Written by don hamstre of Don Hamstre Team
  
  What do you like the most about Wales? For me, it is the rugby. For the Welsh cyclofanatics it is undoubtedly Cymru Taith. For this preivew , I have gone mad at asking the managers questions and almost all of them answered, so let us see what they had to say:
  
  
  Team: ABK
  Captain: Alan Klostergård, no topform
  Welsh favourite: 'The sheep are pretty cool.'
  Goals: 'Top nine and a stage win'
  Main rivals: 'I am out of tea'
  Surprise of the tour: ' I ca not find my crystal ball'
  ABK used to be a superpower with The Beast. But now he is getting older and older and the team became all-Danish, they are struggling to find their good form. Will Cymru turn things around for them?
  
  
  Team: Hommerts Cycling Team
  Captain: Wilfried Doderwinkel, in topform
  Welsh favourite: 'Do not know much about Wales, but always think of the nice green white flag with the red dragon. It is one of the best jerseys in OCM and so nice to have in your palmares.'
  Goals: 'Top three in either the General or Youth Classification'
  Main rival(s): 'Montelbano , Kacper Tracz'
  Surprise of the tour: ' Montelbano not winning the TT'
  Manager Justin picked out a pretty good pack of riders for this tour. With Doderwinkel as captain, he has a hiller with quite a decent TT. Is this his key to success?
  
  Team: Onie
  Captain: Ward van Eijcken- in topform
  Welsh favourite: 'Leon Roush'
  Goals: 'participating'
  Main rivals: 'Gustavsen'
  Surprise of the tour: 'Break away win in the first stage.'
  After winning in a tour in which he would have embarrassed himself if he had not won, Onie is back in a tour where he is without a single chance of success. Welcome back!
  
  Team: EpoTopTeam
  Captain: Reinhard Holtslag- no topform
  Welsh favourite: 'Easy, it is a beautiful cycling tour'
  Goals 'Top three in the general classification and stage one'
  Main rivals: Montelbano
  Surprise of the tour: 'If Montelbano does not win'
  Holtslag has won this tour before, so he knows what it takes. It will be hard to get a podium with Montelbano and without topform though.
  
  Team: Wizzyweb
  Captain: Probably Jose Aguilar- no topform
  Last but not least a very strong sprinting squad, which will most likely go for the final stage. They do have good papers to win it, but can they handle the pressure of a big tour?
  
  
  Team: nonnies
  Captain: Gracjan Sowa- no topform
  Welsh favourite: 'The weather and tall tales'
  Goals: 'At least a podium and hopefully no injuries'
  Main rivals: 'Kascper Turowski, Sandro Montelbano'
  Surprise of the tour: 'Montalbano not in the top three and me not getting a good placing.'
  Last season, they won the Youth Classification. Now they have come back with an impressive team. Let us see if Sowa can do even better en win the big prize!
  
  
  Team: Matrix Team
  Captain: Sandro Montelbano- no topform
  Welsh favourite: 'The weather'
  Goals: 'I came here for the general classification. Without topform, I am still hoping for a podium in general classification , in order to come back next season for victory if we fail this season.'
  Main rivals: 'Too many. Doderwinkel, Sowa and Tracz sound particulary dangerous.'
  Surprise of the tour: 'Absolutly no idea.'
  We can say a lot about this, but let us be clear. Montelbano will win it. I am so sure about that, that I will go the full monty at the Awards Gala if he does not.
  
  
  Team: Opium Fueled
  Captain: Tapuwa Mathema
  Welsh favourite: 'The flag and the hilly green landscape'
  Goals: 'My first real tour with a captain so a top nine would be cool, a top three would be excellent.'
  Main rivals: 'All the favourites. A special mention for Montelbano, FFL with his hill rider and Landim.'
  Surprise of the tour: 'I hope it is gonna be Montelbano not winning'
  'The Zimbabwean gem' Mathema is a very talented young rider. He could do very well in the youth classification and maybe even the general classification also.
  
  
  Team: California Mist
  Captain: 'De Nooy is captain for the general classifciation, after his performance in the opening stage of Essex last year where he beat Montelbano, and he timetrials better than Roels. Roels will go for the final sprint though.' - no topform
  Welsh favourite: 'It is famous for its hills and countryside, and we look forward to racing through the valleys again this season'
  Goals: 'Top nine in the general classifciation with De Nooy, and a top three in final sprint stage'
  Main rivals: 'Mathema, Opium Fueled and Melby, FFL'
  Surprise of the tour: ' If Montelbano does not make top three, would be the biggest surprise, and if FFL fails to have any rider in top five. At the moment I am just totally shocked at the level of competition, would say its higher than Essex last season'
  California Mist is most famous for losing a tour in which they won every stage but one. This time though, I think they will not win a stage nor the general classification. But they can get some top nine possibilities and maybe even a podium in the stages.
  
  
  Team: Darkwave Recordings
  Captain:' "First Floor" Landim, the reigning champ.'- no topform
  Welsh Favourite: 'The race, good short tour that plays to my strengths. The country. Where do I start – it is the best place on Earth, with the most perfect coastline and beaches. If I could live anywhere it would be Pembrokeshire.'

