Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts! We have come to North America for three weeks of great bike racing action, as the twenty-one stage long Tour of America awaits the riders! Also known as "The Continental GT", or "The People's GT", it is indeed the Grand Tour of all those teams unable to participate in the European ones. And the race seems to be getting more and more attractive, as we almost have a full start field with 23 teams present!
But before talking about those who will actually make the race, let's talk a bit more about the race itself. Not that much about the route, as you find everything you need to know in Ulrich Ulriksen's great write-up. You will notice that the race is back to the traditional North American focus, with stages in the US and Canada, and no more latin escapades like last year.
When speaking of last year, let's first take a look at the Roll of Honour - with 9 different riders winning the previous 11 editions:
Roll of Honour
Year
Winner
Team
2021
Dominik Nerz
Kraftwerk Man Machine
2020
Dominik Nerz
Kraftwerk Man Machine
2019
Chen Shikai
Rakuten Pro Cycling
2018
Rafael Valls
Kulczyk - DMTEX
2017
Warren Barguil
Team Ticos Air Costa Rica
2016
Domenico Pozzovivo
In-n-Out p/b Carrefour
2015
Natnael Berhane
Eritel - Sonatrach
2014
Andrei Kashechkin
Repsol-Cativen
2013
Andrei Kashechkin
Repsol-Cativen
2012
Robert Kiserlovski
Hollister
2011
Franco Pellizotti
Youtube-Twitter
The only returning winner is Dominik Nerz, who could become the first rider to win this race three times - even in a row! After an offseason decline, this doesn't seem very likely - but don't forget that Kraftwerk are THE specialists of this race lately, having won the GC and the points jersey twice in a row!
And therefore - honour to whom honour is due - we'll start the teams and riders presentation with the defending champions!
The Defending Champions
Kraftwerk Man Machine
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Suranga Ranaweera
80
73
75
58
73
Dominik Nerz
79
71
72
63
72
Michel Koch
77
73
68
67
70
Alex Ariya Destribois
76
75
68
61
67
Josip Rumac
72
75
64
74
66
Arvin Moazemi
73
78
69
65
67
Marco Haller
61
65
56
80
71
Jasper De Buyst
61
70
68
76
68
Indeed, our defending double-champion only returns as his team's number 2, after his decline and Kraftwerk's signing of Ranaweera. However, the Sri Lankan also was among the top favorites last year, and he failed badly, finishing 10th overall. So, will Nerz really just play second fiddle? Or will Ranaweera actually be his luxury domestique and carry him to a historic third win? We'll see! The latter is stronger in the mountains, the hills, and the TTs - there actually shouldn't be any leaderhip questions left. But... you never know!
In any case, the support cast for the mountains is pretty decent, with Koch and Destribois being capable climbers, whereas Moazemi and to a lesser extent Rumac can provide their leaders some help on the hills. And Moazemi might even get to ride on his own for some good stage results on hilly terrain.
As stated previously, Kraftwerk also won the points jersey twice in a row - and it's actually Marco Haller who took it both times! The Austrian won seven stages in the last two years (plus 3 back in 2018), and will likely mount another challenge for green this year. With only De Buyst as potential leadout rider by his side, it remains to be seen if he gets a sprint train - but in any case he'll be the man to beat once again!
The Main Contenders
Philips - Force India
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Ki Ho Choi
81
74
75
59
74
Pascal Eenkhoorn
78
73
69
64
75
Jan Xandri
76
73
73
60
71
William Barta
76
72
73
72
75
Simone Velasco
72
76
60
69
62
Clement Champoussin
73
73
60
59
61
Tom Van Asbroeck
53
71
66
80
74
Yannick Stoltz
59
65
63
59
77
The title "Top Favorite" is often a bit subjective - and defining one when you have six 80/81 climbers, whereof most are similarly strong time triallists, can look random - but Choi might have a slight edge over the others. He's the shared best climber, a strong time triallist, is stronger on the hills than some of the other top climbers, and has the best energy stats. And he's the highest OVL rider present, whatever that might mean.
Plus, he has a great domestique in Eenkhoorn, who - if he doesn't lose too much time in the TTs and still gets some freedom - could be fighting for the U25 crown. Xandri and local rider Barta both are very capable climbers as well, while Velasco's strength is rather in the hills. Champoussin will probably rather be carrying bottles earlier on in the mountain stages.
Then we have Van Asbroeck, who's among the fastest men and at the same time isn't too scared of some hills. He might be one of Haller's main competitors this year - although he'll likely be on his own, with no leadout rider present.
Last but not least, Stoltz probably mainly targets the prologue, but could also be very useful to keep the pack together on the flatter stages if the team eventually has to defend the leader jersey.
Team Popo4Ever p/b Morshynska
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Aleksandr Pluchkin
81
71
75
63
75
Simon Spilak
78
75
70
60
70
Zouzou Andriafenomananiaina
76
72
74
52
70
Artem Topchanyuk
76
72
64
59
64
Martin Papanov
72
70
69
65
73
Yaroslav Parashchak
64
69
57
59
57
Roman Lutsyshyn
50
54
64
79
70
Stanislaw Aniolkowski
62
65
56
78
59
The old man has come here to write history - while he's part of the select club of now 5 riders having won all Pro Tour GTs, none of them has been able to win the fourth GT, the Tour of America, as well. Does the Moldovan still have what it takes to become the first rider to do so? Well, while he matches Choi in terms of climbing and TTing, he's a tad weaker on the hills - and his physical condition has clearly suffered after now 3 years of declining. Still, these two are so evenly matched that a lot will come down to daily form - and team support.
