Welcome to the Americas for the 13th edition of the Tour of America! The one and only continental GT, and let's be honest, simply better than any of the ProTour GT's. Last year's winner Bennett had a look at the time trial kilometres on the menu and wisely decided to skip this year's edition, but with Kraftwerk's Dominik Nerz there still is a former winner on the startlist. Thanks to the amazing work by Ulrich Ulriksen the race takes place in four countries this year: Uruguay, Argentina, the United States of America and Canada. Let's have a look at the profile and favourites, and while we do that, be sure to read up on Ulrich's race profile explanation.
Race profile
Spoiler
GC riders
Mtn
Hil
TT
Sta
Res
Rec
Spr
Acc
Pro
Eastman
82
71
77
76
75
76
62
69
73
Reis
81
73
76
78
76
78
50
64
76
Madrazo
81
72
73
75
74
75
59
66
73
McNulty
80
74
77
75
77
77
64
68
75
Ranaweera
80
73
76
75
75
74
58
65
73
Inkelaar
80
70
64
75
76
79
60
74
64
Munoz
79
73
66
72
72
74
56
71
58
Powless
78
72
78
76
74
76
65
71
78
Fabbro
78
75
67
71
72
74
61
73
70
Alarcon
78
67
61
62
65
64
53
69
60
Keizer
77
67
77
69
73
70
53
67
77
With his 82 mountain stat, 77 tt and good back-ups, Eastman tops the list. Does this mean he's the top favourite? You tell me. He's certainly one of the big hopes of the American cycling fans to bring the ToA-trophy home. He also has a nice TTT team, as will be described in much detail below. Just below him, with slightly weaker mountain and tt skills, is Reis. The Portuguese from Colombini does have the best stamina and resistance of the top favourites, but on the other hands lacks the ttt-support that the big guns have. With Petelin and Raileanu Colombini does bring two good mountain domestiques though. Madrazo on the other hand as the other 81-climber is here to brighten up Spark's season. Jakstar and his men haven't had the best of seasons and can hopefully find some more joy in this race with their experienced Spanish leader. His time trialing capacities are not bad, but below the level of the other favourites. Let's see if he can actually put that experience of him to use.
When we're thinking of American sweethearts, McNulty definitely put himself on that list as well. The other hope of the home fans for glory, strong individual time trialist and a decent team time trial here, so there's no reason why he couldn't surprise us. Ranaweera
is a similar rider and will do his best to keep that Kraftwerk tradition of being godly in ToA alive. He won a stage here last year, and white in 2019. What can he do now? Same question for Inkelaar, the final 80-rated climber, but that lack of time trial capacities can't be good for his GC aspirations.
Munoz with a similar story. Lovely rider, amazing pick-up from Caja Rural in the off-season, but unlikely to do very well here. Unlike Inkelaar he probably also can't think of winning a stage, unless he gets some freedom in a break later on. Getting to the third American and best time trialist in this group of riders: Powless! Analysts fear he might lack the mountain skills to compete with the top riders here, but manager Mre has shown a lot of faith in his young star, and sometimes that's all a rider needs. Fabbro might go stage hunting in an attempt to score points for Air New Zealand, but just like Alarcon and Keizer we're not expecting to see him in the final top-5.
Team Time Trial
There is one team time trial. Around 25 km's so some time can be lost there. Here is a detailed overview of what I rate the teams at first sight. I can definitely be wrong.
Best: Glanbia
Good: DuckDuckGo, Kraftwerk, McCormick
Average: Air New Zealand, Colombini, Podium, Hilcona, Spark, Zwift
While we're on the topic of the team time trial, let's have a look at the best individual time trialists, who are able to grab a stage victory here. Powless the favourite in theory, other decent time trialists with good recovery include Eastman, Eaton, McNulty, Reis and Ranaweera. Bascially the GC riders, but maybe somebody else is able to surprise them.
Puncheurs and stage/KoM hunters
Mtn
Hil
Sta
Res
Rec
Spr
Acc
Vogt
62
80
78
71
65
62
63
Watson
65
78
76
72
70
62
72
Quevedo
71
78
72
72
73
65
75
Paulus
74
77
71
68
73
62
71
Mutsumine
69
77
73
70
68
63
71
Raileanu
77
77
74
73
76
59
70
Mager
74
77
68
70
71
60
71
Barbin
67
77
74
72
68
70
75
Vliegen
67
77
76
70
70
66
74
Le Gac
69
77
73
74
71
64
69
Betancourt
70
77
67
66
59
64
69
Burke
77
76
75
74
80
60
71
Poljanski
76
76
68
68
74
60
69
McKenna
74
76
69
72
71
65
77
Squire
76
76
68
68
74
60
69
Gall
77
76
70
71
72
61
72
Felline
65
76
74
72
69
73
77
Scheit
72
76
72
71
69
64
71
Gaspar
75
75
73
72
74
61
67
Sakalou
76
75
63
72
72
60
72
Jaramillo
77
75
70
69
69
67
76
Chevrier
75
74
69
69
69
60
67
Jacobsen
73
73
71
70
71
59
67
Verschaeve
76
73
76
75
75
62
71
Delco
72
73
75
74
75
64
72
Koshevoy
76
73
71
72
74
60
69
Not a lot of chances for the puncheurs, as there will always be the GC riders or pure sprinters aiming for the same stages as well. Nevertheless, in this list you can find some of the best puncheurs present, whereas there are also some riders included that could possible be thinking of the KoM or stages already. Gall could be the third best young rider in this race, so we might see him in white as well for some stages. Mutsumine deserves a mention for being a legend.
