Written by Michael of English Sprinting Team
  
  Welcome to the preview for the nineteenth edition of the Nederlandse Tour!
  In this preview, we will have a look at the teams and see what chances they have of winning this prestigious tour and its jerseys.
  
  
  
   nonnies
  
  This South African team enters with recently brought captain Otto Landa. He’s a technical sprinter with decent hill ability. His best result this season is a podium finish in the division two classic Mito-Tokyo. He’ll be supported by three time trial riders, who should be decent lead outs, one hill sprinter and probably a water bottle carrier. Landa is a good captain to have and should do alright here. I think he might get into the top nine in the general classification.
  
   Team airik
  
  Team airik enters with Spaniard Urbano Arzu as captain. He’s got an amazing average, 57, which is the highest in the tour! He’s got a victory and a sixth place (in a classic) so far this season, both in first division. He’s not the best of sprinters but he can climb hills like there’s no tomorrow. Stage four should be where he shines. Trying to help him take the victory here will be four lead outs and, most likely, a water bottle carrier. Arzu shouldn’t do too badly here and should probably aim for a top five result in the general classification.
  
   DCM
  
  They have Lex Warneke as there chosen captain at the moment, but they have also brought Sevastian Torrens with them. He should be better than the supposed captain in stage four, but we’ll have to wait and see who the manager picks. As support for the two riders, the manager picked an awesome lead out one, a hill sprinter and two more lead outs. This team will be looking to do well in stage four, and should probably hope for a top nine in the general classification.
  
   Greenride
  
  They have entered with two possible captains. We think Alexander Bellamy will go for the general classification, because he has an average hill stat compared to Karl Hall, the other possible captain, who has fifteen less hill. This American sprinter is a great rider, but he does lake the hill needed to pose a real threat to the general classification riders. Both riders only have a result so far this season, so the manager will want to see a good performance in this tour. To help them in their search for results, manager Raimundas has signed up four Portuguese riders, three lead outs and a time trial rider. Depending on how the prologue goes, this is another team that could get a top nine in the general classification.
  
   Cremtec
  
  Cremtec signed up fifth fastest for the tour. Twenty four year old home boy Wannes Tkint is already in top form, and is ready to take the fight to the more experienced riders in the tour. He should do especially well in stage three, where his flat road stat will really help him. Even though he’s only just been trained, he’s already got a victory this season in second division! The five other riders that are going to be helping him to the line are a variety of different talents. One is a hill sprinter, another one is a flat road hiller, then there is a flat road cobbler, a pure cobble captain and to finish it off, he has a lead out. I think Tkint will get a few top nines and should aim for a result in the flat road stage at this tour.
  
   Stroopwafel
  
  Like some of the other teams in this tour, he’ll have to choose between two riders and they are Menno van Dalen and Gerrit Grasmaaijer. They both have average ability in time trial, but van Dalen has better hill ability. The manager will probably decide who to use as captain after the prologue. The two potential captains will be supported by four lead outs. I think this team has a very good chance at getting in the top nine in the general classification and Grasmaaijer is still eligible for the youth classification, so I would watch out for him.
  
   Pink Piyama
  
  They bring, recently trained Danish cyclist, Benny Malmros. He’s only twenty three years old and he is an amazing flat road sprinter. He’s already achieved a second place in the division two classic Helsinki GP Mini. His main lead out will be a good cobblestone rider that is also a 200+ sprinter! Also signed up for this team are four lead outs. Malmros doesn’t have any hill training, so he shouldn’t pose a threat to the main general classification contenders or youth classification contenders. But he should do well in the sprinting stages that require high sprint and flat road stats.
  
   THE DUTCHIES
  
  There captain will be Spaniard Matias Salto. After transferring to this team, from nonnies, he’s got eighth in the second division classic Mito–Tokyo and a win in another second division race. He’s more of a technical sprinter, with an average ability in time trial and a small ability in hill. He’ll be working with five average lead outs, so the sprint stages might not be his best chances to get results. But in the general classification he will have a good chance at a top five, it just depends how high he finishes in the prologue.
  
   mikai
  
  mikai is the third Dutch team in this tour. This team’s captain will be flat road sprinter, Jan-Peter Werff. He’s ranked as number eleven in the OCM Tour Ranking, and he’s won the classic Mito-Tokyo this season! He’s a very experienced rider, getting results from division six all the way to winning for his country in the world tour. To help him in this tour, he’ll have five lead outs. I would say he’s got more of a chance of getting results in the individual stages as to getting a result in the general classification.
  
   Rigana
  
  Their captain will be Lean Rosenberg as Culvert Roberts is re top forming. Rosenberg is a flat road sprinter, with average ability in time trial. The only problem, regarding the general classification challenge, is that he only has none in hill stat which will decrease

his chances in the fourth stage. Helping the Dane in this tour, will be three lead outs and a very good lead out one. Personally, this team has a chance at getting a top nine in the general classification.
  