And here we again have kind of a stalemate between Popo4Ever and Philips. Spilak - even one year more past his prime than Pluchkin - Andriafenomananiaina and Topchanyuk are about equally strong as Eenkhoorn, Xandri and Barta; maybe a tad weaker. Lack of support shouldn't be an issue, though, even though Papanov and Parashchak probably won't contribute much.
Neither will Lutsyshyn and Aniolkowski, given that they're here to sprint, not to climb. Both are a tad slower than Haller or Van Asbroeck - but if they play it smart, they could be a dangerous duo nonetheless!
Xero Racing
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
George Bennett
81
76
65
65
65
James Fouche
76
73
69
61
69
Salim Kipkemboi
73
75
57
63
59
Johann Van Zyl
71
74
73
62
73
Henok Tesfaye Heyi
70
73
67
68
72
Corbin Strong
67
68
58
67
58
Jamalidin Novardianto
61
68
68
73
75
Nils Schomber
54
58
74
69
81
The third and final 81 climber is the biggest question mark of this trio - just because Bennett can't TT. While that shouldn't be too much of an issue for the prologue, and even less for the MTT, he'll be dreading the almost 30km long flat-ish TT. On the other hand, he's clearly the strongest puncheur among the top climbers, and with his good acceleration he could be winning some time especially in the first week.
Another disadvantage - at least compared with the previously presented teams and GC riders - is that he doesn't have much support. Fouche is the only pretty decent climber, but will that be enough? Kipkemboi, Van Zyl and Tesfaye Heyi probably won't be strong enough to provide any support on final climbs. Nor are Strong - despite his name - or Novardianto, who will probably rather be looking for attacks.
Finally, there's Schomber, who is here for one single stage - the first one. He's the strongest prologue rider present, and might therefore be our first race leader - but whether he'll actually finish the race three weeks later is a completely different question.
Gjensidige Pro Cycling Team
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Timofey Kritskiy
80
71
76
64
75
Sindre Skjostad Lunke
78
72
73
60
76
David De la Cruz
77
74
73
59
73
Thymen Arensman
73
70
70
63
70
Dinmukhammed Ulysbayev
71
69
68
62
67
Jonas Iversby Hvideberg
64
69
63
61
65
Eirik Lunder
62
65
58
70
63
Kristoffer Skjerping
70
77
62
58
62
Here we get another very experienced GC rider - in fact, Kritskiy was already present at the very first edition of the Tour of America in 2011, where he finished 4th in the GC and won the U25 standings! Boy, how time flies by... Now the Russian has one last shot at winning a GT, after having reached three GT podiums already in his long career (1x Giro, 2x Vuelta). He's still a great climber, although he lacks some punch on the hills. But he's the strongest against the clock among the top climbers - at least in what concerns his speed, as theoretical speed, as in reality his physical condition might prevent him from really competing for the top spots. But never rule out someone who knows how to podium a GT!
Furthermore, his support for the mountains is pretty good, with Lunke and De la Cruz both being capable climbers. The rest of the team not that much, as most are mainly here to gain experience - Arensman should be the best of them, but Ulysbayev, Hvideberg and Lunder likely won't have too much fun in the uphill stages.
Skjerping on the other hand is a rather decent puncheur - maybe he'll get enough freedom to go for stage wins or even to mount a KoM challenge. But no sprinter here, no top puncheur, no top TTer - it's all in for Kritskiy!
Crabbe-CC Chevigny
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Richard Antonio Carapaz
80
71
72
56
72
Andrea Manfredi
78
65
65
62
65
Romain Bardet
77
74
59
52
59
Mark Donovan
71
69
65
63
67
Fabio Van Den Bossche
66
68
63
62
61
Stan Van Tricht
65
67
61
71
62
Ingus Eislers
67
66
58
81
60
Victor Campenaerts
54
69
78
53
78
Kraftwerk's final (presumed) top competitor is Carapaz - who also has gathered quite some GT experience already, despite being 6 years younger than Pluchkin or Kritskiy. And he already has a Tour of America GC podium to his name - last year he won stage 20 and finished 3rd! The competition will rather be tougher though, so let's see if he can repeat that. In terms of climbing he's obviously among the top shots, but he lacks some punch and TTing compared with most others. If he comes here with some great form, another podium finish could well be on the table, though.
His mountain support is similar to Kritskiy's, although Manfredi and Bardet are clearly less versatile than Lunke and De la Cruz. And the rest of the team won't be of any help at all in the uphill stages, although Donovan is developing into a decent mountain helper. But neither Van den Bossche nor Van Tricht can actually climb.
Eislers can't, either, but he's not here for that anyway. The Latvian in fact is the fastest sprinter on the startlist - while he takes his time to get up to speed, the others will have a hard time stopping him once he gets some momentum. Definitely a serious challenger for Green!
The worst climber of the team is Campenaerts - and given his non-existing climbing skills he'll be mainly targeting the prologue, as it's not even sure he'll still be in the race on stage 20...
