1st	Memorial Marco Pantani	Gabriele Boisisio
1st	Trofeo Matteotti	Maurizio Biondo
1st	Italian Championships ITT	Marco Pinotti
Total Wins:	11
Pro Tour:	29.
CQ Ranking:	27.

[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilmitte.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: A very unspectacular season for Acqua & Sapone. They didn't do anything really extraordinary but 11 wins is decent.




[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilmitte.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Some of the strongest riders including Pinotti left but with the columbian duo and up-and-coming sprinter Modolo, adequate replacement was found.





[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilmitte.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Acqua & Sapone once again have a decent, balanced team that will focus mostly on the Italian classics and short stage races. A wild-card for the Giro is probably the main goal, promotion is highly unlikely.

1st	5 Jours du Dunkerque	Lloyd Mondory
1st	Tour du Haut Var	Mikael Cherel
Stage Win	Volta Ciclista a Catalunya	David Le Lay
.
Total Wins:	12
Pro Tour:	25.
CQ Ranking:	26.

[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalbunten.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: 12 victories, several world tour appearances but no big win and nowhere near promotion - a return into world tour seems pretty far away after this season.




[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalboben.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Vinokourov can't completely compensate Roche's loss but with Thibaut Pinot, Ag2r signed the most talented French climber, who should be a great addition to the team.





[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalboben.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Ag2r has one of the stronger squads in Continental circuit. Vino and Peraud should score some decent results and if Pinot continues to develop, he might have his breakthrough year. Promotion isn't out of reach, but it would need a brilliant season.

3rd	Volta Ciclista a Catalunya	Anthony Roux
1st	Gent – Wevelgem	Dominique Rollin
1st	Tour de Wallonie	Yohan Offredo
.
Total Wins:	11
Pro Tour:	20.
CQ Ranking:	23.

[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalbunten.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: FDJ got relegated and was at the bottom of the world tour ranking basically all year long. Thus, the season was a failure. But some few highlights like Rollin's win at Gent-Wevelgem made the season bearable.




[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilmitte.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: After relegation, FDJ managed to keep most of the team together. Coppel is a great signing as well.





[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeiloben.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: FDJ has an excellent squad for one day classics and the small stage races, which is essential for the continental tour. With a really good season, direct re-promotion is possible.

1st	GP Camaiore	Elia Favilli
1st	GP di Lugano	Giovanni Visconti
2 Stage Wins	5 Jours du Dunkerque	Oscar Gatto
.
Total Wins:	12
Pro Tour:	28.
CQ Ranking:	24.

[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalbunten.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: The Italian team didn't have the best season, especially compared to last year when even Pro Tour races were won. 12 victories are decent but they can't cover the lack of a bigger triumph.




[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalbunten.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: The long-needed stage racer comes in the person of the 39 year old Stefano Garzelli, probably not the best solution. With Giovanni Visconti and Andrea Guardini, Farnese Vini also loses their best rider and one of the most talented sprinters.





[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalboben.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: With some fast guys and several decent puncheurs, Farnese Vini is well positioned and could play a good role in 2013. I don't think promotion is very likely, though.

1st	Rund um Köln	Kurt Asle Arvesen
1st	GP Herning	Jonas Aaen Jörgensen
Stage Win	Post Danmark Rundt	Gustav Erik Larsson
.
Total Wins:	9
Pro Tour:	-
CQ Ranking:	28.

[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilmitte.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Following their new strategy, Nokia managed to achieve some wins in Scandinavia. It was a decent but not overwhelmingly good first season for the new head sponsor Nokia.




[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeiloben.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: The loss of the aging Sörensen can be coped with, especially with such strong new signings. The development of Nordhaug to a cobbled specialist is very peculiar.





[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilmitte.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Nokia's squad is much stronger than last year and very balanced. I hope we'll see a lot more of them, but still I can't see them promoting.

3rd	Criterium du Dauphine	Richie Porte
Stage Win	Tour de France	Sebastian Langeveld
2nd	GP de Montreal	Matthew Lloyd
.
Total Wins:	24
Pro Tour:	18.
CQ Ranking:	17.

[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalbunten.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: The first season of the Australian squad ended disappointingly. 24 wins are a great number and the riders had their appearances in the big races, but eventually, it wasn't enough to remain in the first division of cycling.




[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalbunten.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: As usual, after a relegation, some of the best riders left. But with the signing of the oldies Evans and McEwen, the management did the best to compensate that.





[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeiloben.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: GreenEdge provides one of the two by far strongest teams in the continental tour. If they don't fail completely, they will achieve several good results. If I were to bet on the two teams that'll promote, GreenEdge would be my first bet.

