Having some slow days at work I decided to try to make a PT preview and ended up making some pretty wild guesses about the season. I have tried to do three different approaches all with their own strenght and weaknesses, and one total one.
The first one is based on "Heine Score", where I give a score from 1 to 10 based on 6 criterias (Stage Races, Sprints, Hills, Cobbles, Time Trials and Depth) for each team and then a general score based on this (Total score / 60). In the end I will make a standings prediction based on this. Teams on equal score here will be ranked based on my personal opinion.
I feel the strenght here is that it should give a good total overview of the teams (of course with my subjective opinions that might be totally wrong). There is one big weakness here and that is that it might undervalue teams that have totally ignored terrains, and this will hurt teams like my own, Evonik - Elko, Berg and Porto. Specially considering that I just look at the strenght in the "terrain" and not how much points there are available…
The other one is based on "Heine points", I have in my own database given a points total that I believe a rider will score, based on stats, competition and last years points scored. This has been done while totally ignoring the rest of the riders team etc. In the end I have just summed up this for each and every team. This should give a quite different look than "Heine score".
I feel the strenght of this is that I try to have an unbiased view on the riders away from the teams, just basing it on stats and where they should end up this season. This should also ignore undervaluing teams that ignore terrains.
The third is based on the rank from the different scores I give in each "terrain". I'll call this "Heine Rank" If you are the best team you get ranked as first and then counting down til rank 22. Equal score gets the same rank, so if there are two 10s and one 9 the one with a 9 score will be ranked 3rd. I am just interested in seeing the difference here compared to the other rankings.
With this approach I hope to get 3 standings that are all based on my subjective opinion, but that all will give different results. Will be interesting to see which will be the best in the end, or if all of them are faaaar away. To make an average score I will post a combined ranking as well, let us call this the "Heine Total".
Sorry for spelling mistakes And sorry to all teams I rank badly, someone had to end last
A note as well considering I have written it all up already is that it is very, very hard to rank this. Many teams are really close, on all of the rankings
I will post the first teams tomorrow morning, should I do it alphabetically, from last place in standing to first, or are there any other wishes?
Leaders: Ponzi, Kristoff, Alarcon, Slagter, Carapaz
Best new additions: Kristoff, Havik
Notable losses: Bilbao, Silva
Sprints 8/10
Kristoff is a great new addition, and Havik/Aberasturi looks like a good leadout duo that might get some chances themself. Kristoff might have a bit weak acc compared to some of his best competition and that drags the score down a bit
Stage races 8/10
Alarcon is a force and will target another good season, even though I believe he will do worse than last year, can't see him being as lucky with GT competition 2 years in a row. Carapaz is a good number 2 and there are some nice points scorers down the lists as well
Hills 10/10
Ponzi is a top 2 hilly rider in the game, and the team also has Slagter, Landa and more support. I expect another great season from Ponzi, even when racing against Hagen. Slagter could with good planning be a revelation this season, so it will be really interesting to see where he races
Time Trials 6/10
Gonzales Salas is a nice rider, though a bit lacking in backup stats, same can be said about Ligthart and Aramendia. Though all in all not a bad TT setup
Cobbles 6/10
Kristoff the leader here aswell, and once again with support from Havik (Richardson steps in a bit also). Kristoff lacks a bit in cobbles against the very best and will loose some because of that, but should win most sprints from the group he ends in
Depth 7/10
Very good depth in climbing and hills, ok depth in TT, good depth in sprinting and ok depth on cobbles. All in all an ok deep squad
General 44/60
I believe this is one of the teams to watch this season, strenghtening after a good season last year where they were less than 150 points away from 6th. I believe this is a top 5 squad this year
2nd
Moser - Sygic
Last season 2nd
Leaders: Bewley, Sagan, Hirt, Barguil
Best new additions: Barguil, Chen
Notable losses: Velits, Vesely, Vakoc
Sprints 8/10
Sam Bewley is Sam Bewley, he go one weakness this season, his race days has taken a heavy toll. With only 34 of them he might not show up in a lot of sprints, and Chen/Croket/Hoffman will not score a lot of points, on the other hand, if he shows up they are one hell of a train
Stage Races 8/10
Lossing Velits hurt, but a trained Barguil is a pretty good rider, neither him nor Hirt is really among the very best though, but as a pair they are great. Moser should hope that being able to split them up to most races will give a good amount of points.
Hills 9/10
Sagan was awesome last year, and might continue his great form. On the other hand we believe it will be harder this year with a better puncheur field in PT. Vysna, Marycz and Kolar are good support riders, but not the best.
Time Trials 3/10
Danacik and Turek are ok riders, Danacik with some good backup stats could score some points but I don't expect too much from them
Cobbles 10/10
Bewley is here,, enough said (and he got some nice support riders that should help him til he dosen't need it anymore)
Depth 7/10
I feel the depth was better last year, but it is still pretty good. Riders like Vysna, Danacik, Hosek, Kolar and maybe even Chen should be able to pick up some points here and there. Good support in every terrain except TTTs
General 45/60
This is the team I believe is the biggest favorite for the season. Looks weaker on paper having let go of Velits, Vakoc and Vesely but of them only Velits scored any mayor points last year. With Festina and EA dropping in level this could be Roman and Mosers big year, but watch out for the teams coming from behind!
3rd
Team Puma - SAP
Last season 7th
Leaders: Herklotz, Demare, Kelderman, Nerz, Arndt
Best new additions: Wackermann, Hadi
Notable losses: Ciolek, Blythe, Lander
Sprints 9/10
Demare is an awesome rider with 79 hill and 82 sprint, and he got stronger this year with training. He got some nice leadout riders in Felline, Anton Martin, Hadi and Wackermann. No number 2 here, and Demare not at the very top on flat sprints takes this away from being a perfect score
Stage Races 9/10
Herklotz is a really nice rider and Nerz, Arndt and Bongiorno are also very good. Puma should be able to send good climbers to every race and should be able to score quite a lot from the different riders. Low acc on Nerz and Bongiorno could be a weakness
Hills 8/10
Demare again, but also Kelderman and Felline are very good riders. Should score a lot of points from hilly races also with several good support riders. Holding the team a bit back that Kelderman is a tier below the very best
Time Trials 6/10
Sütterlin a very good time trialist, and there are several other like Bevin and Van Baarle. A nice TTT squad, but not really among the very best. Should anyway be able to support the leaders well when needed
Cobbles 4/10
Declerq is not a bad rider, but against the very best he is out of his depth. The team should be happy with any points he end up scoring. Loosing Blythe hurts
Depth 8/10
A deep squad overall, very good depth in the mountains and on the hills, ok TT depth but a bit lacking sprintwise and on the cobbles
General 44/60
A very good squad that I feel just lack a tiny bit to be the favorite to win it all. Riders like Herklotz, Demare and Kelderman would look nice on any team. With a bit of luck, and riders like Kelderman doing better than I expect and they might win it in the end
4th
Aker - MOT
Last season: 12th
Leaders: Beltran, Trentin, Guldhammer, Ciolek, Vakoc, Vesely, Enger, Galta, Paillot
Best new additions: Ciolek, Vakoc, Vesely, Paillot
Notable losses: Kristoff
Sprints 8/10
Aker is all about depth, and also in the sprinting department. Ciolek, Enger, Vesely, Scully are all good sprinters that can win stages, though none of the are on the Swift/Bewley/Coquard level. However they will be able to pick up a good amount of points purely based on being good sprinters on every flat stage there are in PT
Stage Races 6/10
Lacking the big leader still got a good team in Guldhammer, Galta and Beltran (however he is used). Should be able to split them out well and score a nice amount of points. Galta has a major weakness in acc that makes his season more of a question sign, but his other stats are strong.