Top 10 Candidates
Assa Abloy
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Marcus Faglum Karlsson
79
73
73
60
79
Robbie Squire
77
77
65
61
65
Paolo Scarponi
76
74
65
61
65
Jan-Andre Freuler
72
75
68
67
69
Jacopo Mosca
72
75
63
65
68
Tony Gallopin
68
71
72
67
71
Kim Magnusson
69
70
58
65
58
Lionel Coutinho
63
65
52
79
52
Well, we had to make the cut somewhere, but Faglum Karlsson definitely could have a shot at the Top 5 or - in the optimal case - even at a podium spot. He's slightly weaker in the mountains than the previously presented team leaders - that's why he's no "Main Contender" - but he's as solid as most on the hills and in TTs. And his big plus is his great prologue skill - it's pretty likely that he'll be the highest ranked of the GC riders after the prologue, and maybe even the first race leader?
Defending a leader jersey wouldn't be an easy task for his team, though. And especially Robbie Squire would definitely be happier to get some freedom - he'd surely prefer hunting the KoM jersey than working in the pack. Scarponi is the second pretty strong domestique - but that's it for the high mountains. Freuler and Mosca should be good helpers for the hilly stages, though.
And while Magnusson and Gallopin probably won't have a job other than carrying bottles, Coutinho is one of the strongest sprinters in the pack and will surely target some stage success!
Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Manuel Senni
77
73
74
66
74
Alessandro Fedeli
73
75
62
64
64
Louis Verhelst
56
73
65
62
65
Sasha Weemaes
60
61
72
71
72
Max Kroonen
58
62
58
63
58
Jenthe Biermans
55
61
64
66
66
Jakub Mareczko
53
61
57
78
75
Wout Van Aert
63
66
70
64
79
Why do we have a 77 climber right after a 79 one? We'll, because Senni probably is the most complete rider of those who are left, as we'll see later on. While he does indeed lack some climbing skills, he's pretty strong against the clock - and he's got the (shared) best resistance of the entire field. Which makes him a serious Top 10 contender.
However, he'll have to live with close to zero support. Sure, Fedeli is kind of capable uphill, but with his bad recovery he'll definitely suffer in this race - just like many of his teammates. Verhelst is the only other rider who's at least decent in either mountains or hills. While Weemaes, Kroonen and Biermans are just here to carry bottles - or maybe join some breakaways.
Mareczko will be Lierse's card to play in the sprints - and with Van Aert they've got some legitimate hopes to win the first stage and get the leader jersey for at least one day.
BNZ-Superhero Racing
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Yuriy Vasyliv
77
74
72
62
72
Timothy Roe
74
72
74
61
74
Lars Van den Berg
68
69
62
61
66
Munkhtulga Erdenesuren
59
62
59
69
61
German Anibal Orue
50
64
64
53
68
Joshua Edmondson
69
79
64
70
64
Calvin Watson
65
78
68
62
67
Giacomo Nizzolo
53
63
56
79
65
The Kiwi team (without a Kiwi on board) is next - because we've got a similar reasoning for Vasyliv as for Senni before. The German is even better on the hills than the Italian, but a tad slower in TTs - all in all he's still good enough to see a Top 10 finish as a realistic outcome. And it'd better be, as spending 21 RDs on the lone stage race leader is a heavy investment for a CT team.
And they don't "just" bring Vasyliv; while the mountain support is pretty weak with just Roe being a somewhat capable domestique, Edmondson and Watson are among the best puncheurs present here and will definitely be interesting to watch on the hilly stages! None of them looks strong enough to mount a serious KoM challenge - as they'd have to be stronger in the big mountains for that - but getting the jersey in the first two weeks could definitely be an option.
While Van den Berg, Erdenesuren and Orue - who's the shared 2nd best cobblere here (are North American roads really that bad?) - probably won't do much more than carrying bottles, Nizzolo is the team's lead sprinter and could definitely be in for some nice stage results as well.
Pas Normal Studios - Mikkeller
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Fabio Aru
78
74
64
56
64
Vadim Ratiy
78
68
72
51
72
Idan Shapira
75
71
62
55
62
Sep Vanmarcke
55
63
59
67
64
Mario Vogt
62
80
66
62
66
Alexander Kristoff
54
62
62
77
67
Elia Favilli
62
74
62
75
66
Matteo Moschetti
58
67
59
75
64
Now let's still tackle the 78 climbers, as we've covered the two strongest 77 ones. Pas Normal deserve that spot because they've even got two options in terms of GC leader; while Aru handles the hills pretty well, Ratiy is much stronger in TTs. But the Ukrainian lacks pretty much everywhere else, so Aru might still be their better choice. We'll see, though...
Besides the advantage of having a strong leader duo that can mutually provide support, they have Shapira as their final good climber. Plus, they bring Vogt for the hills as well - but the German really just likes the very short ones, ridden in a constantly high tempo, as he isn't explosive at all. Still, they're surely eyeing the hilly profiles for some stage success.
And unlike other teams, they bring more than just a lead sprinter, meaning that Kristoff might even get a train with Favilli and Moschetti. Which could be to the Norvegian's advantage, as with his very low acceleration he might struggle to hold onto a competitor's wheel.
