Last year Wyss dominated the hilly races and delivered the team the well deserved promotion. This year there are other riders to perform for the team. Though Wyss should still do well in a few races.

Di Maggio is their biggest signing. The one dimensional puncheur proved to ride excellent in all divisions. He still is one of the best PCT puncheurs and will score hugely for them. Though his scoring potential is finally being shown in his wage, which is good one one hand but hurts the team obviously.

For the mountains it`s mainly up to Cataldo. He showed some great performances last year. Not sure if he can repeat this but he can do well in a couple of races. In especially the C1 mountains could work for him as the HC climbs could have a too strong start list.

Penasa and Maillet could surprise in one race or two just like second did already last year. Together with Wyss and Hollenstein he will score small points in some races.

Gatto and Fonseca are their lead sprinters. Both are not fast enough for the PCT I fear. First though can climb well over shorter hills and should grab a stage win somewhere. Also on the cobbles he could surprise in 1-2 races but this will be a tough task for him.

In general most points will be scored by Di Maggio. He will make sure, that the team has no relegation issues. Some riders behind him could score a couple of points but it`s not enough for a upper half spot. I am not sure if they have enough wild cards to max Penasa. If they can, tehy will have a nice rider next year. If they can`t, they should have loaned him to PT this season.

TomTom rebuilt his team a lot to be competitve in the PCT. And imo he has done well.

Vantomme is their biggest signing. The Belgium has proven his PCT value in last two years with lots of wins. This year he should be able to get a couple of more stage wins for sure. He belongs to the top3 sprinters in the division and could win any flat stage. His leadout train is good with Kreder and Vingerling. Both could do well on their own as well in smaller fields or tougher stages.

Van der Hugenhaben is their 2nd big signing. The top puncheur and stage racer can become a big addition. 2 years ago he was not even trained and did really well. Last year in PT and trained he disappointed a lot. TomTom surely hopes for the 2013 rider. Then they have a good 2nd scorer.

Maes as 3rd addition will do well. He is not as strong as the top 3 cobblers Baugnies, Summerhill and Vanspeybrouck, but should come just after those and in a list with a handful other riders. His engine on the flat is incredible and this should give him an advantage on the cobbles. With Verbist as helper he has solid support.

Van Winden adds a new time trial strength, which might be seen in the TT events or races like Denmark. When picking the right races for him, he could become their 4th scorer.

This team has a decent balance. Though the depth behind Van der Hugenhaben on the uphill terrain is not really there. So it`s about him only. But together with sprints and cobbles the team should do well. I actually think Van der Hugenhaben will again have a season below his stats. But in PCT this will be less extreme than in last year`s PT. So I think the team will do a top15. With luck even the top10 is possible but due to their missing depth I doubt this.

One of the most talented teams in the Man Game. This is the year they really need to promote to avoid huge problems with their salary cap.

Let`s start with Ciolek. The German is the divisions best sprinter and should fight for all those classics wins against Vantomme, Avelino or Cavendish. His sprint train is one of the best and he should be able to consistently score high.

Nerz got some mountain training and is a decent stage racer now. That said there are probably 10 better stage racers in the division, which must frustrate him. Another 1-2 years if training and he will be a good scorer though. Until then a good surprise here and there. He would do well in the Tour of America, but due to the promotion hunt I don`t think the team is taking this gamble. Bongiorno and Arndt are solid riders and should get some small points.

Kelderman is maxed and he is one of the best puncheurs in the division. His allround skills will help him to get higher GC`s in stage races as well. Very complete rider, who has excellent support in Felline, Bol and Vogt.

Demare is just one of their riders to be expected to fight for a couple of stage wins. He already should do well before beasting next year as maxed rider. Also Felline has this kind of sprint after hilly terrain and even though I don`t expect too much of him, he could surprise me and score quite a bit.

For the cobbles Daniel is able to get points here and there despite not being one of the top10 cobblers. Though his support is okay and he has the sprint in the end. Seeing that many riders are not maxed yet, this team is horrifying in future.

Surely a promotion candidate. Nerz won`t score as much as cio hopes. Others might score more than I hope/think. Herklotz had a great debut season but will have a stagnation year result wise I think. Next year he will have more value and is only level 3 then. As soon as he maxes out, he will be of huge strength right from the start and others might already fear the training on him. Top3 team for me.

Interesting team, which kept last years core and added 2-3 nice pieces.

Ben Nasser will score just like last year. He is a good puncheur and has some sprint for the final meters. Expect him to lead the team in points scoring after the season even though it might be a bit less than last year.

Kwiatkowski is an excellent addition. He might not be as good in the hills and mountains as others. But with his allround skills he should at least be able to grab a nice result here and there. He could be a top3 scorer for the team as I think Samwel will struggle this season. He already struggled last year and will even more this year.

Impey adds the great sprinting for the team. He is an excellent rider on PCT level and should grab quite a few wins and jerseys. Even some high GC results are posssible. Marcato is an interesting signing as well and will score some small points.

