Bacardi-Itera

#FroomeDog - Undoubtedly they have the two best stage racers in the division in their arsenal, with Úran and Intxausti both expected to pull off results everywhere they go... Also throw in decent sprinter Aberasturi and you have the perfect recipe for promotion. The sky's the limit. Prediction: 1st

#Smowz - Ullisi is another strong Protour style of rider who could well land some of the hilly classics, this team really do have star quality with some more than capable back up riders. The only question is the lack of race days which may see 40 to 50 race days reliant on lesser riders. Prediction: 3rd

#Firefly - Just go back to the Pro Tour already, jeez. Prediction: Promotion

#jph - Should dominate Mountains and possibly hills, could probably promote with about 5 riders. Prediction: 1st

#tsmoha - Well, one things seems for sure: Bacardi will enjoy a short trip to PCT this year. Smowzy is right about the limited racedays, but those three leaders are just too strong to NOT score big time. Of course any crash/split will hurt, but there's also some depth (with riders like Bilbao or Navarro) behind the big guns.. No cobbles, less sprints, but huge stage races, mountains and hills. Have a nice year! Prediction: Top-3

On top of... enough said! Now get your tickets back to PT, please.

Heineken - Cal Giant

#FroomeDog - Undoubtedly a strong squad, I see no reason why Heineken can't be promoting come the end of the year due to the abundance of talent they have. If they can distribute their leaders well I think they can beat off competition from other contenders/ Prediction: 4th

#Smowz - This teams manager knows how to manage his resources well - no-one gave his team a hope of promoting two years ago and they did so comfortably, there were written off as complete no-hopers last year in the protour and yet they nearly dodged relegation. Prediction: 4th

#Firefly - Eastman and Brajkovic are somewhat neutralized by the quality of the other stage racers in the PCT and their relative lack of racedays, but should score enough points to propel Heineken back to the Pro Tour. Prediction: Promotion

#jph - Two top stage racers and a top sprinter in Holloway should fire them straight back to PT. Prediction: 4th

#tsmoha - It's definitely one of the best looking squads, so I don't see Heineken struggling to promote. Some nice depth in mountains, so the team will be on top of almost every mountainous stage race (with Bacardi).. good TTs as well and Holloway as a nice bonus, who should be amongst the very best sprinters thanks to his climbing skills.. Lovely core of US boys behind the big guns. Prediction: Top-5

You did? Well, it's your choice..

Jaguar - Eritel

#FroomeDog - So plenty of capable riders there, more than enough to finish comfortably away from the newer teams and potentially quite high up. Even a top ten could be in sight if things go their way, but I think just below that is where they'll end up. Prediction: 12th

#Smowz - Dowsett should have a fun year fully let loose as the hilly leader alongside stage racer Bibby and exciting Eritrean climber Berhane - a great bargain free agent buy. Things will depend on who turns up at what race but SN's teams always seem to come out of it well. Prediction: 6th

#Firefly - Jaguar do one thing and they do it well. They put out a competitive team on a yearly basis, just shy of the top promotion places, and they develop riders well. Prediction: Top-half

#jph - Berhane, Bibby, Dowsett and Bennett can all score well but none are the best of their disciplines. Watch out for Lagab. Prediction: 13th

#tsmoha - Just another squad packed with riders, but you can expect SN to know what he does.. The team is strong enough to maybe hit the Top-10 with some luck, thanks to good depth and two nice leaders in Dowsett and Bibby.. Bennett is likely to struggle though. Morton was a huge addition, but needs another year to make Jaguar happy. Higher mid-table for me. Prediction: Mid-table

Morton ain't the only star in the making, but he's the most outstanding talent on the team.. I would also give up on Froomebot.. at anytime and again and again..