Sauber Petronas Racing
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Piter Campero
78
70
69
56
69
Jamal Hibatullah
77
72
63
60
57
Winner Anacona
76
71
63
50
63
Nawuti Liphongyu
75
72
74
58
73
Mohammad Saufi Mat Senan
75
71
67
58
67
Sachin Dulanjana
74
72
74
62
75
Michael Antonelli
68
67
63
65
64
Diego Rossi
65
69
69
68
73
No matter what - the Sammarinese definitely have a winner in their team. But it's not too probable that Anacona will indeed win the Tour - not even that he'll be the undisputed team leader. He might have been if he still was in his prime, though, as he finished 4th in this race back in 2015, and 7th in 2018. However, Sauber's main GC rider should be Campero, who finished 9th back in 2017. He's the team's strongest climber, and the best time triallist among their Top 3 climbers - but lacks a bit of punch for the hills.
The team however has great climbing depth, with Hibatullah, Anacona, Liphongyu, Mat Senan and Dulanjana all present as well. The latter plus Liphongyu are the best allrounders - let's see if they even end up higher than Campero. Given the relative lack of flat TT kilometers though, the Bolivian climbing specialist should still have the edge.
Sauber uniquely focus on mountains, bringing neither a strong puncheur, nor sprinter, nor TTer. Antonelli and Rossi both are hopeful Sammarinese, but this year they're just here to get some GT experience.
McCormick Pro Cycling
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Sepp Kuss
78
71
64
55
65
Brendan Rhim
77
72
62
62
64
Thomas Revard
76
70
70
58
69
Alex Hoehn
75
72
70
64
70
Charles Matte
75
70
71
60
71
Gage Hecht
67
70
69
67
72
Welle Jallays
60
70
74
60
74
Kevin Feiereisen
62
68
58
77
69
The local team goes last in this category - although Kuss definitely is a strong climber as well. But his TT skills probably aren't good enough to really challenge for more than a lower Top 10 spot. We say "probably" - as in 2020 he actually finished 4th! However, the race's popularity has only increased since then, with the field being much stronger now - underlined by the fact that Kuss only finished 22nd last year...
Next year they'll definitely target at least a Top 5 with fully developed McNulty, but this year the names of the climbers are Rhim, Revard, Hoehn and Matte. Definitely some great depth for the mountains, especially for a CT team! If the dream of a good GC result doesn't realize, they've still got plenty of riders to go for breakaways - and why not the KoM jersey?
Also note that there are 6 North Americans in the lineup - the previously named five plus Hecht. What Jallays is doing here is a bit nebulous, while Feiereisen will try to go for some good sprint results. However, given how many other similar sprinters there are, that won't be easy for him.
Stage Hunters
Cedevita
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Aleksandar Roman
77
75
64
63
58
Geoffrey Bouchard
77
74
67
62
66
Marko Pavlic
75
72
72
68
74
Lucas Eriksson
67
78
61
65
61
Hayden McCormick
66
76
65
73
65
Maric Groselj
58
66
77
73
79
Nur Aiman Zariff
58
60
60
78
70
Gasper Katrasnik
61
63
69
63
69
Despite the name of the category, don't be fooled: riders like Roman could very well end up in the Top 10 as well - but once again, a cut had to be made somewhere. Below that cut are climbers with 77 Mo or less who aren't at least decent TTers. Instead, Roman is a great and well-known attacker and definitely is a candidate for the KoM jersey. Bouchard and Pavlic are similarly strong climbers, but lack some of the Serb's punch - still, it wouldn't be surprising to see them in breakaways as well.
Eriksson and McCormick are stage hunters as well - but not for the high mountains, rather for some hilly (transition) stages. The Swede is among the strongest puncheurs present, so better keep an eye on him!
Groselj is another candidate for a prologue win and the first leader jersey, while Zariff will hopefully shine in the sprints. Flat beast Katrasnik is here as well - while he could obviously be successful from breakaways as well, he might also be used to protect the team's sprinter and position him well.
Amaysim Cervelo
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Robert Power
77
70
66
56
65
Lucas Hamilton
76
75
65
64
67
Brendan Canty
75
73
75
68
74
Cameron Bayly
74
74
67
65
65
Patrick Lane
74
76
63
63
63
Rhys Gillett
73
72
70
59
70
Ryan Christensen
67
70
64
68
64
Marcus Culey
61
65
65
66
67
You want another team packed with potential attackers? Here we go! Amaysim decided to not spend 21 race days of their strongest stage racer here, but instead send a lineup where pretty much everyone could fight for a stage win. And some of them have been very successful already this year...
Hamilton might be their best card to play, given his great hybrid skills alongside a strong acceleration, but Power and Canty are capable climbers as well. As are all of Bayly, Lane and Gillett too - these three also have a nice acceleration that can be pretty handy in fights for line honours. A good GC result seems rather unlikely - but we're talking about Amaysim, so be prepared for some surprises...
Christensen and Culey do like the uphills a little less, but instead they're very strong on the flat. Given that they don't have a sprinter to work for, late attacks - or attacks in general - should be their best bet as well.
