The hype machine has been running at full force at American team trackstah07’s camp heading into this year’s Monte Rosa Tour, simultaneously exciting a continent and polarizing the OCM world.
Captain Erskine Pettis returns after a three-year hiatus for his third career attempt at Monte Rosa glory. The Canadian downhill specialist is flanked by co-captain Damin Iacob, widely acknowledged as one of the most talented riders in the history of Eastern Europe. Both riders are expected to be in tip-top shape heading into the race, aided by a convoy of specialized teammates, including Guglielmo Enrico, the man who helped guide Pettis to his 7th-place finish in MRT #2.
All eyes will be on Pettis. With 10 career wins, 25 races as Canadian National Team captain, a handful of Top Division results, and a 4th-place finish in Volta ao Porto, he has the experience and the teammates to thrive at the highest levels of the sport – and this raises controversial questions.
What exactly is this team doing in this race? “Why not aim higher?” asked one reporter at the Tour’s team presentation ceremony.
“This race is my [Moby] Dick, if you’ll excuse my French [Canadian],” commented Pettis. “I have gone my entire career with lots of results in meaningless races. My twenty-eight results put me in the top one-percentile in OCM history. At one point I was ranked fourth in the world. But I have no signature wins; no tours, not even any classics, just one World Tour race in India where there are not many professional cycling fans. This is the race that began my career. And as I enter my mid-thirties, this is the race I plan to win before I end it.”
Is Pettis a hero? He passes up the chance to compete in World Championships and Top Division tours. He passes up earnings. He passes up what most would relish in OCM. He relegates himself, in pursuit of sentimental success. His determination is to be admired, and his legacy is not defined by international acclaim.
But is Pettis a villain? He chooses not to pick on someone his own size, but rather to prey on those he perceives as ‘weaker’ than he. He patronizes, and undermines, teams and riders who have given their all to reach Division 3 for a shot at Monte Rosa. He does not challenge himself. He does not make full use of his talents. His legacy is defined by conceit and squandered potential.
We cannot answer this question definitively; so it is here that this reporter must branch off and focus on what is the strongest field, in terms of GC competition, in MRT history. Many men look to knock Pettis and trackstah07 off their ‘high horse.’ Here is a list of those men:
Burren Connemara (2nd Monte Rosa Tour):
- Freek van der Werff. 4th, Monte Rosa Tour #4. Former MRT Youth Classification winner. Extremely well-rounded climber.
Cider Riders (4th Monte Rosa Tour):
- Cliff Parry. Had three Top Division wins earlier in his career as part of Equipo Easy On’s famed All-Caribbean squad. Also rode in Division 1 for sprint4live and FFL.
- Laurits Junker. He shocked the world with a win in the World Championships ITT for Legia four years ago. Many consider his victory over riders such as Gregory Levis the greatest upset in OCM history.
Conero cycling team (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Raoul Aristzabal. The Spaniard looks to make some money and put his team on the map with a solid GC performance.
Crescent DBS (3rd Monte Rosa Tour):
- Ture Ivansson. 1st, Monte Rosa Tour #5. Returns to defend his title. Squad is extremely deep.
- Jim Osterman. 1st, Monte Rosa Tour #4. May ride for Ivansson, but may also ride for himself.
- Mihaita Raducioiu. 20th, Monte Rosa Tour #5. Just turned 23 years old. Looks to challenge as top Young Rider, would also | | like to send a message to Iacob that he is the superior Romanian climber.
Dormilon (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Tonio Vicario and Leandro Lizarraga. Sprinter-cobbler hybrids who excel on flat road sprints. This team of opportunists will look to capitalize on a weak sprinting field on Stage 5.
duvelke (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Billy Omblet. Finished 3rd in the Youth Classification of the Division 3 Perm Tour last season. Just 24 years old, looks to be a favorite for YC and a possibility for GC.
- Ejnar Nordby. One of the best hill-sprinters in the world. Has Stage 2 in his sights.
Emerge (2nd Monte Rosa Tour):
- Fabrycy Pietrzyk. 3rd, Monte Rosa Tour #4 and #5. Won Stage 4 last year. Began his career with a result in the Division 1 Alpe d’Huez Classic for Hommerts Cycling Team. Former CoN Delhi winner has trained specifically to peak for this race, and hopes to make it a fifth straight year that a Polish rider has finished on the MRT podium (Ambroziak, Czechowski, Pietrzyk twice). Has a very strong team behind him.
