The OCM season traditionally starts with the Tweedaagse van Antwerpen as the first Tour. The Tweedaagse van Antwerpen is made for riders who love cobblestones, riders who don’t like cobblestones will really have a hard time during this Tour. One big luck for them, the Tour only has four stages and as the names says, it will end after two days.
  
  The Tweedaagse has been ridden 9 times before and this season will be the 10th time that 120 riders will be at the start of the Hoogstraten Prologue. The last edition has shown that globalization in OCM is a fact, 10 riders from 10 different countries from all over the world completed the top 10.
  Winner of the last edition is Sandijs Semerjaks (JJL24SS). Semerjaks was able to hold of Arve Guttormsen (The Killers) by only one second. Semerjaks is in to defend his title. Number three of last season Bartoli Rivera (omega pharma lotto) has joined the Tweedaagse van Antwerpen as well and he can be seen as one of the big favorites to bring home the title this season.
  
  536 kilometer separates the riders between the start in Hoogstraten and the finish in Antwerpen, who will win the 10th edition of the Tweedaagse van Antwerpen? Let us see who signed up.
  
  
  
  
  
  
   Bywater CT
  The last spot on the sign up was taken by Bywater CT. Most of the times the last spot is taken by a team that really has a good chance to win a stage, but not this time. Bywater CT decided to sign up five riders who aren’t that good. A break away and maybe a top five in the youth classification is the maximum.
  
   canutes
  Danish dynamite Niclas Axelholm is the captain for canutes. Axelholm will be supported by three cobble teammates and two time trialists. Given the time trial capabilities of the time trialists the prologue should be goal as well, besides the general classification for Axelholm.
  
   Die Tour Phantome
  Andreo Toledo is the captain for Die Tour Phantome. Strong point of Toledo is his time trial, this could be very useful in the prologue. Besides Toledo Die Tour Phantome signed up three more decent time trialists. Multiple top 10 places in the prologue should be possible. The other two riders of this team could be marked as ‘break away riders’.
  
   Drapeau Noir
  Drapeau Noir had some good results in the Tweedaagse in the past and he should be able to get a result in the general classification again. Captain of the team is Liechtensteiner Heinrich Uttenberger. The most support for Uttenberger has to come from Timo Buchinx who surprisingly came in 3rd in the general classification of Germany Tour last season.
  
   Greenride
  Three times winner of the Hoogstraten Prologue Gregory Levis has changed from team and now has become captain of Greenride and he is leading the Tweedaagse team of Greenride. Given the results in the past a top 9 in the prologue is almost a certainty for Levis. Levis his cobble capabilities are not that good so he has to hope the others won’t make the race to hard.
  
   IGF
  Boudewijn Frans has the most chance to get a result for IGF this Tour. Frans who has proven that he is good in time trials & prologues, is one of the favorites

to win the prologue in Hoogstraten. In the other stages the team is probably going to try to win by a break away.
  
   JJL24SS
  Sandijs Semerjaks – winner of last season – is the captain for JJL24SS. The team is completely build around the Latvian, this to secure another result in the general classification this season. Another victory will be hard because the competition will be strong, but Semerjaks is still just 24 years old so he is still eligible to join the youth classification.
  
   johny2
  Captain of johny2 his team is Zenobio Gastelú. The 29 year old time trialist should have gone for a result in the prologue. Should have, however johny2 forgot to sign him up so he won’t be able to get a result. Now it is up to the other riders of the team to make the best of it. Maybe Ballestero can surprise us in the prologue.
  
   karelracing
  5 time trialists and 1 lost Hong Kong resident is the share of karelracing this Tweedaagse. Obviously the prologue is the goal for karelracing this Tour. Multiple top 10’s in the prologue and maybe a break away result in one of the other stages should be the goal for this team.
  
   lastplace1414
  An all-American team for lastplace1414 who has Edward Simon as captain. Simon has some decent support on his side and should be able to ride a good Tweedaagse. Biggest benefit for the riders is that they can understand each other and don’t need an interpreter to communicate.
  
   Luveaucek
  Communication could be a problem for the riders of team Luveaucek, six different nationalities complete the team. Malina could end short in the prologue and together with Gavrikov he might be able to hang on when the cobble parts show up.
  