Hills 7/10
Beltran (again) and Vakoc is a good pair and should score some points. Vakoc had a bad year least year while being 2nd to Sagan and we are not sure how he will do this season and how many races they will overlap.
Time Trials 6/10
A good leader in Paillot that with his backup stats (except for acc) should be one of the stronger riders on this terrain this season. Should be able to score well in the Time Trial races and Chrono. Vangstad and Walsleben is also good riders and the team got many riders who can time trial if needed, but will not be among the best TTT squads.
Cobbles 7/10
Among the best cobble squads last season, but have sold off quite a lot of the support riders. Still Trentin is a monster who can ride hills and sprint at the end of classics. The support from Lagab, Lhottellerie and Walsleben is good and I expect Trentin to have another good season
Depth 10/10
Have to give Aker a 10 here, considering that most of their leaders will figure as depth pieces as well during the season. In addition most of the riders after that is riders capable of scoring points from breakaways.
General 44/60
A strong team that I expect to get higher than last years 12th, the big weakness in the squad is the lack of a 1000++ points scorer, but should be mitigated by scoring from everywhere
5th
T-Mobile
Last season 14th
Leaders: Taaramäe, Van Garderen, Fiedler, Marquez, Krasnoperov?
Best new additions: Van Garderen, Fiedler, Marquez
Notable looses: Cattaneo, Stauff, Dowsett, Schädlich
Sprints 3/10
Docker and Soupe are not top additions on any sprints squad, and even if Selig and Altanzul are nice leadouts it dosen't really help. Any results from these riders would be a bonus
Stage races 10/10
Taaramäe himself is close to a 10, and T-Mobile has focused a lot on this part of the team. Marquez is a really interesting number 2 and Preidler is not a bad number 3, event though he lacks a bit of acc.
Hills 8/10
Van Garderen is a good rider with no real weakness, just not as good as the best puncheurs. Buchman and Preidler are good riders themself but the support under there is not anything to brag about
Time Trials 9/10
Fiedler is apart from Phinney the best time trialists in PT, and his backup stats are not bad. There are also some other good time trialists in the squad like Hofer, Bontenackels and Predatsch but they lack more in terms of other stats. Not the best TTT squad and that takes away from the grade that could've been
Cobbles 1/10
Go Scwarzmann!
Depth 8/10
Great climbing depth, and ok everywhere other than cobbles. Some riders that can score extra points here and there
General 39/60
The parts of the team that are good are very good, the rest is not that good. The lack of top sprinters and any cobblers at all can hurt the team, a bit lacking in hilly depth aswell after the 3 best ones.
6th
RBC Pro Cycling
Last season 11th
Leaders: Phinney, Summerhill, Houle
Best new additions: Cort Nielsen, Benoot
Notable losses: Howard, Duchesne
Sprints 5/10
Loosing Howard hurts, and makes Houle the main sprinter of the team. He wont be among the best sprinters, but his hill and flat statt does make him a really interesting rider. Young as a leadout dosen't look bad
Stage Races 9/10
Phinney is a great rider, I say this a lot but if he had been trained to 85 Mon… Anyway he is a safe point scorer and on himself gives RBC a good grade here. While the team lacks a real number 2 there are several good point scorers in Cort Nielsen, Brown and Rosskopf
Hills 2/10
Not a lot to see here. Rosskopf and Benoot can score some breakway points but not much else
Time Trial 9/10
Cataford is a really interesting rider that could do very well this season. Rosskopf and Brown also look very good. Then there is also the big favorite on any TT in Phinney. A great TT squad, but lacks a bit as a TTT squad and therefor I can't give them a top grade
Cobbles 10/10
With GVA declining I rank Summerhill as the second best cobble rider in the game, and here he got really good support with Young, Laporte, Benoot, Naud, van Zyl, Basso and Corwin. All in all a very good cobble squad and Summerhill should have no reason to fail this year
Depth 7/10
In general a deep squad wtih many riders who could steal points based on their hill and ok backups. A bit lacking in the second leader department. Among the best cobble supports with 4 75 riders to help Summerhill
General 42/60
A strong team based upon 2 great Americans. Could really fail if they for some reason dosen't deliver, but I doubt that will happen, both are Top 3 in their field in my opinion
7th
Isostar Slovenija
Last season 2nd PCT
Leaders: Spilak, Kump, Mohoric, Polanc
Best new additions: Spilak, Faiers, Ricco, Pernsteiner
Notable losses: Brändle, Quevedo
Sprints 7/10
Kump is a force, with the awesome Hill/Sprint combo that is getting more and more usual in PT now. Lacking any second option and not any really good leadout riders either
Stage races 10/10
Discussed a lot with myself if Isostar deserves a 10 or a 9, but having the TDF champion turned it towards 10. Faiers is also a good number 2 and there are several good riders behind that aswell
Hills 9/10
Spilak and Mohoric should in combination be able to ride every hilly race there is. Mohoric a year or 2 of training away from being one of the very best, and Spilak in general an awesome rider. Some really good support from riders like Pernsteiner, Bratashcuk and Kratochvila as well
Time Trials 3/10
Not a great time trial setup, Spilak and Faiers the best, but I believe they will focus elsewhere and then there are not much left. I give this a 3 in case one of them shows up a bit
Cobbles 4/10
Polanc is a nice rider, but not really PT cobble leader quality yet, should fight for some nice Top 10's however. The 2nd and 3rd best cobblers are Kump and Spilak… Expect Polanc to be on his own
Depth 7/10
Lots of good depth pieces that can score points for the team, lacking in Time Trials, Cobbles and sprinting but the depth of climbing and hills make up for it. The scoring potential from riders like Ricco, Pernsteiner, Kratochvila etc makes me set the grade a bit higher
General 40/60
In my opinion a really good promoting team with a very nice leading trio. Getting Spilak assured a second season in PT and then the Mohoric show starts. I believe this is at least a top 10 squad
8th
Gazelle
Last season 9th
Leaders: Madrazo, Ginanni, Teunissen
Best new additions: Teunissen, Karnulin
Notable losses: Koren, Campenaerts
Sprints 1/10
Bibby best sprinter with 71 sprinting, not much to show here
Stage Races 9/10
Madrazo a great rider, had a down year least season but I believe we will see a better side of him this year. No real weakness even with acc down at 72. After him this team got a treasure chest of riders, 9 riders at 75 or higher Mon and pretty much all of them got nice backup stats. Should be able to score well all over here
Hills 7/10 Ginanni is still a good rider even declining, and as in the mountains the support and backup is world class, here as well there are 9 riders with 75 or higher hill, expect to see Gazelle guys all over
Time Trials 6/10
Good depth here as well and many riders with good stat combinations, thought there are no time trial star to drag the score higher, but still a very strong team here
Cobbles 5/10
Teunissen is a good rider, but lacking some important stat points in hill and acc to be really great. 2 helpers in Potts and Kruijswijk who should help him try to get some top 10s
Depth 10/10
Can I really say anything more about the depth here? It is awesome!
