The last couple of weeks the weather hasn’t been perfect in Europe a steady eastern wind came from Russia and brought Perm like temperatures into Britain. The riders where OK with the temperature ads they could train and race in more sunny place. However OCM officials were forced to work instead of just loafing around claiming they have some local race to attend. This has resulted into many new rules and even a retirement plan for the older riders when they quit cycling.
The new rules are currently being “tested” in some smaller races and it’s official release will be here in the oldest tour of the OCM calendar, Essex Tour.
The teams started in Essex had no idea about the changes when they signed up and the question is which team can adapt to the new rules and rule the nineteenth edition of Essex Tour. We introduce the new rules with interviews of OCM officials and mix them with introduction of the teams participating in Essex Tour.
ABK
We start off with the best rider currently riding in the OCM world Lean Ahnfeldt-Mollerup. The sprinter is at the top of his career and does not only seeks to win the final sprinting stage but also to eat all the British hills. We wanted to ask Lean for a quote about the new rules but we figured that it would not be wise to be in his cage when he is eating a truckload of fish and chips. Victory in the final stage is the least what the team expects.
After our visit to Mollerup we found out the beast somehow got his claws euh hands on our documents containing the interviews with the OCM officials about the new rules. We only found out about this after the copies of this issue of the OCM Magazine were sent to the printer. Our apologies for the inconvenience
canutes
Canutes brings the most experienced team to the start with an average age at almost 30. Cor Ooijer is again leading this team after his success earlier this month in Wales. As said earlier the team is experienced and with Ooijer it does not plan to attack for a breakaway win. This could give the BA riders a disadvantage as the peloton now has the knowledge how to reel a breakaway in at the right time. The teams hopes to get on the GC podium but thinks it will be unlikely.
CCFC
CCFC brings the Romanian Spiridon Apetri to Essex the sprinter who does well on especially harder sprintstages can do a good GC if the peleton doesn’t make it too hard for him in the first stage. However the team manager Einar is not convinced if the supports send to Essex is enough to help him through that first stage in order to go all-in on Apetri. Or as Einar put it “Haven’t decided anything yet, I see that I have a crap team compared to the others, so not much hopes here.”
Gradient Levellers
Again Gradient Levellers are back still aiming to win at least one time in their home tour. But the team is slipping down the ranks and the managers complains that the usual methods do not work anymore and he will try something controversial. Young gun Antonio Tumini will lead the team and build his entire season to peak in this race. Oswald Hudler has a free role as a vice captain in case Tumini finds being captain brings to much pressure. YC top 3 and GC top 9 is what the team aims at.
Greenride
Greenride had other issues to resolve this week than new rules his rider Zhanpeng was rumored to announce his retirement at his next birthday. However the new rule states that all contracts (even the existing ones) will now be for indefinite periods of time and can only be broken by the manager of a team. These issues causes to Greenride without a good plan for the first stage so the riders to go for their own luck in a break away. It’s break away for the win for greenride in this tour.
johny2
Youngster Parv is making his debut in tour riding and is immediately bombarded to take the role of captain here in Essex. Parv will be one of the guys to watch at not only is he himself incredibly strong in the hilly terrain but the team around contains many strong riders including one of the best leadout sprinters of OCM Grover Skinner and | | former Germany Tour winner Lonergan who is also aiming for a good result on stage 2. Although not said with many words Parv is expected to win at least YC by the team.
Luveaucek
Barba will be captain for this tour and will try to reclaim his title five years after his GC win in season 14. He will have support of his team in the first stage. And Malina will try with to win stage 3 with his positioning skills. These will he also use to bring Barba to the front in the final kilometers of stage 1. Young Arkady Gavrikov can have a go at YC as he has a free role for the first stage.
The team hopes that Barba will return to the podium and maybe Gavrikov on YC the podium
Nairobi City Cycling Club
Isac Tingmann is the sole captain of the NCCC. The time trailer who also knows how to deal with more hilly terrain gets full support from his team in the first stage. However a good performance is only wanted in the second stage when he will be on his own in the race against the clock.
NECFTW
Two captains for NECFTW, Abraham Cojuango will be the regular captain trying to win the first stage from the peloton. Elias van der Eyde will try a breakaway on the first stage and to strike in the second stage aiming for the win in as he claims to be in superb form. The team thinks Elias will win the second stage and either one of the captains to be in the GC top 9 at the end of the tour.
peddelen
The team that named itself top favorite in the Vuelta has come to Essex with fewer hopes. Yes Michala surprised in the TT but disappointed in the hilly stages and the teams says the TT was a more lucky shot than the bad performance in the hilly was due to bad luck. Furthermore riders like Gabel, Perezs come here to practice as their shape is pretty bad and they might be more occupied with intensive practicing than helping their team.
Red Star
The first to enter, the last to decide his tactics? Well apart from the final stage yes. Rytis will be targeting the sprint stage and has possible good windbreakers in Alterman and Dabrowski. But these guys are also considered to be captain for the whole tour or as dangerous breakaway riders. But again no strategy has been made yet.