Glanbia
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Gavin Mannion
77
71
64
61
64
Tyler Brandt
76
69
73
60
72
Sean McKenna
74
76
64
65
64
Conor Dunne
74
74
69
62
69
Ben Healy
65
68
68
59
63
Freddy Cruz
53
62
77
67
77
Sean Bennett
53
64
57
79
58
Alex Frame
50
62
69
77
79
In their first three years of existence, the Irishmen have always come here - and have always won at least one stage. And Brandt finished 8th in 2020 and 9th in 2019 - but his 28th place last year just confirms how much tougher the competition has gotten lately. So Brandt and Mannion will likely focus on stage wins rather than GC results. McKenna and Dunne will probably be found in some breakaways, too.
Cruz won the last TT in 2021 - let's see if he can repeat this performance on this year's stage 20, or if the hills are too tough for him. Maybe he'll focus on the prologue then, where Glanbia even have a second card to play with Frame, who could be one of the top contenders. Otherwise, the latter will act as a leadout for Bennett, winner of stage 21 in 2020.
Tryg - Gobik
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Georg Zimmermann
77
73
61
60
61
Torjus Sleen
71
71
73
63
71
Ingvar Omarsson
70
73
72
67
71
Juraj Bellan
70
66
69
62
69
Roger Adria
68
69
65
65
67
Georgios Kaloniatis
66
66
67
66
70
Daniel Hoelgaard
74
77
65
68
65
Alexander Krieger
58
62
55
79
55
Tryg are coming back to the US with some good memories from last year as well, where T.H. Johannessen won two stages. And stage wins will probably be their main credo for this year as well - Zimmermann may be a good climber and his energy stats are among the best, but he'll likely suffer too much on stage 20 to realistically attack the Top 10. Still, he's a good candidate for the U25 jersey, as all other contenders aren't team leaders.
Zimmermann will definitely better off attacking, as none of Sleen, Omarsson, Bellan, Adria or Kaloniatis can realistically support him in the high mountains. The only one who could is Hoelgaard - but the Norvegian will rather go for stage wins on his own, and he's shown several times this year that he can do really well.
Finally, they also have an option for the sprints - and Krieger definitely is someone to have pretty high up on the list, having better energy stats than many other sprinters.
Bonduelle - Eesti Energia
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Antonio Pedrero
76
73
65
70
65
Thomas Bonnin
76
71
62
53
62
Mathieu La Lavandier
75
73
62
53
61
Franck Bonnamour
71
74
61
69
61
Deins Kanepejs
67
77
69
62
69
Martin Laas
74
76
62
67
62
Thomas Boudat
51
68
62
79
78
Alexander Edmondson
58
64
64
77
74
Unlike the two preceding CT teams, the ToA participation is obviously a first for the newly founded French - Estonian outfit. And it's definitely an interesting lineup they bring - almost every single rider could be fighting for stage wins. Pedrero, Bonnin and La Lavandier are a nice trio for the mountains, whereas the Baltic duo Kanepejs/Laas will target the hilly stages. Bonnamour could join breakaways on either profile, but likely mainly as a helper.
On the other hand, they may also want to control the pack - at least on flat stages - as Boudat is again one of the stronger sprinters. But not only this - he's also one of the fastest prologue riders and yet another candidate for a day 1 win. Edmondson should do a great job as a leadout.
Le Creuset
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Sebastian Henao
76
76
66
63
64
Clement Chevrier
75
74
57
60
57
Maxime La Lavandier
74
72
56
63
56
James Piccoli
72
70
61
58
60
Alexandre Balmer
69
68
67
61
62
Rokas Kmieliauskas
65
67
72
63
72
Guillaume Boivin
57
69
61
78
65
Jonathan McEvoy
63
75
64
74
64
And yet another new French team, that has come here for breakaways and sprints. For the former task, Le Creuset mainly bring Henao and Chevrier, maybe also La Lavandier (who may want to form a breakaway duo with his twin brother, who knows?) or Piccoli. Balmer and Kmieliauskas are mainly here to gain experience this year.
Boivin is - you know - yet another good sprinter, and the Canadian's main target will probably be stage 7 ending in London. Yeah, there's indeed a town called London in Canada as well. McEvoy will be his leadout - but beware, the Brit has already scored some great results on his own in races with a bumpy finish!
Colombini-Adler Aalterpaint
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Abolfazl Gilanipoor
76
70
67
55
67
Stan Martino
67
64
64
65
64
Daniel Bonello
66
66
67
66
68
Luigi Giulietti
65
68
69
66
69
Andrea Aquilani
64
66
68
68
68
Carlos Betancourt
72
79
59
66
58
Kenji Itami
61
59
61
78
61
Federico Olei
66
73
62
75
69
Believe it or not - but we do indeed have two Sammarinese teams. And just two semi-Italian ones. Strange times. The newbies from Colombini have mainly selected a bunch of talents - but Betancourt definitely doesn't go in that category. He's among the Top 3 puncheurs present and therefore will target some of the hilly stages - if his energy level still allows for that. Gilanipoor feels more at home in the mountains and may be pretty offensive there.
And as almost every team, Colombini also bring a pretty good sprinter with Japanese veteran Itami. Olei should be a good leadout for him, or even go for some results on his own on bumpy finishes.
