Welcome to the 2015 PT Preview. To start out we are looking at each team in the division, to see where their strengths and weakenesses may be. After doing so we will try to use some statistics and our subjective rankings to come up with an estimate of the teams probabilities to end up in a certain region of the rankings. But first. Take a look at our previews...
You find our statistical and subjective analytics at the very end of the prediction phase. We like to call this the...
Predictions: Statistics and rankingsEdited by SotD on 01-06-2015 13:05
Manager: ember Last season: 8th Pro Tour Star rider: Edvald Boasson Hagen – 85HI, 81END, 77FL, 73SPR (81,51 OVL) Average Age: 25,5 Average OVL: 73,93 Money spent on training: 3.100.000€
Aker – MOT had a respectable season last year, but has significantly increased their quality during the transferseason. From being a team that had a few strong areas they are now, a very competitive team in almost all regards. While lacking a true top climber they still have two strong men, Daniel Martin and Rasmus Guldhammer who are also strong hilly riders. They might lack a bit in terms of backup stats, and they are not good timetriallists, but they are good finishers and that might be quite important this season. Another important aspect is that they are well supported by six Norwegians with 75/76MO. Edvald Boasson Hagen is a former world champion and easily the best hilly rider in the division, and he should be a massive point scorer for Aker. Two decent sprinters, Kristoff and Enger will be able to fight for points here and there, but as they are not top top sprinters, they might struggle in the sprint-inflated Pro Tour this season. Kristoff, however, should be consistently getting top 10s in the cobbled season and he is well supported by Ringheim and Breen, who are both yet to fully develop.
Overall a very strong team that can do anything except for timetrial. We expect the team to fight well through the entire season and end up somewhere in the top 10.
Manager: jph27 Last season: 9th Pro Continental Tour (Promoted) Star rider: Cyril Gautier – 80HI, 76END, 77ACC, 68SPR (77,06 OVL) Average Age: 26,4 Average OVL: 71,77 Money spent on training: 4.100.000€
Ayobowan! promoted because of a high amount of teams disbanding from the game, and while it seemed as if they would be going for a strong French GC rider they ultimately failed in securing his signature, and thus getting themselves into serious trouble. The team does, however have a few riders worth noting. Cyril Gautier is a strong puncheur from whom we can expect to see a few top 10s, and as he is supported well by fellow compatriots Anthony Roux and Blel Kadrii. Thibaut Pinot and Kenny Elissonde are both known as effective climbers and attackers, but while they would be second tiers in most teams, they are leading the way here, which can be quite a problem. Pinot might get some GC top 10, but Elissonde should clearly strike for stage wins and KOM jerseys. Romain Vanderbiest is a reasonably strong sprinter in a very difficult competition, and while he has Petit and Martinez as leadout riders, he will have a hard time getting the needed amount of wins for the team to feel comfortable. Damien Gaudin should do well in the cobbles, but as with any of their aspects, he is a second tier rider, and should struggle to get top 10s.
Add to that, that the team cannot do timetrials well, and we have a team in heavy risk of relegation.
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Prediction: 20-22Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 07:45
Manager: Kami Last season: 5th Pro Continental Tour (Promoted) Star rider: Justo Tenorio – 84MO, 80TT, 78END, 79REC, 76HI (81,57 OVL) Average Age: 26,8 Average OVL: 73,69 Money spent on training: 2.400.000€
Bacardi has great strength in the mountains where newly signed Justo Tenorio stands out. He is a great GC rider and should be in for a great season. Next to Tenorio is less strong, but still strong Rigoberto Úran, who will be targeting similar races. The depth of the climbing department is strong also. Diego Ulissi and Pello Bilbao leads the way in the hills, and while they are not top of the class, they are competent, and the former Milano San Remo winner, Diego Ulissi is usually up for some strong performances throughout the season. Despite Mancuso, adding some support they are pretty much alone though, so in cases where they are not riding together they might struggle. No cobblers will be a bit of a problem also, seeing, as there are no less than six races likely to be decided by the cobbles. The team is also lacking a sprinter who can actually get the team points so the team can scratch a fair amount of races throughout the season, which can be a serious problem for them. They are highly depending on Tenorio at least podiuming a Grand Tour, if not winning it all together. The team is fairly competitive in the timetrials and can show of a great hammer of a TTT team. Not winning material, but definitely somewhere around top three.