  Goals: Top five for Landim in the general classification, a top nine in the hill stage.
  Main rivals: 'No idea.'
  Surprise of the tour: 'No idea.'
  Darkwave Recordings surprisingly won this tour last time round. But this time, with Montelbano in the field, it will be a lot harder. A top three is within reach though.
  
  Team: Peloton Pushers
  Captain: 'Hunter Sawyer will be captain and will have topform for the start.'
  Welsh favourite: ' Being I live so close to Wales, I would have to say the rain, and sheep, ha ha'
  Goals: 'Greedy, I know but stage wins for Sawyer or even Rictor and hopefully a high general classifciation finish for Sawyer.'
  Main rivals: 'Now Matrix has gained entry through the back door, the main rival has to be Montelbano.'
  Surprise of the tour: 'Surprise package could be the youngster Doderwinkel on the general classifciation.The team will most definitely not be hanging at the rear of the peloton with the quality they bring to Wales. Unlucky for them, most teams bring such quality. Still, there is room for some top nine's for them.
  
  
  Team: ekaitz team
  Captain: 'My captain is Estebe Pimetal, good time trial and a specialist, takes three podia this year with victories in Malmö and Landskrona. He does not come in topform, but with great enthusiasm.'
  Welsh favourite: 'What I love about Wales. Their women and Cymru Taith Tour.'
  Goals: 'Win the time trial stage'
  Main rivals: Sandro Montelbano
  He might not be a hiller, but Pimetal would not be the first time trial specialist to do well in Cymru. He could very well be the surprise of this tour...
  
  
  Team: Cremtec
  Captain: Sam Velasquez- in topform
  Welsh favourite: Pagan
  Goals: a top nine in the general classifciation and a top three in the stages.
  Main rivals: ' Heaps of very good riders in this tour, a massive punt of "red riders" so it depends on who is going to have topform'
  Surprise of the tour: 'The timetrial here is always full of surprises so I am sure this edition will not be any different.'
  
  Team: SilenceLotteFan
  Captain: 'My captain is Maruyama Dai for first stage and the timetrial ofcourse. Vischkens will most likely be captain in the sprinting stage.'- no topform
  Welsh favourite: Gareth Bale
  Goals: 'My goal is the same as always in this tour: a top nine somewhere'
  Main Rivals: 'Every other captain!'
  Surprise of the tour: 'Surprise of this tour will be the great preview'
  Well, he got his surprise wrong, let us hope he didn't get his tactics wrong too. Like he says, he has no real chances for a star performance, but a decent result would be nice.
  
  
  Team: old town racing club
  Captain: Griswald Pepper- in topform
  Welsh favourite: 'Manic street preachers'
  Goals: 'Our goals are podium in the youth classification, a top nine in the general classifciation and winning stage one again.'
  Main rivals: 'Montelbano for the general classifciation and Tracz.'
  Not a very far journey for the Scots and they travelled it well prepared. Last season they snatched the first stage, can they repeat that?
  
  
  Team: Velo Kiwi
  Captain: Tamati Lima- no topform
  'VK is going to Wales for a well earned holiday. Goals are to see some of the Welsh countryside, drink beer and get a top nine in the first hilly stage. No other expectations.'
  I hope you enjoy your holiday.
  
  
  Team: WalrusPT
  Captain: Vergílio Nandinga- no topform
  Welsh favourite: 'What I like most in Wales is their flag, almost as beautiful as the Portuguese flag.'
  Goals: ' A top nine in the first stage, hoping for some kind of miracle in the timetrial stage. If it goes this way, even a top nine in the general classification would be awesome'
  Main rivals: 'There is no rival per se. Every rider is a threat. Some more than others, of course.'
  Surprise of the tour: 'Moltelbano not winning it.'
  With so many good captains in this tour, it is hard to say anything creative.
  
  
  Team: PEKAC B
  Captain: 'I will decide just before start . It can be Racko, Salgada or a massive breakaway attack of the whole team in stage one. And it can be Topper or Salgada or Racko on stage 3.' -no topform
  Welsh favourite: 'Dafydd Davis and his trails.'
  Goals: 'I like tours so the main goal is to have some fun. And hope for some points in the third stage.'
  Main rivals: 'Teams Wizzyweb, FFL, California Mist, Onie and many others'
  Surprise of the tour: ' Any result for PEKAC B'
  Honzas selected some good riders. They might not completely fit the tour, but it would be a surprise to me if he did not get some top nine results.
  
  
  Team: Telstra
  Captain: Steve Brasher- no topform
  Welsh favourite: 'I love Cardiff'
  Goals: ' Hopefully top nine in the general classifciation'
  Main rivals: Maruyama Dai
  Surprise of the tour: ' The return of FFL to a dominate force'
  What on earth is a climbing captain doing here? Although it might be a tactic, because every time I say someone can not do good, he does the opposite.
  
  
  Team: FFL
  Captain: Kacper Tracz- no topform
  Goals: 'to strive for general classifciation glory'
  The home team is finally back. The Welsh fans will most certainly be hoping for an FFL victory. With hiller-star Tracz it will be possible to do good, but he has to survive the dreaded time trial.