Team Revolutie
Another team of opportunistic riders that came to England. Team Revolutie thinks it’s sprinters do not have a change in the hills by staying in the peloton so they will try to break away. The second stage will be for Nørskov the TT’er was hired just before this race and immediately gets a change to perform for the eyes of all the fans. Last stage will be for Studsgaar with a pretty balanced team in support. Podium in the last stage is what is expected at Team Revolutie.
Team Whalers
A small unnoticed injury prevents Menem from having a perfect shape however he will still be captain alongside Atkins who is clearly better in shape however he’s not that good in the hills. Both captains will try to make a good impression in the GC. The team that supports them former Perm tour winner Wyeth who is a perfect lead out for when the pace has to be high and the captains have to take their position at front.
Telstra
Telstra has a tourrider pur sang with Scothern and he will … wait a sec, he will not join Essex?! But division 4 race in America?! Well it seems like Telstra is sending a breakaway squad to Essex containing most of Scotherns water carriers. Mr Jones explains: “they deserved a break after all the work they did for their captain. So I rewarded them with a nice tour with good chances on a win by a breakaway as they lack some
| | talent to do otherwise. No pressure they just have to have some fun.”
The Killers
The number three of last year is back for revenge. The Killers tactics are just to win this tour with Gillis Doderwinkel. If they succeed in winning GC it will automatically mean that he takes YC in the process. If all fails there is always Kaczmarczyk but the team does not want to think about that scenario.
ultrajectum
Ultrajectum comes with both captains towards the race and it’s rumored that it Pilgrims is captain instead of Delavignette. Delavignette is nearing the age of 34 and his performances are starting to decline so Pilgrims might take the role as primary team leader. The team aims at a good performance from Pilgrims at stage one and will see if he position after stage 2 is worth defending in the final stage if not the team might go try to get some break away action.
Ursus RT
With 23 years Sijmonds is the youngest and less experienced rider of the field. Hence is seems logical that the team doesn’t want to give the talented sprinter a chance on the first stage and will go for the breakaway action like many other teams. The team manager is not expecting anything from his squad and he hopes that his riders just get across the finish line in one piece.
WV De Dommel
Ghidarcea is back again to defend his title and the team is totally ready for the tour everything is worked out until the smallest detail. But despite all that something quite disturbing has taken place, Ghidarcea was one of the primary targets of a speculation the last days and this resulted that his image value was declined. Although the speculative attacks have stopped rumors are going that the speculators will try to decrease the image value of more riders.
Yuri SuperTeam
Is it superman? Is it a plane? Is it a bird? Yes it is! Yuri Superteam comes to Essex with the man with the nickname “The Brick” Carlino Debaise can descend like a madman. His task in the few descends in Essex he will bring back Gordeyeva back to the front after the climbs. However if Patya fall too far back Debaise may try his own luck because is form is super at the moment. Patya is expected to ride a good GC by the team manager.
Stage 1
**** Anghel Ghidarcea (WV De Dommel)
*** Antoninio Tumini (Gradient Levellers), Theodoros Drimilas (Kremer)
** Hugo Parv (johny2), Anatoliy Michala (peddelen), Urbano Menem (Team Whalers)
* Gillis Doderwinkel (The Killers), Abraham Cojuango (NECFTW), Damaria Barba (Luveaucek), William Dabrowski (Red Star),
Stage 2
**** Elias van der Eyde (NECFTW)
*** Russ Atkins (Team Whalers), Elton Lonergan (johny2)
** Jan Ness (Red Star), Preben Nørskov (Team Revolutie), Isac Tingmann (Nairobi City Cycling Club)
* Corwin Wyeth (Team Whalers), Benjamin Zkumavka (CCFC), Lean Ahnfeldt-Mollerup (ABK), Damario Barba (Luveaucek)
Stage 3
**** Lean Ahnfeldt-Mollerup (ABK)
*** Hugo Parv (johny2), Gert Sijmonds (Ursus RT)
** Patya Gordeyeva (Yuri SuperTeam), Mark Studsgaar (Team Revolutie), Spiridon Apetri (CCFC),
* Rytis Kondrotas (Red Star), Julius Delavignette (ultrajectum), Cor Ooijer (canutes), Oscar Balsemao (Greenride)
General Classification
**** Damaria Barba (Luveaucek)
*** Theodoros Drimilas (Kremer), Antoninio Tumini (Gradient Levellers)
** Hugo Parv (johny2), Anghel Ghidarcea (WV De Dommel), Gillis Doderwinkel (The Killers),
* Anatoliy Michala (peddelen), Wit Pilgrims (ultrajectum), Elias van der Eyde (NECFTW), Urbano Menem (Team Whalers)
Youth Classification
**** Antoninio Tumini (Gradient Levellers)
*** Hugo Parv (johny2), Gillis Doderwinkel (The Killers),
** Wit Pilgrims (ultrajectum), Elias van der Eyde (NECFTW), Russ Atkins (Team Whalers)
* Oswald Hudler (Gradient Levellers), Will Ferrin (Kremer), Gert Sijmonds (Ursus RT), Dooglas Kiprono Songok (Telstra)
Written by pundit pete from peddelen to OCM Magazine
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