Written by EricV of EricV
  
  Thousands of fans arrived in the old town of Bern for the start of the Monte Rosa Tour.
  All the hotels in the area are already fully booked. And the organization did a great job so far, however, they forgot one small detail, a place where the riders could stay. If the hotels are full, where do we have to sleep? Luckily there is Fabian, a local farmer, who let us sleep in his old barn. But as you can expect with over 120 man in one room there is a lot of talking and rumors going on and at night, a bit touching too. Like all the other managers I am also between that mess. You can not imagine the smell that lingers around our noses. I will never forget that.
  Anyway, with all the stories and rumors I have heard, I will try to make a preview.
  
   WalrusPT After a disappointing Brendan Huynh in the latest edition of the Monte Rosa Tour, they are going to try something new. Not with Huynh as captain but with their new young star: Vergílio Nandigna.
  Is he ready to lead the team? Maybe he just needs a little bit more experience to win this tour. People say Nandigna is so young he still takes a bath with his father. But with good teammates on his side he will be top favorite for the Youth Classification and if he can handle the pressure he can even win this tour.
  
   Rotational Symmetry
  Only twelve days into season twenty-five and with only raced three times he got himself two victories. Who he is? Arnold Latey. This guy really thinks he is something, nobody likes him, people say he needs to look in the mirror. But to be honest I have to agree with Latey. He is a fantastic climber and only 24 years old who will certainly be on the front in the mountain stages, but to win a tour you need a bit more then only climbing skills. A top favourite for the Youth Classification, sure! For the General Classification, I would say maybe.
  
   English Sprinting Team
  I know everybody wants to know, what does a sprint team do in a tour for climbers. Rumour has it that manager Michael thought he could take home the sprinters jersey. I am not sure if that is true, because most of us know that there is no Sprinters Classification here in Switzerland. Without a doubt though, this team is the top favorite for the sprint stage. This means he will earn his money back.
  
  Sons of the Desert
  Captain Terkel Lindegaard is twenty-eight years old which means he should be at his best now. But a few minutes ago I spoke to him and his behavior is definitely not like other riders his age. He really acted like a child. What does that mean? He has the strength like a man and the mind of a child. This must be a deadly combination. So I think he will be an attractive rider to see, but very dangerous for the others. Lindegaard is not the best climber from the pack so he needs to get a lot of time in other stages, otherwise it will be a difficult story.
  
   VC Botafogo
  This team is very lucky, only a few hours before the sign up opened they promoted to division three. But if you look at this team with two great captains, Bella and Filatov, you should ask yourself, what were they doing in division four. Rumor goes that manager Pele has more things do to then only managing a cyclingteam. Yes, you have heard it correct, he has other priorities. I am not going to tell it here in the newspaper, it is a private adult thing. But they managed to be here with Tom Bella, which is a superb rider with an average of fifty-seven! And the manager recently told Bella that this is his last change in topform, if that will make a difference in Bella’s performance. But like I said Bella is a fantastic rider Do not be surprised if he ends on the podium.
  
   Penendal Racing
  This strong climbing team will be lead by Reinier van der Sar. For some reason I think he will be the surprise of this tour. I do not know, but I have a feeling we have to watch out for him. So to all the other managers: Do not let this rider get away or we will all be lost. And if Reinier van der Sar can not surprise, they have a good chance with Riemer Veneberg or Mracsko Zsolt for the prologue, at least.
  
   EricV
  It is no secret that this team has one goal only, to win Monte Rosa Tour.
  Last season they missed the sign up but, EricV is back and the team looks stronger then ever. With Robert Thomas as captain in topform and with the support of all teammates it will be hard to beat this team in the mountains. If Thomas does not lose too much time in the prologue he is certainly one of the top favourites for the General Classification. And for some reason I did not hear anyone talking about this team. Are they underestimating me?
  
   Ultras Spirit
  It will be an emotional ride for two riders in this team. Pascal Pârcalab and Fletcher Reynolds will be leaving the team after the Monte Rosa Tour. So what's the sweetest way to say goodbye? Of course with a tour victory. Naidin will be the captain and with the support of Parcalab he must be feeling safe and strong. I am sure Naidin will end on the podium, maybe on the highest spot.
  
   rooney17
  Anyone ever heard of the riders: Gidley, Koops, Cappon and Grillo. No. Me neither, but because it is part of my parttime job I did some investigation. I asked many other riders about these guys. And you know what came out: nothing. No one ever spoke or even saw them. Conclusion: there is no conclusion. Ok, enough about these four riders, who are the other two riders in this team: Afanasy Tyannikov and Abelardo Rabal. So that is there secret weapon. rooney17 is here for only one reason, to win that prologue. I am almost sure he will, but to travel all the way down to Swiss for a stage seven kilometers long. I guess some have done weirder things for less.
  
