written by Knotts of California Mist
  
  The biggest race in the lower divisions is finally here, and many teams have arrived in Denmark for the 4th edition of Fast On Wheels. The three previous winners will not be competing this time around, which means there is going to be a new winner of the Red jersey from this Danish Tour. Previous winners have used this tour as a gateway to greatness, who will follow in there pedals?
  Teams from Division 5 are gathering on the south western coast of Denmark, at the seaport Esbjerg where the 6 stage tour starts with a short prologue, to get the riders ready for the challenges ahead. The stages which follow will see the riders travel along many flat roads and a few hills are thrown in which could decide the General Classification, if the sprinters can not keep up. Timetrial specialists will also have a chance at overall glory, and will be right in the mix come the finish in København. It is fairly safe to say this is not going to be a race won by a climbing specialist. Now to Esbjerg where we are going to have a walk around and see who we can find.
  
  As soon as we arrive we see Storm Sandefjord from Norway, and they bring a rider who missed out on the podium last year by just 3 seconds. This rider is of course Zbigniew Stasiak and he has the first place firmly in his sights, and brings a very good team to help achieve that goal, although he is more than capable of riding solo. His timetrial and hill ability will certainly mean he is one of the favourites.
  In the same area is American team California Mist. They bring a strong sprinting team, with a clear view on winning the sprinting jersey and possibly more. Belgian powerhouse Kristiaan Roels will captain the team, and is entering the tour in top form. He has been testing in the timetrial centre recently, working on his time against the clock, and this along with his allround sprinting and hill ability makes him a feared rider in the general classification.
  Going a bit further into the town we bump into Elmi. The Lesotho team are back in Denmark for the second time (representing African cycling), and bring strong riders for all stages. They will work for national hero Phumudzo Cicero on the hilly stages, Curtis Ball in the sprints and Rob Mqobongo in the timetrial stages. Individual stages have got to be the goals for this team, lacking an overall leader.
  Next we get stopped by Eriknogwat’s Dirk Horring, who is the strongest straight sprinter in the peloton, and also has five solid riders who will help him aim to win the sprinters jersey. His teammates should guide him over hills without a problem, so we could see some valuable points in the SC here. However with no timetrial ability, and admitting he is not in the best of form, he will be chasing his overall classification rivals all the way to the finish line.
  Across the square we spot a bunch of Swedes, which turns out to be Teh Awesome and Team Nimrod. Teh Awesome bring Turkish timetrial specialist Sas Caglayan who is definitely a contender when racing alone by himself. With not much support, the most this team can hope for is a strong performance against the clock. Team Nimrod has come here simply for the experience, and will be aiming to get into breakaways on every stage.
  
  Nations sticking together continue when we enter a small café for a bite to eat. Sitting on the far side are two out of the three Italian teams who have entered, and are surely enjoying friendly banter between the two squads. Firstly Borrusia Milano enters with Henny Traa in their ranks. The timetrial specialist, who finished runner up last year, will be hoping for one place higher this time around, and podium positions in the time trials. He brings slightly better support with him this time around, and is a very big threat to all for the general classification. On the other hand Gabbo E Bacardi does not have any aspirations for a good overall finish, but will be hoping for a decent result in the hills, and in particular on the King Stage finishing in Vejle. Home rider Rolf Anderson will be hoping for a good result in front of his home fans, and may decide to get into a breakaway in the other stages.
  After a bite to eat, we decide to head towards the coast. On the way there, we are stopped by Roprop of Twente Cycling Team, who informs us they have entered a traditional climbing squad, with two co-captains. Sten Hållkvist will enter in top form, and is the rider most of the strong team are working for. He will take some stopping in the time trials, but the general classification may be just out of reach. For this they have got experienced Irishmen Amos Gorden who took eight last season while riding for his former team. Can he improve this time around?
  
  After this brief chat, we continue towards the coast and find Russian outfit PAN checking into their hotel. Another team who are here for the experience and the time trial, with their home-grown rider Marat Yermolayev. A top nine in the time trial is possible, but we have already seen plenty of specialists in this area.
  At the next hotel is Serbian team Sivac, with their experienced Dutch captain Jochem Ommen walking around outside. He is a contender on the hills and will not loose too much time on the time trial, so is a contender for the overall victory. He will need to hope the sprinters in the field take time bonuses off each other, and has Natcher as a teammate who will aim to get involved.
  Outside this hotel we saw the team bus of the second

