I was asked to open a thread for previews which I thought would be a good idea. Abishkek will post a season preview in here and Croatia I believe as well. You are allowed to discuss previews in here. I'll also post the monthly previews in here and possibly some statistics at times.
I'll link everything in this post.
Jandal & me took some hours in the last couple of days to write a bigger preview for the ICL17 this season.
We divided this into two parts: A 1-on-1 to answer the big questions of this season and a classical preview for each WT and CT team. The latest lead to a proposed ranking of both jandal and me, with which we want to predict the final classifications of WT, CT and U23.
Hopefully you'll like what we did!
A couple of things:
1. We started this way before training & exact calendar reveal, so some stats might be not 100% correct. Adjustions to that have been made, but it can happen that we left something out. But otherwise we wouldn't have been able to reveal this already.
2. If we did some jokes inside this, we don't wont to offend anyone by heart. Please don't feel offended by this, as some things clearly are meant ironically. (hopefully this is shown well enough)
3. If you have complaints about the parts that should be objective part please be angry on me as I wrote most of them (not about my own team of course). If you have complaints about the subjective part - that's life.
4. Please don't post until the U23 ranking is posted
jandal: Who doesn’t have a shot? Aru and Porte (and their domestiques who can lead teams themselves) are the overwhelming favorites if you just take the MON stat but consider the backups of the 77-78 climbers such as Henao and Fuglsang! Obviously but many teams have strong support or proven riders to challenge them. Coldeportes, Sevilla, Euskadi, Aeropostal among others have respectable teams for proven leaders.
croatia: Sergio Henao for me. He has by far the best back-ups of all riders, the combination of ACC, Hi, Sta and Resistance make him the best climber for me. Behind him Porte and Fuglsang, then Aru, Roche and Nieve. Teamwise I´d on the first look say Lufthansa, but taking it deeper my bet goes on Sevilla in front of Santos and Coldeportes
Will Vegeta have any chance in hell of surviving?
jandal: It’s almost enough to make you want to give Luigi a big internet pat on the shoulder. An admittedly very nice mountain train for not even quite the best climber does not a WT team make, with little options away from Mountains and hills. Down down down unless the strike gold in breaks.
croatia: Tough ask. I might be a little biased as I really wanted Majka and see in him the stage racer Nr.5. In my eyes some good planning alone can bring him over 1500 points. But can the other riders score any big? I doubt it. On paper this is maybe a relegation candidate, but with some luck with breakaways it can be enough.
Which teams will relegate?
croatia: Last year was an interesting battle between SAP and Alitalia, but I don´t see that coming again. While SAP-Bianchi did a massive step forward Alitalia looks in trouble again. Besides them I have the Spark, TVM, Vegeta, Saeco and maybe surprisingly Filliers Mora on the “in danger”-list. If I had to bet I´d say Alitalia, Spark and Filliers Mora.
jandal: Well, I’m the one who went inactive last year and has never been in the WT in any game ever. Such fun. Last year as Croatia said was a very interesting battle between SAP and Alitalia. This year I’m picking teams with either not the strength or more importantly, not enough multiple-terrain options. Vegeta is the obvious choice, whilst TVM need lotsa climbing points to stay up, and some Bos magic in lower races. Spark also stick out as a worryingly one-dimensional team, especially if Costa doesn’t overperform to the max. Alitalia too are reliant on Moser and a bit of Oss, with some CT points to help them fight for the last breath. Sugoi are dependent on Gilbert firing and Stybar’s perhaps low backups not working against him, as well as Durbridge getting some random form luck. Filliers need more than a great CT mountain train to assist GVK and DVP’s lower placings hunting and their backups are… not good. Saeco need luck to beat the drop - I’ll think they’ll do it but they better be watchful. Alitalia, Spark and Vegeta are biggest bets but could be anyone’s game of survival.
croatia: Filliers savior could be the money they´ve got left. That might turn the likes of van Poppel or van Keirsbulck into World Class riders. In my eyes TVM will make it despite having the “worst” leader, because they have some hery good depth for hilly/climbing races to gain surprisingly high points from the low tier tours & classics.
croatia (again): Training van Keirsbulck could’ve been the smart move that places their team over Saeco and with that just outside the relegation zone.
Which teams will promote?
croatia: Last year was an epic battle between 4 teams, and this year it could be even more involved. Lufthansa has too strong leaders to not promote. I´d take Visit Ukraine and Santos-Euskadi with me, but watch out for my outside picks Specialized and Credit Suisse. Cymru Wales has the potential to do it, but I fear sutty will pick too many WT races for that.
jandal: My friend above tells me I have chances here so maybe I’m not the most impartial, but I disagree with him so nevermind! VisitUkraine are good but rely on EBH with Konig a chance of being swamped in the highly competitive mountains but still should go up, especially races not dominated by TTs, so could swing both ways. Fat Andy can’t give Cymru too much in the high mountains but should be OK with them backups, so their sprint train, whilst making me jealous and angry, is not going to work. Specialized have a very nice team to position themselves firmly in the dark horse role, whilst Santos could aim for it with some luck and good planning, but probably will have to give it another year. Lufthansa have my pick for top mountain train (if Porte delivers) and one of the two best cobbler, with Lobato getting minor points, so seem a lock. And yep, Fiskars will be unstoppable. Credit Suisse are indeed a very neat little team with one of the big two cobblers Spartacus to pair with Caruso in the high mountains but i think they’ll miss out. So Lufthansa, Fiskars if they wish and yes, VisitUkraine.
croatia: In my eyes you´re underestimating Andy Schleck. He is capable of really doing well and he still has the best RES of all climbers in CT. He´ll be very valuable, especially in races with strong competition. Once he´s gone he´ll stay gone.
jandal: damned statmakers
croatia: And what I didn’t want to say at first just to see your opinion on them: Fiskars! If they’re not in the mix then I don’t know who took Atlantius’ spot and manages them now.
jandal: Indeed Fiskars look like the best team!
Who can challenge Carbon Sports for the title?
croatia: Literally no one. Getting Betancur in that trade was topping everything. The team is not really worse in cobbles and has so much more to offer now, there is no stopping them. The only team I see able to come close is...well shit, I had teams in mind but none will come close. This is the (first pure) year of Carbon Sports.
jandal: Agreed. Fatancur is an amazing deal for them with a good team around him, cobbles is still great and their sprint train - well, what must I say?
Who'll be the U23 champ?
croatia: VW might be the obvious choice, Geissler and Peiffer will fight for the individual crown if they don´t block themselves. I only rate them #3 though, behind #2 Reizen Waes and #1 Podravka. Honorable mention for Bora here though.
jandal: Podravka and VW are the obvious choices but it all comes down to the luck of individuals. Bora are indeed a very nice little team as well. Geissler the ubertalent for the individual.
croatia: For the individuals he should do it normally indeed, but I feel that Alexander Wachter could trouble him for Specialized Developement. Geissler also surely lacks support from his team, I would bet against him if there are good odds.
jandal: Wachter a good call, planning and luck of the parcours could be a blessing or a curse for him.
Will sutty's sprint train save him or even work?
croatia: Yes! If Sutty gets his shit together and plans together it could lead him to promotion. Only Fast-n-Load is half capable of competing. But will he get his planning together? I would love him taking victories for dayz like this.
jandal: As I said, it’s amazing, and with good planning he could go for a tilt at moving on up. Absolutely it’ll work, to what extent is what all CT managers are anxiously wondering. Fenn is the best, Rowe would lead most CT teams and Swift and Kreder are 76/77 sprint/acc 73 hill and 76/77 sprint/acc 74 hill respectively. Wow.
croatia: Due to the dominant sprinting train Fenn could be even more effective in CT than Demare last year, which should be nearly impossible. And Demare alone brought Taco Bell into promotion contension.
Which will be the shittiest stage race?
jandal: World Ports, just, World Ports.
croatia: 100% agree. But it´s necessary for sprinters teams I guess. Luckily we have no Benelux-Challenge here. Honorable mention of mine is Tour de Pologne, if it´s the same route as last year and has no Zakopane-stage in it.
Which rider crashes the most all season?
croatia: Would say Ilnur Zakarin but I doubt he get’s many race days. My pick goes on Kenneth Vanbilsen.
jandal: Illes Balears riders
croatia: Didn´t I hear somebody whispering Gesink?
How many wins will Peter Sagan take?
croatia: Countless. Even more than last season cause Kristoff won´t block him. He´s a top-3 cobbler, a Top-10 puncheur and a Top-10 Sprinter. The right planning will make it 11 I´d say.
jandal: Agree, the beastly all-arounder should get himself at least 7 victories to add to his extensive palmares.
Did the prices for the top-riders like Quintana & Betancur were too much of a gamble?
croatia: Good question. In my eyes both are overpaid right now. Quintana won't score for his wage, but in two years the wage should be acceptable and then he could be great for Leopard. Betancur didn´t pay of for jaxika in my eyes; the deal with knockout didn´t look good and he lost valuable financial room to score othere bargains with the Betancur offer.
jandal: Maybe. Quintana is immediately very overpaid and so is Betancur, but the thing with the betancur deal is it made CarbonSports unstoppable and in that regard is probably worth it - if he delivers as we know he can.
Edited by Croatia14 on 23-08-2016 10:10
croatia: Nah, you got Mr.Panama paper who will really overperform. Well maybe you despite that. But I go with another surprise pick and take Centrica. Air China also a competitor for that as on lower stat levels the best TT or COB stat doesn´t guarantee for good results on that terrain. Martinez could save them though with one big victory.
jandal: If it isn’t me then I would go for Suntory but those backup stats rival even the greatness only Geissler and PureBlack can manage come to PureBlack Geissler.
How many <60 AVG riders will Allianz send to the Tour de France?
croatia: It´s even more than last year isn´t it? 4 this year I´d say, + a sprint train for Greipel maybe.
jandal: 4 sounds good.