Bookwalter and Bodnar are nice signings outside of Africa and will surely improve the team. Not only a decent result in the Duo Differdange or in Manx Missile ITT. Also some support for the leaders.

In general a couple of nice riders but the lack of a top top rider hurts them and makes them miss the top10. They surely wait for Kudus to max and give them this top climber. Until then a top15 is their potential.

Team Bpost with almost no changes but a few in the top. Are they going to promote right again?

Van den Broeck is an excellent stage racer. Though he surely is a rider that must hate the amount of climbers in the division. He still could fight for podiums though. It`s his last season on 100% and I think he will help them to promote again. If he fails, the team could struggle though.

Other than him there is not much power on the uphill terrain. Zingle is a good rider surely but not yet a winner. He would need some training to become one. But surely he will be seen a few times on hillier terrain.

Sprinting wise I love this team. Keukeleire was an excellent signing. He should do very well for the team and grab a few stage wins. Just like Boeckmans, who will become even stronger next season, he passes the hills better than others. With Stallaert as 3rd sprinter they have an excellent trio.

Last also could do well in cobbled races. Not as strong as the best but with his sprint able to win the bunch sprints then, which could still be a high top10 in some races. But their better hope in the cobbles is Vanspeybrouck, who was supposed to be the division`s best. Now with Summerhill in the PCT he could struggle to win a race. But surely possible. Albert is a great support rider to have.

In time trials teh team lost a bit, which might have a reason in last years TTT disaster. Cornu though is still there and should do well. He could be the top favourite for the Manx Missiles ITT and also races like Denmark suit him well. Expect some solid scoring by him.

Definitely a team to fight for promotion. It`s not the strongest team in my opinion as other teams closed the gap to the relegated teams. But the balance should work for them and 3-5 solid scorers should mean a top5 result.

The year the team seems to have a top sprinter (who is yet unmaxed) the other terrains look under average. Stagnation in the uphill terrain is their problem.

First let`s look on Ahlstrand. He is already a top top sprinter. One of the divisions best and able to survive most hills and stage races. So I wouldn`t be surprised if he wins some point jerseys as well. More important though, that he is not maxed yet. Next year he would be one of the PT`s best sprinters. So it`s unlucky for the team, that chances to promote are not good.

Reimer and Kvist are solid riders. First in especially can win stages after several hills. Expect him to score consistently and helping the team a lot, while second is an excellent leadout for Ahlstrand. A duo that is hard to beat.

Some seasons ago Lövkvist was really a pain in the stage races. This year already a top10 would be a good result for him. Too strong are the opponents this year. I would like to see this team going to the Tour of America to fight for a top5 with Lövkvist. His skillset could even lead to a podium there. He should definitely avoid the HC races even though there are normally the biggest points. Not for him though.

Hoogerland has a similar problem. A good rider but far from the best. You can`t expect big scorign by him. Some late attacks to get a point here and there is possible though. Also their support is okay but not more. Those 75 helpers will bring them to the final mountain but their leaders might not stay much longer with the favourites as they do. Hermans at least should get some results due to his engine.

With Haugard and Johansson I would expect them to ride the Duo Differdange. 3rd seems to be the most they can get though this year though.

Tough season for the team. They have a nice depth. But except for Ahlstrand no winner. Reimer should do well though to fight for stage wins. But it`s up to Lövkvist actually to deliver with some points as well. Depending on race planning this team could end higher than it looks on first view. When trying to collect points in HC races though, I don`t expect the team to finish in the top20. This team could need a small rebuild I think and form a team around Ahlstran in future with 1-2 new additions for the stage races.

The team has a decent balance but no real leader. This is gonna be a long season.

Biggest addition is Jempy Drucker. He combines cobbles and sprinting and could get solid results or even a win in one classic. That said, there are similar riders out there, who even look a bit stronger plus there are a couple of top cobbler in the division, who will make it hard for him to score big in many races. Having no support surely is his biggest problem. Surely the team should have added 2-3 decent cobblers from the FA market to support their best chance to score.

Zardini is a good rider. But not a great one. He combines long and short climbing very well but has not much else to offer and will struggle against other riders a lot. Same goes for stage racers Rohregger and Zoidl, who are great CT leaders but not really PCT material.

Krizek, Schurter, Alizadeh, Wöhrer and Mat Senan are all possible riders to join breakaways on harder stages and win a stage this way. But I doubt any of those will score a lot, which will become a big problem.

For the sprints Manan and Awang are having a nice speed. Possibly even ends in a stage win. But they will not stand a chance against most other sprinters in most races.

This team is going to relegate for sure. No single point scorer and with Drucker only one rider with real PCT scoring potential. Zardini maybe their 2nd one but the competition is too tough for a rider like him. I think their depth might avoid them to finish last but they just finish one spot above then.

The depth in the hills is the first thing you realize. But is this enough to stay in PCT?

Levarlet and Meyer are an excellent duo for any hill classics. Both should be able to fight for top10`s in classics and stage races without time trials. Also their support of Juul-Jensen, Haas and Ziesler is okay. But all of them lack the ability to win the big points.