General 38/60
This is Madrazo and Ginannis team, and it is built both to support them extremely well, but also to attack from everywhere when they are not racing. A volatile squad that could do very well, could totally fail and could end up where I believe they will, about where they were last season, most likely top 10
9th
EA Vesuvio
Last season: 4th
Leaders: Schleck, Van der Lijke, Gastauer, Keinath, Kittel, Bakari
Best new additions: Reimer, Afewerki
Notable losses: König, Vanmarcke, Wippert
Sprints 5/10
Van der Lijke is the sprint leader and while not being a super sprinter he backs it up by having a great hill stat, if it wasnt for this stat EA Vesuvio would've been ranked much lower here. Now he should have good scoring, and with Reimer being the same type of rider and Afewerki a really good leadout they can score some good points here
Stage races 9/10
Schleck should might have started declining, but is still a great leader, can compare him to Alarcon from last year, just a bit better and can still fight for the best positions, though will most likely loose in battles against the likes of Spilak and Taarmäe. Keinath, Goos and Kirsch is great options with well rounded stats.
Hills 7/10
Gastauer is a good rider with very good support here, also interesting how Van der Lijke and Reimer will be used. I do not rank Gastauer among the really best riders in the division and that takes a hit on this score for EA Vesuvio
Time Trials 6/10
Kittel still a good rider that can score a nice amount of points, many riders with good stats in addition to a nice TT stat helps the score here. Jungels and Kneisky good members of a TTT squad that could do well.
Cobbles 9999/10 (3/10)
Bakari, Schlecter and Ghani. Bakari himself makes this the best cobble squad in the PT, earning a 9999 score. To be honest I didn't dare to score it lower than 3 just in case his cobble stat makes him steal some unlikely points
Depth 8/10
Great climbing and hilly depth, nice leadout in Afewerki and a nice TT squad. Many riders with allround stats that can score extra points.
General 38/60
I feel with Schleck declining and König and Vanmarcke leaving EA Vesuvio is weaker than last year, and will fall down to about midtable. The depth of the team is great, and I really love how some of the riders can make big surprises
10th
Team UBS
Last season 4th PCT
Leaders: Amador, Trofimov, Schelling, Reinhardt, Spengler
Best new additions: Trofimov
Notable losses: Kung
Sprints 3/10
Reinhardt is a sprinter I believe could be great, if he recieved some training. As it is he is just not strong enough in the PT. Page is a good leadout rider. I hope Reinhardt proves me wrong and shows the value of a great acc stat
Stage races 8/10
Amador and Schelling is a good pair. I like the training of Schelling. They both lack a tiny bit to be among the best but both should good points for UBS this year. Some nice support down the anks as well, with Ivars being a favorite of mine.
Hills 8/10
Trofimov is still a great rider, and Reichenbach is a good number 2. As with stage races there are some nice riders down the ranks as well and UBS should be able to score some good points here. Trofimov as always got great backups, even when declining and how he is used will always be interesting to see
Time Trials 8/10
A good time trial squad with Dillier, Ivars, Goncalves, Schär and Ramos Ticona. Should be able to deliver some good results, specially when you factor in the TT stat of their leaders.
Cobbles 5/10
Spengler is not a bad rider, but still lacks a bit, which he will recieve in a year when maxing… Bohli is not a bad supporting rider, while Wyss and Schär is ok. Other than that there is not a lot
Depth 7/10
Good climbing and hilly depth (I write this a lot I feel), also a good team on TTs. Lacking a bit in sprints and cobbles but not anything really bad. Quite some riders who could steal points here and there
General 39/60
I like this squad and i believe UBS should be able to stay up. Very interesting to see how good Spengler will be in the future, and if he is able to score good points this season. Apart from Isostar the best promoting team in my opinion. Even with Amador and Trofimov declining next season there is a bright future here
11th
Aegon - Lavazza
Last season: 5th
Leaders: Swift, De Bie, Groenewegen, Dekker, Olivier
Best new additions: Zardini, Gallopin
Notable losses: Martijn Keizer
Sprints 10/10
The strongest sprinting squad in the division with Swift and Groenewegen, and strong support for them. Should score a lot of points from sprints this season as well. Will be really interesting to see who they have sent to the Vuelta
Stage races 5/10
Lost Keizer and Dekker declining makes this much weaker than last season for Aegon, even with Olivier recieving some training. I expect much less points for Aegon here than last year
Hills 8/10
Training De Bie and getting Zardini strenghtens this part of the team. De Bie is slowly becoming a top puncheur and might possibly be Ageons top-scorer this season, even with riders like EBH returning to PT.
Time Trials 6/10
The team got some good time-trialists but no great ones. If the team decides to use Dekker in TTTs they can have a 78-77-77-77-75 train, not the best but not the worst either. Boom and Gallopin got good backup stats as well and should score some points in the easier stage races with long time trials
Cobbles 3/10
Orue, Sbaragli, Boom, Boovenhuis, van der Poel, Van Hooydonck and van der Hoorn scares noone this season. There is a lot of future potential and depth here, but we can't see any results this season
Depth 6/10
The team got some depth, but not the best. Zardini, Boom, Koep and Thurau are interesting pieces that can score good points in backup roles.
General 38/60
I expect Aegon to finish a bit worse than last season, around mid-table.
12th
Festina-Dexia
Last season 1st
Leaders: Lecuisinier, Coquard, Koretzky, Daniel, Vlatos, Tzortzakis
Best new additions: Daniel, van der Hugenhaben, Tzortzakis
Notable losses: Spilak, Coppel
Sprints 10/10
One of the best sprinters in the game in Coquard, good leadouts and a backup leader in Tzortzakis (though I don't believe he will score big). Simply a very strong part of this team
Stage Races 7/10
Lecuisinier is a good rider, but not up there with the very best and training money went elsewhere this season, Hugenhabem, Chamorro and Vasyliv are riders that can score some extra points and give good support, but not the best ones
Hills 6/10
Koretzky is a good rider, lacking a bit of training in hills. Backups with Hugenhaben is good, but he lack a bit of Acc. Riders like Le Roux, Kastrantas and Chamorro might steal some points here and there. In general a nice part of the team, but not close to the best teams out there
Time Trials 5/10
Vlatos should score some good points this season, but after him this team is lacking depth. The other riders with any ability against the clock is also climbers.
Cobbles 5/10
Daniel is a very nice rider, but like others he really wish he had some training, but a good combo of cobbles and sprinting, and not bad over the hills. Weber is a good backup rider and the same can be said about Arch….
Depth 7/10
More lacking in depth than usual, based on more focus on talents this year. But still good, stage race backups are good, leadout is among the best and the hilly backup is ok. Lacking in Time Trials and nothing special on cobbles. Apart from the stage racers I don't really see alot of extra points in the helpers here.
General 40/60
The loss of Spilak and Coppel will be felt. Coquard has turned into a great sprinter and will be the main guy of the team this year. Will be interesting to see what Lecuisinier can do now that there is no Spilak to consider when setting up the planning
13th
Evonik - ELKO
Last season 3rd
Leaders: Van Stayen, Van Avermaet, Skujins
Best new additions: Horton, Mansilla
Notable losses: Koch, Siskevicius
Sprints 8/10
Van Stayen a great sprinter with a great hilly stat to back it up, also got an armada of leadout guys and even got GVA with a good sprint stat in the heap.
Stage Races 2/10
The stage race squad of Evonik is built up upon attacking to score points, and that is what Vosekalns, Sergis, Egger and Sakalou will do. Wont be surprised if one of these guys steal some nice points from stage wins and KoM. Other than that there are nothing to see here
Hills 9/10
Skuijns is a great rider, Van Stayen is a great rider, and there are 5-6 quys who can score poitns. All in all a great hilly squad
Time Trials 1/10
Ehm, they will score participation points?
Cobbles 8/10
GVA should still be one of the best cobble riders and should podium in most races, backup is only ok this year
Depth 9/10
Looking away from time trials in general the depth of the team is great. Might seem like I am overvaluing the squad by giving a 9, but this is based on every rider except 2 having 70+ in Acc. In other words, every single rider could be dangerous in a break, and we know Evonik riders like to go in breaks.