Air New Zealand p/b Pirelli
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Teodoro Costagli
77
69
68
50
68
Ziga Horvat
66
66
56
67
59
Samuel Gaze
63
69
58
68
63
Frederik Nolf
59
62
60
59
60
Salvatore Puccio
55
65
60
59
60
Shane Archbold
57
61
76
72
66
Nick Reddish
62
67
66
71
75
Mamyr Stash
56
64
67
77
78
After the second Sammarinese team, here's the third Kiwi outfit. And unlike their CT rivals from BNZ, they do have some New Zealanders in their lineup. The only climber, however, is Italian. While Costagli is well past his prime by now, he might still get some good results on stages with constant up and down - he hates those flat stages with one climb at the end.
There's no other rider who could even remotely be considered a climber - both Horvat and Gaze actually don't really have a speciality. Nolf and Puccio are capable cobblers - yeah, we already asked about the routes' state before.
But there might still be some hope for good results on non-climbing stages. While Archbold probably won't be strong enough for a top result on day 20, Reddish could at least be competitive in the prologue. Otherwise, he might be on leadout duties for Stash - who can sprint and ride prologues. Another candidate for day 1 then!
Eddie Stobart
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Salvador Moreno Hernandez
74
68
69
60
65
Asmund Romstad Lovik
74
71
60
57
56
Dimitri Medvedev
72
58
57
50
57
Gert Joeaar
57
65
69
59
69
Fabien Taillefour
54
55
63
52
63
Gregory Hugentobler
68
78
58
56
58
Floris De Tier
68
75
63
63
63
Hakon Frengstad Berger
60
65
61
77
67
After four new teams in a row, here's another long-term member. The proof: Eddie Stobart's only ToA stage win so far was back in 2016, by a certain Gert Joeaar - who's still here, but three years past his prime.
Hence, other riders will try to bring home the team's second ever stage win here. However, Moreno, Lovik and Medvedev might be a tad too weak to be competitive in the mountains. Chances could be much higher on the hills - especially for Hugentobler, a little less for De Tier. If only the former was a better sprinter...
Sprinter you say? Sprinter you get! Berger is clearly not among the fastest men, but anything is possible in a three-week long race. There's no leadout present, although Taillefour - another cobbler - could be used to keep things together and position his sprinter well.
BWT Hyundaiy N Cycling
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Hermann Pernsteiner
75
77
61
61
64
Tormod Jacobsen
73
73
72
59
73
Martijn Tusveld
72
71
72
67
71
Jay Vine
71
69
64
66
68
Kristjan Hocevar
68
68
61
66
62
Yoan Kolev
66
66
67
61
67
Chequan Richardson
61
67
63
60
63
Andrew Fenn
53
61
63
70
63
Only two teams left - and BWT's manager won't be pleased to see his squad that far down. But there's just not much in their lineup to justify some higher expectations. Sure, Pernsteiner is a good hybrid rider and could be in for some nice (breakaway) results. The others could get some TV time as well, especially Jacobsen or Tusveld.
And if this was a cobbled race, they'd actually be number 1, bringing both Fenn and Richardson, two of CT's best specialists. But to be successful here, you'd need climbers, puncheurs, TTers, sprinters - and Pernsteiner is the only one falling into at least one of those categories.
Podium Ambition
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Spr
PL
Jonathan Croes
71
72
71
62
71
Nathan Alexander
70
71
69
61
69
Kemp Orosco
70
68
65
63
62
Jacob Morales Ortega
69
69
60
63
61
Andrew Norbert
67
69
69
72
71
Dylan Redy
65
69
66
68
68
Tyler Cole
64
68
70
69
69
Cristian Perez
62
65
72
66
72
Not disappointed - and not even surprised - will be Podium Ambition's manager to see his team at the very bottom. Podium Ambitions - that's definitely a thing for the mid-term future, as this lineup would need a ton of luck to get some good results. But they've done it earlier in the season, why not here?
By the way, every single rider here qualifies for the U25 competition - it's still unlikely to see one of them in the top spots though.
And that's it. Do you still have everything in mind? No? We'll help you - you'll find lists of all top riders per category in the next post - due to character limit reasons, obviously... The full startlist will be there, too.
Those names should be familiar to you by now; 3x 81, 3x 80 - those climbers should be most likely to run away with the win. Some have the potential for a GC upset, and some will likely be on top of some stage podiums - some spectacular mountain stages should definitely be in for us to watch!
Puncheurs
Rider
Mo
Hi
Res
Spr
Acc
Vogt
62
80
71
62
63
Edmondson
69
79
72
70
76
Betancourt
72
79
69
66
72
Eriksson
67
78
74
65
76
Moazemi
73
78
72
65
73
Watson
65
78
72
62
72
Hugentobler
68
78
69
56
76
Hoelgaard
74
77
72
68
74
Kanepejs
67
77
71
62
71
Pernsteiner
75
77
71
61
72
Squire
77
77
70
61
71
Skjerping
70
77
67
58
65
There aren't too many stages for pure puncheurs - and so there aren't many of those specialists present. Vogt is the strongest on paper, but if a climb is longer than a kilometer or so, he quickly runs out of steam. Pernsteiner or Squire are exact opposites - bring them a 3-5km climb, and they should do well!
TTers
Rider
Fl
Mo
TT
Res
PRL
Campenaerts
71
54
78
73
78
Groselj
78
58
77
78
79
Cruz
74
53
77
70
77
Kritskiy
71
80
76
70
75
Archbold
72
57
76
69
66
Choi
71
81
75
76
74
Ranaweera
67
80
75
75
73
Pluchkin
70
81
75
72
75
Canty
70
75
75
71
74
With the prologue being the only flat TT of the race, the race didn't attract the division's best TTers, either. The likes of Kritskiy, Ranaweera and Pluchkin, however, should be looking forward to stage 20!