A strong team on certain areas, but the complete neglect regarding cobbles and sprints may hit the team harder than they expect. We believe that the team CAN survive, but we are not sure.
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Prediction: 18-20Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 07:49
Manager: Roman Last season: 4th Pro Tour Star rider: Sam Bewley – 83SPR, 83COB, 85REC, 71HI, 78FL (80,89 OVL) Average Age: 25,6 Average OVL: 72,9 Money spent on training: 3.900.000€
Last season Becherovka was one of the top five teams in the Pro Tour, and ever since the Milka days, they have been improving over and over again. This season seems to be no different. Peter Velits is without a doubt their man to watch in the mountains, and while they might lack a strong second gunner, the subtop climbers are pretty strong for low-end top 15 results themselves. König, Vysna and Kratochvila in particular. Peter Sagan is not a top puncheur, but he is fast, and as such, he should do well in the groups he finishes in, and the hilly team is potentially pretty strong with the aforementioned riders. Sam Bewley is the beast of the game and clearly one of the strongest points wise. He will be able to win up to 10 races this season including every flat and cobbled race of the entire season, and with Polnicky, Stybar and Hnik he has decent, although not good, backup. The sprint setup is great though. Bewley as one, but also Howard should do very well, and the leadout guys such as Vesely, Boivin and Gough (among others) should be doing an ace job at placing the leaders well.
A strong TTT setup, with a few individual timetriallists to get points and this is one of the very best teams of this season. Again.
Manager: Crommy Last season: 14th Pro Tour Star rider: Jan Bakelants – 84HI, 81END, 75MO, 73SPR, 78RES (81,09 OVL) Average Age: 26,8 Average OVL: 72,77 Money spent on training: 2.000.000€
Rein Taaramäe had a very nice season overall last year, and while he is lacking just a little bit to be among the top climbers, he is surely thereabouts. He is extremely versatile and should get a lot of points throughout the season. Next in line is Wellens, and while he is a good climber he lacks the power to do much besides an outside top 10 here and there. The overall strength of the climbing setup is nice, with Solis, Camier and even Bakelants very apt in the mountains. Speaking of Jan Bakelants only one rider really stands out in front of him, Edvald Boasson Hagen, so we must surely see a lot of top results from him. He is also a very fast rider; the only thing he really lacks to be complete is some timetrial skills. However, while Bakelants himself is top notch, his helpers are not. He is without a doubt the one of the favorites who will be isolated first, and that might take its toll on his overall results. Just a single 76/77HI rider would have done wonders. Clement Lhotellerie is another decent rider, but he is also isolated early on in the cobbled races and where Bakelants has the power to pull through, Lhotellerie probably needs some backup. He should get a few decent results though. Jurgen Roelandts is a capable sprinter and he has decent (but not good) support from Weylandt (RIP) and Hopman. Yet again, we have to remember the hard competition, however, which will see Roelandts struggle to get the top results. Luckily, for the team they have the best sprinter though, Theo “The Tiger” Bos, whom if awake by the time the prey wanders by, he might claw it. He is, however asleep more so than awake though.
Three decent timetriallists, where Tony Martin should actually do rather well makes the round up for the team, who should be somewhere between middle and lower middle of the table.
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Prediction: 13-15Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 07:56
Manager: SotD Last season: 10th Star rider: Simon Spilak – 85MO, 82HI, 81RES, 80END, 77TT (82,19 OVL) Average Age: 26,1 Average OVL: 74,30 Money spent on training: 3.525.000€
Simon Spilak surely leads the way, and the former Tour de France winner is also a top puncheur. So is the next in line in fact, where Riccardo Ricco is a bit of the same, although much weaker. As one of the few teams, Festina has a third option for the mountainous GC races also, in young Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier, and while he might struggle to get the best of results, a few top 10s should not be impossible. The depth of the mountains section must be top notch with 7 riders above 75MO. Simon Spilak also leads the way in the hills, and supported by Ricco, Koretzky and Pichon the team should be fairly competitive even though Spilak lacks a bit in the end to win the hilly races. In the cobbles the team lacks a clear leader, yet three 76COB riders could get a few points here and there. They have to rely on helping each other, though as no one else has the slightest bit of talent in that aspect. In terms of sprints, Greek Georgos Tzortzakis may lead the way, and has a decent support by Coquard and Gasparotto, but neither of them are competitive at the top level. The top timetriallist, Jerome Coppel is within the team and he should score a decent amount of points despite only a few obvious target races. And with some decent helpers like Vlatos, Paillot and Bernaudeau the team has a decent starting setup for a TTT team.