Trentin is a rider I would have loved to have as well. He combines hill climbing, cobbles and sprinting just like no other rider I think. This will surely help him to win a race. But all his individual skills are too weak to win the big races. Still a consistent scorer and with Steurs he has excellent support on the paves.

Docker is their lead sprinter. And while he won some races in the past, he is a gamble an no great scorer. His skills to go over tougher stages is okay but this might not be enough.

Their climbing is below average and won`t really score points for them. A bit better on their time trial side. Dempster is a solid bet for a stage win and togethern with Steensen or Christensen he should be good for a top5 in the Duo Differdange.

The team has very nice riders for the hilly terrain and an excellent rider in Trenin. But I don`t see a single top scorer and this hurts the team a lot. It`s tough to say but while the team looks more than solid on first view, I expect them to fight against relegation this year as most other teams have this one rider to guarantee points.

Adding 2-3 leaders to Bellis and you get a nice team.

Last year it was mainly Bellis to score for them and this scoringwill happen as well this year. Though he is no longer such unique rider as in the past. Too many hill-sprint combination riders on the roads today, which hurt him. That said, he should still be one of the better riders around. As come back puncheur Boily should deliver well. He already did last year in the PT and is a very nice rider to have.

But the biggest scoring I expect to come from Intxausti. The Spaniard was successful in GT`s even and should bring their climbing on a new level. Top 3 climber in the division and some nice time trialing as well. I expect a few stages and consistent high GC`s for him. Top10 individual ranking rider even though support could be a bit better.

As sprinters (Van Poppel) and cobblers look too weak to score anything notable, there is one rider left. Kai Reus rode for several teams already. He was always a good scorer. He is an excellent time trialist and decent enough puncheur to get high GC`s. He leads a strong TTT team with new additions Kreuziger, Grabovski, Flens etc. A team to fight for TTT wins against 1-2 other teams.

Ranking wise a sure top 10. Promotion is possible with that squad! But it could be a problem to miss out on the cobbles and sprints. But Bellis, Intxausti and Reus are a top scoring trio.

Of those teams that avoided relegation very closely last year, I like the new look of the squad the most.

More or less all leaders are new additions and mainly due to extending their focus a bit out of Africa. Ryan Eastman is an excellent stage racer and people might forget that he is only 23. He could really grow into a huge rider in future. This year he might struggle more than in recent years due to the incoming flood of climbers. But still his skills are good enough to fight for podiums, top5`s or at least consistent top10`s. So expect solid scoring by him.

With Bennett, Augustyn and Stetina behind him he has solid backups, who might fight for some solid GC`s themselves. So I wouldn`t worry too much about the mountains here.

Dan Craven is their rider for the hills and he showed his potential last season in Venchi`s promotion run. He might not be as strong as other puncheurs but he has the time trial skills to compensate this in stage races, where he will score more points than in classics. He is a bit weaker version of Rui Costa but probably stronger version than some other allrounders such as Boom, Reus etc.
With Hategeka they have a 2nd option for those hilly races, but I don`t expect him to do too well actually.

In the sprints it`s mainly about Hoffman. He is coming to full strenght, when the races are hard and long. He has a much greater palmares than you would expect probably. And he should do well for the team this year, too. Croket is an interesting rider but I wouldn`t expect consistent performance by him.

Janse van Rensburg brothers should do well here and there in time trial races or in case of Jacques as small pointers in stage races. Solid riders for TTT support for sure.

It all depends on Eastman and how much he is struggling in this years field. If he scores well. it is a nice trio with Craven and Hoffman. No top scorer potentials but more than solid. With added scoring of their 2nd tier leaders it`s good for a top10 result I guess. Could be one of the surprise teams this year.

Prio - Porto is one of those relegated teams that should immediately going up again.

Biggest news was the keeping of Machado. The 1mio rider is the most expensive PCT rider by far this season and it`s a surprise to see the team around him when he is taking 40% of the salary cap alone. At least he should dominate the mountain races and win a couple of stages and 2-3 GC`s I think. He even has good chances to win the individual rankings.

But what happens in races without him? 31 race days aren`t too many. Reis is a solid backup. The Portuguese is their big hope for more GC results even though he (still) lacks a bit to the best and struggles with his acceleration. Also Vinhas might jump in from time to time but same problems here.

Main backup in terms of scoring comes from Costa. He would be the leader for most other teams. Here he is just co-leader. He belongs to the best puncheurs and combines this with great time trialing. So for sure another top10 candidate in the individual rankings.

Also in the sprints they belong to the very best. Avelino completes the scoring trio. He is one of the best sprinters in this division and should take a couple of stages. His support might not be best but Caldeira, Coutinho and Carvalho are solid enough.

Also in time trialing (Oliveira, who could even score in other races, too, Nascimento and Goncalves) they take care of their leaders in TTT`s as also for themselves in the Duo Differdange top5 fight. For the cobbles Ferreira is okay and might score here and there but he needs another year to do something more.