American squad in the race Jmtoler, but could not see anything of the team at all. As a result we decided to call team manager Jon who said “Our team goal is to simply finish without injury. If we can score a few points or a few dollars great, otherwise it is just for the experience.” With Kimball Lanchbury in the team they could expect a bit more, and we predict a few top nines throughout the tour and possibly a top nine overall.
  Finally reaching the sea, final Italian team Rintinteam are seen taking pictures and enjoying the view. It is nice to see this team enjoying each others company, as when they are on the bikes the only thing they care about is themselves and the clock. Yes, another timetrial team in this Danish tour.
  The only other team who has arrived in Esbjerg so far is Eixample ATH. The team from Andorra, who will be captained by Belgian hilly sprinter Robert De Meulder, are also enjoying the port. De Meulder is without a doubt the favourite for the King stage, and has good support to take this victory. His only chance of anything more than this is if he can completely ride away from the peloton, and take a big time bonus going into Vejle.
  
  As we are packing up, and about to head off to the hotel we bump into Nick of Team Zyte. This team won the first edition of this tour, so we decided to ask him on his views going into this edition based on who is here so far. “Amos Gordon and Kristiaan Roels seem like the two guys to beat. They'll however have to win the tour through different tactics: Kristiaan Roels is stronger on the time trial, which means that Amos Gordon will have to drop him on the hilly stage to Vejle. Amos Gordon has the experience on his side, and I think he'll prove to be the better of the two.”
  Nick continued, “For the king stage in Vejle, Robert de Meulder seems like an obvious choice as a winner. However, on the next days’ time trial in Odense, he will face a big struggle and possibly lose an obtained lead. A dark horse for the general classification would be Zbigniew Stasiak. He can challenge the top riders on both the hilly stage in Vejle and the time trial in Odense. The question is if he is strong enough on the stages individually, or if he will lose too much time to the favourites. For the final time trial in Odense, Henry Traa is the clear favourite. If he manages to keep his time loss at a minimum in Vejle, he will be in a very good position for the general classification as well.”
  
  As we wake up the following morning, we hear that four more teams have arrived in Esbjerg. Firstly, from Denmark, local side TeamElefantino will have all the local support and will need this to help them win their primary goal, the SC. Captained by Englishmen Solomon Lobdell, he will be aiming to take the blue jersey back to England, and follow Mullan from last season. A strong natural sprinter, with good support provides this team with every chance.
  Next to arrive is a second team from Holland, Holwerda Cycling. They bring a mix of hillers and sprinters to Denmark, but the difficulty of the competition could be too much for them in both fronts. A stage top nine is possible, anything more than this is a bonus.
  Third to arrive overnight is the final American squad Greater Than, which bring another Belgian sprinter as their captain. Technical sprinter Stannny Theijs will be hopeful of a few podiums during the six stages, and will have the support of a full sprint train. Manager Jason Lehr did not sound too optimistic when he said “We will see what we can do.”
  The final team to arrive for the moment is also the last Dutch team in the race. Spaniard Matias Salto has got all the ability needed to take the sprint classification back to Holland for utrack. He will be supported by a loyal group of leadouts, and will certainly be one to watch come any bunch sprints. The two final teams to enter have been delayed due to reserved spots not being taken, and then last minute decisions to enter meaning travel arrangements need to be made. We will be here ready to welcome Burundian team Silver Giant and Spanish squad Rupon CC when they arrive. Silver Giant has Portuguese sprinting sensation Graciano Cerveira in their ranks, which must mean they are capable of podium finishes. We received an email from Hhauge (manager of this team) saying “Were hopeful of stage top nines, but really just looking forward to having tour fun.” The final team, Rupon CC will also be doing this. With no stand out rider and no real specialty they will be looking to gain experience and hope to get into a breakaway.
  
  To conclude our preview on the fourth edition of Fast On Wheels, here are the views on this years race from last years winner English Sprinting Team. “To win the Tour for me you need: a high AV Captain in topform, timetrial bars and at least a couple of trained lead outs. My predictions: Red Jersey: 1st Robert De Meulder (Eixample ATH), 2nd Zbigniew Stasiak (Storm Sandefjord) and 3rd Henny Traa (Borussia Milano). Blue Jersey: 1st Kristiaan Roels (California Mist), 2nd Graciano Cerveira (Silver Giant) and 3rd Dirk Horring (Eriknogwat). White Jersey: 1st Robert De Meulder (Eixample ATH), 2nd Zbigniew Stasiak (Storm Sandefjord) and 3rd Henny Traa (Borussia Milano).”
  With a field of sprinters, hillers and time trailers who will take home the big prize from Denmark, and write their name into OCM history forever. It will take a strong individual, and a stronger team to win the fourth edition of Fast on Wheels.
  
  Good luck to all competing.