Who´s the first guy to beat Edvald Boasson Hagen in a .2 uphill sprint?
croatia: Battaglin or Rojas would be too easy, so I take Luka Pibernik for Enel Pro Cycling.
jandal: Michel Kreder!
croatia: Mate take some risks in picking your rider…
jandal: Even the great Siskevicus cannot manage it unfortunately, and Vanendert probably won’t.
Which rider will have the most victories this season?
jandal: Sagan, though Kittel could go high
croatia: Nobody can stop Marcel Kittel. Sagan on 3 or 4 I’d say.
Which <75 AVG rider will score the most points in the CQ ranking?
croatia: Simon Geschke? Mathias Frank? Winner Anacona? Mauro Santambrogio? Fredrik Ludvigsson? Andrey Amador!
jandal: No idea!
Can anyone stop EBH in Continental rankings?
croatia: 100% Sergio Henao. Good chances also for cobblers this year in my opinion, especially Cancellara or Boom. If it would be only one of them I´d even say that one. Porte, Velits and Fenn not to count out. But can they all beat Boasson Hagen? Only Henao in my opinion.
jandal: Yes, I guess. All depends on lots of luck. As you said cobblers have a high chance, mainly just Spartacus and Boom. Henao is a good bet in hills and mountains so will be there or thereabouts.
Who´ll be the most successful 1-week racer?
croatia: Well this question is tricky because it needs to know who of the big 4 goes less than 2 GTs. With the right planning (in which I trust knockout) I´d say Betancur, but then there are Barguil and Bardet who could be up there without GT focus. My pick goes on the shark again though. Nibali went well with dominating 1-week tours and he might fear the opposition of the like of Contador in GTs.
Who´ll be the most scoring CT cobbler?
croatia: Boom, Cancellara or Haussler? Or Boasson Hagen even? I go with Cancellara! But again, don´t count out Amador, Atlantius is a great planner.
jandal: It’ll come race by race, if it’s a sprint vs if it’s a proper race. Haussler Cancellara and Boom will focus here wheread EBH had other commitments
How many wins will CT riders achieve in the WT circuit?
croatia: Depends on PCM being Vuelta’16 or being Giro/Tour’16. No double digits for me, 6 could be a decent number.
jandal: Definitely no double digits. I’ll go with 7 to be optimistic and different to you
Which rider will be the first to get Zabel`d this season?
jandal: Some rider by a Santos or PureBlack rider before than Santos/PureBlack rider falls flat on his face for the rest of the season (Dion Smith) , as will become tradition.
croatia: Durbridge as a late attacker at Palm Classic, Marcel Kittel will break his heart on the line. Your team won´t even get the chance to get Zabel’d early enough jandal.
How many times will Shonak rage about Purito and Stybar beating him?
croatia: Many times. He´ll get screwed over on cobbles, he´ll get screwed over on hills. Well, if Contador goes Ardennes that could be another way round. But if that doesn´t happen I don´t see Herrada or Gallopin taking a chance on the couple. I can feel the rage already.
jandal: Oh yes, Purito will beat him mercilessly. Cobbles he’s got no right to rage as he’ll never beat Styby. Not that it’ll stop him.
Who'll be the next 82 climber?
croatia: Rafal Majka, if Luigi sells him to me next season
jandal: Bardet? Otherwise maybe Majka or maybe, we have to wait
Which will be the team that achieves it´s first victory the latest?
jandal: Depends who gets a victory at all!!! Maybe me in some Vuelta break after so many 6-8th places
croatia: W-Junior (Carlsberg), just to punish Waghlon for not showing up. No rider with more than 71 ACC speaks for istelf.
Edited by Croatia14 on 23-08-2016 10:12
Strengths
the climbing depth
Greipel´s train
semi-cobbled classics
Weaknesses
hilly classics
time trial based tours
unsexy domestiques (if we should count them as domestiques)
Main Scorer:Andre Greipel
Andre Greipel is a Top 5 sprinter and has great support with him. He will constantly podium in any sorts of sprints, the harder the race the better for Greipel - especially if there are cobbles on the road.
Rider to watch:Simon Clarke
He looks like the worst guy in this team that deserves to be in the pro peloton. But he could fill a much bigger role! He´s the only real puncheur left in the team and since the departement of Meersman and Ratto he could have the go for some sprints. Additionally he has some perfect breakaway stats.
jandals rating:7/10 - Barguil has good support and is always improving but this year he can tear up less CT races - and still doesn’t quite have the backups to be right up there in WT. Greipel is an amazing sprinter and has leadouts that could well be team leaders - indeed if planning goes right Coquard but especially Kristoff as cobbled leader could score many points. Jaxika’s tried and tested tactic of big names and then no-names unfortunately has worked out for him, but with Meersman and Ratto among others gone expect less of those magical CT 1-2s
croatias rating:8/10 - Is Allianz stronger than last year? In my eyes it´s not. Ratto and Meersman indeed gave some scoring that can´t be made up by Kristoff. He´s too similar to Greipel. But also guys like Polanc and Pinot could step up and score, though in the Allianz depth they might not get the needed space. Coquard and Debusschere are in my eyes kind of wasted as 3rd/4th sprinter with similar leaders, though great leadouts. All in all I expect them to be as strong as last year, but not strong enough to challenge the title. Unfortunately that´s there own fault for selling Betancur to knockout. Selling Polanc, Pinot or Coquard instead of Betancur could´ve lead to the title.
Bunzl - Centrica
Strengths:
Classics Depth
One-Week Stage Races
Depth - No bad domestiques
Weaknesses:
No top top scorer
Low Backup Stats
Nothing to do on sprinters terrain
Main Scorer:Tejay van Garderen
Despite his backups Tejay van Garderen is a great time triallist and climber with an able group of domestiques. he should be good for the shorter stage race stuff and has a decent REC for the GTs.
Rider to Watch:Joseph Dombrowski
You will already know him but this fighting climber is perfectly capable of grabbing stage wins or doing a fantastic lieutenant’s job for his countryman and leader van Garderen
jandal’s rating: 6.5/10 - The ICL’s self-proffesed most “lovable losers” will be solid again but have no real punch without some good planning and plenty of overachieving, which is hard with someof those backups. nevertheless riders such as Yates (both) and Thomas should be able to give their terrains some tilts and of course Taylor Phinney is simply amazing. Plenty of depth!
Croatia’s rating:6.5/10 - This team needs scoring from the second row. Lacking winners is crucial in ICL, but a great depth of quality will make up for that. It´s seen both in the TTT squad and the supporting cast, which need to add points. If all goes the way it should then Bunzl - Centrica should finish mid-table, but ICL never goes the way it should. So either batteling against relegation or scratching the Top 5 is possible.
Carbon Sports Cycling - Lightweight
Strenghts:
the best sprint train
the best cobbles squad
the best hills squad
Weaknesses:
missing a climber to score
many riders can´t play out their full versatility
not yet a contender for tours with hills and TTs
Main Scorer:Marcel Kittel
Kittel has the most scary sprinting abilities of the ICL. He has many great leadout options to bring him on the finishing line where he in many scenarios should be the strongest. Even his back-ups are not Kittel-like, but amazingly strong. Who should stop the beast?
Rider to watch:Marc Geyer
Beneath helping Betancur his time trial ability could help him getting his free role on some races. Them Hills+TT races that nobody else likes on this team would make a great stage for some first WT points for Geyer. His versatility and back-ups also make him a great attacker, but has a CarbonSports rider really chances to find some luck in early breakaways?
jandal’s rating:9.5/10 - What can you say? I’ve already expressed my views on this team - young talent, The Fat Tanker bringing them point in the hills. The best Cobbles, hills and, of course, sprint trains on the planet garuntee you the title without some crazy bad luck. The talent they have brimming out of their ears means that this will last a good while yet. A perfect 10 team would have better climbers - but that would be excessive - and maybe even… less sprinters? Many riders are eating up wasted wage that could be spent on training and research
croatia’s rating:9.5/10 Nobody is a hotter title candidate than this team. Sagan, Kittel, Betancur, GVA, Ciolek, Senechal,... The first and second row are excellent. If anything is left to critizise than the lack of Betancur support, but looking at their talent they´re building there ver own group. To 10/10 a great Time Trialler or a climbing co-captain is missing, but they should be clear favos for the title.
Celesio Pro Cycling
Strengths:
captains are world class and versatile
great 2nd row
the maybe best TT squad
Weaknesses:
lacking the first class stage racer
won´t score much on hilly races
TT behaviour of PCM15
Main Scorer:John Degenkolb
He´s the strongest rival of Peter Sagan. A top cobbler, a great sprinter and also the strongest puncheur of the team. He´ll captain loads of big races for Celesio, I wouldn´t be surprised to see his appearance in the Ardennes Classic. It could well happen that he scores even more than Sagan.
Rider to watch:Matej Mohoric
Is this man Michal Kwiatkowski in disguise? He´s got all what it takes to take plenty of points in races with hills and time trials. As one of the most versatile talents he can even climb mountains pretty decent ans has a great finishing punch. These two points made me chosing him over Jungels, who could score pretty similarly.
jandal’s rating:8/10 - Serviceable is the name of the game on surface level, but the deeper you look the better they are - two top points scorers with good domestiques, decent sprint train, perhaps not the best cobbled depth, wonderful young talents, and great depth. Give it a year or two the rating will increase anyway. Degenkolb and Martin are big, big scorers, (though random TTs could be a hindrance) and their young talents such as *deep breath* Zabel, Herklotz, Schaffner, Mohoric, Kung, Kovacic, Enger and more that I won’t name because I’ll have a jealous fit are starting to blossom and become real outside threats, especially in CT races. Bonus points for a young squad and sticking to their nationality focus!
croatia’s rating:8.5/10 - Degenkolb will be a Top10 scorer, and as said my intention is that he might be the best scorer in the WT without climbing abilities. Tony is not a clear scorer as PCM screws over TTs, but still he´s the best bet. Him, Mohoric and Jungels are a fantasatic trio to score from them flatter tours, while Herklotz and Nerz will finish the massive depth scoring. Still a great climber away from title contention, they might should’ve invested the money of some of their leadout guys in one.
