Not much is to be said about January really, both for us and for the other Teams. With only three races were the scores are currently known - a glass fibre cable broken under the atlantic means we can't get in contact with the San Luis organizers - there wasn't much action. Still, young Dutchman Willem Brouwers - more on him later on - started the fireworks off with a Stage and GC win at the Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon. The only WT race, and the only one Garmin was present at, was the Santos Tour Down Under. The Sponsors were hoping to start the season off in style, with a stage win, but sadly that was out of reach all along. Wegmann came closest, with a third place on the hilly third stage. There was some nice fighting spirit from him and Navardauskas though, so not all bad. The first semi-classic of the season was held in France on the 27th of January. The bookies were expecting either Brouwers or Cervero to take it, but rather surprisingly, Alexandr Dyachenko took the win solo thanks to an extreme fighting spirit.


Jungels clinches Stage and GC in Australia


One of the races for February, the Tour of Qatar, has already passed, with Mark Cavendish showing some sheer incredible early season form, but other early season stage races, like Volta ao Algarve, Tour of Oman and Tour de Langkawi are yet to come later on this month. Expect some of the worlds best sprinters for Oman and Langkawi, and some of the worlds finest punchers and climbers for Algarve. Rounding up the month are three classics, the first two being the famous Belgian weekend, with Omloop het Nieuwsblad on the Saturday, and Kuurne - Brussels - Kuurne on the Sunday. Februaries last race is the swiss hilly classic GP di Lugano. The Belgian weekend is also the only time you'll see us in action, as we hope to do something with both Andrews and Farrar/Strömberg.



OPQS in TTT-Mode. This can be expected in Qatar.


Not surprisingly this award goes to Fabian Wegmann, who showed some good shape and a good tactical brain in our ownly race so far, the Santos Tour Down Under. He managed to take a 3rd place on the hilly third stage, which helped him take a 10th place in the GC. You can get his reaction to winning the Award further down, in the one-on-one. We hope that he'll be able to keep his good form, and that he'll score us many more points as the season progresses.


On of us, here Navardauskas, on the attack.


The Tracker: Hi Fabian, congratiolations on that good STDU.
Fabian Wegmann: Hi, thanks. I didn't think it would turn out that good myself. I just thought „Ok, this is the first race of the season, i probably won't be able to do much more than build up a bit of form“. Id've never thought that i would finish third on a stage, and finish tenth in the GC.

TT: How did it feel, starting your sprint on that third stage?
FW: I was actually quite surprised at first, you know, that i was in such a good position at all. I know i'm not the fastest around, but i just thought „f'**k it, i'll just peddle as hard as i can, i can think another time“. I mean, when i saw guys like Riquelem or Ventoso or Matthews coming closer behind me, it was kind of intimidating, since normally they should all be much faster than me. I had no clue just how long i could hold on for.

TT: And what are your plans for the rest of the season?
FW: Well, i'll have a relatively easy first part of the season, only riding Paris – Nice and Strade Bianche. Both of them i'll be supporting Dan Martin, but i'm sure i'll get my chance as well.

TT: Well, good luck with that then, and we'll maybe see you soon again.
FW: Goodbye, and thanks for having me.


Fabian sprinting for the line, on the right hand side.


Again no surprises, as Willem Brouwers of Belkin takes the win here pretty much uncontestedly. This is what he had to say:

I'm very happy that I am currently leading the rankings. I would never ever have expected that. The points I gathered are mainly from the Tropicale Amissa Bongo. The manager of Belkin, Ollfardh, decided later on that he wanted me to ride it, it wasn't the original plan. I'm happy that I agreed though, it was a great choice of the manager, nice work by him!
Of course, the leader of the ranking will change soon. I will just enjoy it as long as I can.


Willem Brouwers winning in fornt of a stunning scenery.

Ollfardh wrote:
Yay, we got the rider of the month

First up, on the Saturday, is Omloop het Nieuwsblad. This prestigous race is decided on the cobbled sections, like the Eikenberg or the Molenberg. In total nearly 12 kilometres of the 194 kilometres long course are cobbled. This is probably the more Important race of the Belgian Weekend.
On Sunday we have the second race of the weekend, Kuurne - Brussels - Kuurne. It's shorter, with 177 kilometres, and with 7 kilometres of cobbles is also the less cobbled of the two. The last part of the race is also completely flat, so this is by far the more sprinter friendly of the two.



