Born down in a dead man's town
And the first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
'Til you spend half your life just to cover up
Bruce Sprinsteen – Born in the U.S.A.
Tour of America might not have the prestige of the grand tours, but it is not for the lack of challenging the riders and entertaining the viewers. After all, the cyclists face 21 days of racing across different types of stages, 3 weeks of travelling through the New Worlds that demand a complete set of skills or as close to it as possible in search of the final glory. The reward is definitely prestigious and the winner will follow on the race’s immortality list the likes of:
2011: Franco Pellizotti (Youtube-Twitter)
2012: Robert Kiserlovski (Hollister)
2013: Andrei Kashechkin (Repsol-Cativen)
2014: Andrei Kashechkin (Repsol-Cativen)
2015: NatnaelBerhane (Eritel - Sonatrach)
2016: Domenico Pozzovivo (In-n-Out p/b Carrefour)
2017: Warren Barguil (Team Ticos Air Costa Rica)
2018: Rafael Valls (Kulczyk - DMTEX)
2019: Chen Shikai (Rakuten Pro Cycling)
2020: Dominik Nerz (Kraftwerk Man Machine)
But the contenders need to tread carefully, lately (with the exception of 2019) the difference in the GC was counted in seconds and not minutes, with the most tight being the win of Rafael Valls in 2018 by 8”.
The peloton will start warming its engines in Daytona and will spend the first week in the United States. It is mostly a week for sprinters with 3 stages where they can shine. There is a fourth stage marked as flat, but the road from Lexington to Luray is dotted with several climbs which could eliminate the massive sprint outcome of this day. Speaking of climbs, 2 hilly stages await the riders on the first week, on days 4 and 5, with the latter looking more challenging with its finish on Black Mountain. A ITT on day 3 rounds up the set of stages prepared by the organizers in the first week.
For the second week the peloton remains in the United States, but the sieve will start churning heavily. The first 2 days of the week are for sprinters once again, but from here on the leg muscles are put to test, 2 hilly stages and 3 mountainous ones will put the GC contenders under the spotlight. 2 of these stages end up the mountains and 1, the last one of the week, has the finish line on the decent, but make no mistake, they are here to inflict pain. Especially the fourth day on the week and the peloton must cover 183 km and finish at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort.
Last week will reveal the winner and for that we are moving south, crossing the border into Mexico and then passing through Guatemala on the way to Costa Rica where the curtain will drop over this edition of Tour of America. If the second week is challenging the last one is no different, maybe even some more. Finishes at Mid Vail, Los Pobres and Llano Grande demand mountain prowess again. Those at San Juan de Alima and Patzun need to be tackled carefully or some might find themselves with time loss on these stages. The GC contenders are left on their own for the ITT 19th stage, while any surviving sprinter will definitely enjoy and fight for the last stage in San José.
Who will be crowned King of America? Who will boast the stripes of stage victories?
TOP 10 GC CONTENDERS
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Ranaweera
Suranga
66
80
73
74
75
75
74
52
58
65
57
69
73
Nerz
Dominik
70
80
72
73
75
72
74
56
64
68
65
60
73
Carapaz
Richard Antonio
69
80
71
72
71
76
77
50
56
65
71
61
72
Warbasse
Lawrence
70
78
75
74
75
73
72
58
60
65
72
68
74
Lunke
Sindre Skjostad
69
78
72
73
76
74
78
58
60
64
68
69
76
Diaz
Daniel Ricardo
68
78
70
72
69
73
71
56
61
68
64
74
72
Eg
Niklas
67
77
71
74
76
74
75
59
60
68
66
65
72
Potocki
Pavel
68
77
72
70
74
71
75
54
62
64
66
69
70
Novak
Jakub
69
76
72
75
74
72
73
59
63
64
63
60
75
Roe
Timothy
66
75
73
75
71
69
72
57
62
74
70
62
75
TOP 10 CLIMBERS
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Denifl
Stefan
67
81
73
69
70
66
71
51
63
60
70
61
69
Ranaweera
Suranga
66
80
73
74
75
75
74
52
58
65
57
69
73
Nerz
Dominik
70
80
72
73
75
72
74
56
64
68
65
60
73
Carapaz
Richard Antonio
69
80
71
72