- Norman Retzlaff. 11th, Monte Rosa Tour #5. Finished third in last year’s Youth Classification while helping Pietrzyk repeat his podium performance from a year before. Still 24 years old, he will again be a favorite for YC as well as a great domestique.
Faustus (2nd Monte Rosa Tour):
- Douglas Hastings. 6th, Monte Rosa Tour #5. Finished runner-up to overall winner Ture Ivansson in the Youth Classification last year. The 24-year-old American, who has been described as “gritty” by current teammates as well as former teammates at POM Wonderful, undoubtedly has podium aspirations this year.
- Jaakko Viren. The Finnish prologue specialist will look to take this year’s Prologue.
Indurain team (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Bjorn Rasmussen. With lots of Division 2 success and experience with the Danish National Team, the 30-year-old comes seeking a signature win, much like Pettis.
- Ferdl Adams. Was expected to factor into the Youth Classification of the second Monte Rosa Tour, but those plans fell by the wayside as NECFTW produced a lackluster effort. With more experience under his belt, the man from Liechtenstein will look to prove his critics wrong.
KK Perutnina Ptuj (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Wit Pelgrims. 24-year-old Belgian puncheur will look to take Stage 2 en route to a possible YC victory and high GC finish.
Leukefans (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Casper Jill, Inge Lindberg and Amery Harbison. The trio of sprinters will seek victory in Stage 5. Jill could also surprise everyone by factoring into the overall with his underrated climbing ability.
- Guido Mertens. Just 24 years old, he will be the team’s best hope for GC relevance while also pursuing the YC jersey.
Peloton Pushers (2nd Monte Rosa Tour):
- Luis Prangsgaard. A climber with solid skills on flatter roads who
| | will look to mix it up on every stage.
Rabo Utrecht CT (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
Rabo Utrecht CT (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Heiko de Wortelaers. Finished ninth in Race of the Minutemen #2, winning the Youth Classification. Followed up with an 8th-place performance in the same tour a year later. Also won CoN Delhi last season. No longer considered a ‘Young Rider,’ but certainly considered a GC contender.
- Daan Luijten. All-rounder will serve as his captain’s most-experienced domestique. He is the sort of guy with the talent and resistance to survive from a breakaway.
Supernutz (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Wesley Meadows and Perry Farmer. The American team that snuck into the last sign-up spot comes very well-equipped for the Youth Classification with two talented 24-year-old climbers. General Classification results may be a possibility if the right stars align.
Team Albatros (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Wolfgang Baranski and Normando Sanroma. Sanroma will be the oldest rider eligible for the YC and appears to be in very good form. Baranski, who spent some time earlier in his career with Hommerts Cycling Team, may be considered a darkhorse because he can both climb and sprint.
Team ANZ Bank (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Alastair Ferley. 14th, Monte Rosa Tour #4. Anyone who knows this man from his Canadian National Team days and from his days with johny2 knows that he can never be counted out.
- Sylvester Bai. The champion of Papua New Guinea is a promising young rider who might factor into the YC.
Team DSM (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Eddy Veenhuis, Niels Adelaar and Zef Daniels. What makes these riders particularly notable is that they have never ridden for any other teams in their careers. Veenhuis will try his best for GC relevance while his sprinter teammates prepare for the final stage.
TheRhys (1st Monte Rosa Tour):
- Eddie Ebersold. The Team USA captain nicknamed ‘The Cat’ finished fifth in the inaugural Race of the Minutemen three seasons ago. This is his first tour since then. We have to believe he has podium potential. Talented co-captain Alvin Lombard will probably serve strictly as a domestique for this tour.
Zero Tolerance (2nd Monte Rosa Tour):
- Julio Cabral and Roberto Vizcaino. Cabral finished 53rd in last year’s Monte Rosa Tour. Anything less than a rider on the Prologue podium will most likely be a disappointment.
Predictions:
Stage 1 (Prologue) – Jaakko Viren, Faustus
Stage 2 (Hills) – Ejnar Nordby, duvelke
Stage 3 (King Stage) – Eddie Ebersold, TheRhys
Stage 4 (Mid Mountain) – Fabrycy Pietrzyk, Emerge
Stage 5 (Sprint) – Casper Jill, Leukefans
GC: (1) Fabrycy Pietrzyk, Emerge (2) Erskine Pettis, trackstah07 (3) Eddie Ebersold, TheRhys
YC: (1) Billy Omblet, duvelke (2) Norman Retzlaff, Emerge (3) Wesley Meadows, Supernutz
Written by freelancer Eric Place from trackstah07 to OCM Magazine
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