6 Bands, 14 Days in each. Let's see where the PT & PCT Teams will be doing battle this season. Some tough decisions ahead I'm sure.
Please Note: PTHC band choice deadlines and the nominated person to PM will be announced in due course.
BAND 1
Tour de Suisse
Switzerland
7
Tour of Ukraine
Ukraine
3
Clasica San Sebastian
Spain
2
Great Ocean Road Classic
Australia
2
The first band provides a lot of opportunity for the more well rounded Stage Racers with 40km of TT in the 7 stage Tour de Suisse and 2 TT stages in 3 days in the Tour of Ukraine. We also have a race for the pure Puncheurs with Clasica San Sebastian and a prime opportunity for the Sprinters or the opportunists in the Great Ocean Road Classic.
Tour de Suisse
Tour of Ukraine
Clasica San Sebastian
Great Ocean Road Classic
BAND 2
Criterium de Dauphine Libere
France
8
Cheshire Cycling Tour
UK
2
Japan Cup
Japan
2
Tour of the Battenkill
USA
2
A similar main race to Band 1 with the Criterium de Dauphine although it doesn't have the decisive TT kilometers. In Japan Cup, this band also has a classic for the Puncheurs.
What we do see here though are the Cheshire Cycling Tour and the Tour of the Battenkill which provide great scoring opportunities for the cobblestone specialists.
Criterium du Dauphine Libere
Cheshire Cycling Tour
Japan Cup
Tour of the Battenkill
BAND 3
Vuelta a Colombia
Colombia
6
Tour of East Java
Indonesia
4
Paris Tours
France
2
Philadelphia International Championship
USA
2
A really good band for the pure climbers here with the Vuelta a Colombia featuring 4 Mountain stages in 6 days. The Tour of East Java features 3 stages for the sprinters but it'll be a climber who wins it with a brutal finish up Mount Rinjani on Stage 3.
There are good points scoring opportunities for the sprinters in this band as well with a long flat Paris Tours and a similar profile in Philadelphia.
Vuelta a Colombia
Tour of East Java
Paris Tours
Philadelphia International Championship
BAND 4
Balkans International
Balkans
6
Tour of Lithuania
Lithuania
4
Grands Prix Cyclistes
Canada
2
Rheden GP
Netherlands
2
Unlike those above, no days in this one for the high mountain climbers. Instead we have the 6 stage Balkans International as the showpiece which should be a contest between the Puncheurs.
4 days in Lithuania should provide interesting racing as well with 2 sprinters stages followed by a TTT and a long bumpy stage to finish.
It's then 2 classics with the first being a day in the hills of Montreal and the second being another chance for the cobblers.
Balkans International
Tour of Lithuania
Grands Prix Cyclistes
Rheden GP
BAND 5
Veenendaal - Veenendaal
Netherlands
2
Deutschland Tour
Germany
5
Tour of Slovenia
Slovenia
5
Roma Maxima
Italy
2
An interesting band here with a prime opportunity for the sprinters in Veenendaal.
The sprint fest continues nearby in Germany with the Deutschland Tour but they won't be winning the GC. Instead the TT riders will be licking their lips for Stage 3 with a 26.5km ride against the clock.
We then have an incredible number of TT kilometers in Slovenia. Stage 2 is a 31km Team affair followed by 2 punchy stages which is likely to ruin the chances of the purists. But they may be able to make time back on the 52.9km!!! (yes you read that right) final TT.
A cobbled classic is thrown in here as well with Roma Maxima. A lovely big hump in the middle to disrupt the tactics of the teams.
Veenendaal - Veenendaal
Deutschland Tour
Tour of Slovenia
Roma Maxima
BAND 6
Volta a Portugal
Portugal
8
Franceville Classique
Gabon
2
Chrono d'Arenberg
France
2
Riga - Jurmala GP
Latvia
2
A little for everyone here in the final band. 8 days of the Volta a Portugal may not appeal to the climbers too well with only the final stage favouring them but this should be GC decisive.
A day for the cobblers with a flat race over the pavee in Franceville.
One of the more intriguing TT races of the season with the Chrono d'Arenberg. Brutal as it gets with 2 stages of almost 50km covering many cobbled sections. Who would want to ride that on their own?
And last, but not least, is a chance for the sprinters to shine in the Riga - Jurmala GP.
Wow the total opposite of HC, there it was easy to like all of them (bar one) enough, here I find it tough to find any I particularly want to go to A lot of thinking to do Thanks for the run-down LLS!
Spoiler
Obviously it's hard to like any of them because of suitability, not because of quality of calendar - great work as always team
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
Tour de Suisse 
Tour of Ukraine 
Clasica San Sebastian 
Great Ocean Road Classic 
Criterium du Dauphine Libere 
Cheshire Cycling Tour 
Japan Cup 
Tour of the Battenkill 
Vuelta a Colombia 
Tour of East Java 
Balkans International 
Tour of Lithuania 
Grands Prix Cyclistes 
Rheden GP 
Deutschland Tour 
Tour of Slovenia 
Roma Maxima 
Volta a Portugal 
Franceville Classique 
Riga - Jurmala GP 
A lot of thinking to do 
Thanks for the run-down LLS!