This probably is the team to beat. Great leaders for most terrains and solid enough on all others. Their leaders have a good age and might lead them for another couple of years. And their talents are excellent. Some of those max out after the season and will improve the team a lot for next years PT Tour. Probably the number 1 team in PCT in 2015.

After a successful CT season the team has rebuilt strongly for their PCT campagne.

Biggest addition surely Brajkovic. Last year for Heineken he was a consistent scorer and probably a top3 PCT stage racer. Not sure if he remains in the top3 in 2015 but he at least should come close. He is very all around and should be seen in top spots often.

And he is not their only mountain rider. With Igor Anton they got another solid stage racer even though he is a much weaker version and probably struggling against others. That said a top10 here and there should work. But for those points and seeing the age, he was surely a huge overpaid rider. Pantano Gomez as 3rd climbing option might be helper mainly just like the next couple of mountain domestiques.

For the hills they added Spaniard Landa. He lacks the last bit against stroner puncheurs. But he is definitely a solid option for a result every couple of races. Just not sure if he is scoring a lot.

Guillen remains their main sprinter and he is always a rider, who can surprise in some races. But for consistent scoring or many stage wins he is lacking a little bit. At least his leadout remains the same with Cano.

Surely not an impressive cobbled squad here but the Brajkovic-Salas combo should at least do well in Duo Differdange and eventually come close to the podium or top5 at least.

In total I expect them to get a couple of good GC`s and some stage wins. Mainly due to Brajkovic though and this is the problem. They miss a 2nd big scorer. Anton, Pantano Gomez, Landa and Guillen will struggle against stronger opponents. So it`s a solid midtable team. But not more. Big problem for them is that their leaders are ageing and it`s their last season in best strength.

Another team that avoided relegation closely under the table. To avoid another scenario like this, the team tried to improve on the transfer market.

Surely the biggest signing was stage raer Jose Rujano. He is one of the best climbers in the PCT and should be able to collect a couple of top5`s. That said, the competition is high and depending on the startlist it might be everything between winning or top8 only. So selecting the most ideal races is important.

His backups are Pedraza, who showed his potential in some races last year and Moschella. First did decline already but has still some value I think. Moschella is a surprise box. The pure climbing skill is there but he has weak backup stats and this could become a problem in several stage races I think.

Becerra and Beseda are average puncheurs but more likely they are looking for breakaway success than hoping to survive with better puncheurs until the end. Same goes for 2nd tier climbers Raisin, Jaramillo and Torres.

While ignoring the cobbles the sprint squad is not much stronger than last year. Granjel Cabrera normally should deliver a few stage wins and should have a nice season. Dall Antonia and Cardoso add nice options on harder terrain but lack the punch or speed against other riders.

This will once again be a long season. The team improved a bit by adding Rujano and I think he might help them to fight against relegation. But it`s not easy. He must score huge while also Pedraza and Granjel Cabrera need to score some points. I doubt that any other might score anything big, so those 3 are under big pressure. Not a top 20 team, but they might just avoid relegation due to Rujano. Will be a close thing for them though and problem is that the rebuild might not have been enough and many riders are ageing already or in the next years.

Definitely one of the weirdest team names this season.
The team looks like a pure sprinter focussed team on first view. On second you see some exemptions. Panayotov is a good climber and could do well in some races. But he lacks a lot to the better climbers, who should dominate the GC`s.
Same goes of Ivanov and Sarmiento, who won`t score much more than some small points.

Lloyd as best puncheur impressed with some solid GC`s last season but it`s not going to be easier this year and I doubt we will see a top10 GC by him without some breakaway success.

The main focus is on the sprints, where Ricki Nelson stands out. He might not have the longest palmares yet, but I think he could be a nice surprise for the team. He looks like one of the divisions best sprinters and could deliver a couple of stage wins or even a classic. Vanoverschelde, Greipel and Soupe all could add more stage wins while the team is waiting for sprint prospect Caleb Ewan, who`s going to need at least another year to become a valuable rider. In 2-3 years he will be one of the very best.

Also the cobbles look interesting for the team. Geraint Thomas can fight for top5`s in any cobbled classic and has some solid support in Grashev and Sparling. Thomas could end as best point scorer actually in the end.

Like last year I think the team will be on the relegation spots. But it`s not impossible to avoid it completely. Thomas will need to save the team mainly. But also a couple of stage wins by their sprinters will need to get some points to stay over the line. Close thing. I fear relegation this year.

The team`s biggest signing surely is the duties of time trial star Fiedler. As one of the very best in the field, he should get a couple of stage wins for the team and eventually 1-2 race GC`s as well. Together with Balloni and Barth, they have a strong TTT trio and favourites for races like Duo Differdange and Manx Missile ITT.

Next to those it`s the sprinters that have best chances to score. Kupfernagel won the Down Under Classic as huge surprise last year but did not deliver as big afterwards. 2015 will be a new attempt by him. With Haussler they have a 2nd option for tougher stages, but it`s McEvoy, who needs to step up as well scoring in very tough races.