Although not all startlists were made public yet, we know that Omega Pharma - Quickstep are bringing a monster of a team, at least for the Omloop, with Tom Boonen being supported by Zdeněk Štybar, Guillaume van Keirsbulck, Stijn Vandenbergh, Jaxton McNutt, Matteo Trentin and Nikolas Maes. Fabian Cancellaras RadioShack team have not made their startlist available to the public (yet), but anything else than Spartacus leading them would be a massive surprise. BMC are also bringin a very strong team, consisting of Alessandro Ballan, Marcus Burghardt, Philippe Gilbert, Thor Hushovd, Taylor Phinney, Manuel Quinziato, Michael Schär and Greg Van Avermaet. It might be worth noting that they're only taking part at Omloop het Nieuwsblad, not at Kuurne - Brussels - Kuurne. Other riders that could do well on their day are Sep Vanmarcke, Juan Antonio Flecha and new kid on the block Lue Khamsé Khamphan from Laos.



We expect a fair amount from these two races, after all we're bringing pretty much our best squad, consisting of Farrar, Nuyens, Andrews, Vansummeren, Millar, Rathe, Klier and Maaskant, whith Strömberg replacing Farrar for Kuurne - Brussels - Kuurne. Of course Andrews is designated leader, with Vansummeren and Nuyens being his key helpers. For Kuurne - Brussels - Kuurne Strömberg will probably end up leading, because it will most likely end in a bunch sprint.

First up in February was the long anticipated, most interesting race on the calendar, the Tour of Qatar. To everyones surprise this was for a Sprinter to be taken, and taken it was. Mark Cavendish easily won points classification and GC, and in general was in a league of his own. The race that normally comes right after Qatar, the Tour of Oman, had to be postponed due to mass demonstrations against the goverment, and the military reacting rather harshly. Everything is calmed down now though, and it is expected that the racing will get underway soon.
So we go right to the Volta ao Algarve, which wasn't really the most exciting race, but saw our Young Rider of the Month, Po-Ding Kim, claim his first GC win thanks to a strong time triall.
After that we were back in Asia, for the Tour de Langkawi, which was won by freak breakaway winner Marc de Maar, for Curacao. The King of the Mountains classification went to runner-up Simon Spilak, and the white Jersey went to fifth placed Germand Josef Hintermüller. However, the race was also really about the sprints, where Fabian Brookes couldn't quite fullfil expectations, but still did enough to get the green jersey. Then it was time for four one day classics, of which three were on the same day.
Before those we had Omloop het Nieuwsblad, where Tom Boonen won in a sprint, ahead of two youngsters, Erik McDermott of Denmark and Lue Khamsé Khamphan of Laos, who is already the most famous cyclist of his country thanks to that podium.
Then we come to the three-on-one-day-pack, of which the most prestigious was Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. There German Quickman André Greipel took a dominant win in the sprint, and David Millar had our best placing of the month, finishing seventh after being in the BotD.
In the other two races we saw Willem Brouwers winning the Classica Almeria in a sprint, which gives him another few points to defend his number one spot in the rankings, and Vladimir Karpets won the GP Lugano from the sprint of a small breakaway group, which was quite a shock to say the least.


