Sitting on the banks of the Douro river we are dreaming away to what seems an eternity ago.
  The conquest of Porto began with Vimara Peres in 868 A.D. Conquering the lands around Porto and eventually the complete northern part of Portugal.
  Vimara Peres ruled Porto for many years. But since ten season now we have seen different rulers of Porto.
  They have come from far to challenge their opponents for the crown of Vimara.
  
  The real hero's however are not the ones riding their bikes. The just peddle their day away.
  It is the ones that are behind the scenes that earn the most credits. In the days of the great exploration you had sailors and captains that sailed around the world.
  But in the back there was that one man in Porto. Prince Henry, the Navigator. He guided and funded and challenged them to further lengths.
  Like Prince Henry, every manager that has entered this tour with six of his best riders, is a navigator.
  He will guide them, challenge them and he already funded them with many dollars worth of training. These twenty navigators deserve the credit before this epic tour begins.
  Because these twenty are in a spot where you are every day. These twenty are mere examples, because they are now riding the Volta.
  But someday you can to. And it is for that moment you are pushing your limits to navigate your riders through the many divisions OCM has to offer.
  
  Ten hard days are ahead of them. Let us introduce the teams and starriders and see what they want from this year's Volta.
  
  
   Auro Team
  Rik Roosendael is their main challenger for the title. We have already seen what he can do when he was riding in Russia.
  Winning the youth classification in Perm Tour, he is a hot favourite for this year's Volta Youth Classication. But he wants more.
  Will this timetrial specialist upset the others?
  
   IGF
  Wit Feaux is a veteran in the peloton. Racing his whole career for IGF has proven a succesfull combination with multiple wins.
  And his Volto ao Porto experience will be vital in their attempt. But we believe this great rider will never become a true tripeiro.
  Rumours are he peaked to early and is a little bit tired when he will start.
  
   Die Tour Phantome
  Falur Sigfunnursson, the Viking Giant. Die Tour Phantome is counting on this powerhouse. He must deliver.
  Volta ao Porto is the chosen tour for now. Alexx really needs a good result. He has the best rider in the field but will he be able to put
  all his power on the pedals. If he can manage that, we will not see a good tour. We will see but one man.
  
   Hommerts Cycling Team
  Duardo Salgada is a great rider, but not the luckiest one. He has joined the new project from Hommerts Cycling Team and he is the first of many to come.
  But for now he is the first and only interesting rider. He believes otherwise therefor we think that teammanager Justin Boonstra is using hypnoses on him.
  This team has took a spot from a good team that could have entered this race. To bad, but Justin is fast, always has been.
  
   ultrajectum
  Wit Pelgrims is our third Belgium

rider. Raised under the skilfull hands of KK Perutnina Ptuj he is now ready to be abused by the rough Pees Criem of ultrajectum.
  A good rider, that is backed by a good team and they are going to secure a victory in this year's tour. A General Classification or a stage, they want them both.
  
   Team JAN
  Yannick Elssen is number four. This pure breed sprinter is trying to win as many flat stages as possible. If he does and if he can follow the climbers he secures his Sprinting Classification.
  Predictions will be, that we will have to bring out the search and rescue squad again, because when the roads goes up, Yannick goes down and out. Stages are his thing and he wants one.
  
   team tdb
  Polish Jakub Lewicki is given the captainrole from tdb. He will try to finish close in all the stages. As a sprinter that can climb we can expect him to be
  in a top ten position in every stage. He might even get a top three, but we are not putting any bets on him winning something.
  
   Asymm Project
  Moises Bricenos is the mountain specialist in this team. They want him to do good in the General Classification. Or will they put their cards on Japanese Susumu Miyazaki?
  A Sprinting Classification winner from season eight. Or will they fail both because their manager can not choose who he has to give support so they both get none.
  
   mortenryt
  Thanassis Dadakos will be challenging Rik Roosendael for the Youth Classification. He will try to secure a good result or a win in one of the two timetrial stages.
  He is the best of Greece and wants to show his jersey in Portugal. Watch this guy and you can expect a result from him.
  Maybe he will do good in the General Classification but, that is not a goal for him and his team.
  