General 37/60
A really hard squad to grade, mostly because there are some areas totally ignored. I believe the team did better than they should have last year and will be hit more by reality this season, but should not really need to fear relegation. Safe mid-table around top 10 in my opinion
14th
Bennelong - Mitchelton
Last season: 13th
Leaders: Bobridge, Morton, Howard
Best new additions: Howard, Dennis
Notable losses: Durbridge, Saber
Sprints 5/10
Howard the biggest new addition didn't really have a good season last year and with all the sprinter training this season I am afraid he wont do better. On the other hand he does have the sprint stat and backups to score some points, and the leadout in Edmondson is good so you can never know
Stage races 7/10
Morton recieving training making him a stronger rider than last season, and Haig is a really good second option. In addition to this you have to value the allroundnes of Canty, Dennis and Dyball who should score some points. Morton still have 1 big weakness in his acc and this cost Bennelong a better score here
Hills 8/10
Bobridge is a really strong rider, and he has all the support he should need. He should have another year where he scores over 1000 points.
Time Trials 9/10
Only lacking the big leader here from scoring max points. A very deep time trial squad where several of the riders have good backup stats aswell. Should be one of the biggest favorites for every TTT there are
Cobbles 1/10
One rider over 70, and he wont really do anything
Depth 8/10
A deep team with support everywhere (except cobbles). Specially the TT depth gives a good grade here
General 38/60
One of many teams that ignore cobbles and has build a strong squad everywhere else. Got strong leaders in all the other terrains, even though I don't really believe in a strong season for Howard. Of course it is always nice to see a team that focuses this well on local talent, and I really like the TTT squad.
15th
Volvo acc. By Spotify
Last season 15th
Leaders: Ahlstrand, Stallaert, Abal, Wellens
Best new signings: Bertilsson, Kreder, Campenaerts
Notable losses: Bystrom, Reimer, Cort Nilsen
Sprints 8/10
Ahlstrand is a great sprinter, and he got some great leadout riders like Bertilsson, Kreder and Ariesen. I expect a great season from Ahlstrand this year, but based on last year and him being the "only" I can't give a better grade
Stage races 6/10
Wellens and Abal are good riders, but a tier, or even 2 behind the best. If well planned they could do really well, but a lot depends on who they are up against. Ludvigsson, Faglum Karlsson, Blikra and Lökvist are a great support team
Hills 3/10
Loosing Bystrom makes this weaker. Jensen is not that good of a leader and even though Ludvigsson and Blikra are good backup riders there wont be a lot of points here. Have to hope for some lucky breakaways
Time Trials 6/10
Many good time trialists, but no top ones, could get some good results out of the likes of Haugard and Campenaerts and the TTT squad (without other leaders is nice at 79-78-75-75-75
Cobbles 7/10
Stallaert turning into a really nice rider and it will be very interesting to see how he does. Som ok support in Broers, Ariesen, Sweeck and Manamalage should help him get some good results. Unfortunately for Volvo and Stallaert he just lack that little bit to beat the best.
Depth 7/10
Good depth and support in general for all terrains
General 37/60
A well-balanced team that could be anywhere from relegation fight to mid-table. Got nice leaders anywhere except for Hills and should be able to score some points. Will be interesting to see if Ahlstrand can do a bit better than last season, then only giving him
16th
Air France - KLM
Last season: 7th PCT
Leaders: Hagen, Sicard, Kennaugh, Kamyshev, Quintana
Best new additions: Hagen, Koch, Kwok
Notable losses: Schreurs, Viennet
Sprints 5/10
Kennaugh is a good sprinter, and Kwok/Clarke/Lutsyshyn/Tronet is a good train, but not among the best. He should be able to fight for stage wins, but against the very best he will most likely come up short
Stage races 6/10
Sicard and Quintana is quite a good pair, though still lacking a bit. Unfortunately Sicard did not get trained this year either and will end his peak at 82 Mon. Should however still be able to get some good GC-finishes and maybe even some podiums. Quintana is a good climber, but his lack of acc will hold him back
Hills 10/10
EBH is the best puncheur in the game together with Ponzi, and when he have some support I have to give Air France a 10 here. I believe he will be the rider who in the end keep Air France from relegation.
Time Trials 5/10
Kwok, Bernaudeau and Andersen are good timetrialists, but lacking in other stats to support them to win anything besides stages, and they will not be strong enough to win stages either. They are also lacking 1-3 pieces to be able to form a proper TTT train.
Cobbles 5/10
Kamyshev and Puccio are good cobble riders, however lacking anything even remotely looking like a sprint or a kick will hold the team back alot. I am afraid Kamyshev will prove to be fools gold here, but giving a 5 in case I am wrong
Depth 6/10
Strong depth on all terrains to be honest, but few of the depth pieces are riders that can score points for themself. Salinas and Edet the biggest hopes here
General 37/60
I believe the team will stay up, based on Hagen being the best scoring puncheur and the other leaders chipping in with ok points all of them.
17th
eBuddy
Last season 8th
Leaders: Dombrowski, Grosu, Boswell, Gerts, Van Poppel
Best new additions: Dombrowski
Notable losses: Gesink
Sprints 7/10
Grosu is a really good sprinter, and I believe he should be able to take even more points this season, don't really believe that much in Van Poppel to be honest and the team lacks pretty much any leadout unless he works as leadout
Stage races 8/10
Dombrowski is a fantastic rider, I just wish he had recieved some training… (Or I am glad he didn't) While Brambilla and Aru are good backups. I feel Brambilla got more points last season than I expect him to get this season, but maybe he does great again? Loosing Gesink hurts, but Dombrowski should cover his points
Hills 6/10
Boswell is another rider I can't help but think should've recieved some training. He got awesome backup stats, but lack a bit of hill to really beat the big guns. There are some nice depth here as well
Time Trials 5/10
Comparing this to the old Jack Wolfskin is sad… Howson is a good and should be able to score some points, and S Lammertink aint bad, but they lack any other riders here
Cobbles 5/10
Gerts is a nice rider with his hill stat to backup the cobble stat, while Lampaert and Ved der Velde are good helpers. I do wonder however if Gerts can keep up his scoring from last year? If he could become 80-82 in cobbles he would be a really scare rider
Depth 6/10
Good climbing depth, good hilly depth, lacking in leadout and Time Trial and ok on cobbles. Not the best depth in the division, but not really bad either
General 37/60
I believe eBuddy will be worse than last year, without really looking worse on paper, just my belief that some of the backup scorers wont do as well this year. Still some really great riders in Dombrowski and Grosu, and some riders I really feel could've needed a bit of training to be really great.
18th
Team Tinkoff
Last season 17th
Leaders: Kritskiy, Senechal, Yatsevich, Porsev
Best new additions: Senechal, Kolesnikov, Sibilla
Notable losses: Trofimov, Korzh
Sprints 3/10
Porsev is not a bad sprinter, there are just so many that are better than him… Samolenkov isa nice leadout rider
Stage Races 6/10
Kritskiy had a bad season last season and even though I believe he will jump back some he will still be a level behind the best based on his lack of acc. Tinkoff got some good backup stage racers that can steal points here and there in Kolesnikov, Kunshin, Novikov, Ignatenko and Foliforov.