Overall, a team that is able to do a little bit of everything without truly excelling in anything. And that is not entirely true as Spilak is a top GC rider, but with the massive amount of GC riders one can never be sure!
Manager: rjc_43 Last season: 3rd Pro Tour Star rider: Simone Ponzi – 82HI, 76SPR, 77END, 73MO, 76FL (79,90 OVL) Average Age: 26,3 Average OVL: 74,2 Money spent on training: 2.125.000€
In terms of climbing Good Energy is probably one of the weakest in the Pro Tour. They do have a few riders that is decent climbers, but the top level of the ones they have is insufficient in this competition. While young Cattaneo is a great prospect, his current level is somewhat problematic because he is extremely poor on hills and his ability to finish is less than bad. Teodoro Costagli and Paolo Scarponi are both decent second tiers, but they have proven in a lesser difficult PT season that they lack the strength to really shine. In terms of hills, there is nothing to put on this team however. Simone Ponzi is among the five best hilly riders and half a team of capable puncheurs such as Palini, Caruso, Diggle and others, heavily supports him. The team is also among the strongest in terms of cobbles where Adam Blythe should do very well, and considering that he is supported by Fenn, Rowe and Thwaites he has every opportunity to shine. Jacopo Guarnieri showed last season that he was among the top sprinters. This season is a wee bit more difficult, but I still expect Guarnieri to be in the mix basically everywhere, and just like in the cobbles he have a nice support by Rowe and Thwaites, while also Blythe and Ponzi himself are capable of firing up a hefty sprint. Malori should do well in the timetrials, but he is the only rider worth noting in that aspect.
Good Energy is a team who focuses mainly on hills, cobbles and sprints and they do that well, and while doing that they are not too shabby on GC races either. Like last season they should be somewhere around fifth.
Manager: valverde321 Last season: 10th Pro Continental Tour (Promoted) Star rider: Damiano Cunego – 82MO, 81HI, 81RES, 78REC, 77END (79,66 OVL) Average Age: 28,4 Average OVL: 73,1 Money spent on training: 3.400.000€
Newly promoted Meiji took a drastic call when they decided to go for Italian riders this season, but it was a very good call. Damiano Cunego is a Man-Game legend, and while he is not what he used to be his combination of mountain/hill strengths are still rather unique. Chinese climber Ji has been training well over the winter and looks ready to target some GC top 10s, and the team is relatively well balanced in the mountains, with Shikai, Hiratsuka and Iino decent climbers. Cunego might also be leading the way in the hills where also Zaini and Kinoshita should do well, and just like in the mountains, they are supported fairly well. A few timetriallists jumps out, but only because the rest is so shabby, so it is not worth a mention – Although Shikai with his 76TT and 78MO should do well. Enrico Franzoi is a nice cobbler, and also a rider that should score points. But as there are 24 points between him and the second best cobbler, he can expect to have a long journey from the first small gravel on the asphalt and to the very end. In terms of sprints, this team is pretty well rounded with riders such as Napolitano and Bennati aswell as a long list of decent leadout riders. Whether or not they will be able to really make an impact on the sprint scene this year is a bit of a question however.
Because of the versatility in Cunego, and the nice cobbled rider, Franzoi the team should battle free of the relegation battle – But only if they do plan Cunego well. Making a mistake in terms of his potential PpRD intake, this team could well be in danger.
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Prediction: 15-17Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 10:08
Manager: Avin Wagunsson Last season: 11th Pro Continental Tour (Promoted) Star rider: Aleksandr Pluchkin – 85MO, 79TT, 79REC, 78RES, 75HI (81,91 OVL) Average Age: 26,5 Average OVL: 72,9 Money spent on training: 0€
Metinvest-Dacia is yet another newly promoted team. And yet another who tries to scramble points through the GC riders. Aleksandr Pluchkin is a massive rider for any team, and easily one of the five best GC riders of all time. Currently he might be the very best, but no one can say for sure. Unlike a few others, though he will lack top support, as Karnulin and Salinas are his lieutenants. He has grown accustomed to better helpers from his time at B&O, and it will be interesting to see how he will fare when being alone for a very long time during the climbs. In terms of hills, the team have no names that jumps across, so things have to rely on Ignatiev pulling a great season aswell as some lucky results from the likes of Popkov, Brataschuk and Pakthusov. In reality, we should probably just accept that we will not really see them in the hills, which is quite dangerous – history speaks its clear language here. Looking towards the cobbles, however two riders should be capable of consistently doing top 15s or possibly higher with Nolf and Sibilla being pretty strong riders. They are going to be alone though, so will have to rely on a good partnership throughout. Andrea Guardini will lead the sprints, while Grosu will get a few chances aswell. Grosu has the advantage that he is going over hills well, and as such should be a good bet for a low-end top 10 in races such as Milano San Remo. Guardini will probably look to get what he can against the better sprinters though. The depth is OK, not good. The team is strong in the timetrials, however with Ignatiev, Zmorka and some lesser-known riders should be able to produce a good TTT show.
