There are just a few days left before the 27th edition of the most prestigious sprinting race in cycling will be raced. Today we take a look at all participating teams and the captains they bring in.
 ABK
ABK shows up with the mighty beast Lean Ahnfeldt-Mollerup and if we have to believe the statistics and the opinion of the other participating managers he is the man to beat. Last edition he failed to defend his title but this will only make him more hungry to take the win this year, especially because this could be his 100th result and what is more beautiful to celebrate your 100th result with then a win in Norwich-London?
 CCFC
Abel Rebocho is the captain of the Norwegian outfit CCFC for this race. Rebocho is a decent sprinter and the stage suits him well. Sadly it seems that the competition is a little bit too hard for him here. His low place on the OCM ranking proves he is not in form and his lead out train is one of the weakest in the field. He could be very satisfied if he manages to reach a top 9, although his team manager sets the bar a little bit higher. Einar says he has high hopes for this one and wants Rebocho to get as high as possible, preferably on the podium. As a former lead out from top sprinter Kondrotas, Rebocho knows how things work, could this knowledge give him an advantage and can he beat the master?
 Club Ciclista Riaza
The Monacan sprinter Perryn Vacot will lead the team of Ciclista Riaza this race. Vacot might be the champion of Monaco but I doubt he has any changes becoming the champion of Norwich-London. But luckily miracles still exist even in cycling, let’s hope for manager Homer he gets the one he needs to get a good result in this race.
 Drapeau Noir
Timo Buchinx is more of an allround sprinter then a technician and he is in a very bad conditional shape. On the other side his 5th place of last year shows he is capable of a good result here in London. Will his improved lead out train help him to beat last year’s record or will his bad condition ruin his chances?
Glamorade
Dantae Guillen has been invisible this season, but not without a reason. He was secretly preparing himself for Norwich-London. As a result of his preparations he is in top condition and he also has a nice supporting outfit. The only question left is if he has enough skills and abilities to deliver the top 5 finish his manager is hoping for.
 Greenride
Luxembourg champion Otto Beier achieved two results already this season beating various favourites for this race. Although his support is not as strong as his competitors he will have a shot at a nice result. Although at this high level of competition he will probably be happy with a top 9 too. Greenride manager Raimundas is expecting a top 5, and there is a good chance Otto could fulfill these high ambitions.
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Jonas Pro Cycling
An injury kept Brian Hitchens from delivering a result so far so he will be extra motivated to finally shows off what his worth. We do not know much about Brian but we do know he has the ability to be a big surprise in this race. Brian will be sad to hear none of the managers named him as a favorite but if he can overcome the disadvantage of a below average lead out train he could probably be one of the big surprises with a top 3 finish.
 lastplace1414
Manager Brian Places confirms what a lot of us were already thinking while looking at his team. They will be very happy if they get a top 9 result. But this also is very unlikely to happen. Our advice to Clement is to enjoy this magical race and to keep his notebook ready for use because he could learn a lot from the big boys here.
 Monkeys United
Some people will doubt manager Hurps decision to assign the captain role to Julius Creemers. But with his outstanding technical abilities the stage probably suits him better then team mate Niek Schaars. Especially the Dutch fans are disappointed in Hurps decision because choosing a Belgian rider above a Dutch one who is currently higher ranked on the rider points list is off course a controversial decision. To prove he is the right choice Creemers at least has to reach a top 9 spot. But a place between the best 5 riders could also be possible for him. Can he handle the pressure in his first big race as a captain?
Onie
Talented Portuguese youngster Aldeia will be the captain for Onie this race. He is in great shape and already proved he can succeed at a high level of competition with his stage win in The Volta ao Porto. The question is if he has enough energy left after riding all those stages in the Volta. Still, a top 9 should be possible.
peddelen
Peddelen brings in an all round sprinter with a good lead out train. With everything working out Bartenstein could reach a top 9. But because Bartenstein is out of form and also has a very bad condition so at the moment the odds are against him.
 Quick step minded :
Not van Bethlehem but Topper will lead the sprinting team of Quick step minded in this edition of Norwich-London. Deciding to leave the underperforming Izak home has raised some hope with the fans. But the manger of QSM immediately lowered these expectations by saying he does not expect anything near a top 9. Topper disagrees but we think he could be right indeed.
 Radu
Rogelio Nadol has the almost impossible task to achieve something for radu in this race. With a weak lead out train and the years counting he can only hope for a miracle. If that does not happen he will probably be far outside the top 9.
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Red Star
With Rytis Kondrotas Red Star has one of the favorites in their ranks. After a lot of good result in Norwich-London it his Rytis’ time to win. But compared to his competitors his condition is not stunning. With also his main lead out now racing for CCFC the conditions could be better for Rytis. If he can overcome all this he will certainly sprint for the win.
 Shinboners
Captain of Shinboners Riesebusch has a nice lead out train and good technical abilities. A decent result is expected for the German. Maybe even a top 9.
sprint4live
Manager Slico had one thing to say at the Norwich-London press conference: “I’m gonna win!” And with Todd Caff as a captain this would not be unlikely. The Caff is performing great recently and with a former winner of Norwich-London Nicodemus Balanchine riding for him he is certainly a rider to reckon with. Top 3 and maybe even a win is expected for The Caff.
 Squiffinator
Manager squiffy is hoping for a top 5 for Dobrzyñski. But with the level of support he gets it will be hard for Dobrzyñski to even finish amongst the best 9 riders. If you want to take a gamble place your bet on him, you will get a huge pay out if he surprises and wins.
Team Tirilla
Captain van Baerlem has a nice team behind him. His team has also experience in the race with even a second place once. This will probably be out of van Baerlems reach though. Still a top 9 should lie amongst his possibilities.
The Killers
Another Polish captain with small chances here. Maybe Kaczmarczyk can team up with Dobrzyñski from Squiffinator. If he does who knows what could happen. If not probably nothing will happen. A very small chance at a top 9 result for Kaczmarczyk here. But a chance is still a chance.
Yuri SuperTeam
The name is Kai Diggele and he could turn out to be the unexpected winner here. In great form and with a strong team behind him Kai could take over the crown from Jens Waesbergen as last Dutch winner. Team manager Yuri has to hope Kais lack in technique does not ruin the ambitions. Probably a top 9 and maybe even a lot better.
Predictions:
*****: Lean Ahnfeldt-Mollerup
**** : Todd Caff, Rytis Kondrotas
*** : Kai Diggele, Brian Hitchens, Otto Beier, Dantae Guillen
** : Julius Creemers, , Timo Buchinx, Edward van Baerlem, Jacinto Aldeia
* : Abel Rebocho, Gustav Riesebusch, Perryn Vacot, Evan Topper
Written by freelancer Joost from SprintingKings to the OCM Magazine
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