A close sprint for places 4-10 at the Omloop


March will be the busiest month the EPIC calendar has seen so far, that much is sure. Top Qualitiy World Tour Monuments, small but interesting continental races, this month has it all.
The first race is the race of the white gravel roads, the Strade Bianche. We are sending our full hills squad, expecting at least a top 5, but more than that really.
After that we have the sister races of Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, where Dan Martin or Ryder Hesjedal/Andrew Talansky are our leaders. The competition will be fierce in both, but we have to get a Top 5 and a Top 3, according to the sponsors. Chris Froome, Alejandro Valverde and Roman Kreuziger are there in the former, with Sammy Sanchez, Nairo Quintana and Rui Costa confirmed for the latter.
Then comes Nokere Koerse, where we can expect the good cobblers, also our best cobblers, to do well.
After that comes a highlight of our season, Milano - San Remo, where Dan Martin is hoping to snatch the victory away from the sprinters. If he should fail we still have Strömberg there to save our honour.
The day after, Martin, Hesjedal and Talansky join forces to conquer Catalunya, as our goal wants us to. This race will show us just how much our team can do in full strenght.
After that we're back in Belgium for the two cobbled classics of Dwars Door Vlaandern and the E3 Prijs. The plan is the same as always, with good cobblers expected for the first, and all top cobblers expected for the latter. Then there's a highly interesting race in France, that we're not taking part in, the Criterium International. This could be the most heavily contested continental race of all, with a host of top climber expected.
Then we see Gent-Wevelgem, together with the E3 Prijs the most important cobbled classic of the early season. Then we have the three days of de Panne, where Garmin might not be taking part, but I have been offered to do the commentary for this one by RTÉ, so you'll get to hear from me none the less. The first part of the season finishes on the 30th of March, with the GP Indurain in Spain, and the Volta Limburg Classic in the Netherlands. The former is for the Punchers, whereas the latter is more for the Sprinters, but could also be won by a late attack.


The Cipressa might play a key part in this years Milano - San Remo


This is a tough one, because essentially, with only two race days this month, we weren't in action at all really, so a 7th place in Kuurne - Brussels - Kuurne is enough to win David Millar this award. Read more on this in the One-on-One section.


David Millar in the decisive move at K-B-K


The Tracker: Hi David, congratiulations on doing so well in Kuurne - Brussels - Kuurne. Cobbles aren't really your speciality, so that surely must have been a surprise to you?
David Millar: Hi, and thanks. But i have to say that it wasn't even that surprising for me. I had targeted the race as one where i should go in the breakaway, and i was just lucky that it payed off really.

TT: Okay, but surely you weren't expecting to have succes with your move?
DM: Well, i think everyone that decides to in to the breakaway hopes that the move might pay of, but in a race like this your chances are obviously some what lower. Still, i'm over the moon now to have achieved that, and i hope for a few more Top 10's over the course of the season.

TT: Speaking of which, when will we be able to see you in March?
DM: Oh, quite a lot actually. I'll be at Paris-Nice to support Dan Martin, then i'll head over to Belgium to work for our cobblers at the Dwars Door Vlaandern, the E3 Prijs and Gent-Wevelgem, where i will of course try to repeat my breakaway succes from K-B-K.

TT: Well, good luck with that and we might see you again soon!
DM: Thanks, and i hope i will be back!


David in the latter part of K-B-K


This is an easy decision, after absolute domination from the Manxman, leading to multiple stage wins and the GC win. Sadly, he was unavailable for a statement, but here is what Omega Pharmas DS, Kubys, had to say about it:

We are really glad that Mark won the prize, but actually the wins aren't just his. Whole team was dedicated to Mark and worked really hard. That also Mark appreciates his teammate's work.

Well the Qatar was just warm-up, we are looking for some great results on Tirreno and Milano - San Remo. If so, we hope Mark would retain the title.


Cavendish dominates in Qatar


This is an award newly founded, to put all the young riders who stepped on to the cycling scene this season a chance to be in the lime light. This was also rather easy to find out, with North Koreas Po-Ding Kim winning the "Tour of Algaria". Here's what he had to say about it:

I am very honoured with this award, is great for my beloved country North Korea. When I came here, people weren't expecting me to win races. They think I would fail and family get shot by firing squad. But look now! Two professional victories and relatives mostly alive! I hope to get some successes in the World Tour as well now, in particular the Tour De France I would like to win. Thank again for this award!


Po-Ding Kim wins the Volta ao Algarve on the TT Bike

Ollfardh wrote:
really nice work with the tracker!

knockout wrote:
Very nice work. I hope you can keep that up

It's nearly upon us. The first of the monuments. Il Primavera. The longest, the most open, for some the most loved, for others the most hated race of the calendar. The EPIC (get it, get it.. ) battle between the Punchers and the Sprinters, more often than not won by the sprinters, which might well happen this year again. This race should attract the biggest possible startlist, with all the top sprinters expected, along with a host of great punchers, Dan Martin being one of them. This has a long tradition on the cycling calendar, so we thought it only fitting to make a special edition for this, as is planned with the other monuments and the grand tours. Here, we will ask team managers about their prediction, look back on the history of the race, and go through a list of favourites, and, as a special highlight, a double interview with our two young prospects, Nicklas Strömberg and Robert Andrews, who will both be taking part. So, sit back, grab a pack of crisps, and enjoy.