Gazelle

#FroomeDog - These riders give Gazelle a great classics pedigree and the capabilities to build on that by also performing elsewhere, meaning that another good season shouldn't be too far away for the boys in yellow and blue. Prediction: 14th

#Smowz - The final one of the five is a team I am picking to surprise despite what appears to be a limited squad in Gazelle. I see the sea of green in the hills column and I think of Lotto/Red Bull 2012.. Prediction: 5th

#Firefly - This team could be a promotion threat, but I think the manager may be more interested in developing his prospects than hunting for a promotion spot. Prediction: Top-half

#jph - Huge hills depth but bar Monfort, Steegmans and Nuyens no obvious top 5 riders. Could overachieve massively though. Prediction: 12th

#tsmoha - Hard to predict and you must admit, there's some nice depth in hills (again). But the Gazelle lacks some special leader (except of Monfort) and I just don't see them entering the Top-10.. Still a nice team, that will easily avoid any troubles. When Furdi is back, we may see Gazelle aiming for more than just mid-table. Prediction: Mid-table

Depth, depth, depth... but I see some problems with PCM12/13's AI and sitting up pelotons..

Allianz-BMW

#FroomeDog - No leaders are in the very top bracket of riders in their preferred disciplines, but they should all maintain a steady stream of points which should propel Allianz to a good finish and a good first year in the middle division. Prediction: 18th

#Smowz - The two sprinters I just don't feel are quite there, Kangert definately is just a tad overwaged. This leaves Roy and Maes who both flatter to decieve in their terrains. Prediction: 20th

#Firefly - Allianz-BMW can probably expect no more than high mid-table positioning, but if they get good results from Kangert and get their sprinters into races where they aren’t outmatched, they could be a darkhorse for a promotion spot. Prediction: 10th-15th

#jph - Maes and Roy a potent duo who will score very well, mainly Roy. A lot rests on getting decent results out of other riders. Prediction: 14th

#tsmoha - First of all, jaxika did well to upgrade the roster after a quite succesfull CT-campaign. Roy - though facing tough competition -, Maes - without any question - and Kangert - though overpaid - will score solid points. Richeze - imo - kind of a steal at that wage, but just like all other leaders in the team, he may also end up with too less points.. Anyway, (low) mid-table for me. Prediction: 15th-20th

The boy? John Esteban Chavez is a nice prospect to have, joining the team for a reasonable wage at 140,000€.. Will already be useful next year (well, most probably as a PT-loanee), but he ain't too far from being maxed.

AMEXpc

#FroomeDog - A strong team for the classics on most terrains but could struggle with their secondary leaders to find consistent results all year around. Still, they could be placed in the top half if everything goes to plan. Prediction: 16th

#Smowz - I think AMEX may still find it tough though to score well throughout the season, their main sprint Grillo is certainly not a guaranteed winner neither is Mehr-Wenige really. Prediction: 17th

#Firefly - AMEXPc are team that is almost certain to finish in the midtable. They simply have too much depth to be in the bottom 5 and the leaders aren’t good enough to push from promotion. Prediction: 10th-20th

#jph - Cobblers are good but not a reliable source of big points, while Mehr-Wenige is a decent sub-top puncheur but nothing more. Prediction: 19th

#tsmoha - To be honest, I just don't have faith in Mehr-Wenige to score big time. This may be because of his name or his failed C1-trips last year, but I don't see him doing anything special for Amex.. Same goes for Grillo, who's highly overpaid, imo.. Kump comes with a huge wage, but will be a beast (already this year). And there's quite some depth to avoid any trouble regarding relegation. Low mid-table. Prediction: 15th-20th

If Mehr-Wenige would invite me to a trip, I would definitely reject his offer. Anyway, I don't to be too harsh with him. So I'll fly with Kump instead, just to know how much of a beast he will be in the coming years.

FCB - Polska

#FroomeDog - I wouldn't expect huge fireworks here, but it should be just enough to not relegate back to the continental tour I think if their best riders can pull some results out of the bag at the right moments. Prediction: 25th

#Smowz - They are pretty limited I will admit but I just see Nazaret and Betancourt nabbing some really good results and the climbers filling in a bit more gaps then people think they will. Prediction: 15th

#Firefly - The quality from the top leaders is there, but beyond the 102 racedays that Nazaret and Betancourt have, there doesn’t appear to be much secondary scoring unless Lejman or Nieve overachieve. Prediction: Tricky one

#jph - Strong leaders in Nazaret and Betancur, but not a lot in support. Lejman should be an interesting wildcard. Prediction: 18th

#tsmoha - Quite interesting mix of predictions this time, but I'm more with FroomeDog here. Two decent leaders in Nazaret and Betancourt, but except of maybe Lejman there's no more option, imo.. No sprints, no TTs, no cobbles, tough hills.. Nazaret has to do very very well to make FCB climb onto Top-15.. Prediction: 21st-25th

..is what you need to climb the ranks that high as Smowzy predicts! Anyway, coming off a difficult CT-season, this is definitely a nice step so far.