71
76
77
50
56
65
71
61
72
Warchol
Bartosz
70
80
74
67
76
77
73
59
61
70
66
68
67
Garby
Marc Christian
65
79
70
68
71
76
75
50
52
70
72
63
68
Novak
Domen
68
79
77
66
74
76
77
61
64
76
73
75
64
Min
Kyeng Ho
68
79
76
66
75
77
70
63
62
66
69
69
66
Warbasse
Lawrence
70
78
75
74
75
73
72
58
60
65
72
68
74
Lunke
Sindre Skjostad
69
78
72
73
76
74
78
58
60
64
68
69
76
TOP 10 TT
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Sterobo
Rasmus
70
71
63
78
74
69
69
52
56
73
57
77
78
Janse van Rensburg
Reinhardt
70
69
68
78
71
71
69
63
60
76
67
64
78
Hofer
Andreas
73
58
65
78
74
72
68
55
63
68
75
64
78
Cruz
Freddy
75
54
63
78
68
72
69
62
68
70
68
69
78
Christian
Mark
73
63
69
77
72
71
70
59
68
72
76
71
75
Stimulak
Klemen
73
59
66
77
71
72
69
57
72
74
65
61
66
Oram
James
73
57
64
77
72
72
68
57
69
70
64
64
77
Van Winden
Dennis
71
50
60
77
65
65
69
54
56
67
76
60
77
Penko
Izidor
71
68
71
76
73
74
71
58
65
70
62
71
76
Hamza
Faycal
74
52
63
76
74
73
70
50
56
68
69
63
79
TOP 10 PUNCHERS
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Moazemi
Arvin
67
73
78
69
72
72
75
62
65
73
65
63
67
Quevedo
Xavier
69
71
78
65
72
72
73
56
65
75
69
72
65
Landa
Mikel
65
69
78
57
70
69
70
50
61
69
74
67
57
Novak
Domen
68
79
77
66
74
76
77
61
64
76
73
75
64
Azman
Muhamad Zawawi
69
76
77
63
69
72
73
50
65
75
76
69
64
Zordan
Andrea
67
73
77
55
72
72
70
53
65
74
72
62
55
Bol
Jetse
75
68
76
68
71
70
74
62
62
67
73
64
68
Haas
Nathan
71
65
76
68
76
72
67
63
68
73
76
63
68
Min
Kyeng Ho
68
79
76
66
75
77
70
63
62
66
69
69
66
Warbasse
Lawrence
70
78
75
74
75
73
72
58
60
65
72
68
74
TOP 10 SPRINTERS
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Saber
Lahcen
75
62
68
64
74
72
78
76
81
79
63
68
70
Haller
Marco
72
61
65
56
72
71
76
58
80
79
66
64
71
Nelson
Ricki
71
54
59
55
69
63
77
63
80
80
52
60
71
Boeckmans
Kris
71
59
66
58
71
68
76
72
79
80
63
56
58
Matthews
Michael
76
59
65
64
72
67
73
66
79
79
65
64
64
Havik
Yoeri
73
56
64
56
74
68
75
76
79
76
60
64
66
Vingerling
Michael
71
55
62
65
72
66
76
68
79
79
57
68
76
Colbrelli
Sonny
74
56
61
60
74
72
76
59
79
75
55
70
66
Bouglas
Georgios
72
64
70
58
72
67
76
53
78
78
62
67
58
Altanzul
Maani
72
65
69
70
68
73
78
55
78
75
59
63
75
Let's cast a looking glass over the participating teams.
BNZ - Superhero Racing (CT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Ablenado
Aberlardo
67
78
67
72
73
77
77
52
51
65
59
64
72
Altanzul
Maani
72
65
69
70
68
73
78
55
78
75
59
63
75
Weber
Sascha
72
56
66
58
72
67
68
74
76
75
59
65
61
Gillett
Rhys
67
73
72
70
71
67
74
55
59
74
77
71
70
Vuillermoz
Alexis
66
73
71
63
69
71
68
63
59
64
72
71
64
Muhindo
Jimmy
70
58
66
65
70
68
66
70
64
63
75
64
65
Marryatt
Jake
67
60
66
72
64
70
63
57
60
58
64
62
72
Gough
Regan
65
60
64
68
65
65
65
63
68
69
69
64
69
The team is led by AbelardoAblenado who loves mountains and he can put up a decent TT. He also showed toughness and a very good recovering ability. His helpers are not the best, but they will certainly put in the work. MaaniAltanzul will search for glory during the sprint stages, while Jimmy Muhindo might be the one to watch if the team joins the breakaways. The team’s average age is very close to 29 years and most of its riders (3) come from Europe and Oceania.
Carlsberg – Dansk Bank (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Warbasse
Lawrence
70
78
75
74
75
73
72
58
60
65
72
68
74
Eg
Niklas
67
77
71
74
76
74
75
59
60
68
66
65
72
Sterobo
Rasmus
70
71
63
78
74
69
69
52
56
73
57
77
78
Bouglas
Georgios
72
64
70
58
72
67
76
53
78
78
62
67
58
Roe
Timothy
66
75
73
75
71
69
72
57
62
74
70
62
75
Forssell
Hugo
64
62
68
71
66
69
65
57
72
72
69
67
71
Stocek
Matus
68
64
69
60
68
67
68
67
68
69
69
70
60
Cannister
Goldwijnn
67
61
65
64
68
63
65
66
66
70
70
62
66
The first Pro Continental team is led by Lawrence Warbasse and NiklasEg, although the former looks more rounded, despite Eg’s capability of recovery.Warbasse can handle mountains and hills and his TT can limit losses, He is also on home turf, so there’s an added motivation here. Timothy Roe is a solid domestique here, while Georgios Bouglas is the team’s fast man. The team’s average age is of 27, with 3 riders being under 23.
