Written by Don Hamster of Schiavi di Don
Germany Tour is seen by many as the biggest and most important Tour of OCM. It has been won by many of OCM’s greatest riders and also been subject of an immense amount of discussion. That’s the boring intro over and done with, now on to the fun.
It has been said that food and surroundings are the most important things in trying to achieve great things. I don’t know by who, but it has been said. Therefore, I thought it was nice to ask the participating managers what they particulary like about Germany, as well as inquiring what their riders will eat. Not all of them have replied, so when you see an asterisk (*) behind a question, it means that I’ve made the answer up myself and it’s quite probably bullocks, except for the stuff about TCD of course, I find that rather amusing.
I guess you’re getting tired of me talking on my own, so it’s probably a good time to start with listing the teams and their answers.
Czech RepublicPEKAC B
Captain Farruco Alonso
TF No
Objectives ‘Win it, of course’
German favourite ‘Bratwurst mit sauerkraut und gebratene schweinehaxe mit knoedel’ and ‘the walchensee’
food during the tour ‘Of course bratwurst mit sauerkraut und gebratene schweinehaxe mit knoedel, but nothing when they will not perform’
The Czech outfit won the YC with Alonso back in Season 31, and after their absence last time round, they’re back for a second try. This time they want to make it a double and Alonso seems like the right guy for that job. The high wind speeds that have been predicted for the Time Trial seem to favour him, but will his lack of Topform cost him in the end?
Opium Fueled
Captain Spartak Astankov
TF No
Objectives ‘Some results and Top 3 SC’
German favourite ‘Fiscal discipline’
food during the tour ‘Opium flavoured protein shakes’
Astankov has already won Helsinki GP this season, so he should be a serious contender for the Sprint Classification. His stats may not look that spectacular all together, but he has proved to be one of the big guys. This is however his first appearance in Germany Tour and will this lack of experience let him down?
Avataria
Captains ‘Both Kristiansen and Hermans, TT-stage will decide if I will keep both as captains on King stage‘
TF ‘One of them, yes’
Objectives ‘Win GC and the 3 CL-stages.’
German favourite ‘Beer, bratwurst, knackwurst and jagermeister’
food during the tour ‘They will eat whatever they get served in Frankfurt red light district.’
You can’t say there is a lack of ambition on the managers side, but then again, a lot of managers will be dreaming of having a team with the kind of possibilities Chris Fabio has. Hermans finished on the podium at the previous two GT’s, while Kristiansen is in top form. I wouldn’t call them the outright favourites, but they’re certainly right up there.
Nairobi City Cycling Club
Captain Frederick Longosiwa
TF No
Objectives ‘Winning the SC for the 4th time in a row’
German favourite ‘Curryworst’
food during the tour ‘Curryworst :)’
Will Bongo’s reign finally end? Probably not, because considering the sheer domination before and the fact there aren’t a lot of new guys competing for the Green jersey, he could even win it with an off day or even two. I might have jinxed him though.
Andeby
Captains ‘None, we are here for beer!’
TF ‘Quite the opposite’
Objectives ‘Drink beer!’
German favourite ‘Beer!’
food during the tour ‘Hangover food, with beer on the side’
Hmm, I guess these guys are a bunch of teetotalers…
Although I wouldn’t want to call the manangers views negative, I think my views on their chances are slightly more positive. With a bunch of TT’ers chances are big they will get some top 9’s in the TT’s. I would still encourage them to have fun though, it’s what Division 1 Tours are made for!
Team Tirilla
Captains I have three: ‘Yens Ingelborgs, Folkert Gerrits, and Urbanu Arzu‘
TF No
Objectives ‘To win a stage’
German favourite ‘Equipo Easy On’
food during the tour ‘Local müsli bars’
The Nr1 team of last season is spreading its chances in the hunt for a stage victory. In the hills they stand a chance, but for the flat stages, Ingelborgs might lack a bit of the support that guys like Longosiwa and Astankov have.
Team Stredet
Captain Patryk Drozdowski
TF Yes
Objectives ‘My goal is to win the GC! I would be happy if i only end up with the YC though, Droz might be a bit too young to compete with the top guns’
German favourite ‘I love autobahns! I've been driving from München to Italy multiple times over the years, and i absolutely love to be able to do atleast 150 km/h in average without taking any risks losing the driving licence. I also think i would love October Fest. Never been there, but i have to one day! Cuz i looove beer:) Berlin is also one of my favourite citys in the Europe, ending the tour there is perfect!’
food during the tour ‘My riders are climbers, they are not allowed to eat! Every morning before breakfast i show the legendary picture of a shirtless Michael Rasmussen on a big screen. This to show what we are aiming for, and for the riders to lose their appetite before breakfast.’
