Kiel, Germany – Germany is a country with 2 faces and this reflects really well in this year’s Germany tour. For some Germany tour is the last big target of the season for others it’s just the the start of it. This year’s tour welcomes 7 new teams in the most prestigious tour of the OCM calendar. And some say it will be the beginning of a new era. Some say it has always been this way.
  
   CCFC
  
  CFCC is certainly no new team as it has up for its 13th consecutive Germay tour. In all those years they always managed to get a top 9 in GC but never won the yellow jersey. Giovanny Enrico came close in season 12 but came for 4 seconds short. That was, until last season, the closest GC finish in Berlin. This year Olexandr Nagy will be captain and Darren Randel will be vice captain. Their goal top 9in GC and 3 podium places in one of the stages.
  
  
   Equipo Easy On
  
  Another Germany Tour veteran is Equipo Easy On with 8 participations. EEO has won a lot in his home tour and has the German Winfried Reinhold as captain and he will aim for the sprint stages. Gregory Levis must win either the TT or the prologue. EEO has a lot of history and quotes but the ost surprising was about the riders there from: “EEO does not do topform.”
  
  
   Gradient Levellers
  
  More History, Gradient Levelers brings 6 seasons of Germany experience and former winner Vitaliy Bayer will be captain again. Gradient Levellers has said he is currently changing his team and doesn’t know what to expect from his team. A top 9 in GC would be great.
  
  
   Greenride
  
  Enough history, new blood and what a way to start with the Best Rider Outside Top Division of last season. He has made it to the top and will be feared in the Hilly sprint stages. However the team doesn’t go “all-in in Germany", it gives more priority to Nederlandse tour and rather prevents injuries than win SC. Still the team wants a stagewin by Nijholt and some other podium places on the sprint stages.
  
  
   IGF
  
  
  IGF never anticipated on a spot amongst the best 20 teams but winning the Vuelta de los Castillos brought him here. Wit Feaux will lead IGF in this tour but his form in unclear and it’s doubtful he will win his second tour. So the target in Germany for IGF is clear a top 9 in GC.
  
  
   Il Grillo
  
  Il Grillo will enter his fourth Germany tour and Samy Jourdan will be captain just like last year. Il Grillo brings a balanced team which includes Osvald Beyer who is most likely to ride his last tour of his career with Il Grillo.
  
  
   johny2
  
  Winning at your debut and become second with the smallest gap ever in Germany in your second year. Johny2 likes Germany and it pays as the team got 1600 points from last season's edition. This year the team will try to get a top 9 in every stage again plus a top 9 in GC. Grover Skinner is the main man for the Scottish team and Elton Lonergan will tackle the TT’s.
  
  
   Kremer
  
  Kremer comes handicapped to Germany as not one of their riders in injured but the team manager has knee surgery planned during Germany Tour. Thodoros Drimalas is captain and aims for a YC victory as World Champion Borys Bednarski will be the man for the sprints.
  
  
   Legia
  
  Legia has an unlucky season in terms of tours he competed in three this season and his captain got injured in 2 of them, so the team hopes it will can get through Germany tour unscratched. Garcia Dabino, the number three of the last two seasons, will be captain again and aims for yellow and nothing less.
  
  
   Luveaucek
  
  Some team mates may always be team mates others get a shot on fame. Luveaucek keeps Damario Barba at home to let him prepare for the WCRR but brings Desmond Ledgerwood. However his former team mate Wajeeh Essam who will be leading Luveaucek

in Germany. Luveaucek see this tour as a final test for Essam if he passes the test he can expect to be captain more often. Luveaucek will not aim for SC as Luveaucek sprinters will ride other races.
  
  
   NECFTW
  
  NECFTW is another debutant at Germany. Lack of a real GC captain makes the strategy for Germany different for each stage type. Elias Van Der Eyde is captain and will primarily target the TT’s, stage 4 is for Benjamin Vasquero, stage 6 and 8 for Ipatyi Bizony, stage 5 and 9 for Dennis Björkman and for the remaining stages the rumors are going that the team will be on break away. But that would be nonsense as we know NECFTW better as NEC ”break away doesn’t work” FTW.
  
  
   omega pharma lotto
  
  Last team to join was omega pharma lotto and they are happy to be here. The team comes with some strong hillers and will aim for good results in those stages. For the other stages the team is still unsure as they have no idea how high the level of the tour will be. Wit Portai is captain and Nadhir Shaqeef will be captain for the first hill stage.
  
  
   peddelen
  
  Jan-Joost Dussel is named by many as topfavorite for SC despite that the team itself doesn’t want that title claiming Nijholt is better suited for that role. However peddelen enters with a strong sprinting team and Dussel seems in topform having prepared for these days for more than a season. Their official goal? Making it unharmed through the race.
  
  
   Poker21
  
  Poker21 brings a team to Germany similar to what they brought to the Volta earlier this season. The strategy will be similar too although the long and heavy season and better competition my decrease their changes just a bit. Willis Stilwell and Lionel Lefever will be captain and vice captain once again for the Poker21 team.
  
  
   Red Star
  
  SC and YC defender Rytis Kondrotas is back to defend both titles. The team reckons that the YC jersey will be hard to defend seeing better climbers entering the fight for YC. However Red Star is confident that they can successfully defend the SC title.
  
  
   sprint4live
  
  Sprint4live enters primarily for the prologue and the TT in Munich but they also bring two sprinters to seek some top 9 places with Niels-Jan Olfers who spend most of his year being a lead out for Dirk Moerenhout who surprisingly isn’t in Germany. It’s unsure if Anastasio Mamita will still compete as he is injured.
  
  
   Team Whalers
  
  Being the best team of the world keeps you busy so little is known about Team Whalers their tactics. All we know is Viggo Monsen is captain and Davin Hood is the man for the sprints. We do know it’s the tenth time Team Whalers participates in Germany but they only got one top 9 GC finish here. It stems from season 13 when Urbano Menem finished third and won the YC.
  
  
   Telstra
  
  Winning at your debut in Germany, Telstra did it and of course they came back to defend that title. The strategy for Telstra is easy all on Goddard Scothern. If he will succeed he will know when the last stage finishes in Berlin
  
  
   The Killers
  
  Jens Waesbergen is injured which pretty much destroys the sprinting plans for The Killers. Good things they got some climbers too, Roni Bosmans is captain however he lacks TT skils and will probably not play any role in the GC.
  
  
   WV De Dommel
  
  Nico-Jan Stubbe also known as NJS will be in topform for his first Germany Tour. WV De Dommel already made fame with the hiller Angel Ghirarcea who won Essex and got second in Cymru. Now it’s time to show the world that WV De Dommel is more than only Ghida. NJS will try to win this bike race.
  
  
  Written by pundit pete from peddelen to OCM Magazine