9th	Vuelta a Espana	Christophe Le Mèvel
10th	Criterium du Dauphiné	Christophe Kern
10th	Paris – Roubaix	Damien Gaudin
.
Total Wins:	0
Pro Tour:	23.
CQ Ranking:	34.

[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalbunten.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Several very good performances in World Tour races oppose not a single victory and a rather bad placement in the CQ Ranking. The latter two points prevail and make 2012 a very disappointing year for Europcar.




[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalbunten.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: The signing of one of the world's best time trialists, Anthony Roux, can't overshadow the fact that the team lost three of its best climbers. Especially Rolland hurts.





[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilmitte.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Europcar lost quite a bit of their former strength. Only few riders are able to score wins or good results and I don't expect them to enter the race for promotion.

1st	Prueba Villafranca	Daryl Impey
1st	Clasica de Almeria	Daryl Impey
3 Stage Wins	Tour de Langkawi	Daryl Impey
.
Total Wins:	8
Pro Tour:	-
CQ Ranking:	35.

[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalboben.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Daryl Impey had a great season scoring 7 of the team's 8 wins. 2012 was the best year in NetApp's history.




[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeiloben.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: NetApp signed some really, really strong riders, especially the sprinters should be able to add several victories to the team's palmares, and lost not a single key rider.





[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilmitte.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: NetApp got a lot stronger and deserves to be in this preview. Especially in the sprints, they could be a force to be reckoned with in the continental races. Nevertheless, they shouldn't be strong enough to actually fight for promotion.

Stage Win	Tour de Langkawi	Valery Kobzarenko
Stage Win	Tour of Britain	Jure Kocjan
3rd	GP des Isbergues	Javier Megias
.
Total Wins:	4
Pro Tour:	-
CQ Ranking:	33.

[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalbunten.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Not the best season for Team Type 1. Four wins only and no appearances in World Tour races.




[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeiloben.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: The reason Type 1 is nevertheless in this preview lies in its transfers. All of the top riders of the team are new signings. And they didn't have to let anyone important go. The two American oldies should also provide some nice publicity.





[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilmitte.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Type 1 has an interesting squad, mostly consisting of older riders but still powerful. The new year should be a billion times better than the last one, still a promotion would surprise me a lot.

3rd	Eneco Tour	Lars Boom
Stage Win	Vuelta a Espana	Greg Van Avermaet
4th	Tour of Beijing	Riccardo Ricco
.
Total Wins:	4
Pro Tour:	21.
CQ Ranking:	29.

[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilunten.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Measured against the expectations, 2012 was a massive failure for Vacansoleil. Started as the top favorite for promotion, they could only achieve 4 wins. While decent in World Tour races, they weren't good and constant enough on continental ground to even come close to promotion.




[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeilhalbunten.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Broeckmans and Ligthart are very fast men but still have to prove they can achieve good results. Felline is really talented but can't replace Leukemans yet. With Van Avermaet and Boom, Vacansoleil loses two experienced and skilled riders.





[IMG-r]https://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd464/cunego59/Banner/pfeiloben.jpg[/IMG-r]Conclusion: Despite the rather bad transfer period, Vacansoleil is the second superior continental team - at least on the paper. If all those strong riders finally manage to unleash their potential, the promotion should be a very realistic goal.

Thanks again for the comments, guys. It is indeed a strong field in CT and there are several more teams that are almost equal to the ones above (Motorola with Horner and the Haedo brothers, Colnago with Pozzovivo etc.).

@ Neillster: Oh my god! You're totally right! I've been using this flag for the past two seasons now and it never occured to me that the colours are transposed! Thanks for being such an attentive reader, I might tackle that tomorrow

Thanks a lot guys

@ roturn: Well, I think the most ambitious goals are the podiums with Brajkovic in Giro and Vuelta. He's not even among the best 15 climbers of the world and his recovery is only mediocre. Also, I'm not that good at cobbles, so winning Paris-Roubaix is also a big challenge. But we'll see, I guess you're right and I'll achieve most of the goals

@ valverde321: You're right. While planning the season, I was all like "my god, I can't make Kreuziger and Cunego domestiques..." but well, it needed to be done And yes, UniCredit demanded some German and Austrian riders.

@ fcancellara: I don't think Cancellara would fit too good into the squad We already have a top cobbler, and if anything, I'll tend to weaken the squad.

Also, don't forget that Dominik's contract is running out at the end of the season, so it's not even safe that he's still going to be at UniCredit next season.