   CGPBMARCH
  Sprinter Roman Alegria is this teams ace. They want to get some points in the flat stages.
  Maybe a close result, but this team lacks the support to really go for a Sprinting Classification or a stage win.
  
   Team Crazy Downhillers
  Chris Bauwens will defend his tripeiros title this year. The Belgium is ready for his attackers. A good team behind him with some good climbers.
  Chris Bauwens can do everything good, and he wants to succeed his victory but it will be hard.
  
   karelracing
  Anton Levin and Teodor Lindahl are the two riders that are vital for this team. karelracing is relying on their two timetial specialists. The Israeli and Dane
  are going for a win and with that win they might secure a good result in the end. We think however that they will struggle in the mountains.
  
   scuppernong
  Rolf Enoch is going for the Youth Classification for scuppernong. He is young and lacks experience but he has an experienced teammate behind him in Curt Goodrich.
  He will try to stay up front in the stages where the road goes up. And his youthfullnes might even give him a win there. But he really needs to do something on his
  timetrial skils. He has

none and that will cause him to loose the General Classification.
  
   EpoTopTeam
  Arfan Husain, the Iraqi refugee that went to Holland and got a bike. That was a match made in heaven. He will try to compete with the best in this Volta.
  He has a great team behind him. Is this the real challenger and the next winner of the Vimara trophee? We can never be sure but he has some good figures behind him.
  If he manages his form good then we are looking at a winner here.
  
   Dodge
  Ian Defley is backed by a troop of Aussies that are all working together to secure the trophee for Australia. This team has made this tour into a nationwide issue.
  If Ian Defley does not win, then it is because the Portuguese people do not like the Australian people and we need international intervention to prevent a war.
  Dodge would love to shine again, like he did in the old days. We hope they do, or we will see him in the lower leagues soon.
  
   De Coppis
  Thierry Carlier is a French cyclist in Dutch service. Will this combination turn out good. He is young and he can do everything a little bit.
  If his form is timed right he can surprise everybody. We, however, think that this team will be to devided to score some real points for the ranking. Which is a shame, they could compete for the top places.
  
   TACXkin
  Freek Dehaese is from? You may guess only once. Yes, Belgium. He is a sprinter and his team is fully build around him to give him some good support in the flat stages.
  We will not see him in the hills and mountains. But he might snatch a result away when the stage end in a flat bunchsprint.
  
   Jonas Pro Cycling
  Martin Ostrup is the teamcaptain of Danish squad Jonas Pro Cycling. A novice in tours so he will be here to look around and to see how things are done by the big boys.
  Martin Ostrup will try to take a result in the sprintstages. But this tour he will remember, it will not be good, but it is his first, like all first times.
  
   Bywater CT
  Kapser Czechowski wants to be a tripeiro again. Bywater CT teammanager is on his tail since last season, whining that he should win it but, he finished only third.
  "Yes, I will win it." he said then. Jacek is known for his quoting and, everytime Kasper Czechowski is entering a race since then Jacek says: "Yes, I will win it." Kasper so hates that. He wants him to shut up.
  He can not say that in his face offcourse so what better way then to win it and beat that little Chris Bauwens fellow that caused all those problems. Vengenge is a great motivator.
  
   Telstra
  Goddard Scothern is a name that needs no introduction. Current Australian champion, tour specialist pur sang, born evil, made lethal. This is a rider that needs to be looked out for.
  He will enter a tour only for one reason, a win. Volta ao Porto is a tour he can compete in but never won. Will this be his year, or will he have to wait again, because he finished second again?
  
  
  Written by pundit Finz from NightmareChaos to OCM Magazine