Ignatiev will be the key here. If he does well, we could see the team do a midtable finish, if he does not, then a relegation spot could be in hand. Also of course, the team needs Pluchkin to produce – But he usually does.
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Prediction: 18-20Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 10:12
Manager: Mrsuperstar Last season: 6th Pro Continental Tour (Promoted) Star rider: Tejay van Garderen – 82HI, 78END, 75RES, 70SPR, 72MO (79,44 OVL) Average Age: 26,4 Average OVL: 73,1 Money spent on training: 425.000€
Where most newly promoted teams went all-in for a top GC marksman, Movistar has gone for a better-rounded approach. For the mountains, Markus Fothen and Vadim Ratiy will lead them, while being supported by Garby, Warbasse, de la Cruz, Parra and Plaza. One must certainly say the base is good. The captains, however, lack strength. Fothen once was a top GC rider, but is singing his final farewell to the cycling scene. He should still be able to produce low-end top 10s on a regular basis, while it is highly doubtful that Ratiy can perform equally. Last season he had a dreadful campaign, constantly ending well outside the top 20 and looking at the core of GC riders it is hard to see him really improving drastically. On the hills, however Movistar looks very strong, and this might be key for this team. Tejay van Garderen has produced one top result after another for his former team Wikipedia, and there are no reasons why he should not be able to continue. Sergio Barrio is another strong puncheur, and Borges, Paulinho and Tsatevich should do well to support them. Tsatevich is also part of the cobbled setup which also includes Altur and Insausti as something as rare as Spanish cobblers. In addition, Eric Young and Jose Rojas and Egoitz Garcia should be able to take turns in what seems one of the most well rounded cobbled setups in the entire division. While it is good, none of the riders is top material though so they should be fighting for grabs, with Altur and Tsatevich probably the best bets for a top 10 here and there. Roman Maksimov is the sprinter, and on the flat flat flat stages he should mingle if lead out by Young and Tsatevich, but one speedbump and he will lose 4 minutes. The team does not really have any timetriallists worth noting except for Fraile who could do a bit of points grabbing.
A well-rounded team without anyone sticking out as top material, but van Garderen should consistently be harvesting points on a larger scale, while rest of the team should stack up bits and pieces all over.
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Prediction: 17-19Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 10:15
Manager: Crue True Last season: 15th Pro Tour Star rider: Thomas Dekker – 82MO, 78HI, 82REC, 80END, 76TT (79,91 OVL) Average Age: 28,1 Average OVL: 73,3 Money spent on training: 2.600.000€
Can anyone spell panic? If anyone can it is the manager of Orange – KLM. Coming in with a late bid for the new star of the team Romain Sicard, the team had to be altered with the speed of sound, and as such riders went out out out. Sicard and Dekker are both subtop GC riders. They have proven their worth before and while they are probably not going to win any races they should constantly be fighting for GC spots around fifth +/-. Marzano, Lebas and Geniez are decent helpers for the two of them, but the team might need an intermediary with 77-78MO to really be able to support them. Maurice Schreurs continues a development that none had foreseen when he stepped into the Pro Tour of cycling barefooted and without brakes on his bike. Now he is all of a sudden one-to-watch, and he should be able to consistently get inside the top 10s of major hilly races. Vichot and Edet are both decent support riders, but the team might also here need just one rider with slightly better stats. Young Arman Kamyshev is still not fully developed, yet he is going to lead the team over the cobbles. Puccio and Vincent Jerome will help him. A decent setup, but while Kamyshev does have the cobbles going for him, his ass is sewn to the saddle, so don’t expect him to ever go for an attack or even sprint at the line. He needs to push his way through to get a good result – but that is not impossible. Peter Kennaugh is one of those sprinters who could actually be a top top sprinter, but with the great amount of training put into semi-shitty sprinters all over the world he is slowly but firmly falling down the ranks. Sure, he can still get a win, but he will struggle I think. Young Frenchie, Viennet is a strong timetriallist who should get a decent amount of points throughout the season.