Sprinters
Rider
Fl
Hi
Res
Spr
Acc
PRL
Eislers
78
66
76
81
76
60
Haller
72
65
71
80
79
71
Van Asbroeck
75
71
72
80
78
74
Coutinho
72
65
74
79
80
52
Lutsyshyn
70
54
73
79
80
70
Bennett
71
64
68
79
79
58
Krieger
71
62
74
79
79
55
Boudat
73
68
74
79
78
78
Nizzolo
72
63
65
79
77
65
Boivin
73
69
69
78
79
65
Itami
73
59
64
78
79
61
Zariff
68
60
65
78
78
70
Aniolkowski
74
65
73
78
77
59
Mareczko
74
61
73
78
77
75
Feiereisen
74
68
68
77
78
69
Berger
73
65
68
77
77
67
Stash
73
64
73
77
77
78
Frame
71
62
74
77
76
79
Edmondson
73
64
71
77
75
74
Kristoff
69
62
62
77
70
67
Sure, the fastest PCT sprinters haven't come here, too, but the field really is wide open! Haller would sure love to make it three green jerseys in a row - but he'll face some really strong competition this time! Up to someone else to shine this year?
Prologue specialists
Rider
Fl
TT
Res
PRL
Schomber
73
74
76
81
Groselj
78
77
78
79
Faglum Karlsson
71
73
75
79
Van Aert
75
70
73
79
Frame
71
69
74
79
Campenaerts
71
78
73
78
Stash
73
67
73
78
Boudat
73
62
74
78
Cruz
74
77
70
77
Stoltz
77
63
74
77
Schomber should be the top favorite for the prologue - if 6km is still short enough for him. Among the GC contenders, Faglum Karlsson is clearly the strongest and will be hoping to get a bit of a head start here!
U25 Contenders
Rider
Mo
Hi
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Acc
PRL
Eenkhoorn
78
73
69
76
77
80
71
75
Hibatullah
77
72
63
69
66
71
70
57
Zimmermann
77
73
61
77
78
75
71
61
Revard
76
70
70
69
74
74
70
69
Fouche
76
73
69
71
72
75
73
69
Hoehn
75
72
70
71
74
75
61
70
A recurring pattern among those youngsters is that they can climb well - but not TT that well. Eenkhoorn is still pretty solid and shouldn't be too afraid of the race against the clock, but this classification will depend a lot on who gets the most freedom to attack.
So, now we've said enough about what awaits us in the next three weeks - and I know you're just waiting for this thing:
To be fair with only Colombini, BNZ and Tryg being in the promotion sphere alongide us, honestly if we can keep touch with them we might get something, anything from this. I'd be happy for some top 10 at some stages + the occasional KoM points here and there.
Epic startlist here. So many cool teams with their own stories to watch. Pluchkin with his quest to be the first to win all "four GTs" and Kraftwerk trying to repeat usual heroics...
Lets go conglomerate teams! Both could use a good race to bump up the ranking situation a bit and both sent a strong enough team to have legit chances.
If i could pick one stage winner, it would be Stoltz. Likely his last shot at a stage win so seeing him succeed would be an epic end to his iconic career!
Our first ever ToA, iirc. At least the first time since like 8/9 years, so it's kinda special "GT" for us. As the preview said, we're just here for breakaway stage hunting and given the history of some of our riders, there's surely a chance for us to be visible in breakaways. Hamilton has a great season and obviously he's my main man for the chosen tactic.
Also Bayly has a nice little history of attacking and so do a couple of more guys. We left Bewley home not only for race day reasons, but also for our roleurs to try a "flat one day race" approach, as the preview correctly mentions.
Obviously this can go wrong badly (if we don't compete for the KoM or the favorites don't allow breakaway wins). That said, our season went the way, we now probably can pretty much "relax" even with a complete GT failure.
Thanks for the great preview. Always look forward to this race.
Really didn't want to send Kuss here again as we have been there and done that but once we decided in transfers to push for promotion it was the only allocation that made sense.
Would love to have sent Boswell to aim at the hilly stages in the first week and try and get the jersey but that didn't seem a great way to maximize his points. If I had one very minor quibble with the preview it is the statement there aren't' too many stages for the pure puncheurs - there are 5 potential by my count (3,4,5,6, & 12) which is a lot for a ToA. And were he here Boswell would have been the strongest, so hope I don't regret that.
Given I don't think Kuss has a top end GC run in him I am hoping the whole team goes stage hunting. We can target the KOM and maybe Revard in the White Jersey. Also, we have never won a stage of the ToA and it hurts a little that our fellow class of 2019 teams Glanbia and Tryg both have.
I am going to predict a Choi - Bennett duel, I don't think TT will matter much even in Stage 20 given the climb at the end and the accumulated fatigue. And if you take TT skill out only Choi matches Bennett. Also unless Carapaz wins the race will still never have been won by an American (North or South) rider. An interesting target should McNulty elect to make a charge next year as Fab speculates.
Jallays is here because he has always wanted to visit New York and he only agreed to be drafted by us if we let him go. And he has a lot of race days.