Hills 3/10
Loosing Trofimov really hurts this part of the team. Zakarin and Chernetskiy are not bad riders, but still far away from the best. The team has to hope for some lucky breakaways
Time Trials 9/10
A strong part of this team, with 1 80 rider and 3 79 riders. Racing together with Kritskiy makes this the best time trial squad in the division if you look at the top 5. On the other hand the fall is severe from there. Still a very, very good team here
Cobbles 8/10
Senechal, Sulimov, Sibilla and Zubov. That is a pretty awesome cobble squad, will be really interesting to see how Senechal will do with this team, could be fantastic but i still believe he wont be able to beat the very best
Depth 8/10
Strong depth all around really, not much more to say
General 37/60
Another squad that I believe will fight in the bottom half but there are some really good potential here. The support given to Senechal is awesome and a TTT team going 80-80-79-79-79 is really good. On the other hand there are some big holes in the sprints and hills and if Kritskiy haother season like last year Tinkoff are facing PCT
19th
Berg Cycles
Last season: 3rd PCT
Leaders: Gesink, Cattaneo, Silvestre, Kupfernagel, Vogt
Best new additions: Gesink, Cattaneo, Van Winden
Notable losses: Costa, Marquez, Nazaret
Sprints 6/10
Two good but not great sprinters in Silvestre and Kupfernagel. Silvestre with a great flat stat and Prl should give them some nice results. McEvoy the only leadout guy on the team and they should try to find other wheels for the sprints
Stage races 9/10
Gesink and Catteneo really strong additions. I expect both to have a bit weaker seasons than last year, but still strong scorers for Berg. The team got great climbing support for both aswell and should be able to help them get the best results they can. Weakness for both is Acc and that could be felt during the season
Hills 4/10
I do not really believe in Vogt but on the other hand there are some great riders behind him in Paulinho and McEvoy. Both should be able to surprise in some races with their nice backup stats
Time Trials 6/10
Late signing of Van Winden drags this up, and Balloni is also a good time trialist. There is also a bunch of guys with low 70s stats that will help in TTTs. The big question is the usage of Cattaneo and Gesink, both are great against the clock and could turn up with some surprise results here, depending on the use of race days
Cobbles 1/10
Cobbles, what is that?
Depth 5/10
Good hilly and climbing depth, as well as several riders who can time trial a bit. Weak leadouts and no cobblers. I like the general scoring potential Berg can have from random riders
General 31/60
I believe Berg willht against relegation, and most likely rejoin PCT again. A lot depending on the planning for Gesink and Cattaneo, and they will not give up without a fight
20th
Grieg - Eftel
Last season 1st PCT
Leaders: Bakelants, Martin, Boeckmans
Best new signings: Bakelants, Martin, Boeckmans
Notable losses: Boasson Hagen, Rowe, Dempster, Watson
Sprints 6/10
Boeckmans is a good sprinter, but he will have to find other wheels as his leadouts are pretty much none. Should however still be able to get some good results
Stage Races 6/10
Martin an interesting new addition after sitting out last season, nice support aswell with riders like Laengen and Iturria able to score some points.
Hills 9/10
Loosing Hagen hurt this part from last year, but gaining Bakelants is not a bad replacement, nice support in Raileanu and Vink, but I can't see either of them scoring any real points when Jan is away
Time Trials 5/10
Many strong time trialists left the team, but there are still some left and should be able to form a nice, but not great time trial squad. No real leader for the time trial races even though Laengen has some good backup stats
Cobbles 7/10
Wisniowski is an awesome rider, can't wait for him to become even better with training in the future. Still he is not up there with the very best yet. Should still score some good points and help the team. Ringheim is a good helper, and he will have some support from Van Emden, Jansen and Laengen (Øystein) as well.
Depth 4/10
Apart from climbers I feel it is a bit lacking, and there are just too many guys I can't see score any noticable points. No real good leadout, and a weaker hilly setup than last season.
General 37/40
One of many teams that will fight relegation this year. In my predictions I got many teams around the same position. Could save themself by Bakelants/Martin/Wisniowski performing better than I believe.
21st
Porto - Prio
Last season 16th
Leaders: Intxausti, Machado, Claeys, Reis, Avelino
Best new additions: Intxausti, Claeys
Notable losses: Fiedler, Zmorka, Oliveira
Sprints 5/10
Avelino looks like a good sprinter with 83 sprint, but I am afraid his season will look a lot like last season where he ended up 118th in scoring. Still a rider who can score some good results and he got a good leadout in Carvalho. Race planning might be cruical here
Stage Races 8/10
A strong rank for a team lacking a really big star, but 4 riders 80 or higher looks really good. Their weakness however is that none of them have any good acc. Will be really interesting to see how they race, and you can be sure there will be a good climber from Porto on every mountain there is
Hills 5/10
Claeys looks really good when you just skim trough the database, but when you really look at him you want to look away… He is fools gold, and Gustav should hope he proves me wrong. I am also afraid he will destroy the season for Borges, who is a really awesome rider and that deserves to get trained in hill! Afonso is a nice helper aswell
Time Trial 6/10
The team had an awesome TT squad last year, and it is still a good one, just lacking the last leader that Zmorka or Fiedler would've been. Nascimento just lacks a tiny bit there, also to be able to have a really good TTT squad they have to use Reis or Intxausti.
Cobbles 1/10
Maroga is the best rider here, Maroga who? The only rider on the team with no stat above 70…
Depth 6/10
At the top the depth is good, but it falls of a cliff quickly. 4 riders at 80+ Mon, but only 2 more over 75. In hills there are Borges and Afonso, but then it goes down again. TT is good, there is noone on the cobbles and only 1 or 2 (if you are nice) riders for a leadout. Gives a 6 based upon riders like Vinhas and Borges
General 31/60
I am afraid that there will be a relegation battle for Porto - Prio again, and I expect them to loose it. Last year I would dare to say Borges saved them and now he will try to help Claeys. In addition Machado has declined
22nd
Desigual
Last season 5th PCT
Leaders: Tenorio, Altur, Zabel, Maksimov, Nibali
Best new additions: Tenorio, Zabel, Oliverira, Nibali
Notable losses: van Garderen, Warbasse
Sprints 6/10
Zabel and the returning son Makismov. Both are good sprinters, but not at the top, Maksimov has for many years recieved hill training and Desigual has to hope he can survive until the sprints. Zabel is another good sprinter, but not great
Stage races 6/10
Tenorio and Nibali with really good support. Who knows how this could go? Both had bad seasons last year, and lacking Acc might continue. On the other hand, can a 84/80 Mon/TT really have another season that bad? For Desiguals survival I hope the answer is no
Hills 2/10
Not really any leaders here, with the team deciding to focus on other terrains. On the other hand there are some outsiders like Tsatecivh and Gebr…. Could score some points from breaks and lucky top 15/20
Time Trials 5/10
Fraile and Oliveira strong riders with good backups. Also Verona and Eaton who are good pure time trialers and other riders with good time trail stats. Could have a nice TTT squad even without Tenorio
Cobbles 6/10
Altur an interesting cobbler, reminds me of a bit stronger Zepuntke, same weakness with lacking Acc. Some support from Tsatevich, Oliveira and Kozhatayev who may be better used elsewhere if there are race day problems?
Depth 5/10
Good climbing depth and a good leadout. Also several good time trialers. In the hills there are only some depth (and ofc no leader) with the 2 outsiders. All in all ok depth but not fantastic.
General 30/60
I am afraid Desigual is facing a relegation battle, I feel all the leaders are "could score" riders and not sure scorers, and that should hurt Desigual. On the other hand, if Altur does better than I expect, if either Zabel or Maksimov overperforms or if Tenorio has even more of a comeback than I expect they could survive, thats how thight the PT is this year
Edited by Heine on 13-08-2018 19:44
Had some suggestions last night, and I liked the idea of doing 11-22 and then 10-1 so thats what we will do. Posts will be at random times, and random number of teams each time... (In other words, I will post when it fits me :-p)
So, lets start out with three veteran mangame teams, that on my total standing ended up at 11th to 13th, funnily all teams did much better last year so I may be totally off here. Will also update post 2 with all the different positions the teams got as we go along. Not that it is my score given at that time that stands together with the team, not standings, One of the standings (Heine Score) is based on this.