Sprinters
Spr
Acc
Zariff
80
80
Haller
80
79
Perera
79
80
Moser
79
77
Petit
79
76
Bouhanni
79
75
Reinhardt
78
82
Scully
78
79
Sanikwathi
78
78
El Sabbahi
78
77
Walls
78
76
Van Stayen
78
69
Wippert
77
81
Silva
77
78
Tivani
77
78
Habtom
77
78
Guardini
77
77
Frame
77
76
Aregger
77
75
Dzervus
76
75
Last but not least, the sprinters. Enough chances for them in theory, and as the sprinting field proves the green jersey can go to a lot of riders. Zariff with the best added skills, but Haller has already proven he knows how to win stages (and green jerseys) here in America. Van Stayen might lack acceleration, but with his punchiness he might excell in other stages.
That's it for the preview, full startlist can be found in the spoiler. As a spectator I'm looking forward to following this race and reading up on the 21 magnificent reports by Imladrik, who is one of the pillars of the whole MG. Shout-out to him!
It's not hard to guess what we're here for with no sprinter or GC rider, but four riders mentioned in the stage hunters / KoM section. Gall should be the second or third best U25 rider and also be an option for a Top 20 in the GC by making up for his non-existent TT skills with some mountain stage breakaways. But the goal should be a stage win and a nice fight for the KoM jersey, and maybe one of our youngsters is able to snatch tgat jersey on some bumps ib the first stage(s). The yellow jersey after stage 2 is also a nice price for one of our puncheurs, would be a first for the team. But enough dreaming, let's get the race started!
How do you tank you PPrD in the midst of like a 7-way promotion battle? You come to the ToA with basically all your unmaxed riders
Mutsumine is a legend, and hopefully he decides now is him time to shine. Jesus Roniel Marte has been a breakaway machine in his rookie year, more of that here would be great. Basically we need to be in breakaways and then just see what happens.
Luckily enough PCT teams have come with good squads that the odds of our promotion rivals making a big score here are somewhat reduced.
Hi everyone, apologies for my recent absence due to a combination of looking after my disabled wife, son in hospital (he is OK now), internet cut off (literally with a hedge trimmer) and moving house (still an ongoing saga).
Had to comment on the annual Americas extravaganza. Another super route from UU.
Haller needs one more stage win to take the ToA record, hope he can do it in his last year at full strength.
Ranaweera will be scrapping for 2nd to 5th behind Eastman who looks like he will dominate Mountains and TT/TTT. Glad to see Kraftwerk recruitment has made our TTT competitive.
Thanks for the preview Nemo and for the reporting Imladrik (and thanks to all the folks keeping Man Game going).
Thanks for the great preview, and thanks in advance to Imladrik for the reports - I'll follow them with interest as a neutral spectator once again
As it was already said before, it's pretty hard to look past Eastman for the GC, especially after he proved in California that his hill stat is absolutely not holding him back. He might miss out on some bonus seconds in some hilltop finish stages, but he's the clear #1 for the big mountains. I count 3 road stages (plus the MTT) that should suit him, with very long final climbs, the first one coming already on day 6. It's not unthinkable that he'll take yellow on that stage and never give it away.
However, one weak day and the GC could be gone, with the competition really strong! McNulty also has a slight TT advantage over the other 80+ climbers, and McCormick have already proven their great progress in terms of TTT. Ranaweera will want to improve on last year's pretty disappointing 5th place; his improved TT skills and Kraftwerk's good TTT lineup should come pretty handy for that.
For me, these three (Eastman, McNulty and Ranaweera) are the top podium contenders, and a GC outcome in this order wouldn't be surprising.
Reis could obviously spoil the American party, but Colombini might just lose around a minute to Glanbia in the TTT. Hard to see him make up that time against Eastman who's stronger both in climbing and TTing. And Madrazo's TT deficit compared to the other 4 80+ climbers will likely be too much to beat any of them.
On the other hand, I could see Powless fighting for a Top 5, despite his slightly weaker climbing skills. He's the best TTer present, and especially in the fight against Madrazo this should be a big advantage. With only 3 big mountaintop finishes, he might limit the damage in the mountains, and then strike back against the clock.
Otherwise, it would be awesome to see Haller get that one win making him record stage winner - and why not win green one more time?