Orange – KLM has what it takes to survive the rankings, and they should. However, they lack something extraordinary to enter the top 10. Looking back at the chaos in the transfer period, I think the manager can live with that, however.
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Prediction: 14-16Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 10:27
Manager: tsmoha Last season: 3rd Pro Continental Tour (Promoted) Star rider: Marcus Burghardt – 84COB, 80END, 79FL, 72HI, 69SPR (80,00 OVL) Average Age: 26,6 Average OVL: 72,7 Money spent on training: 1.200.000€
Australian Oz Cycling Project decided to stay true to the promotion base, and just added to that, which means that Pozzovivo and Morton will lead the team in the mountains. They might not be the strongest assets in the division, but they do have a strong set of backup stats that will help them get numerous top 10s. A bit of a problem, though, is that whenever they are not riding together there are not the best backup for them. Jack Bobridge brings something unique to the PT. A hilly rider with a great TT – Oh well, maybe not so unique. Trofimov have been tearing up the place with similar skills, and although they cannot be compared, Bobridge can use his skill combinations many places – and he will. Visconti and Grivko is set to aid him in the hills where also Pozzovivo might ride a few races. Going into the cobbles, Marcus Burghardt should eat most teams for breakfast. Burghardt is likely to be the number one favorite together with Bewley in every cobbled race. Seeing this it is a bit of a shame that the team only have Visconti to support him. And while Visconti is a nice rider, there is only so much he can do when the cobbles really take its toll. The world champion, Matthew Goss is here. The rainbow curse could well be following the aussie as the sprinters competition is fierce like never before, and Goss should struggle to achieve top results, even though he is pretty well taken care of by lead outs. Did we forget anything? No, I do not think so-tttttttttt. Right, right. TTT – Team time trial. The team is probably the best TTT team we have seen in recent years. Jack Wolfskin had a similar setup at one time, but just for the fun of it; let us see what they can line up: 81, 81, 79, 78, 78, 78, 77, 77 and a list that keeps going forever with riders in the region of 71-75.
Oz Cycling Project is a good Cycling Project. And it would not surprise me if they were able to sink their teeth into the lower end of the top 10 this season. They do have the versatility and strength to do so.
Manager: wackojackohighcliffe Last season: 11th Pro Tour Star rider: Joseph Dombrowski – 82MO, 78END, 76RES, 76REC, 73HI (78,80 OVL) Average Age: 28,0 Average OVL: 73,2 Money spent on training: 2.350.000€
Pendleton’s tried something this transferseason. It did not happen. I think… Joseph Dombrowski is a top climbing talent, but he still lacks a bit of everything to really get into the game. He should be able to easily get top 10s and some youth jerseys aswell btw. Benjamin Kohl is a 12-15th kind of guy, but decent to have, and the depth of the mountains setup is just nice. It moves down just a nod all across 77 and down to 75, with rider such as Valverde, Kennaugh, Dees and more. Philippe Gilbert will lead the hilly team, and while he is strong, he lacks the final power to be able to go for top five. Again, the depth of the team is nice. Valverde, Lutsenko and Edmondson should really all do rather well and score points here and there. Senechal is a nice cobbler and Minoungou, Abraha and possibly Gilbert should do well to support him, but just as the others, Senechal is currently a rider that will struggle to end high in the top 10. He should be constantly within the top 10 though. Sprinters? Nah. What is the point? Everyone else have a top sprinter anyway. Wise decision by the way. Tim Dees is the best timetriallist in the team, and he should do OK. Point scorer? Sure. A lot of them? Nope.
All depth and no top strength will make this a veeeery long season. If Pendleton’s somehow manage to avoid relegation, it is down to some serious season planning aswell as some well-needed luck from the subtop guys, of which they have plenty.