He will lead the team in the hilly races together with loanie Vakoc. Both should score here and there but lack the ability to score high in most GC`s. Same goes for the climbers and stage racers. Gerdemann and Silva are not strong enough to perform against the better riders and Cabreira as best climber is only support material for other teams.

The depth in the uphill terrain though should lead to a couple of breakaways and some of those will surely have success.

In general though the team is lacking a top scorer. Fiedler might come closest I think but races suiting him a lot are limited and stage wins only don`t bring biggest points. It`s up to their sprinters to overperform this season. For me a team around 25th. In worst case relegation.

Interesting looking team for sure with some nice rebuilding transfers after promoting to PCT.

Klemme is a strong puncheur with good skills in general. Last years PT races were a bit too much for him. So it`s not sure how strong he is in PCT this year. Support of Chaves is excellent even though I think he would have been better as loan to PT to fully max.

In the mountains Talansky is a nice stage racer. His problem though is the same as Klemme`s. Low acceleration. Might be crucial to see how this influences their scoring potential. With Ardila Cano, Agudelo and Ortega the needed support is given for Talansky at least.

Vandenbergh surely is a nice cobbler. But he is isolated early in many races and this way loses some of his scoring potential. Still should score a couple of points for sure.

The sprinters are a questionable issue. Gavazzi has a nice kick over hills and could score here and there. Modolo and Avila are nice sprinters but no winners. Same with Richeze I guess.

Beltran was the surprise rider in 2014. This year he will struggle to repeat this. Competition is just too strong for him.

This team could basically end everywhere from late top10 to 20th. So a very mid-table team. I hope Klemme is working as hilly leader and Talansky being a nice stage racer behind the best fighting for some top10`s. The first third of the division though is too strong for them I think and so a result around 15th would be okay. Eventually a bit lower.

Gazelle is known as the puncheur team of cycling. And it pretty much stays like this in 2015. A ridiculous number of 5 riders only has a stat of less than 70 in hills. The depth there is impressive.

Leader stays Monfort, who could repeat his good 2014 season for sure, where he impressed in some races. The addition of Pozzato is excellent. He is a guaranteed scorer with a nice skill set in hills, cobbles and sprint. Perfect combination to score high in PCT when selecting the right races.

Tanel Kangert is the needed stage race addition of the team just like Koren. Both combine good puncheur skill with time trialing to secure high GC positions. First even is a decent climber and could score in easier mountain races for sure. Good race planning needed for those as there are several similar rider in PCT this year.

Next to Pozzato it`s Veelers and Nuyens to lead on the cobbles. First should do well there. In especially when it comes to a sprint finish, where he has a nice advantage. All 3 though should score here and there.

Sprinting wise we already mentioned allrounders Veelers and Pozzato and this pretty much was it here. So don`t expect to see them in pure sprinter stages.
For time trials the addition of Gretsch was a nice piece as Westra declined a bit. Still could have some value in some races.

I actually think the team will once again come close to promotion but is going to miss out again. And I think it`s not as close as last year as the division in general became a lot stronger in the top. Monfort, Pozzato, Nuyens, Westra. The core is slowly ageing and the team might need promotion before all of those are too weak and rebuilding is needed. Top10 for this team due to their nice depth in the hilly area.

On a first view Evonik looks to possibly go through PCT in quick pace to promote to PT already this year. But what happens on a 2nd view?

Surely the big additions will be huge for them. Luis Leon Sanchez Gil might be the best alrounder in the division and is an excellent scorer for sure. He should do well in hilly races, doing well in less tougher mountain races and still has the advantage of a nice time trialing. Guaranteed points here.

The 2nd big signing is Tom Boonen. He might be ageing already. Still he is an excellent cobbler being in the top5 for sure and due to the sprint, which is also some of the best in the division, he is even a win favourite for many cobbled races and flat classics. Another guaranteed points secured.

But then the team has one problem. What comes after those two? The race days are limited for them (39/41) and the season is longer.

Siskevicius might do something in some hilly races, but he is definitely not strong enough yet for a lot of results. Geschke already proved to be a PCT stage hunter. He surely is capable to add some more wins this year. But this might not be enough points scoring as the team might need.

All other additions are good for depth but won`t be of much value scoring wise this year. Biggest signing surely Mohoric of those. He is a huge talent and will need 2-3 years to fully develop. That said, he might have some value already this year with well timed attacks.

He also is the key for the future. Boonen will decline even more. LLS will decline the first time after this year. Both should still be very nice riders in 2016 for sure, but it`s just for a very limited time now. Mohoric can improve to become the new team`s leader then. But surely some more scorers and a better depth is needed to talk about promotion. Only chance to promote right now is two above excellent performances by the leaders and a great season for the next couple of riders. More likely a safe upper part of the table and possibly a top 10. But 1 scorer too less for promotion fight.

