stage analyses, placements and forecasts are Michael Behringer's great passion. In 1996 he tracked his first Tour de France. Since then he has observed almost every race. His passion for cycling has been with him for over two decades. There is no end in sight.