Compal - Merida

#FroomeDog - Quite a few second-tier leaders with a lot of depth is a diifferent strategy to most and makes Compal's position hard to predict. I'm going to put my neck on the line and say that they'll just drop below the red line. It’ll be close, though. Prediction: 27th

#Smowz - You just want to scream to be more selective but Bjartne seems hell bent on gathering as many cyclists as he can. I think they will avoid the bottom rung for once - but only just! Prediction: 26th

#Firefly - Compal will be a trendy pick to relegate, but if they can get their great depth in riders to take home lots of KoM jerseys and score a bunch of points, it won’t matter that they do not have a top tier leader. Prediction: 20th-30th

#jph - No big scorers, and very average leaders so not likely to do well. Plenty of depth but not strong and have Choi. Prediction: 29th

#tsmoha - Yes, way too many rather useless riders, who will most probably see way too less racedays to be worth paid 50k for this season.. the lack of a top-scorer is concerning: I see only Zeits as someone to add nice points in a less contested startlist.. bunch of mediocre sprinters, who ain't going to shine too often. Several 70+ riders here and there, but I don't see Compal climbing the ranks too high. Prediction: Bottom

Maybe put up more riders for sale next year and focus on some more scorers. Choi is the best addition (though overpaid), but he's someone you could build a nice Asian team around.

BelarusBank Pro Cycling

#FroomeDog - If Cavendish can fire and the rest can pull together some surprise results then anything could happen, but it could be a tough season for the boys from BelarusBank. I have a feeling it could be a relegation battle from the start. Prediction: 30th

#Smowz - Not quite sure what he has done in the last three seasons in PCT to deserve the whopping 650K salary but I am sure the big ego'd Manxman will not complain. Prediction: 30th

#Firefly - Yet if there is a rider that can guarantee survival on his own it might be Mark Cavendish. The Brit is an elite sprinter even in the sprinter heavy PCT and he’s got a nice potential leadoutman in Yauheni Hutarovich, who can also get some results on his own. Prediction: Tough season

#jph - Cavendish will do ok, but no other decent scorers so a long season ahead. Prediction: 30th

#tsmoha - Yes, the team had a tough job coming off a low-table CT campaign. But the biggest problem here is Cav. Highly overpaid, he will of course land some points, but will never ever prevent BelarusBank from dropping, imo. No more potential scorers (except of maybe Hutarovich), it could be a season like Oz Cycling had two years back.. if not worse. I'm sorry. Prediction: Bottom

It's a one man show for Cav this year. He will definitely enjoy both this fact and his payroll, but for his team it's too less to survive..

Boeing - Bulgaria Bicycling

#FroomeDog - Relegation could be the outcome, but it really depends on their leaders as they could pull off something unforseen. Thomas and co do could have the talent to get out of jail with some luck. Prediction: 29th

#Smowz - Thomas just maybe could land a classic or two but that is about it. The likes of Lloyd and Izagirre are okay riders, but as you might expect the rest of the Bulgarians are not really up to it. Prediction: 28th

#Firefly - They are Bulgarian and proud, but a little luck may actually keep them up this year, however their future is blindingly bright with their vast array of prospects. Prediction: Bottom

#jph - Stage racing department and Thomas could score well, and they have some great talents. No great depth though. Prediction: 28th

#tsmoha - TMM has already given up on this season and yes, I don't feel like this squad will stand a chance to avoid relegation. Panayotov and Lloyd could add some points to Thomas' heavy workload as the team's leader.. but that's it. No TTs, almost no sprints and only some minor "depths" in climbing. This is too less, but Boeing most probably won't care too much with Ewan and Yates on board. Prediction: Bottom

At least this would probably TMM's dream come true. Heavily focussing on this future, this season is more like "Well, let's keep it cool" or something..