Carrefour- ESPN (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Chamorro
Juan Ernesto
66
78
75
65
72
76
70
51
66
74
78
74
64
Boeckmans
Kris
71
59
66
58
71
68
76
72
79
80
63
56
58
Garby
Marc Christian
65
79
70
68
71
76
75
50
52
70
72
63
68
Quevedo
Xavier
69
71
78
65
72
72
73
56
65
75
69
72
65
Novak
Jakub
69
76
72
75
74
72
73
59
63
64
63
60
75
Bizkarra
Mikel
65
76
72
63
72
72
72
55
65
73
71
67
62
Gunman
Taylor
72
65
75
70
71
68
70
51
70
75
74
68
77
Bercz
Patrick
72
62
70
60
73
68
75
66
76
77
67
66
60
The team is packed with mountain goats and although Garby and Chamorro excel on the climbs their TT is not up to the par. Chamorro can handle hills as well, as Gunman does too, but the Colombian is known to be feisty. Jakub Novak looks more rounded, but he needs some excellent days on his side. Kris Boekmans is the man to watch for the fast finishes. The team’s average age is little over 31 years and there is no rider under 30 on its line-up.
Cedevita (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Saber
Lahcen
75
62
68
64
74
72
78
76
81
79
63
68
70
Zordan
Andrea
67
73
77
55
72
72
70
53
65
74
72
62
55
Pogacar
Tadej
68
75
72
73
76
76
76
51
63
69
66
65
72
Gilanipoor
Abolfazl
69
77
71
68
74
71
73
53
56
73
67
73
68
Penko
Izidor
71
68
71
76
73
74
71
58
65
70
62
71
76
Siric
Ivan
74
63
69
65
72
76
60
71
73
70
59
74
65
Groselj
Matic
76
58
66
75
73
76
70
67
72
71
69
70
77
Antonijevic
Goran
76
61
65
67
66
73
64
67
70
73
79
72
67
The team seems to seek stage wins with Lahcen Saber and the young Pogacar might put a challenge for the GC. However, despite his excellent physical traits it is possible for him to straggle on some stages. Nonetheless, he is a man to watch for the U23 classification and his future looks bright. It would be interesting to see if Goran Antonijevic might seek television time on the breakaways and if Andrea Zordan on the punchy finishes. The team’s average age is close to 27 years and counts 3 Slovenians in its ranks.
Duolingo (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Min
Kyeng Ho
68
79
76
66
75
77
70
63
62
66
69
69
66
Havik
Yoeri
73
56
64
56
74
68
75
76
79
76
60
64
66
Hiratsuka
Yoshimitsu
66
76
73
62
72
73
75
50
50
59
62
60
62
Merlier
Tim
73
56
68
58
72
72
64
75
78
74
63
72
60
Christian
Mark
73
63
69
77
72
71
70
59
68
72
76
71
75
Rachid
Elias Abou
69
73
69
72
71
72
74
58
62
68
69
66
71
Vahtra
Norman
68
58
68
55
70
69
68
70
72
71
66
65
55
Kyeong Ho Min is the leader of the team, he enjoys climbs and punchy finishes, but he is not a rider known for his speed and fighting spirit. Also, Min is known to have some troubles with his recovery from stage to stage. He’s not well backed by teammates, so it remains to be seen how he fares on the tests of this race. Havik is the fast man, while Mark Christian looks for the TT stages. The team’s average is little over 28 years with no rider under 23.
Eurosport X GCN (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Carapaz
Richard Antonio
69
80
71
72
71
76
77
50
56
65
71
61
72
Pantano Gomez
Jarlinson
65
78
70
53
72
73
72
50
50
67
62
67
53
Landa
Mikel
65
69
78
57
70
69
70
50
61
69
74
67
57
Dunne
Conor
66
74
74
69
71
72
73
70
62
69
74
69
69
Insausti
Jon Ander
70
53
64
66
76
73
64
77
57
66
66
70
66
Stedman
Max
68
66
71
62
66
70
66
61
70
71
64
62
66
Doull
Owain
72
59
65
73
71
70
68
71
73
73
63
65
75
Hulgaard
Morten
68
64
68
71
70
68
67
58
65
65
65
66
70
One of the favorites come from this team, Carapaz is the man to watch here. His lieutenant is Pantano Gomez who can lend a helping hand on the mountains, although Carapaz is more than capable of tackling those on his own. He needs to be careful on the hilly stages and at TT, but he is strong and prepared. Landa will seek glory on the punchy finishes and the sprint stage are just for the recovery since the team doesn’t have a powerful sprinter in the race. The team’s average age surpassed a bit 28 years and is capable across both English and Spanish, languages of this tour, with 2 British and 2 Spanish riders riding here.
