Who says OCM says Essex. Essex Tour is as old as OCM and featured in the first season of racing and was the first tour to feature on the calandar. It is safe to say it is a race with a lot of history. In this preview we will bring back some old memories and look back and forward with the team currently waiting for the first stage to start. And remember “the only way is Essex”.
  
  
  
  
  
   Connaught
  
  Wekenburg is the man to do it for the British team. A second, third and tenth place in the last three races are good results but the trend is downwards and the team has to deal with injury problems. However Essex is the main goal of Connaught season and Wekenburg is a fighter. Connaught will try to improve his 12th place from season 16.
  
  
   Cyclemotor
  
  Cylemotor is making their debut in Essex and in a top division tour however they know how to race tours with two participations in Monte Rosa, Cymru and the Volta. Agiuar is captain for the team and Freitas will be his shadow and is given a free role as vice captain.
  
  
   Drapeau Noir
  
  Drapeau Noir participated in Essex two seasons ago but never got further than a 7th place with Van Baerlem. However we are sure he will improve this with Lind who got good results in Cymru earlier this season and with Lizarraga who got the faith of his manager to try and race for his own chances.
  Lind for stage 1 and Lizarraga for stage 2, Delion is betting on two horses and that can well be good choice.
  
  
   Equipe Hollandia
  
  The dutch team Equipe Hollandia is also making its debut in Essex. The sprinting team as set its mind on one stage only, the final sprinting stage and aims for nothing less than the win. Stage one they will try and get some publicity from being part of the breakaway of the day.
  
  
   Gradient Levellers
  
  The sixth Essex tour for Gradient Levellers will hopefully the first where the team for the first end up on the GC podium after Talcott (31th) Fraga (9th), Bayer (11th, 15th) and Drejbo (4th) never succeeded in doing this. The team aims at a top 9 GC spot for Bayer and a good result for Jarosz on stage 3.
  
  
   Greenride
  
  Essex was already over before it began for Greenride. Nijholt promised to start in Essex at the beginning of the season but an injury means he will only do some promotional things. Balsemão is now the captain hopefully he can bring some relief in stage 3 However Raimundas thinks differently “ This year is a lost year for us in Essex. We’ll be back next year for sure. And we will take revenge then.”
  
  
   Hommerts Cycling Team
  
  Hommerts Cycling Team was clear when he signed up. It was just the nicest race on the calendar so why not compete? Miyazaki will work towards the sprint in the last stage while hoping to escape the pack in stage 1.
  
   johny2
  
  Moseley

is captian for johny2 meaning he will do the sprint in stage 3 but Lonergan aims for a good GC and will try to break away on stage 1 if that fails Moseley may have a go on the sprint if he is still there. The TT is of course the terrain of Lonergan and he will aim for the win on that stage.
  
  
   Kremer
  
  Kremer comes with a man who very well might the next big thing in the OCM hillerscene. Drimalas still has no notable results on his palmares and Essex is the perfect race to top the long list that will be made. The World Champion will also be in Essex and will try to win stage 3.
  
  
   lastplace1414
  
  To continue with upcoming talents lastplace1414 brings one too. The all American team brings 23 year old Osgood across the Atlantic to compete in his and the teams first Essex tour. Sherman will be sprinting in stage 3.
  
  
   Legia
  
  Mardomingo was runner up last year and has returned. The time trial specialist surprised last year with a strong performance in the first stage and caught all the contestants except for Dabrowski. This year Legia is looking to repeat this success while looking for a stage win in stage 2 with Mardomingo and Kiatkaew.
  
  
   Luveaucek
  
  Wryen Luveau has high hopes for Essex Barba in on the GC podium and top 9 in all three stages. The riders who should make that happen are Barba(1,2,GC), Malina (2,3) and Essam (2). Luveaucek is a regular in Essex, Barba won this race and YC 3 seasons ago but also managed to get a 4th, 10th and 3rd in GC in other seasons mostly paired with strong performances in all stages.
  
  
   NECFTW
  
  Stage by stage. That’s NECFTW strategy in this tour Björkman lacks TT experience and Van der Eyde doesn’t like it when things are not flat. So Björkman will target stage 1 while Van der Eyde will take stage 2 and stage 3 will be good for some breakaway riding.
  
  
   omega pharma lotto
  
  Wit Portai (not to be confused with Wit Feaux) will aim for a good performance on stage 1 and might join the breakaway action on stage 3. omega pharma lotto will use this tour to observe the competition and learn what it is like to ride a division one tour
  
   Red Star
  
  Last year’s winner is back and he bringing a good team because next to Dabrowski who will defend his title Petter brings Fakih who is known in Essex because of his season 12 YC win. A third person to watch is sprinter Kondrotas who will aim at the final sprint stage.
  