Aegon - Lavazza
Last season: 5th
Leaders: Swift, De Bie, Groenewegen, Dekker, Olivier
Best new additions: Zardini, Gallopin
Notable losses: Martijn Keizer
Sprints 10/10
The strongest sprinting squad in the division with Swift and Groenewegen, and strong support for them. Should score a lot of points from sprints this season as well. Will be really interesting to see who they have sent to the Vuelta
Stage races 5/10
Lost Keizer and Dekker declining makes this much weaker than last season for Aegon, even with Olivier recieving some training. I expect much less points for Aegon here than last year
Hills 8/10
Training De Bie and getting Zardini strenghtens this part of the team. De Bie is slowly becoming a top puncheur and might possibly be Ageons top-scorer this season, even with riders like EBH returning to PT.
Time Trials 6/10
The team got some good time-trialists but no great ones. If the team decides to use Dekker in TTTs they can have a 78-77-77-77-75 train, not the best but not the worst either. Boom and Gallopin got good backup stats as well and should score some points in the easier stage races with long time trials
Cobbles 3/10
Orue, Sbaragli, Boom, Boovenhuis, van der Poel, Van Hooydonck and van der Hoorn scares noone this season. There is a lot of future potential and depth here, but we can't see any results this season
Depth 6/10
The team got some depth, but not the best. Zardini, Boom, Koep and Thurau are interesting pieces that can score good points in backup roles.
General 38/60
I expect Aegon to finish a bit worse than last season, around mid-table.
Festina-Dexia
Last season 1st
Leaders: Lecuisinier, Coquard, Koretzky, Daniel, Vlatos, Tzortzakis
Best new additions: Daniel, van der Hugenhaben, Tzortzakis
Notable losses: Spilak, Coppel
Sprints 10/10
One of the best sprinters in the game in Coquard, good leadouts and a backup leader in Tzortzakis (though I don't believe he will score big). Simply a very strong part of this team
Stage Races 7/10
Lecuisinier is a good rider, but not up there with the very best and training money went elsewhere this season, Hugenhabem, Chamorro and Vasyliv are riders that can score some extra points and give good support, but not the best ones
Hills 6/10
Koretzky is a good rider, lacking a bit of training in hills. Backups with Hugenhaben is good, but he lack a bit of Acc. Riders like Le Roux, Kastrantas and Chamorro might steal some points here and there. In general a nice part of the team, but not close to the best teams out there
Time Trials 5/10
Vlatos should score some good points this season, but after him this team is lacking depth. The other riders with any ability against the clock is also climbers.
Cobbles 5/10
Daniel is a very nice rider, but like others he really wish he had some training, but a good combo of cobbles and sprinting, and not bad over the hills. Weber is a good backup rider and the same can be said about Arch….
Depth 7/10
More lacking in depth than usual, based on more focus on talents this year. But still good, stage race backups are good, leadout is among the best and the hilly backup is ok. Lacking in Time Trials and nothing special on cobbles. Apart from the stage racers I don't really see alot of extra points in the helpers here.
General 40/60
The loss of Spilak and Coppel will be felt. Coquard has turned into a great sprinter and will be the main guy of the team this year. Will be interesting to see what Lecuisinier can do now that there is no Spilak to consider when setting up the planning
Evonik - ELKO
Last season 3rd
Leaders: Van Stayen, Van Avermaet, Skujins
Best new additions: Horton, Mansilla
Notable losses: Koch, Siskevicius
Sprints 8/10
Van Stayen a great sprinter with a great hilly stat to back it up, also got an armada of leadout guys and even got GVA with a good sprint stat in the heap.
Stage Races 2/10
The stage race squad of Evonik is built up upon attacking to score points, and that is what Vosekalns, Sergis, Egger and Sakalou will do. Wont be surprised if one of these guys steal some nice points from stage wins and KoM. Other than that there are nothing to see here
Hills 9/10
Skuijns is a great rider, Van Stayen is a great rider, and there are 5-6 quys who can score poitns. All in all a great hilly squad
Time Trials 1/10
Ehm, they will score participation points?
Cobbles 8/10
GVA should still be one of the best cobble riders and should podium in most races, backup is only ok this year
Depth 9/10
Looking away from time trials in general the depth of the team is great. Might seem like I am overvaluing the squad by giving a 9, but this is based on every rider except 2 having 70+ in Acc. In other words, every single rider could be dangerous in a break, and we know Evonik riders like to go in breaks.
General 37/60
A really hard squad to grade, mostly because there are some areas totally ignored. I believe the team did better than they should have last year and will be hit more by reality this season, but should not really need to fear relegation. Safe mid-table around top 10 in my opinion
Interesting thoughts and a good read! Especially as these are three teams I would've put near the top, as Evonik proved last season you can completely ignore some terrains and still do alright if you have a really strong squad and Aegon are doing a similar thing this year. Do agree that Festina has taken a step back though from winning the PT though, losing Spilak, Coppel, David for Daniel and Coquard training.
Good read about my team. Agree that we finish lower than last year. If it's around 10th - 12th I am happy and then have more talents and cap room next year.
Edited by roturn on 11-08-2018 06:28
@trekbmc There is always a bit of guessing here, but I believe that Knockout will have less luck this year, and GVA will score less points. With how close I think this season will end up beeing that put the team farther down than I believed before I started
Nice to see some good texts about pt teams already. There havent been as many pt previews as for other divisions so it is good to see this already
Nicely written, good format and i agree with pretty much all the statements. Its very generous to give my team a 1 score on TTs and the 9 depth score looks a bit like you were aiming toco pensate for my unique approach to overloading certain terrains but i agree that my team overperformed last season (and got slightly weaker) so a drop in rankings has to be expected. The final ranking prediction for Evonik is reasonable although i dont really trust any predictions for my team that just sum the different terrains.
Aegon and Festina are both teams that look weaker than last season and could drop a bit and again i agree with what you said although im not yet sure whether they might be dropped slightly too low.
Leaders: Bobridge, Morton, Howard
Best new additions: Howard, Dennis
Notable losses: Durbridge, Saber
Sprints 5/10
Howard the biggest new addition didn't really have a good season last year and with all the sprinter training this season I am afraid he wont do better. On the other hand he does have the sprint stat and backups to score some points, and the leadout in Edmondson is good so you can never know
Stage races 7/10
Morton recieving training making him a stronger rider than last season, and Haig is a really good second option. In addition to this you have to value the allroundnes of Canty, Dennis and Dyball who should score some points. Morton still have 1 big weakness in his acc and this cost Bennelong a better score here
Hills 8/10
Bobridge is a really strong rider, and he has all the support he should need. He should have another year where he scores over 1000 points.
Time Trials 9/10
Only lacking the big leader here from scoring max points. A very deep time trial squad where several of the riders have good backup stats aswell. Should be one of the biggest favorites for every TTT there are
Cobbles 1/10
One rider over 70, and he wont really do anything
Depth 8/10
A deep team with support everywhere (except cobbles). Specially the TT depth gives a good grade here
General 38/60
One of many teams that ignore cobbles and has build a strong squad everywhere else. Got strong leaders in all the other terrains, even though I don't really believe in a strong season for Howard. Of course it is always nice to see a team that focuses this well on local talent, and I really like the TTT squad.