Glanbia Foods Cycling Project (CT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Nelson
Ricki
71
54
59
55
69
63
77
63
80
80
52
60
71
Haas
Nathan
71
65
76
68
76
72
67
63
68
73
76
63
68
Brandt
Tyler
67
76
69
73
74
69
72
62
60
66
66
71
72
Cruz
Freddy
75
54
63
78
68
72
69
62
68
70
68
69
78
Oram
James
73
57
64
77
72
72
68
57
69
70
64
64
77
Teggart
Matthew
69
62
68
58
72
70
69
71
68
69
54
63
65
McCarthy
Eoin
72
62
68
63
69
69
68
67
63
66
69
65
63
O'Loughlin
Michael
69
64
66
72
66
70
65
62
63
64
66
64
70
The Continental team is led by on the best sprinters in the race, Ricki Nelson will certainly look for stage victories in Tour of America. Nathan Haas can do the same on the hilly ones, while Freddy Cruz and James Oramon TTs. The GC is out of the question, but the team might still get rewards. The team’s average age is a little over 29 years and there’s a cohesion of language within the team (3 riders from Ireland, 2 from Australia, 2 from USA and 1 from New Zealand).
HelloFresh (CT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Elissonde
Kenny
66
78
73
63
76
77
79
66
55
66
61
72
63
Vingerling
Michael
71
55
62
65
72
66
76
68
79
79
57
68
76
Diaz
Daniel Ricardo
68
78
70
72
69
73
71
56
61
68
64
74
72
Potocki
Pavel
68
77
72
70
74
71
75
54
62
64
66
69
70
Riesebeek
Oscar
74
70
73
67
73
75
69
73
69
72
76
71
71
Heymes
Gilles
67
75
71
73
74
71
71
53
54
58
63
61
73
Tikhonin
Evgenii
69
65
69
64
68
69
67
63
68
70
68
67
64
Novikov
Savva
65
69
67
64
67
68
65
60
61
68
69
64
63
The mighty leaders of the CT rankings are not be discarded. Led by Diaz and Elisonde they are more than capable of mounting a challenge for the GC. Elisonde will definitely suffer on TT stages, but he shows toughness and might recover from these days well. Potocki and Heymes are 2 strong helpers and they can prove their worth for the team. Vingerling is the fast man and his ability to follow stage after stage in good form can help him on the sprints. The team’s average age is close to 28 years and within its ranks Savva Novikov (22) will learn a lot on this race.
Indosat Ooredoo (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Warchol
Bartosz
70
80
74
67
76
77
73
59
61
70
66
68
67
Page
Dylan
75
57
66
60
72
72
75
66
78
79
62
55
59
Arifin
Muhammad Imam
66
76
74
66
67
71
73
52
58
72
82
63
66
Gani
Abdul
75
61
67
65
76
73
73
68
76
77
60
66
68
Hofer
Andreas
73
58
65
78
74
72
68
55
63
68
75
64
78
Abdurrahman
Muhammad
67
73
69
68
71
71
70
55
60
67
73
64
68
Nur Hasan
Sandy
70
60
63
59
72
72
72
58
75
74
73
65
59
Bolor-Erdene
Enkhtaivan
77
62
66
71
71
77
70
63
64
73
71
71
71
Bartosz Warchol dreams of glory, but here is another rider known to be suffering on TTs. Also, he’s not very well backed, but cycling has seen bigger surprises. Perhaps he can find good form here, but if not it will be a long race for him. Still, the strong side of the team is speed, 3 of its riders are fast and if they work well together some stage wins are at hand. Asia will be rooting for Indosat as 5 of its riders are coming from the continent (4 from Indonesia and 1 from Mongolia). The team’s average age is well over 26 years, with all but one cyclist being under 30 years old.
Kraftweck Man Machine (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Nerz
Dominik
70
80
72
73
75
72
74
56
64
68
65
60
73
Haller
Marco
72
61
65
56
72
71
76
58
80
79
66
64
71
Koch
Michel
66
77
73
68
69
74
74
51
67
76
57
61
70
Moazemi
Arvin
67
73
78
69
72
72
75
62
65
73
65
63
67
Rumac
Josip
71
72
75
64
72
70
68
55
74
76
66
69
66
Costagli
Teodoro
62
78
70
69
69
70
75
51
50
66
75
66
69
Bol
Jetse
75
68
76
68
71
70
74
62
62
67
73
64
68
Stimulak
Klemen
73
59
66
77
71
72
69
57
72
74
65
61
66
The last winner of Tour of America is here and Nerz will definitely look to defend his title and follow in the steps of Andrei Kashechkin. He is well backed and more than capable of winning again. Marco Haller is the sprinter, another strong competitor of the squad and Stimulak the man to watch on TT. But again, Dominik Nerz is here as the leader and the team will do everything in its power to take home the yellow jersey. The team’s average age is over 30 years, with only Josip Rumac (27) under 30.