   Monkeys United
  Winner of the 6th edition of the Tweedaagse van Antwerpen Maas de Wolf is the Dutch captain for Monkeys United. The rest of the squad exists out Dutch and Belgians, with De Smedt as good back up if something would happen with De Wolf.
  
   Nairobi City Cycling Club
  Nairobi City Cycling Club who joined more Tours then George Hincapie, is in for another one. Normally the time trials are the only goal for ‘NCCC’ in a Tour, but this time he can go for a good classification with Bojescu. Bojescu is 23 years old and is one of the favorites for the youth classification.
  
   omega pharma lotto
  The big favorite of this edition of the Tweedaagse is Bartoli Rivera, last season he already got a third place in the general classification, but this season it has to be it. A very strong team and a captain in top form, nothing looks to be able to hold of Rivera of a victory this season.
  
   Onie
  Team Onie could hang on in the first division and was able to sign up for the Tweedaagse. Captain of the team is just like last season Klaudian Filipiak. A top 10 in the prologue and the general classification should be possible for this

team.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   Quick Step Minded
  A well balanced team is send to the Tweedaagse by Quick Step Minded. Two riders to support Marzec on the cobblestones and three decent lead outs. Stewart Marzec already has proven himself in the past in the Tweedaagse with a 3rd place in season 16 as best result.
  
   radu
  27 year old Sebastien Persoens is captain of team radu, Persoens who already showed he can ride a good general classification is one of the favorites for this Tweedaagse. Besides Persoens radu has another Belgian who can go for a classification. Kurt van Lier is one of the youngsters who might end short in the youth classification.
  
   Red Star
  World Champion ITT Jan Ness and Rytis Kondrotas are the big names in the team of Red Star, Ness for the prologue and Kondrotas for the general classification. Kondrotas is not really a good cobbler, but he has proven in the past that he does not need that to get a good result.
  
   Team Revolutie
  Julian Pope has returned back to the nest of Team Revolutie. Pope who won some of the big cobble races in the Top Divison was hired by another team, but now he is back, back for another result in the Tweedaagse. Pope is going to try to improve his second spot in the general classification that he achieved in season 18.
  
   Team Tirilla
  Portugese star Firmino Botelho is trying to win the Tweedaagse again, just like he did two seasons ago. The biggest support will come from Rumiantseva who is able to ride a good classification himself, but he probably has to work for captain Botelho.
  
  
  Hoogstraten Prologue
  *** Gregory Levis (Greenride)
  ** Anton Levin (karelracing), Teodor Lindahl (karelracing)
  * Darius Delmas (canutes), Boudewijn Frans (IGF), Sigurleifur Lútersson (canutes)
  
  Hoogstraten – Arendonk
  *** Bartoli Rivera (omega pharma lotto)
  ** Sebastien Persoens (radu), Edward Simon (lastplace1414)
  * Julian Pope (Team Revolutie), Sandijs Semerjaks (JJL24SS), Heinrich Uttenberger (Drapeau Noir)
  
  Arendonk - Geel
  *** Bartoli Rivera (omega pharma lotto)
  ** Sebastien Persoens (radu), Edward Simon (lastplace1414)
  * Stewart Marzec (Quick Step Minded), Julian Pope (Team Revolutie), Sandijs Semerjaks (JJL24SS)
  
  Geel - Antwerpen
  *** Bartoli Rivera (omega pharma lotto)
  ** Sebastien Persoens (radu), Sandijs Semerjaks (JJL24SS)
  * Stewart Marzec (Quick Step Minded), Julian Pope (Team Revolutie), Edward Simon (lastplace1414)
  
  General Classification
  *** Bartoli Rivera (omega pharma lotto)
  ** Sebastien Persoens (radu), Edward Simon (lastplace1414)
  * Julian Pope (Team Revolutie), Sandijs Semerjaks (JJL24SS), Stewart Marzec (Quick Step Minded)
  
  Youth Classification
  *** Sandijs Semerjaks (JJL24SS)
  ** Lisandru Bojescu (Nairobi City Cycling Club), Cívico Hualda(karelracing)
  * Kurt Van Lier (radu), Lenny Dam (radu), Jacinto Aldeia (Onie)
  
  Written by pundit Onie from
  Onie to OCM Magazine