From CT mountain train to a PCT mountain train it seems! An incredible depth in climbing but they lack the one big leader to support. Valls surely is a nice addition and proved to finish high in GT`s as helper even. But can he fulfill expectations as leader in PCT? Definitely some proper results for him but he is weaker than many other stage racers.

Same goes for most of the climbing train. They are solid helpers but no point scorers, which will be their problem this season. With Cobo as best puncheur, they might get a couple of decent results but no big scorings.

In time trials it`s about Bonnet and Vaugrenard. Both will struggle to get a top10 and the cobbles should be ignored I think.

Imo the best addition was Nacer Bouhanni next to Valls. The sprinter still lacks a bit against others but he is young and has some nice skills already. Eventually can deliver a win or two this year. The support behind him is okay but nothing special.

In total they will end late in the rankings and might even have to fight against relegation despite a nice mountain train. They need all their riders to not stop and go for their own results as well to secure some team classfications as well. Also the nice depth should end in some successful breakaway wins, which are highly needed.

Once more SN has formed a really great African PCT team even though the strongest rider are still from Europe. Almost I`d say as Natnael Berhane got some special training this year and can now challenge the strong climbers from everywhere. The Eritrean might not be as strong as other stage racers and lacks the time trial skills, but depending on the startlist I would expect some more than solid results by him.

Biggest scorer though should still be Ian Bibby. He is one of the best allrounders in the division and also has a nice sprint to fight for bonus seconds. I would not be surprised if we see a GC podium by him this year. As long as the climbs aren`t too hard and many hills are on the race as well, he could have advantages over other riders. Teklehaimanot is an interesting rider and could deliver well in some races.

In the hills Dowsett needs to step up now. He should be a far better stronger than what he has shown last year as single leader on this terrain. With the help of Teklit and Amanuel he might be a bit stronger and can podium in hilly classics.

Lagab is an excellent rider to have. He is not the best cobbler. But he climbs better than others and has a nice sprint. He looked like a overperformer last year but I am sure he can repeat his performance and show that he is just a great allrounder.

The biggest improvement though is in the sprinting. Juan Van Heerden is coming to Africa and should do well this year. He might lack some acceleration against other sprinters but a couple of good results or even some wins are surely possible. With Tosh Van der Sande, they got a nice last minute sprinter with excellent skills and some uphill strengths as well. Definitely those two will higher Bennett`s win amount of last year.

In total a team that can once again come close to the promotion spots. With some luck and nice performances of Dowsett and Van Heerden they can even jump into the top5. More likely though I think Berhane still struggles a bit against the best, Van Heerden misses the last bit and Dowsett once more is outperformed by others, while Bibby might not like some new PCT riders such as LLS. Top10 for sure though.

Challenge Accepted!
Sutty will need a huge race planning and lots of luck to avoid being last in PCT after this season. Actually I think there are 5-10 CT teams being stronger than this squad.

And this means quite a lot when seeing that there star signing of Mark Cavendish could potentially win plenty of stages and should be a top3 PCT sprinter this season. The Brit went for quite some wage though and pressure is high on him.

Other signings, that might do well in a couple of races are the climbers: De Marchi probably with the best chances to surprise here and there, while Pozzo, Lewis and Di Gregorio will struggle in the PCT. De Marchi neither a good scorer on that level.

The puncheurs are only under average just like their cobblers. Will be hard to gain any points there, which does also count to sprinters behind Cavendish. Cimolai and Opie are decent leadouts at least for Cav and even though the Renshaw-Cavendish combination sounds great, it`s not as strong in 2015.

Dave Zabriski could deliver some points in time trials even though he is far from his best. Joeaar as well could get some low GC`s but even on CT level the competition was too tough at times.

A huge problem is the high age of the team. Not only lots of average riders at best. Also not many talents with a potential to become valuable PCT riders. The experience of Voeckler might help them though.

The biggest challenge for Sutty will be to reduce Cavendish` wage enough to keep him in next years CT team. Pretty sure last this year.

One of their biggest signings for 2015 seems to be ageing veteran Bernhard Eisel. He lost some of his speed but could still be a valuable rider. He combines cobbles and sprint skills very well and if the paves are ridden slow, he might surprise just like in recent years.

But also their other leaders are basically new additions. Tvetcov and Karpets are decent stage racers but far from the best. A lower top10 here and there in a GC would already be a nice success.

Same goes for the puncheurs. Tiernan-Locke is not strong enough to fight for top results. Konovalovas and Dennis though have the advantage of a good time trial. This might help them to get decent results a couple of times. But those kind of riders are often in PCT these days and both are some of the weaker ones I think.

In the sprints the team looks to be stronger. Matt Rowe could do well, but might end in lower top10`s only I think. Their other sprinters Ferrari or Cori are nice additions but also lack the top speed to ride on the podium regularly.

This regularity is basically only with Stannard, who could be a nice rider for the pan flat races including a time trial. I expect him to do quite well in races like Denmark.