Lierse SK – Pizza UlloPCTeam (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Novak
Domen
68
79
77
66
74
76
77
61
64
76
73
75
64
Mareczko
Jakub
74
53
61
57
71
73
79
50
78
77
61
66
75
Aleotti
Giovanni
71
66
70
68
71
70
67
62
65
71
67
69
67
Van Gils
Maxim
68
69
68
59
67
71
68
60
68
70
65
68
59
Verwilst
Aaron
72
65
65
66
67
69
64
68
63
65
72
63
66
Potocki
Viktor
67
64
66
67
68
69
67
52
65
67
67
71
67
The team lines-up only 6 riders, with Domen Novak jumping off page within it. Can he do it on his own? Novak is a powerful rider, extremely capable on mountains and hills, but TT is not his strong suit and the support is not here. So, perhaps some stage wins and a position in the GC as high as possible relying only on his skills? The end of the race will answer that. Mareczko is also on his own and with the same questions arising, but in the fast finishes and the points classification. The team’s average age is over 23 years, so gathering experience is an important part of its presence here.
McCormick Pro Cycling (CT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Kuss
Sepp
68
78
71
64
74
76
71
50
55
69
66
72
65
Tivani
German Nicolas
70
63
66
63
68
78
76
56
77
78
72
68
72
McNulty
Brandon
70
74
70
73
71
73
72
61
64
66
69
66
71
Revard
Thomas
69
74
68
70
69
73
73
61
58
68
65
63
69
Rojus
Adomaitis
71
59
66
66
64
70
66
57
74
74
60
63
71
Van Winden
Dennis
71
50
60
77
65
65
69
54
56
67
76
60
77
Chaiyasombat
Thanakhan
68
70
68
68
69
70
70
52
66
68
67
68
68
Januskevicius
Mantas
70
64
67
68
71
72
67
55
68
68
71
68
67
The team will not lack support from the crowd and Kuss’ name will be all over the roads. However, winning the race is farfetched. The competitions looks tougher and meaner, but there’s no doubt the local boys will put up a fight. Although this reporter doesn’t see something close to “Miracle on Ice” being in the cards.Tivani is the fast man for the team, Van Winden is a TT rider, while the young, talented McNulty will fight for the white jersey. The team’s average age is little over 25 years and counts on one of oldest cyclists in the race, Van Winden (34) and 2 of the youngest, Chaiyasombat and Januskevicius, both 22.
Pas Normal Studios – Mikkeller (CT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Matthews
Michael
76
59
65
64
72
67
73
66
79
79
65
64
64
Aru
Fabio
67
78
74
64
74
75
76
50
56
70
56
70
64
Hacecky
Martin
66
76
69
67
69
74
74
54
65
73
76
66
67
Van Poppel
Boy
74
60
66
61
72
70
79
68
75
77
71
82
75
Hellemose
Asbjorn
66
69
68
59
68
69
69
61
62
64
65
69
59
Shevchenko
Oleksandr
69
60
66
65
71
73
67
61
61
67
75
73
64
Johansen
Julius
69
60
65
68
66
69
61
62
65
69
69
64
68
Charmig
Anthon
66
67
65
61
65
68
62
60
61
66
67
64
62
The experienced Aru, leader of the team, will try to position himself as high in the GC as possible, but that requires work, resistance and luck. Not recognized for his fighting spirit he might end up disappointed, but his set of skills recommend him for being upfront in some stages. The team’s hopes rely on Michael Matthews for the sprints and with the help of Boy Van Poppel he could deliver. It’s a crowded room for the fast finishes but Matthews will not shy away from those. The team’s average age is little over 27 years and the squad is equally split between 2 spectrums with 4 riders over 30 and 4 riders under 24.
Podium Ambition (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Lagane
Christopher
68
68
72
65
65
69
62
65
73
72
66
61
64
Gayral
Joshua
72
65
71
70
69
70
71
70
70
71
74
62
70
Hennis
Hasani
65
67
69
71
68
69
67
69
72
74
69
67
71
Campbell
Akil
71
63
67
73
65
65
66
70
68
72
66
66
72
Norbert
Andrew
69
67
68
69
72
71
59
55
70
69
70
68
69
Croes
Jonathan
64
69
71
70
69
67
66
56
62
64
65
69
70
Perez
Cristian
68
62
65
71
69
68
68
69
66
68
71
69
71
Morales Ortega
Jacob
65
67
68
60
68
68
68
55
63
68
68
72
61
There’s no podium ambition here for certain, but I don’t mean that in a negative way. All the 8 riders at the start of Tour of America are under 25 years old, with the oldest being Akil Campbell (25). This young squad is here to learn and to develop and the team’s project of developing the Caribbean cycling certain to endear the fans. The breakaways will certainly benefit from the presence of these young guns. No surprise then that the team’s average age is a little over 23 years.