Feryn Bikes
Strengths:
Chris Froome
Top class secondary scorer in Purito and van den Broeck
cobbling depth
Weaknesses:
A great sprinting train for no big leader
lack of scorer for small tours
Purito’s supporting cast
Main Scorer:Joaquin Rodriguez
What? No Chris Froome? Yes, no Froome! Due to the excellent stage race leaders Purito doesn´t need to be wasted in GTs anymore. The outcome will be plenty of leadership in classics and 1-week tours. He might only be #5 in classics anymore, but he still is the tied Top 1-week stage racer. His furious ACC combined with his MO/HI stat, okay TT and more than decent back-ups make him my #1 stage racer this season, who could finally rule on the terrain he should rule.
Rider to watch:Matthew Goss
He´s not as fast as he could´ve become, but he´s still a salty Harley. Just needs the little bit love to shine bright again, and this love gave The Rider to him by setting up a great train for him and making him the sprints leader.
jandal’s rating:8.5/10 - What stops them being title contenders? having, y’know, an actual leader for those nice cobble and sprint trains. Goss has nice backups, especially that flat but isnt quite there, and ditto Langeveld. Purito is good but too many of his support guys are split between him and Froome, Froome is, well, Froome and is a huge guy to have, needless to say. VDB the True 2012 TDF winner is a very nice rider in support of Froome and of course leading sometmes himself, but in my opinion (and I’m a CT manager who gets this in his face every race) lacks a guy like Meersman and Ratto for Allianz last year f.e., to go down and score points in .2 races. Backups are sexier than PureBlack’s, even with inflation
croatia’s rating:8.5/10 - There is an easy concept: Van den Broeck and Froome for hard tours, Purito for everything punchy, Langeveld for cobbles and Goss for sprints. These combined makes a leading cast as strong as CarbonSports. The difference though is lacking depth scoring for the few races these captains can´t contend in. Cause the second unit is one-sided and in comparison pretty poor. The train for Goss looks more than solid though, and the back-up stats of the leaders go over the moon.
Filliers Mora Pro Cycling Team
Strengths:
a flat man’s wet dream
plenty of breakaway material
scary amount of money for research/training
Weaknesses:
Who should lead the team uphill?
Average sprint train for van Poppel
missing superdomestique for van Keirsbulck
Main scorer:Guillaume van Keirsbulck
This is a hard decision. We guess that one of van Keirsbulck or van Poppel will receive some training. And that guy should lead the team´s scoring, as both are yet missing the final extra to be a world beater. Who the lucky guy will be might only be known by Ollfahrd yet. Now we all know that we picked van Keirsbulck right. He's a top 3 cobbler, with many points likely to get rewarded with not only on pure cobbles races.
Rider to watch:Marc Goos
Well, the most surprising multiple times GT stage winner could add another one this year. Mostly because he got no one to block him as he’s the strongest stage racer of Filliers Mora. Plenty of attacking options!
jandal’s rating:5 (5.5 with training)/10 - A real enigma here. Does the (presumable) training go to GVK, DVP, or even young Dumont? Or a mix? Dumont would be an amazing rider with or without training, whilst to keep them up I think GVK or DVP need it to get them to a good level. Similair to Croatia I view the climbers and their potential in lower races to be their key to survival, along with wisely spent training and a bit of luck and planning (like anyone). Both leaders have decent trains, lacking a key lieutenant, but they perhaps lack the third terrain option with an at least 2nd tier leader such as the two they have now. Wisely spent money and planning smarts will be the hope for their fans!
Writing now after the new DB, GVK has got a certain improvement, just that one stat point in COB, SPR and STA but they could could be crucial - this could be their saving grace to get above a team like Saeco and firmly safe. He’ll do better than expected as now a top cobbler.
croatia’s rating:5/10 - For now I don´t see a dominant leader. Van Keirsbulck is closer to be a super star, while van Poppel has that potential. Still they both don´t affect the best of terrains to score points, what could matter in a bad way. The climbing depth could save this team, as they might expect a lot out of breakaways in tours. But both for vP as vor vK a crucial lieutenant or leadout man is missing to make them look more dominant. The only way of seing them stay up is massive training on one of their leaders; they have plenty of money for that left though.
Edited by Croatia14 on 23-08-2016 10:14
Strengths:
Alberto Contador
stage racing depth
every rider is useful
Weaknesses:
1-dimensional team
Gallopin leading on cobbles and sprints
horrible energy stats (not Contador though)
Main scorer:Alberto Contador
The most obvious choice of all. Contador is the best rider in the ICL. He will guaranteed be in the Top3 of the Individual Rankings, if he doesn´t crash out on a GT. The question will be his racing calendar. Joaquin Rodriguez is gone, so I expect contador at least at the hilly monuments, cause he will be one of the Top5 to win them. Maybe only 1 GT for El Pistolero? We’d guess so, cause it should pay out point-wise.
Rider to watch:Tony Gallopin
He doesn’t have the stats to lead a team, but he does. Maybe he can snatch some surprise results due to the mass of leading opportiunities, but he´ll recieve more points than his stats suggest 100%.
jandal’s rating:7/10 - Illes Balears, or as I like to call them, the great big damn hogs, are very one-dimensional. Lucky that one dimension is absolutely stunning. Contador is amazing annd so are his domestiques, some of which can lead themselves with success. Gallopin is a great rider in his own right, especially in smaller races. Of course, what stops them is their other terrains.
croatia’s rating:6.5/10 - Contador is stunning. He alone will keep Illes Balears in the division. And he is very much needed if you look at the versatility of the team: there is none. There is amazing stage racing in both quality (the best stage racer in the game) and quantity (Intxausti, Herrada) and climbing stage hunters (Verona). But then there is nothing to do on flat terrain or on classics. If Countador takes an injury at one GT it could turn into a horribly long season with a huge fight against relegation. But on normal days Contador with hsi great helping guardia should dominate the races he does.
Italo - Ventilair
Strengths:
reigning WT champ
decent 2nd tier leaders on every terrain
very well balanced squad
Weaknesses:
hilly classics
missing the ultimate co-leader
can´t plan on many points from breakaways
Main scorer:Vincenzo Nibali
The champ looked stunning since his training to 82 Mountain. His additional race days make him the #1 favourite for the individual World Tour crown. Maybe 2 GTs and some classics this year or 1 week domination? Let´s see, cause what´s sure is that wherever the shark signs up he´ll deliver despite his slight lack on acceleration in comparison to the other members of the big 4.
Rider to watch:Markos Pintzopoulos
The young gun is a pure promise for the future. He could be the only successful breakaway guy, and most valuably he is a great guy to finish off breakaways. We’ll hear a lot of him along the ICL most likely.
jandal’s rating:7.5/10 - Hard to rate with Nibali my pick for the individual rankings and plenty of co-leaders, often with decent support, for minor points - but missing the other big scorer asides to Nibali. A guy like Ratto is amazing for lower level races and will rack up some continental points. Not quite there and only planning and luck will tell where they finish.
croatia’s rating:8/10 - I could say this is the same situation as Illes Balears, but Italo is so different. While having the one leader to rely on (Nibali), there are other guys to score on every terrain. Ratto and Lutsenko have a lot of surprising potential, Nibali has increased race days to outscore the other GC contenders, Roelandts has great support and VIviani a more than decent sprint train. Plenty of breakaway specialists in addition (Kozhatayev, Pintzopoulos, Ghyselinck,...) make for a team that will score much more than they look like. Only some stage racing depth is missing.
Weaknesses:
No top sprinter right now, just leadout men
Cobbles support lacks, Breschel aside
Almost all the good puncheurs are really climbers
Top Scorer:Sep Vanmarcke
The top cobbler in the world is a great buy for the WT debutants and he should bring in the points. Decent in a sprint and over the hills Vanmarcke’s one real weakness is a lack of support in this squad as more an impulsive buy for Leopard than anything - Breschel is a solid lieutenant but if he crashes or bonks then Vanmarcke will be isolated.
Rider to Watch:Gianni Meersman
You all know him as that annoying bugger in CT races and with good planning he should be positively raking in the points.
jandal’s rating:7.5/10 - Quintana! Vanmarcke! Backups! Meersman! Domestiques! It’s all down to the performance of Quintana really - Vanmarcke is undersupported but reliable as the world’s best cobbler and so it’ll be to him to fill up his end of the 2110 (+ his train) bargain. Their lieutenants will be a matter of planning when their leaders aren’t racing - the likes of Kelderman in particular and Uran could do some damage in the lower mountains and so could their sprint train - just a shame they lack a WT leader there. Meersman of course is a right pain in the arse for us CT managers and I’m sure Croatia knows that.
croatia’s rating:7.5/10 - It´s always tough to rate the team you own yourself, and so is the situation here. The leaders are first class despite Quintana being only Stage Racer #4, while Vanmarcke should achieve plenty of Top 5s though not being a winner. Only Breschel as outstanding classics domestique is a little bit too less though, so that both cobbles and hills look like an empty spot in terms of support. The depth for multiple tours is there, and the versatility of 2nd row riders could lead to interesting constellations and surprises, like f.e. Uran scoring in the Ardennes Races. Still Leopard should be a Majka away from the Top of the World Tour.
Saeco - Cannondale
Strengths:
good sprint train for Guardini
great leader for smaller tours
loads of punchy sprinters for breakaways
Weaknesses:
lacking an winner
missing versatility of Guardini
cobblestones
Main scorer:Roman Kreuziger
What Kreuziger can´t do is win races. He´s lacking the acceleration for getting away from his toughest opponence. What he can do though is hang on to stronger riders. And that like one of the best. Planned well he will take loads of points on tours by hanging on to strong opponence and finish around P3-5 several times.