Anorexia seems like a decent battle plan to me. But seriously, Team Stredet is one of the outsiders with their experience-boosted riders and Drozdowski in Top Form. They might be able to get to a surprise podium in both YC and GC.
Hells Grannies
Captain ’My main captain is Mr. Stefan Partee, with Sam Duncan taking the reins on the hills’ | |
TF ‘Stefan Partee will be in Top Form, as he demonstrated in Helsinki GP, coming in as number 10!’
Objectives ‘My main goal is to blow up and then act like I don't know nobody! whahahahaha!*
But for reals though, I am going for a record win in the GC. Or, considering my season so far a top 9 on any stage would be welcome.’
German favourite ‘ The things I like best about Germany is the good work spirit and the beautiful scenery in southern Bavaria.’
food during the tour ‘Well, I bought 125 kilos of gummy bears in the tax free, so I expect that will last us a while. Oh, and Benny makes an excellent beer dough that I can make a pizza out of.’
I honestly don’t see Partee doing well in the GC, but you never know of course. Duncan will be a threat in the hills for sure, being a multiple Award winner in that category. Gummy bears make me shiver, I once slept with some of them, it was not an enjoyable night…
Il Grillo
Captain ‘Harris Zuidema, Maybe Asseldonck will captain in the hills, but hes recovering from trying to get TF...’
TF Yes
Objectives Two stage top 9’s
German favourite ‘Weissbier!’
food during the tour ‘Andijviestamppot! (Dutch team eh...)’
It’s a shame Van Asseldonk is in such a bad state, otherwise he would have been a big contender for the hill stages. Now the team is left with Zuidema, who has the advantage of his top form, but the disadvantage of being a rider who isn’t really excellent at anything specifically. Support is pretty weak, so the team should be very happy if it meets its goals.
NECFTW
Captain Marcus Bogh
TF Yes
Objectives ‘1st in GC’
German favourite ‘beer and unlimited speeding, and Sankt Pauli’
food during the tour ‘eat, sleep, rave, repeat’
Bogh is back to win it again and he’s my personal favourite. TF, experienced support, and a win in the past give him everything that is necessary to be able to win. It’s the daily form that’s gonna decide everything though, so will that be in his favour?
Velo Kiwi
Captain ‘Will depend on stage but either Lange for mountain and hills and Miller for sprints’
TF No
Objectives ‘Goals are modest - stage top tens in climbs/hills and TTs with Langhorn.’
German favourite ‘ I like German efficiency and engineering...particularly cars... I drive an audi’
food during the tour ‘During the race our riders will be experimenting with gels made from New Zealand Sauvignon a land and Pinot Noir and also marinated and lightly grilled lamb strips to keep the protein levels high’
With the quality they bring to this tour, the New Zealanders should be able to get the top-10s they want, although I do hope it won’t be all 10th places…
Manager David always seems to be able to prepare his riders well before Tours, so I have him high on my list of dark horses, which is quite suitable for the All Blacks.
Team Celeste
Captain Benny Kihlberg
TF No
Objectives ‘Hope to finish better than previous times he was captain (10th and 11th), but he needs to stay focused and avoid trouble/bad days. We also hope the young guys will get some experience from big stage races’
German favourite ‘The small alp villages in the south’
food during the tour ‘The latest from our sponsor, Knackwürst-gel’
Kihlberg must be the least-known AV57 rider around, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t got it in him to ride a decent GC. So far he hasn’t been lucky, but maybe this season will be the one he’ll finally shine.
Cremtec
Captain ‘Captain will be Laurens Bruaene for the sprint and hill stages. For the mountain stages most of the team will get the freedom to have a go themselves. For the TT's we have Kornelissen and Dobbelaere’
TF No
Objectives
‘First I'd like to mention I never intended entering Germany Tour but when I noticed when I was online I could still sign up the temptation was too high. As a result none of my riders will actually have great form, but nevertheless I'm looking forward to my first GT. Any money/points will be welcome. Especially the hill/sprint stage should suit Bruaene but the low dp might be a problem.’
German favourite ‘Their cars’
food during the tour ‘Bratwurst swallowed with one of those massive German beers, if possible in the local Lowenbrau’
Bruane might be an outsider for the hill stage, but the competition is fierce and his form, to be honest, isn’t quite good enough. But a top-9 should be within reach.