Project Africa (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Denifl
Stefan
67
81
73
69
70
66
71
51
63
60
70
61
69
Grmay
Tsgabu Gebremaryam
67
77
74
65
71
73
76
58
61
71
58
74
65
Janse van Rensburg
Reinhardt
70
69
68
78
71
71
69
63
60
76
67
64
78
Pidcock
Thomas
71
71
72
69
71
73
68
71
71
76
67
80
69
Girdlestone
Keagan
70
75
71
72
75
72
73
55
61
68
68
65
72
Kireva
Albert
75
68
69
75
73
76
72
69
70
73
71
71
76
Hamza
Faycal
74
52
63
76
74
73
70
50
56
68
69
63
79
Main
Kent
67
71
69
71
69
72
72
58
63
68
73
71
71
Another part of the world well represented in the race is led by Stefan Denifl. And another rider with his strong points and weaknesses, a climber, with fighting spirit one some days, but not as good at TT and with not a powerful constitution, He has help in Grmay and Girdlestone, but I am afraid he needs more than that if he is to fight for GC position. Still, the team looks to Janse van Rensburg for the TT and to Kireva for punchy stages. The team’s average age is a little over 28 years, with already mentioned Denifl the more epexrienced rider at 34.
Sauber Petronas Racing (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Ranaweera
Suranga
66
80
73
74
75
75
74
52
58
65
57
69
73
Anacona
Winner
68
78
73
65
73
70
72
50
52
59
52
56
65
Liphongyu
Nawuti
68
75
72
74
73
72
74
65
58
63
68
63
73
Mat Senan
Mohammad Saufi
69
75
71
67
74
71
70
51
58
70
65
59
67
Chhetri
Ajay Pandit
67
76
71
61
73
65
67
55
64
73
70
78
61
Jiang
Zhihui
72
61
66
65
69
73
72
62
75
75
65
73
79
Maccagli
Andrea Enrico
72
63
66
75
70
71
68
61
63
68
69
70
75
Voisard
Yannis
65
68
66
61
65
66
70
60
61
62
67
66
63
Another heavy favorite to count comes from this team, Ranaweera is well rounded and very well supported. True, he is not known for being a spectacular cyclist who bravely challenges his opponents, but his patience could prove more rewarding for him and the team. With 4 lieutenants next to him, among them Liphongyu, who can stick with the favorites quite well, Ranaweera’s name will be seen up in the GC. Jiang will try his luck at sprints, but the competition there is tough as well and he’ll need excellent legs and positioning for a good result. The team’s average age is 28 ½ years and 5 of its riders hail from Asia.
Strava (CT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Azman
Muhamad Zawawi
69
76
77
63
69
72
73
50
65
75
76
69
64
Sanikwathi
Thanawut
72
58
66
65
70
67
75
72
78
78
66
72
68
Colbrelli
Sonny
74
56
61
60
74
72
76
59
79
75
55
70
66
Tarvis
Peeter
76
70
74
61
74
73
66
68
64
72
69
59
61
Hansen
Jesper
72
64
75
64
76
69
74
64
66
75
69
71
69
Moschella
Artemio
57
78
68
68
71
68
69
51
50
60
62
74
68
Ji
Jianhua
65
77
72
66
68
64
68
55
58
60
63
66
66
Oelerich
Jan
73
59
71
63
72
67
71
72
63
63
72
64
63
We turn to another leader who looks to limit his losses in TT stages. But unlike others Azman loves more the punchy finishes and he is one of the riders to watch on such stages. Could that help him climb the GC ladder? Perhaps, but he still needs just a bit more. Nonetheless, he is a brave rider with a good acceleration burst and has Moschella and Ji to rely on. How high he will be in the GC remains to be seen. Sanikwati and Colbrelli will fight for the stage wins in the sprints and they both wish to achieve that. Another experienced team, with its average age well over 30 years.
Tryg – Ritter Sport (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Hoem
Bjorn Tore
67
77
72
67
74
69
74
53
58
62
61
72
67
Nieuwenhuis
Joris
73
63
68
60
67
72
63
68
70
73
62
75
60
Johannessen
Tobias Halland
66
71
68
64
67
70
69
60
67
71
65
71
63
Klaris
Magnus Bak
70
61
67
64
68
69
65
71
64
66
61
64
64
Gross
Felix
68
60
60
62
64
71
65
60
72
73
60
60
62
Iversen
Rasmus
69
62
63
68
65
66
65
65
62
64
65
64
68
The Scandinavian team is the second counting on only 6 riders. BjoernHoem is their leader, but despite his climbing abilities, he also suffers from TT skills, powerful constitution and team support. He is on his own in search for results, but what is certain is he will share from his vast experience with his 5 teammates, all 25 and younger. With an average age of close to 25 years I believe the team will be active in the breakaways and will try to imbue the development of their young core.
Volcanica – Fox (CT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Herrera
Erick
64
73
73
63
68
73
73
52
61
66
67
64
61
Jorgenson
Matteo
70
70
70
69
72
71
63
68
65
68
64
68
68
Jurado
Cristofer Robin
71
67
69
67
66
69
70
68
66
67
64
66
68
Rojas
Henry Antonio
66
66
68
62
69
67
67
68
65
69
67
69
65
Rivera
Kevin
66
69
67
59
66
67
67
57
60
69
68
63
58
Jimenez Retana
John
64
58
62
57
62
65
61
65
68
71
63
67
63
We are looking at only 6 riders once more, but this team will certainly acclaimed on the roads of the third week, when they cross into Central America and end at home in Costa Rica. Another young core, with the oldest rider being Jurado at 26. By the looks of it Herrera is the leader and Jorgenson could be up in the young rider classification. But any decent result is nothing but the wild dream of a mad man. So, the name of the game is once more the breakaway and flying the team’s colors on TV. The team’s average age is little over 23.