Rider to watch:Alessandro de Marchi
This guy is pure attacking spirit. Could have a free role in 2 GTs, where he could score some valuable breakaway results for the team. He has proven his punch in these attempts, especially in the three-week races.
jandal’s rating:5.5/10 - Kreuziger is solid for some lower places whilst Guardini has a great flat stat and support train to match his sprinting - backups (goes for nigh on their whole team) and versatility leave a bit to be desired. Trentin and Felline are very nice and Kreuziger has good support but the lack of real points scorers, real winners, sticks out like Allianz’s wage 30 riders. tough between 5.5 and 6 for the relegation candidates - but I think they’ll pull through with clear signs of “must do better.
croatia’s rating:5/10 - Saeco has one problem. They have great leaders for smaller races, but not enough to cover the big one. Especially if they continue their unlicky planning from last year things are going to be tough. They need to score with Guardini and his great supporting cast as much as possible, despite him being only an around #5 sprinter who lacks chances on cobbles or hills. Spilak should score on smaller WT races, Kreuziger is the second tough rider to plan on. With more acceleratin he could be the best 1-week tour rider, but like this he´ll have a hard time to crack his opponents. Tough decision on trying to give him the much needed winning opportunities or putting him into a strong field to overperform. Planning is everything for Saeco this season. At least they´ll score massively via breakaways, there are a lot of specialists at Saeco. They’ll surely win a stage on every GT, and that breakaway depth could save them.
SAP - Bianchi
Strengths:
support for Terpstra
puncheurs with good sprinting abilities
plenty of breakaway specialists
Weaknesses:
missing train for Nizzolo
climbers
Terpstra lacks versatility
Main scorer:Michal Kwiatkowski
Phenomenous in 1 week races. He´ll leave the GTs for de Gendt to concentrate on classics and 1 week races pretty surely. His versatility makes him special and his perfect tour would be a race where every terrain had one stage representative. So he will find plenty of opportiunities for major points.
Rider to watch:Sylvain Chavanel
Still there, still amazing. The personificated breakaway. He will overperorm until the end of his career by constantly attacking his ass off. Normally he shouldn´t score many points now, but he´ll always find a way to overcome the expectations and score for trekbmc.
jandal’s rating: 7.5/10 - Terpstra is very nice with great support for any situation - despite maybe a lack of a sprint. Kwiatek as a beautiful rider and will score massively I think - whilst De Gendt may overperform again by attacking lots and that REC. I loathed Chavanel during the Vuelta last year and for good reason. Nizzolo is good but lacks a train - Vichot may be in lots of CT races and Veelers will be stuck in the middle of him and Terpstra. On Vichot, another rider who could make some hell with good planning.
croatia’s rating: 8/10 - Last year the team had a hard time and only avoided relegation with a late bang. But offseason brought two more bangs in here. Nizzolo? Bang! Kwiatkowski? Bang! And no way that they will struggle to avoid relegation this season. Terpstra had a bad year and should do better while Turgot is a second option and the supporting depth is great. Nizzolo will constantly perform well and score, especially in tougher races. Kwiatkowski? Bang! He´ll make one-week races his own playground. De Gendt? A great tour rider, points guaranteed either via great recovery or breaks. Nordhaug, Vichot? Classic surprise potential. Chavanel, Schär, Roinas? Plenty of upside potential from breakaways. And Kwiatkowski could even benefit from leftover training money.
Sugoi - Xanterra
Strengths:
the best puncheur of the ICL (if there are no hard mountains)
3 captains that are top-riders on their terrain
endless breakaway potential
Weaknesses:
small second unit, lack of GT riders
completely missing a sprinter
support for Gilbert
Main scorer:Philippe Gilbert
In the Ardennes he is still my number 1. If a race is hard enough to drop the likes of Sagan and soft enough to end with a reduced group sprint there is no stopping of Gilbert. It will be hard for him to find enough fitting race days though, as his profile and weakness in mountains shouldn´t really fit that many tours.
Rider to watch:Andrew Talansky
Talansky couldn´t really deliver as expected in the Continental Tour last year. So he won´t find a chance in the WT? We see that different. He seems to be more the guy that constantly scores lower Top10 places, and with this attitude he could become a very valuable GT captain, especially as Sugoi lacks guys for that.
jandal’s rating:6/10 - I did talk about them in the relegation fight - whilst they should be wanting to improve quick they’ll certainly survive, even if it is just for Gilbert, Styby and Durbo. Stybar isn’t going to punch above his weight much with those backups but is good for points, and to a lesser extent Talanksy (who could be useful in a TT-dominated GT with a decent REC). Durbridge is a very good TTist and maybe lacks the RES to do it with success could always be a threat as a finisseur, upsetting the sprinters. Some good guys for breaks like McCarthy but not the greatest support if they’re in the pack.
croatia’s rating:6/10 - Contrary to jandal I think that Sugoi shouldn´t have problems with relegation. Too good of a classics rider is Gilbert. Too good are Durbridge and Stybar on their terrain. Too many points Talansky will score against semi-strong opponence. Too massive is the breakaway potential. After the first round of Free Agents they looked to be relegator #1, but with the aquiary of Top-class leaders that has changed, although lacking second tier leaders and support for Stybar. They signed a 2-year contract for the world tour with a possibility on a long-term extension.
Edited by Croatia14 on 23-08-2016 10:15
Strengths:
WT quality leaders
great supporting cast
TTT squad
Weaknesses:
lack of classics men
GT leader missing
long list of low-quality domestiques
Main scorer:Mark Cavendish
The Manx Missile only has a sprint to offer. But his sprint is great, only Kittel should be rated over him. With the brilliant support he got and most likely to him dedicated Grand Tour lineups he should have great options to finish with the 2nd most points of the pure sprinters.
Rider to watch:Clement Chevrier
He already surprised last year, and this year he could be quite valuable as well. Due to the lack of GC guys he could step up in that role, especially with high-mountain breakaway fitting stats. You can expect him taking a chance on a GT stage win.
jandal’s rating:7.5/10 - Tough to figure out - Cav is great, and Bardet is ever-improving and maturing - still not great backups though. Coppel is a very cool rider, so too Dumoulin. Their TTT strength is nice but the way I see it is they lack a guy for all the one-day races that aren’t flat or a chrono. Keukeleire is nice for minor points in the semi-cobbled classics, but may fail in a sprint against guys with a similair COB but more sprint. Some guys for breaks, too.
croatia’s rating:8/10 - Last year D2B’s team came into World Tour and shown that he’s a great manager by instantly flying far away from promotion. Looking at the Man-Game, you know how well he does in composing a team, and Suntory looks like a beauty in their second WT season. Cavendish still has it in him and some excellent support. Bardet horribly lacks back-ups and won’t be too good, but Coppel and Chevrier will make up for that by performing very well. Then there is Dumoulin, a beauty of a rider and possibly one of Suntory’s best scorer. To close it out some decent breakaway (Viennet, Guerin, Morton) and surprise (Keukeleire) potential. Critizizable is the poor support for Matthews and the lack of space for Hepburn; I don´t expect those two to score many points.
Team Alitalia
Strengths:
TT 1-2 punch
hills squad for Moser
versatility of 2nd & 3rd row riders
Weaknesses:
GC conteders are nowhere to find
sprinters only uphill contenders
number of shitty domestiques
Main scorer:Moreno Moser
Disappointing last season he is now one step further, but will he be able to deliver one step ahead of last season. It can´t go worse at least. With his supporting cast he should be able to Top10 in hilly 1-day races, but with some good planning he´ll be much more valuable in the shorter tours that are based on hills. His strong supporting stats should be a thing to rely on.
Rider to watch:Daniel Oss
This guy has one mission: Overperform. He´s got two good supporting guys, but needs to somehow hang on to the strongest cobblers of the WT and then use his sprinting abilities to score multiple points.
jandal’s rating:4.5/10 - Moser is nice enough a rider with great guys around him, but when he is far and away your leader that isn’t a TTist… not good. Colbrelli is a sexy punchy sprinter but won’t score where it matters - WT. Two great TTists to pick up a few points and Oss is good on the cobbles and packs a nice sprint and decent STA. Bottom line luck and planning will decree the winners and losers, and anything can happen. But if I had to bet, they won’t have the luck of last year. Brownie points for good role-play
croatia’s rating:4.5/10 - I don´t like to say it but Matt has, also because of bad timing, had a quiet offseason, which is bad as a team that initially was relegated. Only the signing of Vorobyev stood out, which is decent. Not because of his TT ability, but because he has the flat and acceleration to win from a late push. Together with Malori it´s a great pair, but we have neither a Duo TT here nor an ok AI for TTs. So you can´t expect too much out of those two. Moser disappointed last season, he could have a better year but I´m not too sure about that as he lacks something to be the on the top of the cake. Oss and Colbrelli could do some nice surprises, and especially points from Oss on cobbles are needed. All the other guys are good for one or too surprises, but not for constant scoring. Tough season ahead for Matt with no constant scorers than a fragile Moser.
Team Peugeot
Strengths:
captains are WT winners
well balanced and versatile team
decent breakaway options
Weaknesses:
missing some 2nd tier climbers
could´ve used a domestique with decent stamina for Martin
lots of ugly <60 AVG riders
Main scorer: Daniel Martin
He will be surely one of the favourites for the hilly classics. Though he slightly misses acceleration, he can make up for that either with his stamina or with his mountain stat. Still it’ll be hard to find the perfect race day use as he’s missing too much for being a successful stage racer, especially if TTs are involved.