15th
Volvo acc. By Spotify
Last season 15th
Leaders: Ahlstrand, Stallaert, Abal, Wellens
Best new signings: Bertilsson, Kreder, Campenaerts
Notable losses: Bystrom, Reimer, Cort Nilsen
Sprints 8/10
Ahlstrand is a great sprinter, and he got some great leadout riders like Bertilsson, Kreder and Ariesen. I expect a great season from Ahlstrand this year, but based on last year and him being the "only" I can't give a better grade
Stage races 6/10
Wellens and Abal are good riders, but a tier, or even 2 behind the best. If well planned they could do really well, but a lot depends on who they are up against. Ludvigsson, Faglum Karlsson, Blikra and Lökvist are a great support team
Hills 3/10
Loosing Bystrom makes this weaker. Jensen is not that good of a leader and even though Ludvigsson and Blikra are good backup riders there wont be a lot of points here. Have to hope for some lucky breakaways
Time Trials 6/10
Many good time trialists, but no top ones, could get some good results out of the likes of Haugard and Campenaerts and the TTT squad (without other leaders is nice at 79-78-75-75-75
Cobbles 7/10
Stallaert turning into a really nice rider and it will be very interesting to see how he does. Som ok support in Broers, Ariesen, Sweeck and Manamalage should help him get some good results. Unfortunately for Volvo and Stallaert he just lack that little bit to beat the best.
Depth 7/10
Good depth and support in general for all terrains
General 37/60
A well-balanced team that could be anywhere from relegation fight to mid-table. Got nice leaders anywhere except for Hills and should be able to score some points. Will be interesting to see if Ahlstrand can do a bit better than last season, then only giving him
12th is around the region I believe I will be in indeed. I have 8-12th as the most realistic, but could go a bit lower if things don't go well... I believe Aegon will be slightly above us, while I think Evonik will be much higher than predicted here. My guess is top 5.
On my own team, I agree with a lot, although I think Chamorro will be of bigger value than van der Hugenhaben. Not many teams have a climber with his skillset, and I think he will be doing pretty well at PT level with his 78MO, 75HI and 74ACC. Combined with a high downhill and a high fighter stat I hope to see him win KOM jerseys at PT level.
And great to see previews being poster. Agere on basically everything you have written, eventhough I disagree on the placings of especially Festina and Evonik. But as you say, the obvious weakness of this method is that teams not prioritizing a certain terrain get "punished".
Having said that, I'm looking forward to see where you put my team. Kind of "fear" it will be close to the top, due to the depth on all terrains
Guess it's a fair prediction on my team I like you you rate my TT(T) setup, despite lacking the one standout TT specialist this year. Morton's ACC obviously hurts and I don't know, what he is capable to show this year. His support team is getting stronger though and maybe - with some good luck - he can repeat another GT podium? I certainly hope so.
14th place would be just okay, but obviously, I'm hoping for some better luck this season and maybe attacking the Top-10 for the first time in our fourth year on PT level. Our season planning is quite risky, imo, but it may work eventually.
2 last surviving teams, and another team falling after last year
16
Air France - KLM
Last season: 7th PCT
Leaders: Hagen, Sicard, Kennaugh, Kamyshev, Quintana
Best new additions: Hagen, Koch, Kwok
Notable losses: Schreurs, Viennet
Sprints 5/10
Kennaugh is a good sprinter, and Kwok/Clarke/Lutsyshyn/Tronet is a good train, but not among the best. He should be able to fight for stage wins, but against the very best he will most likely come up short
Stage races 6/10
Sicard and Quintana is quite a good pair, though still lacking a bit. Unfortunately Sicard did not get trained this year either and will end his peak at 82 Mon. Should however still be able to get some good GC-finishes and maybe even some podiums. Quintana is a good climber, but his lack of acc will hold him back
Hills 10/10
EBH is the best puncheur in the game together with Ponzi, and when he have some support I have to give Air France a 10 here. I believe he will be the rider who in the end keep Air France from relegation.
Time Trials 5/10
Kwok, Bernaudeau and Andersen are good timetrialists, but lacking in other stats to support them to win anything besides stages, and they will not be strong enough to win stages either. They are also lacking 1-3 pieces to be able to form a proper TTT train.
Cobbles 5/10
Kamyshev and Puccio are good cobble riders, however lacking anything even remotely looking like a sprint or a kick will hold the team back alot. I am afraid Kamyshev will prove to be fools gold here, but giving a 5 in case I am wrong
Depth 6/10
Strong depth on all terrains to be honest, but few of the depth pieces are riders that can score points for themself. Salinas and Edet the biggest hopes here
General 37/60
I believe the team will stay up, based on Hagen being the best scoring puncheur and the other leaders chipping in with ok points all of them.
17
eBuddy
Last season 8th
Leaders: Dombrowski, Grosu, Boswell, Gerts, Van Poppel
Best new additions: Dombrowski
Notable losses: Gesink
Sprints 7/10
Grosu is a really good sprinter, and I believe he should be able to take even more points this season, don't really believe that much in Van Poppel to be honest and the team lacks pretty much any leadout unless he works as leadout
Stage races 8/10
Dombrowski is a fantastic rider, I just wish he had recieved some training… (Or I am glad he didn't) While Brambilla and Aru are good backups. I feel Brambilla got more points last season than I expect him to get this season, but maybe he does great again? Loosing Gesink hurts, but Dombrowski should cover his points
Hills 6/10
Boswell is another rider I can't help but think should've recieved some training. He got awesome backup stats, but lack a bit of hill to really beat the big guns. There are some nice depth here as well
Time Trials 5/10
Comparing this to the old Jack Wolfskin is sad… Howson is a good and should be able to score some points, and S Lammertink aint bad, but they lack any other riders here
Cobbles 5/10
Gerts is a nice rider with his hill stat to backup the cobble stat, while Lampaert and Ved der Velde are good helpers. I do wonder however if Gerts can keep up his scoring from last year? If he could become 80-82 in cobbles he would be a really scare rider
Depth 6/10
Good climbing depth, good hilly depth, lacking in leadout and Time Trial and ok on cobbles. Not the best depth in the division, but not really bad either
General 37/60
I believe eBuddy will be worse than last year, without really looking worse on paper, just my belief that some of the backup scorers wont do as well this year. Still some really great riders in Dombrowski and Grosu, and some riders I really feel could've needed a bit of training to be really great.
On paper I see Air France better than 16th, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them in that region, looking at team history. A bunch of riders with great stats, but a low ACC.
Leaders: Kritskiy, Senechal, Yatsevich, Porsev
Best new additions: Senechal, Kolesnikov, Sibilla
Notable losses: Trofimov, Korzh
Sprints 3/10
Porsev is not a bad sprinter, there are just so many that are better than him… Samolenkov isa nice leadout rider
Stage Races 6/10
Kritskiy had a bad season last season and even though I believe he will jump back some he will still be a level behind the best based on his lack of acc. Tinkoff got some good backup stage racers that can steal points here and there in Kolesnikov, Kunshin, Novikov, Ignatenko and Foliforov.