Voyagin – Bird (PCT)
FL
MNT
HIL
TT
STA
RES
REC
COB
SPR
ACC
FGH
DOW
PRL
Lunke
Sindre Skjostad
69
78
72
73
76
74
78
58
60
64
68
69
76
Plucinski
Leszek
71
73
72
71
70
70
71
59
69
70
69
69
70
Bagioli
Andrea
69
68
70
68
70
69
66
60
69
70
70
65
70
Matsuda
Shoi
69
65
69
68
65
70
60
60
67
69
60
63
70
Koide
Itsuki
67
66
67
66
62
65
63
60
60
66
60
63
64
Barbier
Pierre
67
58
62
63
67
68
67
66
69
69
60
64
63
It seems the end of our list is filled with 6 rider teams. But if some of these teams need a magic wand to come away with results, Voyagin has 2 very capable riders to be up in the GC. Lunke is well rounded and the Norwegian is capable of holding his own with the best. He might suffer here and there, but he can maintain his form and take advantage of his abilities. He is not a clear favorite, but with the help of Plucinski he offers some hope for his team. The other 4 riders are is search of experience too, as we’ve seen on equally numbered line-ups. 3 of them are 22 years old and 1 is 24. The team’s average age is close to 25 years.
In the following 21 days of racing some will curse the day they were born, some will kick the pedals with a smile. In the next 3 weeks some will question the choice of this professional sport, while for others will be just another day at the office. It is guarantee that within the peloton, in the sport directors’ cars and team buses there will be tears, laughter, celebrations and drama and the fans will be able to follow all these things because PCM.Daily TV and its mighty reporter, Nemolito, will be there to catch them all on tape.
The GC fight might be quite tight and interesting with none of the top notch climbers here. But we're here mostly for the sprints and that field is plenty deep. It's gonna be hard to meet our preseason expectations, but at least we're not relying on this race to save us from relegation or anything.
Thanks for the preview, I just wished it could be posted a week earlier.
Loved the preview, great one! I'm surprised to see a relatively weak startlist given the impact it had last year, but it's a very open race. Loving to see Novak here and thought he could really perform, but at the multiple mountain stages he'll loose precious energy having to drop back for bottles himself and fighting his way up again, which means that he won't perform to what he could possibly be (a winner in this case imo). Looking at the team I'm now backing Nerz to do it again, Kraftwerk seems the most dedicated and I'd love for them to do it again!
XP!!! This is why i keep saying in rankings the ToA is going to sink our PPrD beyond recovery
First appearance in the ToA for a few years and i'm looking forwards to it. The new look T3A hope to make this a regular showpiece race, and i'd like to begin that with a range of breakaway ride. A stage win might be too much right now, but a Top10 or two should be doable.
First of all, yeah, we're not going to win it. But Brandt has finished in the top 10 the last 2 years and that's what we are asking of him again this year. He will be lacking help though so we ask that he does his best!
Glad to see Nelson considered among the top sprinters. He will be going for stages and hopefully (if he can finish) the Green jersey.
Then we have Haas for breaks and Cruz and Oram for TTs. These latter two guys really need to show some results after bad seasons.
Comitting 21 race days here is a bit of a risk but alligned well with the rest of the schedules for the GC trio of Elissonde, Diaz and Potocki. Would have expected at least a few more strong contenders to be present so that's a pleasant surprise for our GC ambitions.
Vingerling here to act on his own accord and hopefully grab a few top 5 stage placements and Riesebeek should just be a solid option for the breaks when we reach w2-w3.
The most obvious candidate to go for the GC win should be Ranaweera but it will be a really close battle between him and Nerz one would assume.
Excited to see this one up. It's a 2nd tier squad, but Min as shown he can be counted on so far. It's his first 3-week test but I reckon he has good chances at the white jersey and a top10. With only 15km of flat TT I'm hoping that doesn't become too much of a issue in the GC battle.
Havik and Merlier could, with some luck, get a couple of good stage results. Let's see.
There are a lot of strong solid teams for this race. I'm interested especially in what Eurosport can do with all that's at stake for them.
Thanks for the preview DarkWolf and good luck everyone!
Thanks for a phenomenal preview DarkWolf! Great read to wake up to.
We're back, and it's so fun to be here. Always love participating in the PCT GT. Some years we skip it because it doesn't seem like the best use of race days, but this year it all added up for Warbasse to come back and lead on home soil
And there's a lot of pressure on Warbasse. That 2019 performance will always be a memorable part of Carlsberg history. This year, however, he's been very lackluster. He's done a poor job getting minor points in big races, and has failed the few times he's had his own leadership. But his whole season has basically been building up to this race, so it's a fresh slate. On American soil, he has a chance to define our season one way or the other.