A lot of decent looking riders. Most of them would be excellent CT riders but will struggle in the PCT. It`s up to Eisel, Konovalovas, Tvetcov and Dennis mainly to score a few points. Some additions by Stannard and others will be helpful. But none of their rider is a top scorer and this will move them in the 2nd part of the table. A top20 would be a success for them. Top25 and avoiding relegation possible but I think they might go down again.

The team`s main focus are the mountains. 5 77+ climbers and to more with 75+ says enough. The depth in this department is huge. But what about the leaders?
Krasnoperov by stats should be the best and he once won the Tour of Taiwan impressively in 2012. That said, he had a year off in 2014 making some kind of come back now. And I actually wouldn`t expect too much from him. He is a very onedimensional climber, who could lose contact on any flat or hilly stage. A couple of stage top10`s imo is the best he can hope for. For GC`s I doubt he is good enough material.

But they have lots of other riders capable of decent GC`s. Nepomnyachsniy is a rider I like a lot. He is a great allrounder and could deliver some decent GC`s. That said, he is not very good in any terrain and this way might fight for lower top 10`s or higher in smaller races. But he will score consistently and might be the team`s best in the end. Former TdF winner Popovych and Kashechkin are other riders to not ignore in smaller races. Both are ageing already but might surprise here and there.

In the hillier races the team has two nice options. Prevar and Efimkin might not be the very best but should still do well in several races. Don`t expect great scoring from those though but their decent skills on longer climbs might be an advantage over pure puncheurs.

For the sprints they have to hope for Ulanowski. He is their fastest rider but could need some more training on the hills. Polivoda would be their better option on that terrain but just like Nikolaev is missing the speed then. Vaitkus could surprise in some sprints but is no longer at his best.

I am really not sure about this team. They look to have a nice depth. But they lack leaders to score enough points. Cobbles are completely ignored, sprinters might not score a lot at all. So it`s up to their climbers and in my opinion up to the puncheurs the most. Hoping for Nepo,myachsniy, Prevar and A. Efimkin to score here and there and the team could end as mid-table team but imo I don`t see them inside the top20.

Last year it was about Nazaret with some decent, some not to decent performances in the mountains and Betancourt with a huge season in the hilly races. This year sees both of them staying but two excellent additions making them a lot stronger in total.

Abal is a PCT proved stage racer and could be a top5 stage racer. Surely an upgrade over Nazaret and with 2 80+ climbers they should be expected to perform well in all mountain races.

In the hills it`s still Betancourt as best option and if he comes only close to the 2014 performance, he should once again be a valuable rider. That said some new puncheurs in the PCT might make it more difficult for him.

A nice option as next scorer could be Ventoso. Not as strong as in recent years, he is still one of the best when it comes to combining puncheur skills and sprints. Even on the cobbles he could survive with the best in easier races. That said, he is the team`s best sprinter already. So we can`t expect a lot of sprint performances by Buff - Polska and surely not in the pure sprinter stages.

Machado is a decent cobbler but lacks in backup stats to beat the best. But surely a nice option to have for those races even though his support is barely given.

An interesting team for sure. I don`t see a problem with Abal and Betancourt to consistently score. Nazaret and Ventoso need to support them and a top10 is possible. But they should struggle more against other riders in their terrain to guarantee those points.

One of the teams that shocked on the transfer market. The addition of Alberto Contador shocked many PCT managers and surely made some PT managers smile a bit. The Spaniard should be one of the top3 climbers in this years field. He is a great stage racer combining all the needed strengths and this way should score a lot and eventually finds himself in the top3-5 individual rankings. His mountain support of Iglinski mainly is okay but not superior.

For the hills it`s all about FA-addition Jeremy Roy. The team surely hoping for a stronger season by him than in 2014, where he often found himself in later groups. He really needs to score to bring the team a 2nd scoring option this year. Support is under average though for him, so he might be isolated earlier than other leaders.

With Castaneda and Manarelli they have two of the best South American sprinters. Surely they get some stage wins or podiums. But mainly in C1 stage races as the sprint elite should outsprint them in the bigger races or classics. With Mansilla though they have a potential winner after a harder stage as he is clearly their best hope to win on tougher stages.

While the name Ballan might be remembered as a very good cobbler, the year 2015 sees a decent cobbler only and it`s surely one of his last years in a long career. More than a very few good results can`t be expected and a win would be a huge surprise. Even a podium to be honest. Same for time trialists. Average only material.

Contador is scoring for sure making the team a mid-table team. If Roy decides to score according to his hill skills, the team could surprise as late top10. But I actually think Roy will have another decent only year, which kicks the team somewhere in the top15.

What you see first is the huge depths in the mountains. Loaned rider Nairo Quintana could deliver them some solid results, but in the 2015 PCT division he is far from the best climbers and so the depths of 8 75+ climbers will probably not work as good as hoped for them. Surely a KoM here and a stage win there. But for high GC`s they probably miss some more individual strength.

Their biggest addition though is a cobbler. One of the very best, Danny Summerhill, surprisingly joins the team and has teh potential to dominate all PCT cobbled classics. He is one of the top3 cobblers and also has a nice sprint and more than solid puncheur skills. Definitely THE rider to watch in this team. A bit of a problem is the low support for him. With only two more 70+ cobblers in the lower regions he might struggle to outwork other teams.