Allianz-BMW

#FroomeDog - No leaders are in the very top bracket of riders in their preferred disciplines, but they should all maintain a steady stream of points which should propel Allianz to a good finish and a good first year in the middle division. Prediction: 18th

#Smowz - The two sprinters I just don't feel are quite there, Kangert definately is just a tad overwaged. This leaves Roy and Maes who both flatter to decieve in their terrains. Prediction: 20th

#Firefly - Allianz-BMW can probably expect no more than high mid-table positioning, but if they get good results from Kangert and get their sprinters into races where they aren’t outmatched, they could be a darkhorse for a promotion spot. Prediction: 10th-15th

#jph - Maes and Roy a potent duo who will score very well, mainly Roy. A lot rests on getting decent results out of other riders. Prediction: 14th

#tsmoha - First of all, jaxika did well to upgrade the roster after a quite succesfull CT-campaign. Roy - though facing tough competition -, Maes - without any question - and Kangert - though overpaid - will score solid points. Richeze - imo - kind of a steal at that wage, but just like all other leaders in the team, he may also end up with too less points.. Anyway, (low) mid-table for me. Prediction: 15th-20th

The boy? John Esteban Chavez is a nice prospect to have, joining the team for a reasonable wage at 140,000€.. Will already be useful next year (well, most probably as a PT-loanee), but he ain't too far from being maxed.

Allianz-BMW

#FroomeDog - No leaders are in the very top bracket of riders in their preferred disciplines, but they should all maintain a steady stream of points which should propel Allianz to a good finish and a good first year in the middle division. Prediction: 18th

#Smowz - The two sprinters I just don't feel are quite there, Kangert definately is just a tad overwaged. This leaves Roy and Maes who both flatter to decieve in their terrains. Prediction: 20th

#Firefly - Allianz-BMW can probably expect no more than high mid-table positioning, but if they get good results from Kangert and get their sprinters into races where they aren’t outmatched, they could be a darkhorse for a promotion spot. Prediction: 10th-15th

#jph - Maes and Roy a potent duo who will score very well, mainly Roy. A lot rests on getting decent results out of other riders. Prediction: 14th

#tsmoha - First of all, jaxika did well to upgrade the roster after a quite succesfull CT-campaign. Roy - though facing tough competition -, Maes - without any question - and Kangert - though overpaid - will score solid points. Richeze - imo - kind of a steal at that wage, but just like all other leaders in the team, he may also end up with too less points.. Anyway, (low) mid-table for me. Prediction: 15th-20th

The boy? John Esteban Chavez is a nice prospect to have, joining the team for a reasonable wage at 140,000€.. Will already be useful next year (well, most probably as a PT-loanee), but he ain't too far from being maxed.

AMEXpc

#FroomeDog - A strong team for the classics on most terrains but could struggle with their secondary leaders to find consistent results all year around. Still, they could be placed in the top half if everything goes to plan. Prediction: 16th

#Smowz - I think AMEX may still find it tough though to score well throughout the season, their main sprint Grillo is certainly not a guaranteed winner neither is Mehr-Wenige really. Prediction: 17th

#Firefly - AMEXPc are team that is almost certain to finish in the midtable. They simply have too much depth to be in the bottom 5 and the leaders aren’t good enough to push from promotion. Prediction: 10th-20th

#jph - Cobblers are good but not a reliable source of big points, while Mehr-Wenige is a decent sub-top puncheur but nothing more. Prediction: 19th

#tsmoha - To be honest, I just don't have faith in Mehr-Wenige to score big time. This may be because of his name or his failed C1-trips last year, but I don't see him doing anything special for Amex.. Same goes for Grillo, who's highly overpaid, imo.. Kump comes with a huge wage, but will be a beast (already this year). And there's quite some depth to avoid any trouble regarding relegation. Low mid-table. Prediction: 15th-20th

If Mehr-Wenige would invite me to a trip, I would definitely reject his offer. Anyway, I don't to be too harsh with him. So I'll fly with Kump instead, just to know how much of a beast he will be in the coming years.