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Prediction: 20-22Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 10:33
Manager: beagle Last season: 5th Pro Tour Star rider: Francesco Ginanni – 83HI, 78END, 78RES, 70MO, 73FL (79,29 OVL) Average Age: 27,1 Average OVL: 74,1 Money spent on training: 2.100.000€
Pokerstars without Tom Boonen does not really seem like Pokerstars, but at least they are still a strong sprinters team. In terms of climbing, the team have never been stronger. Keinath, Roche and Faiers are all decent climbers, although not top material. Top 10 or thereabouts is probably what they should all aim for, and with some aid from Koch and Izagirre they should be OK. No other team in the world is quite as good on the hills though. Francesco Ginanni and Nicolas Roche are both very very strong and with Izagirre and Dieteren they have a strong setup around them aswell. Instead of Tom Boonen getting top 3s, everywhere the team now have to rely on Roger Kluge in the cobbles, and while he is a very strong rider, he will struggle to get the top results the team will probably need. The team does however have a strong cobbled setup with a total of eight riders with 67 or above. Few others can feature that. In terms of sprints, this team is the one to watch – Of course one might say. John Degenkolb, Erik Mohs and Andreas Stauff should get strong results throughout the season, and there is no shortage of riders to keep things together and deliver these guys. Izagirre might get some decent points from TT’s aswell.
Pokerstars.com is still a very competitive team, but I am very intrigued as to what happens when they do not have Tom Boonen to score them 1000+ points each season. Will they struggle?
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Prediction: 8-10Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 10:36
Manager: alekr00 Last season: 13th Pro Tour Star rider: Robert Gesink – 82MO, 81HI, 80TT, 80RES, 80REC (80,99 OVL) Average Age: 27,7 Average OVL: 73,0 Money spent on training: 1.700.000€
One of the largest teams in the peloton with 29 riders. They should have some variety surely. It starts out quite good with Robert Gesink. He is not the best climber, he is not the best puncheur and he is not the best timetriallist, but his combined stats is difficult to compete against. He should get numerous top fives in all races he ride, but will he get many podiums? Henao Montoya and Brambilla will lead the way in many races and they should do quite well, especially considering that the team also have some nice support riders like Majka and Ruijgh. In order to get top hilly results the team have to rely on Gesink, as Vanendaert is not strong enough. If they do put the two together and combine it with Castroviejo, Sinkeldam, Kreder and Navardauskas, they do however have one of the best overall setups. There are no shortage of riders that can TT decently, but unlike most previous seasons (especially in the Jack Wolfskin era), there are no top timetriallists, with Posthuma being the best. In terms of TTT, they should be doing well though. Especially those where Gesink is present. Also in the cobbles, the team have a nice depth, although with Sinkeldam their main man top results are unlikely to happen. With support from Walsleben, Lampaert, Broers and Havik they should do well getting some points. The team is lacking a top sprinter though and while Kreder looks decent, he will struggle to get any wins.
The Project is massive in terms of depth, and there are point scorers all over the team, but much will have to rely on Gesink to finally perform a top season if they want to charge for the top 10.
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Prediction: 12-14Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 12:40
Manager: Alakagom Last season: 1st Pro Continental Tour (Promoted) Star rider: Robert Gesink – 82MO, 81HI, 80TT, 80RES, 80REC (80,99 OVL) Average Age: 26,4 Average OVL: 74,1 Money spent on training: 2.000.000€
Newly promoted Quickstep went down the road as many of the promoted teams, and went straight for a GC rider. Angel Madrazo is among the very best, but had an absolute dreadful last season. He is quite a monster and with support from Brenes, Meintjes, Goos and Degand, he should be well taken care of. I do think, though that Brenes will often go for himself and then Madrazo will quickly be isolated. Chris Froome leads a strong hilly setup including riders such as Anuar Aziz, Serry, Waeytens, Barbin and Kump. Froome might not get the best of results because he struggles to sprint well, but if he can play on the offense while Aziz can play it cool, there should be plenty of points on offer. Ivano Lo Cicero as the team’s main sprinter should do well. He might lack the power to come over hills and survive long stages, but a quick, flat sprint is all he needs and he will be among the favorites. He is leadout by Kump, van Aasbroeck and Feillu and that should be sufficient to get good results. Kenneth Vanbilsen is a strong cobbler, although not top material, but having a few decent cobblers next to him we should expect to see him perform quite well. Jasha Sütterlin is in on loan as the team’s best timetriallist. He could do OK, but I would not count on seing Quickstep performing on either TTs or TTTs.
This newly promoted team might go straight into the top 10 or even the top 5 battle, but how will Madrazo do this season? If last season is the benchmark, this team could struggle to get into the top 10. Normally they should be fine though.