Rider to watch:Pierre Rolland
After the most likely best World Tour appearence of a CT team ever delivered by Rolland finishing 4th at the Tour last year, he´ll surely come back to repeat that. That´s going to be tough looking at the opponence, but still he´s got the great GT stats to finish at least 2 GTs in the Top10 this year.
jandal’s rating:6/10 - Tough call and planning could do them well. Another promoted team proving their value as Boohoohani and Martin are very good leaders. Bouhanni has a serviceable leadout train whereas Martin has near to no great support and indeed the likes of Geniez, Koretzy and Jaregui can’t go the distance. Rolland was superb at Le Tour last season and while he may not replicate his performances there his REC can help him overperform massively. Ugly wage 30 bottle-minders but a very fighting team should keep us entertained.
croatia’s rating:6/10 - Another promoted team, another one that could’ve really been screwed without FA R1.2. There the leaders’ couple Nacer Bouhanni and Daniel Martin signed for big money with the intension to consolidate Peugeot in the World Tour. Dan will get the big points on hilly terrain while Bouhanni has Petit and Daniel to place him well against the top class sprinters competition. For the Tours there is last year’s TdF screamer Rolland, who looks perfect to score many 2nd tier points from those. With Gaudin and Ladagnous for later Top10s on the cobbles every terrain is pretty solid. Solid enough to avoid relegation but position themselves in the lower mid-table. To challenge the Top 10 an additional stage racer might be needed, though Martin could have some race days there as well.
The Spark Project p/b Bollé
Strengths:
2 WT leaders
many options for Demare´s sprint train
wide pool of domestiques
Weaknesses:
literally no scorer behind the 2 captains
no real supporting cast for Costa
completely missing GT riders
Main Scorer:Arnaud Demare
Can he dominate like in the continental tour? No. Can he compete for victories on WT level? Yes. He will be a Top 3 sprinter, especially having in mind that half of the team is dedicated to bring him onto the last 3 kms in the best possible manner.
Rider to watch:Arnaud Demare
Well, looking through the whole team I couldn´t find any rider that has the profile to surprise from breakaways. That´s why I took Demare again pointing at the semi-classics. Demare could manage to follow the peloton on quite a hard pace both uphill and on cobbles. As he should be the team’s cobbled leader he might surprise in races like het Nieuwesblad or similar semi-cobbled classics.
jandal’s rating:4.5/10 - I don’t like it. They could stay up, or go down, but ultimately it depends on Demare and Costa. Costa has literally NO support over 72 hill except Haig in the hills and ditto in the mountains (with exception of Davila this time) except Monsalve. So, I guess it’s about Demare. He is good. He won’t dominate a la last year but will be very much up there. He has a great leadout train including the rider I wish I could have signed in the last FA round but didn’t have the budget, Feillu, who is amazing. Costa is good for Ardennes and short tours but RES and ACC halt him winning, much like Kreuziger. As always, could go either way.
croatia’s rating:4/10 - Say hello to the WT Arnaud Demare. The dominator of CT sprints already got some very decent WT results last season, now he’s with the best again full time. Not quite Kittel but definitely he’ll score great. Then there is new addition Costa from LA-Antarte, who also is clearly WT material. Although he lacks back-ups to be a classics winner he could be very useful in small tours. 2 good to great scorers, what is the problem with this team now? Well, everything else. There is no back-up scoring. First of all there is missing a lieutenant for Costa. Then we have multiple options for Demare leadouts, but not the Top-Option to be the last man standing for Arnaud. The wide pool of domestiques has not a single guy to finish a breakaway attempt against other companions. A second row to lead in WT races is not existent as well. It looks like very tough times for bwiggins.
Weaknesses:
no second guaranteed points scorer
Theo Bos leading sprints
a Top10 cobbler to use the great cobbling domestiques
Main Scorer:Bauke Mollema
Bauke is seriously the highest bet for 1 week racing. The combination of mountain and hill with great back-ups could score many points, if he focusses on these races and classics. The only kind of sad thing is that other captains of the team like the same races, so maybe we´ll see Mollema competing at La Vuelta like the last years.
Rider to watch:Bert-Jan Lindeman
Lindeman is expected to show himself in a lot of classics or flat stages of tours. His stats fits perfect for breakaways as he could do well on every terrain and has that decent sprint and especially acceleration. With also decent energy stats he will often show the colours of TVM in an aggressive way.
jandal’s rating:5.5/10 - I’m saying this too much, but tough team to pick. Mollema is a good signing and a great leader to have for Ardennes, short Tours and even GTs, should he go to one. As we said maybe his biggest weakness is his cockblocking of Gesink, Slagter and Boswell, but now they’re very capable domestiques and that depth could help keep them up. Elsewhere - not much. Bos will pick up CT points - not what you quite need in a relegation fight but could help a bit. Guys like Slagter and Gesink have some nice support stats whcih could help them punch above their weight - and for OZ’s sake I hope they do.
croatia’s rating:5/10 - On paper TVM might be the team with the least WT-worthy leaders. There is Mollema after a bad season with Filliers Mora, and then there are plenty of CT heroes. The team looks pretty one-dimensional in the direction of uphill races as well. So maybe call me a romantically guy that I believe this team will not relegate. Their focus on national guys will pay off in my eyes, cause they built up a great squad of uphill racers which leads to constant scores on tours. Mollema is one of the best and after last season a sleeping Giant, nobody else has the package of great stamina, a decent finish and time trial and top quality on hills and mountains on offer. In my eyes he’ll 100% be in the Top15 individual if planned wisely. Uphill depth and solid breaks will do the rest, while some stronger guys on flat terrain than fluffy Bos or Sinkeldam would make the goal – avoiding relegation – much easier to achieve.
Vegeta Cycling Team
Strengths:
Rafal Majka
great captain support
some additional stage racing options
Weaknesses:
completely avoids flat roads
a team of horrible back-ups
too many useless domestiques
Main scorer:Rafal Majka
Rafal should be #5 of the stage racers at the moment. With his great support he could really take many points and go far into the Top 10 of the individual rankings. His season will mostly depend on how good he can avoid the big 4, because he looks superior to any other possible contender.
Rider to watch:Michal Golas
Out of the big number of riders Luigi will expect in the breaks Golas could be the guy with the best options to actually deliver. Combine his versatility with some finishing power and the right group and Golas could be a savior for Vegeta.
jandal’s rating:4.5/10 - I’m rooting for them but aside from my compulsive liking of underdogs I’m not sure why. Oh yeah, Majka. He’s maybe the best hope against the big 4 but he may try to avoid them, smartly. He’s got backup support too. Golas is a sexy break rider with those punchy sprint stats. and the positives end right there. Horrible back-up stats may prevent surprising and the team’s shared lack f competence on the cobbles or in a sprint at any level is very troubling.
croatia’s rating:5/10 - Why are you not interested in flat terrain? That´s what you have to ask manager SSJ2Luigi as they are lacking any sorts of threat there. Therefore, they once again have to focus on theirs strengths: climbing. However, the triple threat of Majka, Kiserlovski and Valverde has kind of changed lately. Valverde lost much of his strength over the last two years and will only be good for surprises, while Kiserlovski didn´t make it up to the top. Literally the only rider giving them a shot on avoiding relegation is Rafal Majka and his support. Mark my words, he’ll knock on the Top 5 on the individual standings at the end of the season, being by far the best 80 climber. If planning Majka turns out to be unlucky it’s all about praying for Vegeta, as not many riders of their team are as useful for breakaways at Golas. So the success of Vegeta is about the success of Majka, who’ll decide about relegation or being saved.
Edited by Croatia14 on 23-08-2016 10:17
jandal’s rating:6.5/10 - Backup stats in CT aren’t great. For the most part, they’re not even good. Maybe this is more of my opinion for the division as a whole and I’m not picking on A1, but they are certainly affected. Rabbottini, f.e., is going up against riders 2-3 MON points higher than him, with 72/72/73 - pretty good, actually, bad example. But put it up against the 76/72/75 of Sergio Henao, as well as superb ACC, and the point is Rabbottini will never upset Henao in a stage race without Henao crashing, etc. Anyway, A1 have a very nice group of fighters, not least Olympic silver medallist Lukas Pöstlberger. The leaders are good for minor places, but Geschke and Kern are good in a sprint and could always surprise. Rabbottini is a really bad example as his backups are quite good. Maybe I’ve been a little harsh and so it’s up to Luxemburger to prove me wrong and get over his inexperience.
croatia’s rating:6.5/10 - The word I have for this team is difference. there are no riders that are CT top-class. But there are many with upset potential. Smart planning can be everything in the CT tour; the best example was last years Chris Horner run at the Tour of Britain. A1 has to come over smart planning, but if they can do it they go far up. Splitting Geschke and Kern to penetrate uphill sprints seems like a good plan, Rabottini will score good if used right. I´m very optimistic, especially cause the depth of breakaway guys is special. A single-digit place might not be too unrealistic.
jandal’s rating:7/10 - Palini and his tra - wait no their next best sprinter is 70 - is Aeropostal’s only answer to “do you have a rider who can do well in a race that isn’t a stage race”. Luckily he’s very good, but not Appo, as I discovered when I had the choice. Luckily they do have a nice stage racing department, with Anacona, Poels and Machado (who has a ncie combination of TT and ACC). Oliveira is a great rider to have there as well - not least with his decent climbing abilities. The backups hurt to look at, though.
croatia’s rating:6.5/10 - A simple plan for Aeropostal: Sign up for every stage race you get and what´s your outcome. Palini’s situation is kind of a problem for that though. Normally I would say keep him in Stage Races and let him hunt for spare flat stages, but he needs trains to jump on. But will anybody deliver him to the line if he’s the favourite? I guess only PCM can tell. Also a pity is the lack of decent domestiques, but being only semi favourite most of the time that shouldn´t hurt too much. I very much like the look of Gaviria and Quintana here, paired up with Poels as a great rider for any uphill race.