Hills 3/10
Loosing Trofimov really hurts this part of the team. Zakarin and Chernetskiy are not bad riders, but still far away from the best. The team has to hope for some lucky breakaways
Time Trials 9/10
A strong part of this team, with 1 80 rider and 3 79 riders. Racing together with Kritskiy makes this the best time trial squad in the division if you look at the top 5. On the other hand the fall is severe from there. Still a very, very good team here
Cobbles 8/10
Senechal, Sulimov, Sibilla and Zubov. That is a pretty awesome cobble squad, will be really interesting to see how Senechal will do with this team, could be fantastic but i still believe he wont be able to beat the very best
Depth 8/10
Strong depth all around really, not much more to say
General 37/60
Another squad that I believe will fight in the bottom half but there are some really good potential here. The support given to Senechal is awesome and a TTT team going 80-80-79-79-79 is really good. On the other hand there are some big holes in the sprints and hills and if Kritskiy haother season like last year Tinkoff are facing PCT
19th
Berg Cycles
Last season: 3rd PCT
Leaders: Gesink, Cattaneo, Silvestre, Kupfernagel, Vogt
Best new additions: Gesink, Cattaneo, Van Winden
Notable losses: Costa, Marquez, Nazaret
Sprints 6/10
Two good but not great sprinters in Silvestre and Kupfernagel. Silvestre with a great flat stat and Prl should give them some nice results. McEvoy the only leadout guy on the team and they should try to find other wheels for the sprints
Stage races 9/10
Gesink and Catteneo really strong additions. I expect both to have a bit weaker seasons than last year, but still strong scorers for Berg. The team got great climbing support for both aswell and should be able to help them get the best results they can. Weakness for both is Acc and that could be felt during the season
Hills 4/10
I do not really believe in Vogt but on the other hand there are some great riders behind him in Paulinho and McEvoy. Both should be able to surprise in some races with their nice backup stats
Time Trials 6/10
Late signing of Van Winden drags this up, and Balloni is also a good time trialist. There is also a bunch of guys with low 70s stats that will help in TTTs. The big question is the usage of Cattaneo and Gesink, both are great against the clock and could turn up with some surprise results here, depending on the use of race days
Cobbles 1/10
Cobbles, what is that?
Depth 5/10
Good hilly and climbing depth, as well as several riders who can time trial a bit. Weak leadouts and no cobblers. I like the general scoring potential Berg can have from random riders
General 31/60
I believe Berg willht against relegation, and most likely rejoin PCT again. A lot depending on the planning for Gesink and Cattaneo, and they will not give up without a fight
20th
Grieg - Eftel
Last season 1st PCT
Leaders: Bakelants, Martin, Boeckmans
Best new signings: Bakelants, Martin, Boeckmans
Notable losses: Boasson Hagen, Rowe, Dempster, Watson
Sprints 6/10
Boeckmans is a good sprinter, but he will have to find other wheels as his leadouts are pretty much none. Should however still be able to get some good results
Stage Races 6/10
Martin an interesting new addition after sitting out last season, nice support aswell with riders like Laengen and Iturria able to score some points.
Hills 9/10
Loosing Hagen hurt this part from last year, but gaining Bakelants is not a bad replacement, nice support in Raileanu and Vink, but I can't see either of them scoring any real points when Jan is away
Time Trials 5/10
Many strong time trialists left the team, but there are still some left and should be able to form a nice, but not great time trial squad. No real leader for the time trial races even though Laengen has some good backup stats
Cobbles 7/10
Wisniowski is an awesome rider, can't wait for him to become even better with training in the future. Still he is not up there with the very best yet. Should still score some good points and help the team. Ringheim is a good helper, and he will have some support from Van Emden, Jansen and Laengen (Øystein) as well.
Depth 4/10
Apart from climbers I feel it is a bit lacking, and there are just too many guys I can't see score any noticable points. No real good leadout, and a weaker hilly setup than last season.
General 37/40
One of many teams that will fight relegation this year. In my predictions I got many teams around the same position. Could save themself by Bakelants/Martin/Wisniowski performing better than I believe.
21st
Porto - Prio
Last season 16th
Leaders: Intxausti, Machado, Claeys, Reis, Avelino
Best new additions: Intxausti, Claeys
Notable losses: Fiedler, Zmorka, Oliveira
Sprints 5/10
Avelino looks like a good sprinter with 83 sprint, but I am afraid his season will look a lot like last season where he ended up 118th in scoring. Still a rider who can score some good results and he got a good leadout in Carvalho. Race planning might be cruical here
Stage Races 8/10
A strong rank for a team lacking a really big star, but 4 riders 80 or higher looks really good. Their weakness however is that none of them have any good acc. Will be really interesting to see how they race, and you can be sure there will be a good climber from Porto on every mountain there is
Hills 5/10
Claeys looks really good when you just skim trough the database, but when you really look at him you want to look away… He is fools gold, and Gustav should hope he proves me wrong. I am also afraid he will destroy the season for Borges, who is a really awesome rider and that deserves to get trained in hill! Afonso is a nice helper aswell
Time Trial 6/10
The team had an awesome TT squad last year, and it is still a good one, just lacking the last leader that Zmorka or Fiedler would've been. Nascimento just lacks a tiny bit there, also to be able to have a really good TTT squad they have to use Reis or Intxausti.
Cobbles 1/10
Maroga is the best rider here, Maroga who? The only rider on the team with no stat above 70…
Depth 6/10
At the top the depth is good, but it falls of a cliff quickly. 4 riders at 80+ Mon, but only 2 more over 75. In hills there are Borges and Afonso, but then it goes down again. TT is good, there is noone on the cobbles and only 1 or 2 (if you are nice) riders for a leadout. Gives a 6 based upon riders like Vinhas and Borges
General 31/60
I am afraid that there will be a relegation battle for Porto - Prio again, and I expect them to loose it. Last year I would dare to say Borges saved them and now he will try to help Claeys. In addition Machado has declined
22nd
Desigual
Last season 5th PCT
Leaders: Tenorio, Altur, Zabel, Maksimov, Nibali
Best new additions: Tenorio, Zabel, Oliverira, Nibali
Notable losses: van Garderen, Warbasse
Sprints 6/10
Zabel and the returning son Makismov. Both are good sprinters, but not at the top, Maksimov has for many years recieved hill training and Desigual has to hope he can survive until the sprints. Zabel is another good sprinter, but not great
Stage races 6/10
Tenorio and Nibali with really good support. Who knows how this could go? Both had bad seasons last year, and lacking Acc might continue. On the other hand, can a 84/80 Mon/TT really have another season that bad? For Desiguals survival I hope the answer is no
Hills 2/10
Not really any leaders here, with the team deciding to focus on other terrains. On the other hand there are some outsiders like Tsatecivh and Gebr…. Could score some points from breaks and lucky top 15/20
Time Trials 5/10
Fraile and Oliveira strong riders with good backups. Also Verona and Eaton who are good pure time trialers and other riders with good time trail stats. Could have a nice TTT squad even without Tenorio
Cobbles 6/10
Altur an interesting cobbler, reminds me of a bit stronger Zepuntke, same weakness with lacking Acc. Some support from Tsatevich, Oliveira and Kozhatayev who may be better used elsewhere if there are race day problems?
Depth 5/10
Good climbing depth and a good leadout. Also several good time trialers. In the hills there are only some depth (and ofc no leader) with the 2 outsiders. All in all ok depth but not fantastic.
General 30/60
I am afraid Desigual is facing a relegation battle, I feel all the leaders are "could score" riders and not sure scorers, and that should hurt Desigual. On the other hand, if Altur does better than I expect, if either Zabel or Maksimov overperforms or if Tenorio has even more of a comeback than I expect they could survive, thats how thight the PT is this year
Agree with your points pretty much. Certainly we don't have the best 50k tiders, som many who will score poorly. That being said, we will have one of our leaders present in almost every race this season. The giro and the your might not give is much, but we do at least aim higher than 20th. Thanks for the preview, it's been a good read so far.
And sorry to all teams I rank badly, someone had to end last