One of those is Tyler Farrar, who actually is also their best rider for the flat taes. So it`s also not sure if he even is able to support Summerhill in all cobbled races. He surely has the potential to get a stage win this season but probably not in the bigger races. Co-sprinter Brea should struggle to fight for the top spots as he is missing the top speed.

In the hillier races they miss the top rider but have a nice depth to eventually be seen in several breakaways while the time trials are definitely not their strength.

Due to Summerhill the team should get lots of points. But other than him I don`t see any good scorer. So the team might struggle in the lower regions a lot and relegation or staying mid-table depends on the amount of points by Summerhill and breakaway success.

Last year the team celebrated the biggest results on the cobbles with a duo of Eisel and Breschel. While first left the team 2nd is still in a strong co-leader role as sprinting cobbler due to the new addition of Jerome Baugnies. The Belgium is a big addition and makes their winning potential bigger. With De Haes and Kurth the support on the paves is pretty good and we will see them very often in those kind of races.

Another terrain to watch out for them are the hills. Mehr-Wenige is still riding in the AMEX colours and surely can improve a bit, while young Boswell was added. The US rider can already score here and there but needs more experience to get his last boost. As duo surely not too bad but none of them is as strong as the divisions best, so high scoring can`t be expected here.

Sprinting wise the added Nizzolo is immedialy their best chance to score some valuable points. Surely he is no big stage hunter but he should grab several solid results and a win here and there. With Grillo, Keough and Selig the depth behind him is good but those are in an area, that is often just fighting for low points.

In mountain or timetrial stages, we won`t see them a lot. Mainly 3rd tier riders for the long climbs and surprisingly not a single 70+ rider against the clock must hurt them in lots of stage races.

In total surely they added interesting riders, who are immediately being leaders actually. Should finish as some mid-table team.

Difficult to rate the own team, but I will try.

Keizer is the star of the team and got some nice mountain training. This is not making him one of the top3 climbers but with his great time trial skills, he should do well in most races. Picking races without many hills should make him one of the favourites in mountain time trial combination races.

Aru and Olivier are his best helpers and could get a few lower GC`s as well. They might not score very high but are young and in case of Olivier are not maxed yet.

Their strongest sprinter is Groenewegen. He could already win a stage this year but is not fully developed and neither will he after the season. So expect him to start becoming a winning rider in 2 years from now. Krieger is a decent 2nd sprint but he needs a weaker field to take top results.

Vanmarcke leads their cobbled team and as proven in last years PT, he can fight for the win. Against Summerhill, Baugnies or Vanspeybrouck it will be hard. But he surely fights for consistent top5 results in those classics. Nooytens is his main support for the year.

Boom and Schädlich lead the time trial squad. First proved in past PCT seasons that he is a huge scorer with his all around skills. He can climb, time trial and ride over cobbles. Expect him to have another nice PCT season. Schädlich must love races like Denmark and could win a time trial or two depending on the startlist.

While the hills are ignored basically with Villella and Thurau having small chances only to score a couple of points, their focus on time trialist is obvious. One of the best teams against the clock and one of the teams fighting for the win in the Duo Differdange and TTT events.

In general the team has solid scorers in Keizer, Boom and Vanmarcke. It`s up to their next few riders to score decently in many races to decide the exact position. But promotion is sure I think. Imo the team will fight with Puma for the podium spots behind Prio - Porto.

The Irish team definitely one with the biggest transfer seasons of all teams. Lots of great additions.
Let`s start with last year`s PCT mountain dominator Marquez. Just like last year he should do well in all the climbs and stage races but the competition is higher this year and so I doubt he gets the same amount of points this year. Still a very good scorer. His support comes mainly from last seaons Giro KoM winner Gomez Marchante, Serrano and Rajala. So not the best but good enough.

In the hills another huge addition. Jay McCarthy off the FA market immediately is one of the division`s best puncheurs. His career is still young and so scoring potential is hard to judge. But I think he will get several stage wins and high GC`s in hill-only stage races. Brilliant rider to have. His support could be a bit stronger but it should be enough to bring him to the last 20km.

Sprinting wise Drapac might still be the fastest but the addition of home rider Sam Bennett after several years in Africa should strengten them a lot. Both are not as good as the best sprinters, but capable of a few stage wins and several good results.

In time trials Robert could actually surprise with a win or some podiums this season. Other than that I don`t expect him to get high GC`s in many races.
Their focus on the cobbles is nearly 0. Hamilton as only decent cobbler might surprise with a top10 if they decide to ride a cobbled race at all.

A team, which is very hard to judge. I see 2 excellent scorers, but one might struggle with all those new PCT stage racers and newly trained climbers. So instead of wins and podiums he could end with top5`s at best or even top10`s only. If both leaders score a lot a spot in the top10 might be possible. But could also end a bit lower than that.