I Direttori:

~ Francesco Moser
Cannondale Pro Cycling

~ Michael Schröder
Movistar

~ Gary Sutton
Lampre-Merida


Il Ciclista:

~ Willem Brouwer
Belkin

I Miei Pensieri:

~ Stephen Roche
Garmin-Sharp


The Course


Milano - San Remo, or Il Primavera, or La Classicissima, or La Prima Vera Corsa, or a lot of other things, began one day in April, in the year of 1907, as a race even more cruel than it is today, with rules some would call sadistic, like forbiding feeding services, wheel changes or bike changes.
It was one in rather dramatic fashion by Frenchman Lucien Petit Breton, out of a sprint of three, against Gustave Garrigou and Breton's teammate, Giovanni Gerbi, who held up Garrigou in the sprint, to ensure a victory for his teammate.
In the following years, the race was dominated by Team Alcyon, who won it five times in six years, helping Garrigou to get his revenge in 1911.
From then onwards, the race gained more and more popularity, with the winners list reading like a who-is-who of all time cycling greats, including Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Rik van Looy, Raymond Poulidor, Tom Simpson, record winner Eddy Merckx, who won it seven times, Roger De Vlaeminck, Laurent Fignon and my good friend Sean Kelly.
The most notable changes to the route were the introduction of the Poggio in 1960, after it became evident that the Passo del Turchino was too far from the finish line to make a big difference, and the addition of the Cipressa twentytwo years later.
Even with those changes, the race has become more and more of a sprinters classic, with Erik Zabel winning it four times between 1997-2001, and riders like Freire, Goss, Cipollini and Cavendish bagging wins too.


Sean Kelly winning


Il Velocista:
Of course you can expect all the top Sprinters of cyclings prime division to show up here, but obviously past winners Goss or Cavendish know how to win here, and as such might have a small, but possibly race deciding advantage. Of the pure sprinters, the two German Quickmen André Greipel and Marcel Kittel are the only ones that can really match the Manx Missiles speed, but more all round sprinters like Peter Sagan, John Degenkolb or Willem Brouwers have the advantage of being very good over the hills, at least compared to the pure sprinters. Not to be underestimated are riders like Arnaud Demare, Adrien Hanzen or our very own Nicklas Strömberg.


Cav beats Haussler to the line

Il Pugile
This one is ruled by a spanish armada, spear headed by Movistars Alejandro Valverde and Katushas Joaquim "Purito" Rodriguez. Right behind them follow three young riders that could all do somthing special on their day, like young Costa Rican Delfi Cervero, Kenyan Thabo Jango Sithembile and Portuguese Francesco Ronaldo. Then we have the winner of the Ardennes Triple in 2011, Philippe Gilbert, followed by local matador Vincenzo Nibali and our rider, Daniel Martin, who is extra motivated to get an attack in on either the Cipressa or the Poggio. Also i would like to remind you that most of the sprinters listed above will show up, but a good few of the Punchers here might stay at home, since the chances of a succesful attack aren't really that big.


The Spanish Armada

The Tracker: How was your season so far?



The Tracker: How have you prepared for this race?



The Tracker: Are you nervous ahead of your first monument?



The Tracker: Who is the funniest Garmin rider?



The Tracker: Are you happy with your season so far?



The Tracker: What is your aim for this race?



The Tracker: How's life as a professional cyclist?



The Tracker: Who do you think will win on the day?



The Tracker: What are your plans for the rest of the season?





Strömberg right behind Quintana



This will be, as the name suggests, a prediction game, mainly for the Monuments and Grand Tours. It works as such: you give a list of the three riders you think will end up on the podium, in the order you think they will finish on the podium. Naming a rider correctly gives three points, you get an extra two if you get the position right. Send your choices to me via PM, to not spam the HQ. Deadline is as soon as part 1 of the race is published