Feeling quite down about this given the ridiculous TT gaps the last couple of seasons which have caused Bennett to suffer. Hope we can make it entertaining though if he can be the top guy on the road stages which isn't a guarantee. Hope for some big days on the hillier ones, that will be his point of difference if there is one.
Thanks for an awesome preview Fabianski, always enjoy the ToA and super excited for our first time here! Can't wait for your banger reporting as ever
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
I think this is the first time all of the Oceania squads are present in 1 race which is cool!!
Vasyliv is a big risk sending him here and losing 21 RDs. I hope the risk pays off. He has done well against similar fields this year and with his TT strength hopefully it pays off and he gets that top 10. I didn't send much support for him which is also a risk but that was purely because of RDs. Roe is going to have to really perform well for Vasyliv here although with Watson and Edmondson also here they should give Vasyliv nice support in the hill stages and early on in the mountains.
I hope Nizzolo can continue his sprint form against the PCT field as his only stage win for the year came at the Tour de Romandie so we all know he can win against similar fields.
I would say this season is our best shot at the ToA that we have ever had. We have been quite often as I like this race but RDs stopped us from sending our strongest squad. It will be a very interesting race and excited to see how it unfolds and how the race goes.
This will be a huge race for the CT promotion race with I think 4 of the CT teams here inside that top 10 fighting for the top 5. Its a huge and important race and every point will count here.
The WIN goal! The most important race of our season. Perhaps the most important race in our history. A chance for Philips to go out in a blaze of glory and set up the perfect platform for the new sponsors!
Rarely, if ever, do we have a top favourite for a race! Choi is the GC 'top favourite', as Fab put it, and Eenkhoorn is the U25s top favourite. Van Asbroeck is a Top 3 sprinter. We all know what that means... Choi struggling to get onto the podium, Eenkhoorn 5th in the U25s and Van Asbroeck with one podium stage result Hello relegation our old friend!
On a serious note, let's hope for once that our riders actually do live up to their billing when considered favourites. Despite the good off season we seemingly had, it has not translated too much in the standings. Never have we needed a big result like we do from this race, and the potential is huge to make a splash and move up the table. Hoping we live up to the billing. Also hope that we can bury the ghosts of our one and only previous ToA experience, where we did finish 5th with Marquez but picked up barely enough points in the relegation battle, which ultimately took us down in 2019!
I don't really like GTs and have never done that well at them. But I didn't have a good idea of what else to pick given my team setup. On paper I should be competitive for stage results, but when you think something should happen, it usually doesn't
Luckily for me this race is a free hit. It can't make this already good season any worse, it can only make it better.
I've mentioned a few times that this was going to be a weak point in Glanbia's season and I am more convinced of that now than ever.
Can't see Mannion coming close to the top 10 goal so probably our best hope is some TT and stage points. We do have points cushion going into ToA but if it is as bad as it looks the end season mightn't quite be the lap of honour I was hoping for
Almost like i'm here because it was a great way to stack a lot of XP in one race Mostly afraid we won't even make that many (any) breakaways. Fingers crossed we can at least do a few.
Another year, another shot at the people's Grand Tour! It was Tobias Halland Johannessen who stole the show in our debut last season. A number of excellent breakaway rides culminated in two stage victories for the neo-pro. Bjorn Tore Hoem, who unfortunately isn't riding for us this season, led the team. He managed a respectable 20th on the general classification after his challenge for the polkadots faltered.
I believe Hoem has signed on for Tafjord Kraft and it doesn't appear that they accepted an invitation to ride here. THJ has been taking aim at the white jersey in various C2 races, so didn't have the time to spare for a repeat appearance. In fact, none of the team members appearing this time round have previously ridden the Tour of America in our colours!
Georg Zimmermann takes aim at the U25 classification. He's only tackled three races this season, although they amount to 21 days in the saddle. He could only manage 4th in Tachira, but improved to 3rd in Romandie and then 2nd in Andorra. Nobody that beat him on these occassions is present in America. Rather, he has triumphed over all his competitors on at least one occasion. Having been handed a leadership role and granted the freedom to attack where desired, hopes are high that the young German can add to the palmarès he acquired last year.
Alexander Krieger will be looking to surf other's wheels before sprinting into the Points classification. From the startlist, it would appear that the directeur sportif has made his protection a priority, although some have questioned the wisdom of such a decision. Krieger has never been the strongest sprinter, for all that we fondly remember his victory in Poland. He only has a single stage victory, in Vancouver, to his name thus far this season. Given the depth of the sprinter field, and despite the fact that Krieger is counted in its upper half, it isn't so much that we expect Krieger to fail, as that we wouldn't be surprised if he didn't win.
We also expect significant contributions from the likes of Torjus Sleen, Daniel Hoelgaard, and Juraj Bellan; whilst Roger Adria and Georgios Kaloniatis are here to gain experience and carry water. Best of luck to all of our competitors, thanks in advance for the reports (and the preview) Fabi, to the lads: bring home two jerseys in addition to a stage win or three - we need it.
Tour of America 
Hello relegation our old friend!
![imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg](https://imgur.com/KlJUqDx.jpg[/img[img]]https://imgur.com/yUygrQ.jpg)
Tachira, but improved to 3rd in 