Good luck to all participants, really looking forward to see some great fights
An All-American podium would be pretty cool, with Powless on top of course Jokes aside, very much looking forward to this! Need some decent results to avoid relegation. Come on boys, make me proud!
So entering the season, having some knowledge of the route and the maturity of young Brandon, I thought this is the year we can win the Tour. And I made it my win goal.
And then a certain manager, who's team, as I have explained to him regularly, shouldn't even have a US focus, goes and buys the one PCT quality GC rider who is better suited to this tour than McNulty.
OK, now we have the bitterness out of the way. If someone else is going to be the first to win the ToA with an american rider, I couldn't choose a better manager than my compatriot from the class of 19. It is also nice to move the McCormick - Glanbia contest at the race to the big prizes and not to seeing who can be less non-competitive.
Clearly, I agree with others that Eastman is the favorite. I think the Tour of California was a pretty strong marker and the always strong TTT team will give hm some extra cushion. His team is not strong in the mountains but not sure how much that matters. It may be bad news for the weaker contenders if the breaks get out of control. I don't think that will happen as the teams of the other top riders will probably be able to control that. I count 4 former top 5 GC finishers riding as domestiques in this edition (Nerz, Warbasse, Raileanu, Kuss)
Reis is a serious problem for us as well, I doubt he can beat Eastman but I think he is the favorite for 2nd. His extra MT and secondaries will be enough to overcome any deficits to McNulty from the time trials.
Ranaweera is probably the other big threat to the podium but given McNulty has the edge on him in every stat except MT it would be disappointing to finish behind him. But with a top sprinter as well, D2B gives himself the chance to, once again, take the most points from the race.
Although I too would love an all-american podium, I doubt Powless can crack the top 3, his TT edge isn't that big. I do think he could hold on to the lead after the first MT stage and then rack up points for being the GC leader.
Inkelaar and Madrazo are wild cards. Inkelaar really scares me with his high recovery. I could see Inkelaar losing enough time early to be allowed to go in the breaks and bringing him back could be tough. Madrazo is a great climber, my guess is his other weaknesses limit him, but if he can do very well on the mountain stages then he can fight for a podium. And Spark can also score in the sprints.
Looking forward to the race. Hopefully Eastman can put off asserting his dominance until the last few stages to keep the things exciting.
A huge thanks to Imladrik to taking on the reporting. A GT is always a lot of work.
Here we go. My survival in the PCT will heavily depend on how good or bad Reis performs here. California was a good test against some of the favorites here. PCM is a funny game and I’m hoping for a masterclass.
Let’s Reis to the top! Thanks to Nemo for the great preview and can’t wait to see ImLadriks magic in the reports. Good luck to everyone, may the best man win!
Really looking forward to this one, although we aren't in it this year. It would have been cool to see Chiarello race here, but the race days wouldn't allow it.
Thanks Nemo for the preview
MG - Lotto - Caloi
[MG] New Manager of the Year - PCM.daily Awards 2022
Looking forward to the race!
We're here chasing a stage win, as it is one of our sponsor goals. We should have options both in the breaks and sprints, but it won't be easy as the competition is overwhelming.
Here it is, the pivotal event of PCT, where relegation battlers become promotion contenders and pprd becomes just an acronym. We're looking for mild success, like a top10 and a stage win here or there as we generally do here.
Interested to see if Eastman fullfils the task he's been brought to accomplish, or if we'ew going to witness a change of the guard in the US stage-racing scene already this year. Will follow Reis' race closely as well, to see if he can make ammends for past performances.
Thanks for the preview, Nemo, and good luck everyone!
Decent ride van El Sabbahi considering he was pretty far back and boxed in when the sprint shot off. Congrats to the winner and thanks for the report ImLadrik!
Congrats to Hosaur for a great win! Your inaugural season wasn't that great so far, but a GT stage win surely is a huge achievement.
Hopkins in the break was what we could expect, just bad luck he was there with two other U25 riders including the infamous Marte. Tomorrow is probably our best (or even only) chance for a result til stage 8, so there's just a little bit of over-expectation here.
And finally thanks to Imladrik for taking over the coverage, I'm really looking forward to your great reports!
Oh there's a big race on in America? We had no idea....
Thanks for the preview- we kinda want to win this one. I'm not convinced Eastman will have it all his own way but I am happy the TTT might be an extra advatage
5 Kraftwerk riders towards the front but no organisation. Filling the team with TT riders left Haller without a lead out, he needs to surf the wheels better to grab that stage win, unless his teammates can sort themselves out.
Congrats to Hosaur for the win and thanks for the super report Imladrik.
Nice to get the race underway and calm the nerves. McNulty well positioned with the two roulers round him and the rest taking it easy, that is what we want.
Congrats to Adidas on a nice win accomplished from the front. Neither Spark or Kraftwerk brought a lead out so be interesting to see if that is a good or bad thing.
Tour of America (C1) - Preview 
Jokes aside, very much looking forward to this! Need some decent results to avoid relegation. Come on boys, make me proud!