   Dingetjes
  
  Dingetjes was next to sign up. There captain is Kristiaan Roels, a superb sprinter with nine results already this season! He’s number seven in the OCM Tour Ranking and is number one in Belgium. His biggest success in a tour was in Fast on Wheels, when he won five out of six stages and won the sprinting and youth classification and finished second in the general classification. Helping him this tour will be a superb set of lead outs. I wouldn’t bet against him getting in the top nine in the general classification, also he should do well in the individual stages.
  
   Team AEK
  
  There are only a few Faroe Island riders in this game, but if you get one and you get lucky, you get a really good rider. Einvarður Unnsteinnsson will captain Team AEK and he should have a good chance in the general classification. Supporting him in the sprints will be last season’s ninth placed general classification rider Filip Boswijk, who is quite similar to the new captain. He’ll also have another four 200+ sprinting lead outs! This is a very strong team indeed. I would say a top nine in the general classification and maybe a result in the flat road stage.
  
   Eixample ATH
  
  Their captain will be the same one as last season Eddi Autzen. He’s already in top form and if last season’s performance is anything to go by (fourth place in the general classification) then he should do well again. He’ll have one of the best lead outs in this tour as well; all five of them are 200+ sprinters! Autzen hasn’t got any results yet this season, but he should get a few here. I recon he should get a few results and be in the top five in the general classification at the end of the tour.
  
   Opium Fueled
  
  Opium Fueled bring their French sprinting captain Melchior Hemery to this tour. He’s got four results so far this season, including a ninth place in the Mito-Tokyo classic. He’s a good enough sprinter, but he hasn’t been time trial centered and he doesn’t have any hill ability, so I don’t think he poses a threat in the general classification battle. For support Hemery will have two time trial riders and three lead outs. I think this team can achieve top nines in the individual stages, but won’t be able to do anything in the general classification.
  
   Team Revolutie
  
  They join with home grown rider Gerd Alards, and he’s already in top form! He is the best hill sprinter in the game and won’t do too badly in the sprints either, especially if the roads are flat. Like a couple of other captains in this tour, he hasn’t got a result yet this season, so he’ll be looking to do well here. Going with him will be five time trial riders, who haven’t got too bad lead out abilities. I think Alards could do extremely well here, but it will depend on the prologue as too how well he does. The team should do well in the prologue and I think Alards will get a top three in the youth classification and a top five in the general classification.
  
   Red Star
  
  Twenty four year old Polish rider Bartiomiej Tokarz will go for the win in the youth classification. He’s got the right stats to do well in this tour. He’s a 200+ sprinter with 68 time trial stat! He also has small ability in hill. He’s another rider without any results this season, but this tour could change that for him. Going to be helping him in this tour will be two lead outs, two time trial riders and one hill sprinter. I think this team has a good chance in the prologue and Tokarz should do well in the youth classification and get a result in the general classification.
  
   Megaman
  
  They’ve brought six time trial riders and will want to get a result in the prologue. They aren’t the best time trial riders in the game, but between them, they have kept the team up in division one, so they must be doing something right. Depending on how high there riders finish in the prologue, it should be hard for them to get in the top nine in the general classification, but nothing is impossible.
  
   Luveaucek
  
  Last year’s winner is back and in top form again! Luveaucek signed up with their reserved spot but the difference between last season and this season is that, there captain Rudolf Matejka, has raced in Germany Tour. The captain in question raced at this season Volta ao Porto and got second in the sprinting classification and three second places in the individual stages. He hasn’t got any results at GT so far, so he might not be in form he was last season. Four lead outs and one time trial rider will try and help him defend his title. I think he should get a top three in the youth classification and maybe a top nine in the general classification.
  
   Wizzyweb
  
  Wizzyweb singed up with their captain Armando Francisquito. We think he’s going to be the captain, even though he’s a time trial rider. He’s brought four other lead outs that could be captains in the sprint stages, so I think the manager will decide after the prologue. He’s also brought another time trial rider to the tour. Francisquito has already got two results in two different tours this season and I think he’ll want to do well in the prologue. He’s got small hill ability so I think, depending on how the prologue goes, he might be able to get a top nine in the general classification.
  
   Yuri SuperTeam
  
  They bring last year’s runner up Tadaki Ko back to try for the win again. He’s currently racing at Germany Tour, so he won’t enter with the best discipline and race shape in the world, but he’s good enough to challenge anyone if he has a good day. Going to the Netherlands with him will be two time trial riders and three lead outs. The three lead outs and one of the time trial riders are all 210+ sprinters and two of the lead outs are 220 sprinters! Ko has got a great lead out train indeed. He’s got eight results so far this season, from three different tours and classics. Can he get more results here? We’ll certainly know more next week!