Written by Michael of English Sprinting Team
  
  The Swiss Alps are once again the decor for the Monte Rosa Tour. Twenty hopeful and enthousiastic team managers have signed in on this tour. Most of them bring climbers but, some teams just want to win a stage and bring a team full of sprinters. Is that crazy, or what. Let us introduce them to you.
  
   Oekiewakkie:
  
  Their captain will be Felipe Maximiliano. He is an Average 55 rider, with 206 climbing points. A great all-rounder, with experience in a lot of tours, including Cymru Taith, Volta ao Porto and Perm Tour. He is going to be supported by four teammates and a time trial rider, but unfortunately the last one mentioned is injured at the moment and will not be back in time for the prologue.
  
   Ultras Spirit:
  
  Anghel Naidin will captain the tour for this team. He is an Average 54 rider with 216 points in the climbing stats and, 70 in technique. He does not have much experience in tours, but he has been here once before. He got his best results to date riding for his country. And he will have four teammates to help him and probably a water bottle carrier as well.
  
   Feteback:
  
  After only four months of playing this game, Feteback have entered their first tour. Their captain will be twenty three year old Renato Ruela, an Average 48 allround hill rider. He has got four wins to his name. Can he achieve a miracle in the hill stage with just one team mate?
  
   depadvinders:
  
  They bring Clarence Shamray to captain for them in this tour. An average 47 rider with 206 climbing points. Also, he is not time trial centered yet. He has got seven results so far in his career and will probably be looking to improve on that here. He brings a very strong team to help him in this tour, including five team mates and two of them are over 200 in climbing points.
  
   mutants madrid:
  
  Sam Telkamp will be riding as captain for this team. He is a twenty five year old Dutchman, with 218 climbing points but he is not time trial centered. His best result came in the division four classic Critérium la Grasse, where he got third place. To help him up the mountains, he brings two good team mates and two weak team mates. Also, they are sending a time trial rider to try and get the victory in the prologue.
  
   Team WonderDee:
  
  This team brings a mix of climbers and sprinters here, but their captain will be Hartmann Sadolin. He has perfect tour credentials. He has raced here once before and once in Perm Tour, where he won the youth classification and got second in the general classification. He will have two team mates and two lead outs, but one of them is injured and should be back for the second or third stage. He will rely on his water bottle carrier to help him.
  
   Auro team:
  
  Spaniard Bernardo Mejia has a great chance of winning here. He is a 220 point climber, but is not time trial centered. He has raced in Perm Tour and won the youth classification and got third in the general classification. He earned results in

division two and three classics and has results for his country Spain in the World Tour. Helping him in this tour will be five team mates. This is a very strong squad of riders.
  
   Silver Giant:
  
  Erik Van Engelen, who has amazing results in tours, will captain this team here. On paper, he does not look like much of a rider, but when you see his results you will be shocked. In the past five seasons he has had results in eight tours. To help him get results in this tour, he will bring four team mates and a time trial rider for the prologue at the start. He is another good contender for the general classification.
  
   Cyclocomotiv:
  
  This team brings back last year's second place in the youth classification and eighth place in the general classification at this tour, Marco Italiano. He is only twenty three years old and will have another crack at both jerseys. He will be supported by three team mates and a couple of youngsters that can carry his water bottles and get experienced in riding tours.
  
   PEKAC B:
  
  We suppose that the captain will be Rune Dafgård. He is an alright, twenty four year old hill rider with no results to his name yet. But, they also bring Cyrus Wyatt, who will be in top form and Christian Kafka to this tour. I think their main ambitions will be the second and fifth stage of this tour.
  
   Cycling Nieuwegein:
  
  Thirty four year old Bartoli Edo will captain this team. He is having a long career and has experience in this tour, getting seventh in the general classification, and he has done well in Vuelta de los Castillos, getting two stage results and third in the general classification. He also got results in division one and two classics and a win at Zürich-Bern-Zürich. Can he use his experience to extent his list of results, his teammates will work hard for him.
  
   Darkwave Recordings:
  
  Co Posthuma is one of the oldest riders in this tour, but not one to be underestimated. He got results in Cymru Taith, Volta ao Porto, Perm Tour and numerous classics as well. He brings four average team mates and one lead out to help him. Will it be enough for this team to score some points here, let us wait and see.
  
   BennysBadekar:
  
  Manager Benny was relieved to see that his captain for this tour, Jasper Sofussson had top form, after recently recharging the rider for the very first time. The rider in question is a good climber with 71 points in technique. This rider has results in Race of the Minutemen, including a sixth place in the general classification there. For support the manager sent with his captain four team mates and a water bottle carrier. Another good contender in this tour.
  
   Treaty City CC:
  
  This is the only Irish team in this tour and they bring Abel Wilkin, also Irish. He is only twenty four, so he is eligible to win both jerseys. He already had a result in this tour before and he has a third place racing for his country in the world tour. Horace Zeiser will probably captain the sprint stage, but the four team

mates will all help Abel Wilkin in mountain stages.
  
   Borstelharen:
  
  The first real sprint team in this race is here. Conrad De Graef will want to secure the final stage of this tour. He is a 231 point sprinter and he is only twenty three years old. He already won a classic and got a result in another. He also got a third place for his country in the world tour. He will bring four lead outs and one team mate. He is my favorite for the final stage.
  
   Kalakini CC:
  
  Another twenty three year old, but this one is a downhill captain from Argentina. His name is Gervaso Torres, and is a 211 climber, specialized in downhills. He has no results to date, but he will have a chance of getting off the mark here. To help him, he will have three team mates and two lead outs. One of them is called Tim Méan who will probably captain in the final stage and the other is called Natalio Valderrama who will probably captain in the second stage.
  
   AnnoDomini:
  
  Their captain is Albert Bednarczyk. He is an Average 50 downhill rider. He has three results in the Classic Oslo race and he will want to get his first result in a tour here. The manager also brings two team mates, two hill sprinters and a time trial rider for the prologue. This team will be looking to get top nine places in all the stages in this tour.
  
   Joss:
  
  Last season's second in the general classification and first in the youth classification here is back. He goes by the name Terada Kazuki and he will be able to compete for both jerseys again this season. His only results he scored are here and he will have two times winner of the general classification at Race of the Minutemen, Friedhelm Kuhlmey helping him in the mountains, along with four other team mates. He is another great contender as well!
  
   Rantanplan:
  
  Their captain is an all-rounder, by the name of Azmizan Yusoff. He is twenty nine and current holder of the Malayan national jersey. He does not haveany results in tours, but has plenty in classics, including a win at Classic Oslo and a seventh place at Rotterdam Classic. He also has a couple of results for his country in the world tour. He will be supported by four weak team mates.
  
   Hells Grannies:
  
  Last but not least is Torgeir Brenna who will be captaining this team in the final stage of this tour. We think Eliot Wacker will be captain in the second stage and we think Solomon Albert will try and get a result in the prologue. This team does not have anyone for the general classification.
  
  My predictions:
  
  
  
  1st place: Bernardo Mejia
  2nd place: Terada Kazuki
  3rd place: Jasper Sófussson
  
  
  
  1st place: Terada Kazuki
  2nd place: Abel Wilkin
  3rd place: Hartmann Sadolin