jandal’s rating:7/10 - Diego Ulissi does not a team make, says the guy who was almost single-handedly defeated by him last season. Now he’s got a bit of backups with Mauro Pillsupthepoggio (who has good backups!) and Latour, who may be the first CCC rider to lead a race not named Ulissi, says the guy who had this issue with his own Italian last year. Komisarek is a decent hout from a break and has abilities in a sprint, up a hill and on the TT bike. Backups are an issue but I’ve said that for every team so it’s probably just the CT. Anyway, Ulissi has a lot of support, so he should be even better and if he had a better STA stat could be the best in CT.
croatia’s rating:8/10 - Well, to answer the question of placement you have to ask the following: What has changed from last season? Not much. A great Ulissi, some decent 2nd row guys, a big amount of shitty and overpaid domestiques. And the division is stronger than last season. So a worse year for CCC? Not exactly I guess, and that for 2 reasons: 1. Patryk Komisarek. He has developed into a rider that can surprise on many sprints when the profile was tough. An ideal guy for tours to mix into less contested sprints. The second guy is maybe the only notable addition to the team: Beneath Silin, Dall’Oste, Poljanski and a fucking overpriced certain dutch talent I wanted - hell he was at the end pricier than Mr. Panama Paper - in exchange for old Ferrari, Pierre-Roger Latour joined CCC. He adds some stage racing strength that was missed, so that Ulissi can focus on races that suit him more and have less climbs. Additionally the developement of Nowaczek is really nice, he looks like a light version of Bazhkou for me last season.
jandal’s rating:7.75/10 - A very nifty little team who should slot into the comfy seats with their leaders, and come into promotion talk with their domestiques and break threats (e.g. Koch, who is a beast). Spartacus has only Boom as a rival on the cobbles and has great backups, and obviously is still a top CT TTist. Caruso is a subtop Mountain and Hill rider who can be elevated by his ACC, TT and REC, and will also be good for points. Some good domestiques in the hills and to a lesser extent mountains help his case, certainly more so than Spartacus. Ponzi is a decent sprinter in his own right but EBH aside is up there in the hills with his sprinting rivals, whilst Aregger, Ponzi and Koch need only catch the right break. Only planning and luck will tell if they can hit the WT in their debut season.
croatia’s rating:8/10 - Fabian Cancellara is one of the greatest cobblers in the game and also great for flat attacks and TTs of course. Damiano Caruso is a very well rounded climber who´ll score plenty in the mountains. The rest of the team is just pure upside potential. Ponzi can mix into any sort of sprint. Voss, Pasqualon, Lang, Kohler, Koch, Pellaud. The list of great breakaway riders is long. Plenty of surprising potential, and Credit Suisse will surprise all to finish in the Top 3-8 positions.
jandal’s rating:5/10 - I’m going to mention Biermans so I can get him out of the way as a good minor points cobbled guy and move on to their sprinters, and also highlight that in a team full of crap domestiques I just mentioned all their riders that will ever score points in one sentence. Now, the sprinters. Ruffoni and Rajsp are decent enough sprinters but Pibernik has the advantage that he actually rivals EBH in an uphill sprint with a bit of luck. But yeeeeah, that’s not enough to make a team. Literally half of the team are under AVG 70.
croatia’s rating:4.5/10 - I´ll show this team out of 2 perspectives. My brain says that this team has to come last. For sprints 76 is one point too less to score constant results, there is no notable leadout, cause the leaders need to be split for more points. There is no guy to score well uphill, and not even speaking of long climbs. There is no good breakaway material at all. Biermans is too weak and has no support. My heart says I like what they did. The base of riders looks good for the next year in CT. Pibernik and Rajsp are developing great and could score via their versatility. Biermans is a lighthouse for long range attacks. Ruffoni could score if planning goes well. But objectively, as said, they´ll struggle on the wrong end of the table. Though mark my words, ICL18 will see Enel as a very good promotion candidate.
Fast N’ Loud Cycling Project
Leaders:Tyler Farrar (77 Spr), Leigh Howard (77 Spr), Kris Boeckmans (76 Spr), Bert de Backer (76 Cob, 74 Spr), Julien Simon (74 Hi, 74 Spr), Luka Mezgec (75 Spr)
Rider to watch:Marc de Maar
jandal’s rating:6.5/10 - Fast is certainly right! Similairly to Enel I’ll point out Rathe and move on. What a sprint train, and many have their own extra niches, with Farrar in prologues, De Backer a real threat in cobbled races and Simon being another uphill sprint threat. But yeah, 77-77-76-75-74-74 is amazing and credit is due to welker, but he’ll have to bank on De Maar being solid in breaks and Simon and de Backer being good in their second terrains.
croatia’s rating:5.5/10 - If a fast man is needed Fast N’Loud will be there. Equally if it’s a punchy (Simon), cobbled (de Backer), a Prologue (Farrar) or a pure sprint either from a strong train (Farrar, Howard) or a strong acceleration from a backwheel (Boeckmans, Mezgec). Still this is only the second strongest sprinters team. They should be favorized in any sprint race that avoids Fenn. The wrong side of the medal is that F&L has nothing to offer for stage races that are not Circulo or World Ports Classics. Their financial trouble with Mullen and the lack of a stage racer will hurt their scoring as well as missing breakaway guys. A lot of stage wins, but a place pretty down in the rankings should be the outcome.
jandal’s rating:9.5/10 - What’s not to like? Good sprint train for the fantastic Rojas, top TTT squad and the fantastic Kangert, armed with some support (including the man I still regret selling and will likely be a standout: Angel Madrazo). Amador too is a beautiful rider who should do well in a variety of races and breaks. Could make their way in to the promotion talk yet again.
croatia’s rating:9/10 - The by far the best time trial squad. Their very own Boasson Hagen. A wide line-up of stage racers, puncheurs and second tier sprinters. All in all Fiskars has by far the strongest depth. Tobias Ludvigsson is a guaranteed scorer and only one of the potential overperformers. JJ Rojas can win any race, even on WT level. The sprinters have impressive back-ups, and I didn’t even mention constant scorers Kangert and Hardy. What’s missing for unfairness is a WT captain like Porte. But they got Amador, the guy I predict to be the biggest surprise of the season with his incredible versatility. Additionally many other breakaway riders and surprise guys. Only missing thing is a standout uphill 1-day racer. But they won the division last season. They got even stronger. Who should stop them?
Edited by Croatia14 on 23-08-2016 10:18
jandal’s rating: 7.25/10 - Aru, Battaglin, Modolo. Aru, Battaglin, Modolo. Aru, Battaglin, Modolo….
Let’s start with Aru - still below Porte and Henao, maybe others, maybe none. Backups and secondaries are not good but his MON is 79. Battaglin is a decent sprinter before he gets 77 hill - 3 stamina down on Vanendert and Hagen is his only weakness with a good MON stat too. Modolo has terrible backups and so may lose out to some other sprinters 90% of the time but is still a threat, especially in short, easy circuits. Master descender Cappechi and “my fighter should be 86” Pirazzi are the notable fighters who could pose all kinds of threats, and all three leaders have serviceable trains.
croatia’s rating: 7/10 - Aru is a winner. Last year he should’ve been the strongest climber, but he wasn’t even close of getting there. Now he’s stronger but his opponence is as well. I don’t see him dominating, in fact, he will be in P6-10 of the climbers in terms of scoring. Modolo, despite having pretty weak CT opponence this year, won’t be even there. He is just too Guardini. Battaglin though will score plenty, in my eyes the most of all his teammates. In the NC jersey he’ll be one of the top puncheurs of the division, races like Strade Bianchi should fit him perfect. Plenty of support for Aru is therem though no big breakaway thread besides Capecchi. Gaerne’s biggest problem though is their focus, this team is about nation focus and not about promoting. They’ll put their best possible team for the big italian races, and therefore lack strength in more scoreable races. Will that hurt manager Krisa? No! They’ll be happy with great showings at the Giro, Milan-San Remo, Strade Bianchi and all the other Italian races. With the focus on most possible points they could have an outside shot on promotion though and would be rated higher than 7/10 from me.
ICBC Cycling Team
Leaders:Mohammad Mat Senan (75 Hi, 69 Spr), Nur Marzuki (75 Mo), Meiyin Wang (75 Mo)
Rider to watch:Yukiya Arashiro
jandal’s rating:4.5/10 - Um, props for nationality focus? honestly the likes of Mat Senan and Arashiro are great for surprises which i think will be the main source of their points as Marzuki and Wang lack the backups, though in saying that if a mountainous break goes and Marzuki is in it he should be great for the win or KoM or both - if he had a half-decent ACC stat. Not going to set the CT alight but I admire what they’ve done and will certainly hope they can spring some surprises.
croatia’s rating:4/10 - Arashiro is the only rider with an acceleration over 70. That is horrible for a team focussing on breakaways and climbs - no matter if short or long. It’s nice to have an all-asian team though, even if it’ll only score from breakaways, and even then they might have slim chances due to the lack of finishing power. The only nright side could be the depth for plenty of breakaway attempts.