  
   Team Revolutie
  
  It was quite at the Team Revolution front, the team didn’t race for quite some time but Michieltje now sends Studsgaar to do a seek a win in stage 3 the rest of the team will try to join the breakaway in stage

1.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   Team Whalers
  
  The current best team of OCM will compete in Essex of course we might add as Whalers participated in 7 of the last 8 editions of Essex tour, first with Henschel who won here at his debut here and got 2nd and 14th the years after his win and later with Menem (3rd, 2nd, 6th and 8th). Davin Hood might try his luck in stage 3 but the man to look for is as always Menem who stated: “I will race until I’m 45 if I have to. I will not retire until I conquered Essex.“
  
  
   The Killers
  
  What if The Killers didn’t have Waesbergen? Would they still be successful? We are about to find out because the season 12 YC winner is injured and won’t be able to compete here in Essex. Still Seraras has a good squad for Essex with Doderwinkel for stage 1 and Marchenko stage 3.
  
  
   WV De Dommel
  
  WV De Dommel is out for revenge, last year they missed out on Essex because of injuries after total domination in Cymru Taith. Now Ghidarcea is back and he wants only thing. Win Essex Tour!
  
  
   Yuri SuperTeam
  
  Gordeyeva history with Essex Tour is an effective one. One entry, one win. No surprise that Gordeyeva is again captain of the Yuri Superteam squad. Since that victory was some time ago, Yuri looks to surprise everyone again here with a good performance in Essex.
  
  
  
  Essex Tour is all about seconds the difference between winning and losing is very small and often the race was settled by less than 10 seconds with a highlight in season 13 where Frisch took the win with a gap less than a second! If we look at the line up of this edition it will be again a real thriller!
  
  
  Pundit Pete predictions:
  
  Stage 1
  ****Anghel Ghidarcea (WV De Dommel)
  *** Urbano Menem (Team Whalers), Theodoros Drimalas (Kremer)
  ** Gilles Doderwinkel (The Killers), Jordy Wekenburg (Connaught), Egan Moseley (johny2)
  * Vitaliy Bayer (Gradient Levellers), Alfeu Freitas (Cyclemotor), Damario Barba (Luveaucek), Wit Portai (omega pharma lotto)
  
  Stage 2
  ****Elton Lonergan (johny2)
  *** Tom Kiatkaew (Legia), Ernesto Correia (Red Star)
  ** Prospero Quino Mardomingo (Legia), Elias Van Der Eyde (NECFTW), Damario Barba (Luveaucek)
  * Urbano Menem (Team Whalers), Aquilino Mourão (Cyclemotor), Rytis Kondrotas (Red Star), Patya Gordeyeva (Yuri Superteam),
  
  Stage 3
  **** Damario Barba (Luveaucek)
  *** Mark Studsgaar (Team Revolutie), Patya Gordeyeva (Yuri Superteam)
  ** Spiridon Apetri (Equipe Hollandia), Susumu Miyazaki (Hommerts Cycling Team), Borys Bednarski (Kremer)
  * Rytis Kondrotas (Red Star), Óscar Balsemão (Greenride), Egan Moseley (johny2), Davin Hood (Team Whalers)
  
  General Classification
  **** Urbano Menem (Team Whalers)
  *** Anghel Ghidarcea (WV De Dommel), Damario Barba (Luveaucek)
  ** Alfeu Freitas (Cyclemotor), Theodoros Drimalas (Kremer), Egan Moseley (johny2)
  * Susumu Miyazaki (Hommerts Cycling Team), Jordy Wekenburg (Connaught), Juan Lizarraga (Drapeau Noir), Élvio Aguiar (Cyclemotor)
  
  Youth Classification
  **** Anghel Ghidarcea (WV De Dommel)
  *** Alfeu Freitas (Cyclemotor), Theodoros Drimalas (Kremer)
  ** Jordy Wekenburg (Connaught), Ernesto Correia (Red Star), Gilles Doderwinkel (The Killers)
  * Elias Van Der Eyde (NECFTW), Rytis Kondrotas (Red Star), Dennis Björkman (NECFTW), Sterling Renwick (johny2)
  
  Written by pundit pete from peddelen to OCM Magazine