I'm willing to say the startlist is favorable given the amount of stage racing strength in PCT as a whole in comparison. Obviously there are stage racers who are better than Warbasse, but the top guns of the division are not here, and the field is pretty even. Seeing 3 of our guys in the top 10 of the all-arounders is certainly satisfying. If Warbasse could actually end up in the top 5 here, that would obviously be a major success for us. Top 10 is absolute minimum. I expect 6th-8th. If Eg or Roe could get top 20's, that would also be great, even if the GC point totals after 21 race days are not that much. We need everything we can get, and depth scoring is an area we have struggled since the beginning of time.
A lot of our success is going to come down to TT's, in 2 ways. First of all, Warbasse has to live up to his TT. He never really has, and I'm not sure why. He's overperformed in the mountains and underperformed against the clock his entire time with us. He has to come through in the, here since that's his advantage over others. Secondly, they have to matter. ~50 km of TT total in the race is not much, especially with the last one being a bit uphill and coming when a lot of gaps are already established. We need to be in a good position right after that first TT and hope the game favors us from that position of strength.
Speaking of TT's, I'm surprised to see Sterobo is a favorite here. No way to make much of that given the shuffling that always happens through a TT with wind conditions and the like, but nice regardless. His mountain might help on the final TT too.
We also have Bouglas here. I guess I should never be surprised about a sprint field's strength, but this is definitely pretty strong, as he barely make the top 10. My goal for him is that he actually sprints and can take some stage placings throughout. He's also the best climber of the sprinters, so hopefully that helps. There are a few stages he's well suited too, with some mountains or hills but a flat finish. Unfortunately they will probably go to the break.
Obviously the Ranaweera, Nerz, Carapaz trio seem most likely to be the podium and fight for the win here, but plenty of pure climbers that could surprise too based on how the race goes. Novak could be especially dangerous with his recovery. I really want to beat Garby though. That's like priority number 1.
Very, very excited, and once again, thanks for an amazing preview!
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
The problem with Kuss' performance last year was always that it set the standard too high and therefore made this year's race a challenge.
The field may not be that strong, but it is stronger than last year. Last year I could argue 4th to 9th were pretty evenly matched and Kuss did well to finish at the top of that heap. This year I don't see how 4th is even a possibility, particularly given the higher number of TT KM. And Darkwolf's analysis supports that, as he isn't good enough to make either the GC or climbers list.
So maybe this is the year for him to go KOM hunting. I would rather that than an anonymous 12th. But I fear anonymity might be our curse this year, sprint field is likely too deep for Tivani to get a look in and most of our other riders are still developing and probably not strong enough to carry most breaks. And some great U25 riders so McNulty probably not that competitive.
So lets hope the boys feel the warmth from the home fans on the road and get inspired. And if they don't that is OK, because the important date for us in this race is 2023.
Very interested to see how the route works out. And thanks for the awesome preview.
Kraftwerk are back to defend the title with as strong a team as we could manage.
Nerz leads for the GC with support in the mountains from Costagli 78Mo and Koch 77Mo and in the hills from Moazemi 78Hil and Bol 76Hil. I thought there were a few tricky hilly stages which is why I wanted decent support and the chance of grabbing a stage win. Expecting a close battle between the top 3, a podium is the minimum result needed to justify the commitment.
Haller returns for the sprints but I don't expect the same domination as last year. He has Rumac, Stimulak and Bol to chase breaks and lead him out.
Rumac is a hilly sprinter who might sneak a stage win if the stage is too hilly for the pure sprinters, like Park did last year.
Stimulak has beaten Kittel a couple of times this season, if he is on a good day he stands a chance in the ITT stages.
Really looking forward to the PCT Grand Tour and giving it our best shot at a title defence.
Oh yeah! Can’t wait for this. Surprised at the weaker startlist, very evenly matched at the top between Ranaweera, Nerz, Warchol and Denifl all with different strengths and weaknesses. Novak will be interesting to watch too, and maybe Min. I love races like this with such open startlists where you get to see riders that would normally play second fiddle being properly competitive.
Warchol is still very new to race leadership roles after his off season training, so this is a bit of a trial by fire for him. He’s definitely capable of a podium or even winning here, with how close the top 4-5 contenders are skill wise it could even just be luck that wins the day.
Page has been amazing as a second-tier sprinted this season and punched well above his weight, so I hope Gani and Nur Hasan don’t step on his toes too much. Hofer should be serviceable enough in the TTs as well so the team is capable of scoring on most stages. This race really is make or break for us, so the stakes are high.
I´d just like to say that I´ll try to upload two stages a day when there is a flat stage (or a tt), starting today. Usually the stages will be like 12 hrs apart in that case, but today the stages will be closer to each other.
TOUR OF AMERICA - PREVIEW 
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
