Written by Brian Place from lastplace1414
  
  As the inaugural edition of the Race of the Minutemen (dubbed “RotM” by many) approaches, no one knows exact what to expect. Every tour has its own personality to be loved or hated by riders, coaches, and even race officials. But there is one truth we can hold to be true: Fans love tours. So while final preparations occur, like kids in a candy shop, let us look at the monster treat at hand.
  
  The Course
  
  The 120 riders will leave Boston, Massachusetts, on day 49 to embark on a re-creation of Paul Revere’s famous Midnight Ride. To those not familiar with the details of the American Revolution, Revere and two other Colonists (William Dawes and Samuel Prescott) were sent on horseback from Charlestown to Concord and Lexington to ready the troops for the impending British invasion. The 19km time trial mimics his route, using parts of a modern-day bike path as it makes its way along the Charles River. The second stage will take the riders from the endpoint of Lexington up to Laconia, New Hampshire, and will most likely result in a selective bunch sprint. Failure to survive the hilly route may mean doom for some of the SC favorites, since this is the second ‘truest’ sprint in the six-stage race. As the peloton departs Laconia, the climbing will begin, much to the dismay of the sprinters. The stage becomes progressively more vertical as it approaches its end, and this is probably the best opportunity for a strong breakaway rider to take advantage of the tired, nervous legs of the favorites. With little time to recover, the King stage to the summit of Mount Jefferson will leave riders crying for mercy. While the mountain is not as high as some of the European summits, the riders will make this difficult for themselves. Expect the leaders to really stretch the field out by the end of the day, narrowing down the GC to just a few names. Those strong and lucky enough to still be in contention will air all their dirty laundry during the Mount Washington Individual Time Trial, 8km of the steepest climbing you will ever see during a stopwatch stage. While Mount Jefferson might not be a Swiss Alp, Mount Washington has sections with up to 22% gradient and will gladly state its case to riders and critics alike. The riders will be relieved to return to their teams’ busses, which will bring them to Concord, New Hampshire (not to be confused with the aforementioned Concord, Massachusetts), where they will begin a small descent followed by a long flat run back into Boston. The tour concludes with a highly technical sprint through the streets of Boston, borrowing some of the legendary Boston Marathon route and finishing in historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace. While the GC leader will be focused solely on staying upright, this is where the SC will be won or lost.
  
  GC Battle
  
  There is no clear-cut favorite in this RotM field, which should provide excitement and opportunity for both riders and fans alike. Sign-up for this 642km (just over 400mi) enigma saw a lot of GC-interested teams enlisting. While the “People’s Champions” might be American climbers Eddie Ebersold (TheRhys) and Abraham Tapscott (lastplace1414) on their home soil, there are at least fifteen other riders who will use all means necessary to prevent them from winning. Otto Hagman and Zacarias Semedo (Team Crazy Downhillers) will likely form a formidable duo in the mountains, and the same can be said for team Crescent DBS, who enters the tour with Jim Österman as captain but also has Hubert Fallander and Jussi Jonsson who are capable

of their own success. The only other team with that kind of climbing strength and depth will be lastplace1414, led by 23-year-old Joachim Löwik who is fresh off of a surprising 7th-place finish in the Monte Rosa Tour earlier this season. Löwik will be accompanied by Eugene Huson, Oscar De Urquiza, and Tapscott, any of whom could also affect the GC. Australia’s Goddard Scothern (Telstra) is a well-rounded rider who will be tough to beat in a selective summit sprint. Monte Rosa Tour winner Jeremy de Neys has left Greenride and joined Dutch ultrajectrum just for this opportunity to race in RotM, but he will have to rely heavily on American Des Francis to do most of his dirty work. Canadian Spencer Paterson will be representing American speedy, and while he has the climbing ability to stick with riders like Hagman, the team will be crossing its fingers during the opening time trial. The same can be said for Orson Ireland (Team Red Band), Silvanio Mantilla (Eixample ATH), and many others. Meanwhile, Malaysian Sin Kiat Safiq Rahim of the all-Asian Asymm Project is expected to do well in the time trials but could find himself in the second group on Mount Jefferson. Finally, tiny Zhong Honghua from China will look to represent Asia as well. Zero Tolerance was one of the latest entrants to the tour, and a very surprising and exciting one at that. Standing only 163cm (5’4”), Honghua uses this to his advantage and is the strongest rider in the tour, pound-for-pound, weighing in at just over 52kg (115 lbs).
  
  SC Battle
  
  While there are dozens of climbers in the tour, expect the sprints to be contested by few riders. There are a lot of talented sprinters, but many of them are components of strong leadout trains and won’t be interested in personal success. Arguably the strongest sprinter is Ralph van Bon (speedyb). Although there are indications that he might be starting to feel the effects of age, the former World Champion is nowhere near meeting the reaper and has the potential to run away with the competition. His biggest competition will be Izak Van Bethlehem, the Quick step minded Belgian who thrives in technical sprints, such as the finale at Faneuil Hall. IVB has the benefit of a strong leadout train, which features Garth O”Januschke and Chester Libby and could prove the difference. The Finnish Faustus squad had two strong candidates in Thaqib Yushua and Jaakko Viren, strong sprinters who will look to gain a points advantage in the time trials. America’s Dubstep Cycling will look for opportunities for Godwin Galati and Neal Frith, while Team Red Band will hope the combo of Kody Trachsel and Conway Walter can make some waves. Leandro Lizarraga (Dormilon) is the main dark horse, as well as a heavy rumour because of his perfect form. Sveinbor Asson (Los Sprinters Locos) or Goddard Scothern may also find themselves in the mix.
  
  YC Battle
  
  The two obvious favorites for the YC are Hagman and Löwik. Both are team captains with strong support systems, and barring any crashes or mechanical problems, this should be a tight battle to the end. Some are tipping Löwik as the favorite based on his YC success in Switzerland, while other contest that a steeper route favors Hagman. A Dutch fan site www.jongekampionen.nl has been asking fans to take sides in “The Battle of the Flying Dutchmen.” Some of the second-tier young riders include Alvin Lombard (TheRhys), Ralf Tielemans (TACXkin), Mateus Vilas Boas (Squiffinator), Stanimir Yevdokimov (Telstra), and Fontana Possoni (Team Crazy Downhillers), although he will most likely sacrifice his chances to help Hagman and Semedo.