   Ocaña
  Captain

Hartley Rich is more like an allrounder. For a nice result in the General Classification there are not many hopes. But if he scores well in the first two stages and if he can hang on in the mountains a top nine is possible. But maybe thats a little bit to much if but if your favorite song is: If I were a boy from Beyonce then everything is possible I guess. And they brought a really nice sprinter with Marinho who can get a result at the last stage. So we have an open mind and are willing to be surprised.
  
   Designa Legends PPDB
  For captain Noe Rubio it seems like he can not handle the pressure. Last season he only got one result and that is not a lot, especially if you are such a great rider. He told me he needs more teammates, but I think it is more like a mental issue. If he got his confidence back he will be a real contender for the General Classification. Will he step up this time. For him and for the team we really hope so, good luck Rubio you can do it.
  
   Beardy Bikers
  This team is in with another contender for the Youth Classsification, Noa Vallée is his name. But there were some problems in this team. Old captain Pablo Cousin could not accept his new task, being a teammate. Therefor manager Christophe figured out a battle between these two. The one being the best in the opening stage will be the captain,.at least thats what I have heard. Now about the team, Noa Vallee is a very decent captain. More an allrounder then a climber but still very decent. He will be one of the favorites for the Youth Classification.
  
   Velo_Kiwi
  Former winner Tamati Lima is back in Switzerland for another pink jersey. He told me that the old jersey does not suits him anymore after spending lots of time in the gym. He grew big muscles now but will that be enough to secure a second victory. Maybe he is a little bit too heavy now for the mountain stages. Another disadvantage, his best teammate Nepia will not be riding here. He got injured just before the sign up. Bad luck? Some say this was not an accident. After all Lima is a candidate for a top five.
  
   AKROBATE
  Staas Grommers will be the captain of this team, because he is a great climber. But in times of crisis great is not good anymore, you need to be special, you need to be the one. I asked Grommers why he is special from the other rider: “I can sing and eat at the same time”. Okay, this was not really the answer I was looking for, but he got some decent teammates so a top nine is certainly possible, and maybe more.
  
   Zero Tolerance
  Burton Alexander is the big man in this squad, but it will probably be a hard tour for him. There is nothing wrong with Alexander, but his teammates are a bit weak if you ask me. So he got not much support in the mountains and that is what this tour is all about. But there might be a solution, the rumor goes Alexander is reading things about black magic. Who knows that can help. If it does a top nine could be possible or, maybe he can get some results in a break away!
  
   Honor et Patria
  Feleti Sabia, who is recently bought by this team should be having topform. He was topform ready when the purchase was done. But people told me even when he has topform he will not get far. They say this guy is an underperformer because he does not really wants to ride on his bike. He just bought a new car, a sportscar and, is picking up the ladies all the time. But those are rumours and are being denied by both rider and manager. He is a great climber but with only two teammates a top nine is still hard to get.
  
   Lots o Huggin Bear
  This team is betting on two horses. Normally that is a good thing but, if you want to win a tour then it is not a smart move. So Salah will not win this tour but he does not really bother about that, he does not want to be famous, he just wants to be himself. He told me:”I am just me, no one else, only me, me, me, me, meme.” After that wild conversation he promised me he would give the team a couple of top nines. The other horse in this team is Alsharaa, a great sprinter, who can win the last stage. He promised me that sprint victory.
  
   Ponika
  Vid Lazi?, the great young Adonis, has returned. How I have missed him. This great rider is back in Switzerland but not to defend his pink jersey. No, he is here only for the support of his leader. It is time for Viktor Bertovi?. Another great climber from this team, but to be honest Viktor Bertovic is not so good as Vid Lazic. So I do not think they will win again, maybe some top nines in stages and maybe top nine in the General Classification.
  
   Alpha Plus
  I think most of you agree if I say that Baltazar Pitillas was the biggest surprise of last season. You do not remember Baltazar Pitillas anymore? The number three of last season. He won the stages two and four. Now you remember again how strong he is. Can he surprise again? Maybe, but it all depends if he will hit topform again. People are talking that he does not want to make such a sacrifice again. They say he wants to have more quality time with his family. Which is nice, for him and for his rivals. Still we have to be very careful and do not let him get away!
  
   Manisaspor
  Recently Manisaspor changed the focus of his team. Many riders were transfered, sprinters out and climbers in, and now they have the runner up of last season in their team: Ture Ivansson. Ture told me: “After many seasons with Finz as manager I was close to a mental break down, Ozgur saved my life!". Ture will be in topform, but will he be good enough to defend his reserved, second, spot? He is not the best climber around, and with so many other good riders it will be hard for him. But a top five is possible and maybe he will surprise us.