Lufthansa IN Racing
Leaders:Richie Porte (79 Mo, 76 Hi, 77 TT), Lars Boom (77 Cob, 75 TT, 74 Hi), John Darwin Atapuma (78 Mo, 75 Hi), Maxime Monfort (76 Mo, 75 Hi, 75 TT), Matthias Frank (76 Mo, 75 Hi, 74 TT), JJ Lobato (76 Spr)
Rider to watch:Julien Vermote
jandal’s rating:9/10 - Uh, wow. Abhishkek has done a fine job getting a great TTT and MON team together with one of the two top cobblers and a solid sprinter. Unfortunately for Boom his best support is 67 and for everyone the leader’s RDs mean that the 7 crappy domestiques will have to feature a lot. But backups are good, they have so many climbing options and also, Vermote, who is a great all-arounder. Promotion lock.
croatia’s rating:9/10 - Combine a WT leader as a Stage Racer with the tied best cobbler (and stage racer without mountains) and you have a team near to promotion. Put a 78 Mo (Atapuma) and 2 good CT stage racers who could lead many teams (Monfort, Frank) on top and that should be instant promotion. Should, cause they’re completely missing support; like this Frank and Monfort could be used as a domestique. The sprinters won’t score much, nor will they have breakaways. They’ll lose a lot of points due to not being able to control a break but being a favourite. Still it should be enough to promote, but will it be the title? I doubt it.
jandal’s rating:6.5/10 - Pedal Africa boast great ideals well executed and amazing talents. They don’t have top scorers but buckets of breakaway guys and plenty of people for points here and there. Janse van Rensburg is a fantastic rider and the peloton would do well to not underestimate him, be it froma break or in a tough sprint. Grmay is a good shout for hilly top 5-10s, ditto Impey in the sprints. The Eritrean duo are outsiders in the mountains and don’t quite have the backups for big surprises but are definitely threats.
croatia’s rating: 5.5/10 - This team has a very decent second row for a CT team, so that means a good base for scoring for the first fully African real-managed ICL squad. The_hoyles big problem is that in front of the second row the first row of captains is not existent. And without at least one bigger scorer an upper table placement is hard to achieve. The good thing for Pedal Africa is that it’s one of the best breakaway teams. Almost every guy has decent attacking stats, like this we might see the most aggressive team of the season coming from Africa. That should give enough points for a lower mid-table placement and combined with the regional focus a lot of sympathies inside the ICL.
jandal’s rating:7.75/10 - I’ll do what my fellow here did and rate myself how he does (-0.75 cause he overestimates me) and note how tough this will be for me, and how long it will likely be as I know so much about us. Anyway, here it goes: Improvement is immense as one of the crummiest teams across all divisions last year are now promotion dark horses. The mountain train was sadly depleted by bigger teams but still is near-ish to the top, with Nieve heading up Ospina and Vanendert occasionally as outsiders and a few other capable helpers. Vanendert has top ACC and STA to put himself up there in the puncheurs’ ranks and has the climbers to support him plus Bennett (who lacks the backups to be an outsider himself). The man who beat Demare in Mexico, Appo, is supported by the surprise of last year Siskevicus (who’ll act as cobbled leader) but not the greatest train, and their best TTer is 70 so that could be a letdown for Nieve and co. in stage races. Hard to see any “suprises” as much, Bevin is best punchy sprint break outsider so it’ll probably be Siskevicus, an actual almost punchy sprinter. Yep, way too long.
croatia’s rating:8.5/10 - Did you ever tried the horrible plan of trying to focus on climbs without a single guy capable of a half-decent time trial? Well jandal does. To be fair he has some of the best squads to try that. There is a great depth of uphill attackers and domestiques. Then we have Ospina, Vanendert and Nieve who can destroy almost every CT race and cut the opponence into pieces. There is a perfect CT classics guy in Vanendert, who’ll only get outshined by Henao in the hills. Appollonio should add some weigthful points in flat races, or even more win several flat stages on stage races where Nieve and companions are competing. Siskevicius is half man half amazing. If he finds his Kobenhavn form of last season I see him doing plenty of upsets in half-classics. Avoiding cobbles and long time-trials should paired up with smart planning lead to a Top 5 spot and contension in the batlle for promotion. If only he loses his love for sending his leaders to GTs where score too less.
jandal’s rating:7/10 - The 100% GBR/IRL focus is admirable but as such the team feels a bit convoluted, a bit all over the place. Roche and Bennett are top quality leaders, but each has one (really in Edmonson’s case) good helper and then… blah really. Too many ~68 domestiques and Wiggins is the only other guy who can score outside of break luck, nothing on the cobbles. Relying way too much on the two leaders, Schuh is just lucky they’re damn good.
croatia’s rating:7/10 - Sammy B is clearly one of the best sprinters (if not the best) not riding for the big 2 sprinter teams. Roche has the stats to Fuglsang the division. Edmondson is a great guy to share the tours lead with. The (former, former) beard has his best days far behind him, though still is available for some Ludvigsson-style points, if his Martii can cover the brilliant planning of Atlantius. I’m missing a classics leader though as well as some support for the Stage Racers and a decent third guy for a Bennett train. They also can’t rely on breakaways. Still this looks like a solid start for the team, especially keeping the strict national focus in mind.
jandal’s rating:8/10 - This team is pretty clearly split up into fighters, climbers and helpers. The climbers are very good and the depth is amazing, with 78-76-76 as well as some TT skills as well as Velits’ punchy capabilities (scheduling will be interesting). Velits again is a top top stage racer, especially in the early hilly stages of the CT GTs and a race such as Romandie especially. The numerous fighters, then, will decide the final points total as break wins should come forth. Also has some decent TTT strength, but unfortunately if it’s not a TT and the road is not pointing upwards they don’t care, which is a real problem with no sprinters or cobblers.
croatia’s rating:8.5/10 - This is what I call specialisation. The leaders all find their home in the mountains, though not lacking versatility. Velits should be a Top 10 CT scorer surely, and is a great replacement for a Brajkovic that is still, here but will only guide his new leaders. It’ll hard to judge the races for Peter, cause he could win nearly on any terrain. It might even be more of a classics season for him as Taaramae is there for Stage Races. The #1 climber though is Elissonde to replace Frank. He’s even stronger than him and should be a top contender for climbing races, but only if planned carefully as his energy stats could make him disappoint. Flat leaders besides the strong TTT-squad are not findable, but Sevilla will most likely avoid them anyway. The domestiqual supporting cast looks strong too, and if the one-sided focus works out this can go far, far high.
Edited by Croatia14 on 23-08-2016 10:18
jandal’s rating:8/10 - Fuglsang is proven in the CT as a promotion catalyst as the defending holder of 2 CT GTs, and got 2nd in the other. This year he’s up against the Henaos and the Portes of the CT that he wasn’t against last year - but he’s very much still up there with good backups and TT stats. Flakemore is a very good TTist and also Haussler’s best domestique. Haussler as said lacks support on the cobbles but is the favorite in a half-classic such as Kobenhavn or even just classics in general that aren’t raced decisively enough. He lacks the top support and the pace to be a real threat in sprints but good planning should see a few pan flat points going his way. Promotion dark horses.
croatia’s rating:8/10 - Obviously I have to start with Fuglsang, part of the most successful 1-2 punch of last seasons CT. This time he doesn’t have a great second CT stage racer on his side, but instead a proven TT specialist and a cobbled sprinter. Haussler will score plenty in the cobbled classics of CT.2, even without big support. Flakemore will be very valuable as Haussler support, but I doubt that he can score much. Brown has a good 1B option if Flakemore has a bad TT day. Fuglsangs support looks decent. The breakaway options, Gaspar, Chaves, Hermans and Matthews in first row, should be able to score plenty. This team might end up a few places away from the top, but only a strong puncheur/stage racer is missing for the promotion fight.
jandal’s rating:7.5/10 - If this team could just ignore the fact they’re Colombian and get a cobbled or sprint leader they’d be amazing. Henao is hands down, far and away the favorite in literally every hilly classic and there or thereabouts in the climber’s ranks. His core stats alone are beautiful but add his ACC, STA and REC and you have a possible rankings winner. He’s got great support but they don’t have the greatest scoring capabilities, except Duarte who comes with good REC and ACC. Nothing on any other terrain and so it’ll be a season of wins, but not promotion.
croatia’s rating:7/10 - Team Sergio Henao. I predict it now: Sergio Henao will go into double digits with wins, if he stays in lower divisions. He has a very deep support to control the races for him and is capable to completely destroy other opponents with late attacks. Hilly classics as well as small but steep tours will be a pain for anyone who races against Sergio. The problem is: Who should score besides the designated CT individual standings winner? Duarte will have tough times against other opponents; on flat stages they’ll achieve nothing. Good thing that there are a lot of guys with good acceleration and back-up stats. Still Henao alone will make sure that Coldeportes finishes mid-table.
Team Cymru Wales
Leaders: Andrew Fenn (79 Spr), Ben Swift (76 Spr, 73 Hi), Andy Schleck (76 Mo, 76 Hi), Luke Rowe (77 Spr), Michel Kreder (76 Spr, 74 Hi)
Rider to watch:Andy Schleck
jandal’s rating: 8/10 - Deep breaths. I have pangs of jealousy whenever I see the squad and for good reason. Fenn is the best sprinter regardless of having the best train, and utilised correctly in conjunction with their one climber and his one support rider (who’s more a puncheur). Luckily that one climber is no slouch, it’s Andy Schleck. Never thought I’d say that post 2012. He’s got solid backups and a very much above average RES for a climber meaning he can hang tough or surprise the favorites in the mountains. He hasn’t got quite the kick or the stamina to be a top puncheur but certainly will be up there there too. Kreder and Swift (who has amazing backups) aren’t just fantastic sprinters on the flat (points-scoring good) but very good uphill. The fact I haven’t mentioned Rowe who could lead most teams just shows the depth sutty has created. If he uses both the team’s and his sprinter’s RDs wisely he’s a very good shot at promotion.
croatia’s rating:8/10 - I could’ve copied Fast N’ Loud here, but there are 3 differences to recognize: 1. Andrew Fenn. The by far strongest sprinter of the division could pull out a Demare this season, if he stays focused the probably guy with the most wins in CT. 2. Andy Schleck. What welker is missing is a guy that can score in the mountains. Andy can. His RES stat is over the moon for CT, he’ll overperform and score plenty of valuable points f.e. at the Tour of Britain. 3. Cymru lacks a cobbler. Their set-up should suggest a perfect support for a cobbled sprinter, but there is none. Will Fenn fill also this role? And finally there is still Mr.Sutty, and we all know he’s unpredictable. Will he put all on the line for promoting again? Then it’s possible. Will he ride his just for fun races and behave like a WT team? Then say hello grey mid-table.
