Written by aarin of nonnies
  
  The tour where the hillers try to gain time on the time trialists on the first stage and the time trialists try to make up time on the second stage. For the past few seasons the time trialists have shown that holding on in the hills is the best strategy, but maybe just maybe one hiller might emerge from the field with enough time to hold on to the first place in spite of falling behind in the time trial. Will the twenty second edition deliver a pure hill winner?
  
   Hells Grannies
  
  Hells Grannies is in with Tapuwa Mathema, he has a knack for performing in the hill stage of tours like Cymru and then losing his way in the TT. Will this season be different? Only time will tell , although he is definitely a favourite for the first stage at least. Will this rider from the former British colony deliver?
  
   Kingstowm
  
  Michiel Pruijsers is Kingstowns weapom of choice, he is still eligible for the YC and also has great chances of a good finish on stage one. If things go awry , Russel Sprinbok can save their hopes on stage three, however Pruisjers looks like a top nine canditate if he has his way in the TT.
  
   blast
  
  By bringing Donatello Benítez to the tour, blast is hoping for success on the first stage. Howver celebrations will likely be short lived if he does well , as he has no hopes in the tt. He might have the ride of his life, but to the reasonable person a high finish in the gc is unlikely.
  
   Burren Connemara
  
  Hugh Inskeep is a likely canditte for the YC as well as a spot in the GC. So Burren Connemara will focus on letting him stay with the hillers for as long as possible on stage one in order to gain enough time for a great over all position on stage two. However he will have some strong competition in the TT. He is a very likely pick for the YC as mentioned above.
  
   PEKAC B
  
  PEKAC B bring Mano Losada to Cymru , he is still under twentyfive and eligible for the YC. However he will bring good form into the tour and therefore a strong performance on stage one might also give him a great chance in the GC. With the experienced Bohuslav Racko at his side as podium on stage one is expected. However as with some of the favorites the tt might be a big let down for Mano. Take note as this is a name for the future.
  
   Rantanplan
  
  The locals will know Carlton Cambridge well, as he is the current Welsh champion. He probably grewe up on these roads. He is a very strong hiller , but as for time trials it seems that he does not like them and neither does he perform well in them. This team will likely have the same fate as blast.
  
   ekaitz team
  
  Estebe Pimental is this season’s winner of Giro di Montelbano, a race dedicated to one of the favorites for victory , no other than Sandro Montelbano. As this tour is similar to Giro di Montelbano, one can only say that Estebe Pimental,

should be considered as a gc contender. He is predominantly a tt’er , but as he also has some hill ability, he can minimize losses on the hill stage in order to overhaul other GC contenders in the tt.
  
   Hommerts Cycling Team
  
  Hommerts Cycling Team is a team one might overlook easily in this edition of Cymru. However with a rider like Zlako Chaloupka this would be a big error. He is strong in the TT and might just finish close enough to the leading pack on stage one. Therefore he might just get a top 9 gc finih if things go his way.
  
   Team WonderDee
  
  With Knud Øgendahl in the mix , one can see that this team is focussed on the sprint stage of the tour. Any hopes of a GC is very unlikely, as the team isn’t really suited for the two stages where major time gaps will appear. However stranger things have happened in the past , so the team can still be a threat if lady luck smiles upon them as Knud Øgendahl is a class act.
  
   Darkwave Recordings
  
  With Luís Landim becoming a bit to old to keep up with the peleton consistently it seems the Ryan Ryder as taken over the role as captain for Darkwave Recordings. Landim brings experience , which might guide Ryder to what would be a surprising top nine finish on stage one. Ryder also has some tt skills which might give him an edge over some of the more hill orientated riders in the GC. A contender for a top nine finish, but a podium finish will take some doing.
  
   Quick step minded
  
  Wilfried Doderwinkel is no stranger and is known as a hiller, therefore he will be a closely marked rider on stage one. He however also has the ability to best most of his closest hill rivals in the time trial. These two factors make him a great favourite for the gc. The fact that he has his birthday on day fortyfour might give him that extra encouragement to start celebrating a few days earlier, he might also have some hidden form.
  
   Designa Legends PPDB
  
  Mirel Matei seems to be their man for the job. He is lacking in hill and will most likely not feature on the king stage. However do not be fooled , as he is a very good time trialist and might just pull back the gap the hill riders managed to pry open. However a bad day will ruin his chances of featuring in the gc.
  
   Team Oasis
  
  Team Oasis is still undecided about who will lead them in Cymru. Everything points to Agrin Emadi as a likely leader , as he has strong enough hill abilities to keep up with the hillers on the hill stage and a good enough tt ability to hang on to any advantage he might gain on the hills. However this is just speculation, so in the end Team Oasis’ GC prospects is anybody’s guess.
  
   EpoTopTeam
  
  Epo Top Team is in with the winner of edition sixteen as their captain. So what more can I say about Reinhard Holtslag? With a win and two YC classifications in this tour, he certainly knows how to ride in Whales. He seems to be in good

form and might have something extra to help him duplicate his win. However he is much older than he was back then and is a mix between hiller and all rounder, so given the other contenders he will be a bookies nightmare if he manages to win.
  
   Cider Riders
  
  The well known Coby Livingston is Cider Rider’s likely gc contender. He has some hill ability, but lacks support as this is a TT team. Expect to see a lot of Cider Riders on stage two. However if Coby Livingston manages a decent position on stage one, nothing stands in his way. Cider Riders will likely follow the same set of tactics that Ekaitz team employs. Making Pimmental one of their main rivals.
  
   Nobodies
  
  The Nobodies brings Jimmi Broders to Whales as their captain. He is a candidate for stage one and might hold on for a GC if he performs well enough in stage one. However he lacks the support that some of his closest rivals have. Although a capable captain doesn’t always need that much support , so I wouldn’t read too much into this fact.
  
   Sons of the Desert
  
  Terkel Lindegaard is a veteran , but don’t be shocked if he delivers a surprise result. He is a skilled hiller with a high average and some very good form. This combination could be the difference between a great stage one and a gc position or a disappointment. Whichever way the benefit of age and experience swings, this is a rider to watch closely if you are a GC contender.
  
   California Mist
  
  The team from America has some great hillers , so it is likely that their captain Gijsbert De Nooy will do well on stage one , however his abilities in the time trial might be overlooked by some of his rivals. Gijsbert De Nooy is actually a good tt’er if one looks at his stats, so he is a contender for the gc. His third place finish in the previous edition of Cymru backs it up. California Mist has also stated their interest in either going for a victory on the third and final stage, or a free for all if Gijsbert De Nooy is not satisfied with his position in the GC.
  
   Matrix team
  
  Defending champion Matrix team is in with Sandro Montelbano as captain. Winner of the last two editions, he will be gunning for the treble. Montelbano is a hot favourite for the GC, but his age and a lack of wind might be his downfall and might lead to the new generation taking over the reigns. Anything less than a podium would be considered an upset.
  
   Nairobi City Cycling Club
  
  Is in with Bogoljub Bratic who is rumoured to be in great racing shape. He is clearly here with one goal and that is to hold on on the hills and beat everyone in the time trial for a place in the GC. Although Bogoljub Bratic is in by virtue of another rider’s reserved spot, he might be equally up to the challenge given he finishes high enough on stage one.
  
  This is it as far as the preview is concerned. I wanted to make some picks, but I think it is better left for the I bet I am better competition…
  
  Off i Cymru rydym yn mynd