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Prediction: 8-10Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 12:42
Manager: Smowz Last season: 6th Pro Tour Star rider: Fabian Cancellara – 82COB, 81TT, 82FL, 70HI, 70SPR (78,56 OVL) Average Age: 27,0 Average OVL: 73,2 Money spent on training: 0€
Red Bull is all about the top marksman and not about the depth of the team. One big name for every category is lined up. Last season’s phenomena, Jose Alarcon is still here, and while he should not be among the top five climbers in the division, he showed last season that you cannot just expect him to be targeting stage wins and fifth places in the GC. He will have a bit of a struggle this season though as he is the only top climber. There are OK backup for him, but you cannot call it strong. Toms Skujins is new on the team and a great hilly talent that should surely score big results. He is supported by Jiao and Mudarra, but I am unsure whether that is sufficient for him to get the top results. Fabian Cancellara is a massive favorite for several races and the combination of cobbles and TT’s surely makes him the top favorite of TONE aswell as a podium favorite for all cobbled races and TTs. He will have decent backup in the cobbles. Óscar Guerao failed miserably last season, but is still among the top sprinters and with the addition of Dan Holloway, the team should get some nice sprint results. There is a bunch of leadout sprinters to support them throughout the season aswell. Looking past Cancellara the team has no TTT team at all.
If the leaders perform, Red Bull could be in for a great season, but if Guerao performs like last season and Alarcon is not up for podiums this season, while Skujins consistently scores 7-12th the team will struggle to get inside the top 10. But why should they all fail?
Manager: Bushwackers Last season: 16th Pro Tour Star rider: Andrey Amador – 84MO, 78TT, 79REC, 77END, 75HI (81,03 OVL) Average Age: 28,5 Average OVL: 73,1 Money spent on training: 300.000€
Swisscom and their Swiss riders are looking at a highly worrying season I think. Andrey Amador and Vincenzo Nibali are top riders, but while Amador should get his share of GC podiums, Nibali will struggle to get any, and while a few fifth places here and there are nice, it is not enough. They are supported decently by Frank, Saggiorato, Fuchs and Ivars but not anything spectacular. Stefan Schumacher is the leading hill rider and he is not what he once was. He is still a top 10 hilly rider, without any doubts and with help from Reichenbach and Fumeaux, we should see him consistently in the finish of the hilly races. Pieter Jacobs for the cobbles is below par, and while he has Wyss to help him, I doubt we will see him get anything but a consistent scoring between 10th and 20th. The team has no sprinter, as in NO sprinter. The TTT train however seems quite solid – Especially when helping Amador and/or Nibali and Jose Concalves might even get to ride a few races for himself. Dillier can also manage to get into the top 10s of most timetrials.
It is difficult to see where Swisscom should go, because they have no sprinters, the cobbler is not that strong, the hilly riders won’t win and the climbers will also only do subtop results. Relegation? Nah I do not think so, but they could potentially be far down.
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Prediction: 16-18Edited by SotD on 01-06-2015 12:47
Manager: OlegTinkov Last season: 7th Pro Tour Star rider: Yuri Trofimov – 83HI, 80END, 77TT, 78MO, 74SPR (80,89 OVL) Average Age: 27,4 Average OVL: 73,1 Money spent on training: 1.800.000€
Last season’s Individual winner, Yuri Trofimov is still within the team, and he should do an amazing run once more. Timofey Kritskiy has improved during the winter and while he still lacks the top climbing power to chase down the big guys he is becoming quite a good rider, especially when looking through the helpers at his disposal. Five riders of 76/77 MO and nice backup stats is ranked up and Trofimov has previously done well in Grand Tours also. Trofimov is clearly THE MAN in the hills, where only Boasson Hagen and Bakelants seems to be able to tease him a bit. And with massive help from Zakarin, Rybakov and Rovny, he should be strong as ever. This season Tinkoff will also be able to do cobbles, and while Gusev has previously been below par, he is still top 10 material aswell as one of the pre-race favorites for TONE. He is supported, but not all that well. The team also have a fair amount of sprinters, although none of them should really be big point scorers. Perhaps Korzh or Porsev can surprise on a single occasion to get themselves into a top five. Vorobev is a decent timetriallist, who should do OK individually, but more important, I think, is that the team is quite handy in TTTs for their leaders Trofimov and Kritskiy.
Tinkoff did well last season, and I see no reason why they should not do equally well this season. Especially because they seem to have closed the gap there was in the cobbled department. Top 5 should be possible.