Team Heineken - Shell
Leaders:Moreno Hofland (75 Spr), Steven Kruijswijk (74 Mo, 73 Hi), Dennis Vanendert (74 Hi, 72 Spr)
Rider to watch:Ivar Slik
jandal’s rating:5/10 - I don’t like unmanaged teams and so it’s vindictively good they’re bad. Hofland will get minor points and Vanendert is quite a nice rider (next year he may be joining his brother) but I predict Kruiswijk to maybe get some wins, due to his fighting spirit, and, more importantly, his good REC which will help him take advantage of the favorites later in CT GTs.
croatia’s rating: 4.5/10 - It’s kind of hard to judge Heineken. In a year where CT isn’t too packed with great sprinters the deep lineup of these should score at least some points. Hofland has his upsides, so does Havik. Plenty of low-table Top10s from sprinters and breakaway hopes for guys like Kruijswijk and van Winden could turn out to be the plan. Adding some surprise results from Vanendert in reduced bunch sprints and Heineken at least won’t come last. Any sort of CT worthy leader is missing though of course.
Team Renova
Leaders:Aidis Kruopis (77 Spr), Petr Vakoc (75 Hi), Tomasz Marczynski (75 Mo, 74 Hi)
Rider to watch:André Cardoso
jandal’s rating:5.5/10 - Their season is dependent on surprises really - Kruopis is solid but doesn’t have backups or a second terrain to be a good enough scorer to rely on. Vakoc la ks the stamina to surprise the stronger puncheurs but has a good ACC for minor places if it’s taken a little easier. Marczynski is like Kruiswijk in terms of good REC leaving CT GT breaks open - however with only 75 mountain he won’t be getting anything else. He is the head of a decent group of OK climbers though. Cardoso is a beautiful Ulissi-lite except better in a sprint, perfect for a breakaway (my pick for the Vuelta Mallorca overall win if he’s entered ), and could be the shining star among an average team.
croatia’s rating:5/10 - For me it seems nearly like they made a step backwards. For Costa you need to pay, and they didn’t. The leaders aren’t stronger than last season, it’s still the Lithuanian Kruopis who should do the main scoring in sprints. Besides him Renova has a big bunch of riders that are not good enough to lead a team, but should be too good to make it into early breaks. Maybe the likes of Figueiredo, Vakoc or Marczynski can create some lower Top10 results constantly. A good thing for the team is the wideness of breakaway guys, a horrible one is that Piedra is the best guy of the team in terms of RES with 69. Not good for being successful from far out…
jandal’s rating:5/10 - I’ve voiced my opinions on managers who leave before transfers (haha, I see the hypocrisy, yes), especially when they’re still active around the site (yes yes). But anyway, from a neutral perspective Canker is terrible, his decent MON is dimished by terrible ACC and other backups if he wants to put that fighting spirit to good use. Hansen, then, is their best hope, and it’s not a good one. Looking for something to salvage, I’m going with the really quite good duo of Skjerping and Blikra who should be good for minor points and maybe a break win between them.
croatia’s rating:4/10 - I don’t know where to start to say how weak this team is, always sad when a manager leaves his team alone. The only rider with an acceleration of above 70 is a sprinter with 71. Captain CA Sörensen has main stats for a CT worthy leader, but the worst back-ups I’ve ever seen on a guy that calls himself team captain. Hansen and Galta could score some minor points with some luck. But I still have no idea who should score a victory for this team. Maybe Jimmi or Hansen or Blikra from a breakaway, these are at least the most enjoyable riders of the team. Besides that: Talented names, but no outcome.
jandal’s rating:9/10 - Part man, mostly god - Edvald Boasson Hagen is the reason we CT managers can’t have nice things. There is literally no terrain he can’t and, indeed, won’t score on. TT, Hills, Sprints, Cobbles, Mountains - his godly core and backup stats should see him come out on top in the battle for the individual standings. What seperates them from Coldeportes is his multiple terrains and, of course, the team’s multiple terrains. In King Leopold they have a very nice stage racer for CT GTs and races like Romandie, and indeed a good support for EBH in the hilly classics (if Henao crashes I smell some 1-2s). Hirt is good value support too, and the fact they can do this with only 2 crap domestiques is just too much. I haven’t even started on Tsatevich, who is a great sprinter to have for when EBH isn’t there and if planned right could be a great scorer. His punchy and chrono capabilities are a big plus too. Going up, even without considering the MG experience of a guy like fjhoekie.
croatia’s rating:9/10 - Close this one out with a screamer: This team has everything it takes: Boasson Hagen to win reduced bunch sprints on every terrain or even tours with his TT, König as a more than decent stage racer. He can at least compete in hilly classics, and Hirt backs up the points scored in stage racing. Tsatevitch is a top-sprinter for CT that goes well over hills, and Galimzyanov will support him well though a third man is missing for a train. The supporting cast doesn’t look brilliant on every terrain, but especially the TTT line-up looks well. Breakaways won’t score fjhoekie too much, but they don’t need to rely on them. The leaders are strong enough to take a huge shot in the fight for promotion.
Edited by Croatia14 on 23-08-2016 10:20
La Fundación - Leaders: Alvaro Cuadros (71 Mo, 69 Hi, 70 TT), Juan Pulido (71 Mo, 71 Hi, 70 TT)
Podravka Developement Team - Leaders: László Rácz (73 Mo, 70 Hi), Josip Rumac (72 Hi, 70 Cob), Márton Farkas (72 Spr), Attila Hajdu (72 Mo, 69 Hi, 70 TT), Bruno Maltar (71 Spr, 69 Hi)
PureBlack Racing - Leader: Jose Angel Ventura (71 Hi, 69 Mo)
Reizen Waes - Pinkpop Development Team - Leaders: Raphael Vanbutsel (72 Cob), Max Groen (71 Cob, 70 Hi), Juan Pizarro (71 Mo, 70 Hi, 69 TT), Eduardo Gonzales (71 Spr), Luis Miguel Alemán (71 Hi)
Specialized Developement Team - Leaders: Alexander Wachter (72 Spr, 70 Hi), Sam Oomen (72 TT), Julian Schulze (71 Mo, 69 Hi)
Suntory Orangina - Leaders: Patrick Olesen (71 Mo, 70 Hi, 72 TT), Salvador Castillo (71 Mo, 69 Hi), Ottavio Romano (70 Spr)
It will be a while before I read all of this, but I already want to congratulate you guys on a very nice preview.
Yup, we lost some quality by letting Mollema, Slagter and Hofland go, but the first one was getting too old and unpredictable, an the last two were maxed out when the game started, time for the young blood. Unfortunately I left my best riders in my Dev Team for now, they'll need a few more years to get ready.
You could be very right by saying traning may save me. In my opinion Van Keirsbulck and Van Poppel can both be favourites in almost every race I let them ride, and both should improve as well. My mountain and hill squad got decapitated, and it will indeed be breakaways for my guys. Although Wellens has shown he can top 10 a Grand Tour already, and I feel like Goos might do the same. Anyway, ognna stop typing because I really want to read the rest
A bit unfortunate the U23s received a much smaller preview, but maybe - just maybe - I'll work on something there if I find some time
There won't be any raging on my side. When I didn't renew Purito and Stybar I took a gamble on Quintana and I lost, all good.
Surprised that Gallopin is the rider to watch, he hasn't shown anything in the past season, at all. VDP would be my choice. Still trying to figure out where to send Contador, will be tough, especially with the crashy PCM hm.
Yes, Illes Balears is very one-dimensional and due to my holidays and lack of internet during the transfer season, I didn't correct that mistake by hiring a sprinter. I really should try at least. This season is a (again) a season of transition I guess. La Fundacion is a lot weaker after departure of VDP and Navarro but alas, I hope for few Top 10s.
Really liked the preview, great stuff, nice small talk section too. Thanks you two a lot!
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
@Ollfardh: Thanks a lot U23 has the "problem" that the teams are all very close together, and randomness is a big factor on these kind of races...and mostly they're not there for rankings but for their developement, so ambitions could differ very much there...would still be stunning to see a preview on that from you though!
@Shonak: Gallopin has the advantage to lead your team in two sections, which might help him to get some results, while van der Poel has quite some strong opposition on his own team in his prime terrain - that's why Gallopin is there. But next year already vdP could be the guy indeed Thx to you too
Congrats on a brilliant preview Croatia and Jandal. It's a great read!
I'm less confident of Lufthansa's chances than you guys are, especially with the lack of depth. Was lucky to get those 6 leaders in the first round itself but the real challenge now lies in the planning. I've had some help though (from the best, maybe ). So hoping for a good first year.
Great previews guys! I was expecting to be much worse than that, as my African team is one for the future rather than the here and now. Aggressive racing with breakaways will do me nicely
A Top 10 in CT standings would be a very welcome first season for us, and with Caruso up to 78 MO now I hope that's going to be possible.
As you said though a lot of that depends on the success of our breakaway riders so if that doesn't work out we might end up a bit further down.
Interesting choice with Koch as the rider to watch, didn't even think about him that much to be honest.
But yeah he's got a very good mix of stats and is one of the many riders of our team who can go in both directions.
Thanks a lot guys for a great and also insightful preview to where we stand against the other teams, but this must have taken ages to write. Edited by Vali on 23-08-2016 13:44
Very-very good preview guys. About my transfer season i can say i thought about the future somehow not about this season. If i wanted to win, i just keep Betancour, sign Vanmarcke and keep one of Ratto or Meersmann (and not buy potion for Greipel). But that train gone, maybe i havent had the wiesst decisions, the future will tel.. But, is sure that will be hard for everyone to beat Carbon
One more thing. I hope i can prove to jandal and finish better then that 8th place