Bacardi-Itera

#FroomeDog - Undoubtedly they have the two best stage racers in the division in their arsenal, with Úran and Intxausti both expected to pull off results everywhere they go... Also throw in decent sprinter Aberasturi and you have the perfect recipe for promotion. The sky's the limit. Prediction: 1st

#Smowz - Ullisi is another strong Protour style of rider who could well land some of the hilly classics, this team really do have star quality with some more than capable back up riders. The only question is the lack of race days which may see 40 to 50 race days reliant on lesser riders. Prediction: 3rd

#Firefly - Just go back to the Pro Tour already, jeez. Prediction: Promotion

#jph - Should dominate Mountains and possibly hills, could probably promote with about 5 riders. Prediction: 1st

#tsmoha - Well, one things seems for sure: Bacardi will enjoy a short trip to PCT this year. Smowzy is right about the limited racedays, but those three leaders are just too strong to NOT score big time. Of course any crash/split will hurt, but there's also some depth (with riders like Bilbao or Navarro) behind the big guns.. No cobbles, less sprints, but huge stage races, mountains and hills. Have a nice year! Prediction: Top-3

On top of... enough said! Now get your tickets back to PT, please.

BelarusBank Pro Cycling

#FroomeDog - If Cavendish can fire and the rest can pull together some surprise results then anything could happen, but it could be a tough season for the boys from BelarusBank. I have a feeling it could be a relegation battle from the start. Prediction: 30th

#Smowz - Not quite sure what he has done in the last three seasons in PCT to deserve the whopping 650K salary but I am sure the big ego'd Manxman will not complain. Prediction: 30th

#Firefly - Yet if there is a rider that can guarantee survival on his own it might be Mark Cavendish. The Brit is an elite sprinter even in the sprinter heavy PCT and he’s got a nice potential leadoutman in Yauheni Hutarovich, who can also get some results on his own. Prediction: Tough season

#jph - Cavendish will do ok, but no other decent scorers so a long season ahead. Prediction: 30th

#tsmoha - Yes, the team had a tough job coming off a low-table CT campaign. But the biggest problem here is Cav. Highly overpaid, he will of course land some points, but will never ever prevent BelarusBank from dropping, imo. No more potential scorers (except of maybe Hutarovich), it could be a season like Oz Cycling had two years back.. if not worse. I'm sorry. Prediction: Bottom

It's a one man show for Cav this year. He will definitely enjoy both this fact and his payroll, but for his team it's too less to survive..

Boeing - Bulgaria Bicycling

#FroomeDog - Relegation could be the outcome, but it really depends on their leaders as they could pull off something unforseen. Thomas and co do could have the talent to get out of jail with some luck. Prediction: 29th

#Smowz - Thomas just maybe could land a classic or two but that is about it. The likes of Lloyd and Izagirre are okay riders, but as you might expect the rest of the Bulgarians are not really up to it. Prediction: 28th

#Firefly - They are Bulgarian and proud, but a little luck may actually keep them up this year, however their future is blindingly bright with their vast array of prospects. Prediction: Bottom

#jph - Stage racing department and Thomas could score well, and they have some great talents. No great depth though. Prediction: 28th

#tsmoha - TMM has already given up on this season and yes, I don't feel like this squad will stand a chance to avoid relegation. Panayotov and Lloyd could add some points to Thomas' heavy workload as the team's leader.. but that's it. No TTs, almost no sprints and only some minor "depths" in climbing. This is too less, but Boeing most probably won't care too much with Ewan and Yates on board. Prediction: Bottom

At least this would probably TMM's dream come true. Heavily focussing on this future, this season is more like "Well, let's keep it cool" or something..

TheManxMissile wrote:
The best decision i ever made with my team? Starting it with a B!
My dream would either be Natalie Portman or Cobie Smulders on the team, but a robot is close enough