Glamourade
Captain Fonzo Mejia
TF No
Objectives ‘I only wish to do well in the SC with Fonzo’
German favourite* As the team probably likes a bit of glamour, it’s probably a German Sparkle Party
food during the tour* Being Spanish, they’ll probably leave their Bratwurst out in the sun for about three days so it dries up nicely
Fonzo is one heck of a sprinter and with some excellent support, he stands a chance against the likes of Campelo and Longosiwa in the sprints. For the SC, he might lose out to them in the hills though.
Comfius
Captain Du and Ainsley
TF No
Objectives ‘3 or 4 results’
German favourite ‘The Eifel mountains, I go there every year’
food during the tour ‘Schnitzel every day’
Du is an excellent climber and should be able to get a result somewhere in the mountains. I;m not sure about the chances of Ainsley, but he might surprise.
Team Oasis
Captain’Our Dutch hero Jim Deuring, one of the 5 best tourriders around at the moment.’
TF No
Objectives ‘Last season, 3 offdays and 1 mechanical
| | issue in 4 out of 5 time involved stages gave us a 6th spot in GC. Possibly that Deuring would have won it with normal days. That was last seaon, with hardly any TF captains around. This season there are some good contendors in TF.’
German favourite ‘Fahren auf der Autobahn and DDR-trainingfacilities’
food during the tour ‘For food Kashk e bademjan, served in a roll like dürüm döner. For drinks we rely still on Dopium from our sponsor Nabilat Trade & Commerce’
I personally rate Deuring pretty high, without TF it will be hard for him to win, but he’ll be able to have a good shot at it if the legs agree. I must remember to Google their food, it sounds strangely attractive.
Nobodies
Captain Sven Ulstrup
TF No
Objectives ‘a result in the one of the two tts and in gc’
German favourite* Might very well be Hamburg, as the manager is enjoying a holiday over there at the moment
food during the tour ‘The riders are going to eat a lot of fish especially fischbrotchen from the local market in Hamburg’
As I’ve experienced myself lately, being on a holiday usually isn’t good for the performance of your riders. Let’s hope Hellboe’s riders will be more disciplined than mine. Ulstrup is my favourite to win at least one of the TT’s, and that might be enough for him to claim a spot in the GC top-9, stranger things have happened before in Germany.
Nefal
Captain ‘Ronaldo Aguila/Leonard Van Bael (sprinter/hillsprinter)’
TF No
Objectives ‘No real goals, hoping for top 9s on the suitable stages’
German favourite ‘I quite like their aluminium-covered autobahn! Heyooo’
food during the tour ‘They will be eating only the finest local cuisine. Or Mcdonalds, whatever's cheapest’
As far as I’m concerned, the team doesn’t stand a chance here, they might sneak into a top-9 somewhere, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Might be a good thing though, because I’m a notoriously bad gambler.
Gradient Levellers
Captain Santiago Campelo
TF No
Objectives ‘Win SC’
German favourite ‘The beer’
food during the tour ‘Chinese take away’
If there is one thing I’ve learned during my travels, it’s not to trust Chinese take away. I therefore predict Campelo will utterly fail. He might not though, as he’s actually a pretty decent rider and seems to be in great form this season.
peddelen
Captain*Mark Koehn
TF No
Objectives* Probably going for a podium
German favourite* Must be Team Crazy Downhillers
food during the tour* Should be Stroopwafels, because someone has clearly stolen them off Menni
Like always, peddelen has brought a decent climber to Germany Tour, who will probably do well in one stage and utterly suck in another one, ending up around 9th place. It’s just the story of pete and Germany Tour, so it seems...
Team Majones
Captain* Probably Kermarec
TF Yes
Objectives* Must be winning the TT’s and maybe getting a decent classification along with it
German favourite* Can’t possibly be anyone else than Rene Rasmussen
food during the tour* Hmmm, I think I don’t want to know….
Great TT squad, should do very well and get multiple top-9’s or even podiums in the TT’s. TF guy might finish high up if he’s lucky, but I think a lot of managers will pray that he isn’t.
Vientiane Cycling
Captain* Should be Juhl
TF Yes
Objectives* Quite probably the SC, or stage results in sprints and hills
German favourite* Without a shadow of a doubt TCD
food during the tour*Something tells me it might be quite long french fries.
Juhl is an outsider for the SC, as he’s pretty all-round and has top form to help him. Should at least get a number of top-9s.
Jonas Pro Cycling
Captain* Have a guess
TF No
Objectives* Have a guess
German favourite* Have a guess at TCD
food during the tour* Have a guess
I can’t really make up what Jonas’s plans are, I mean, what the heck is Gale Reason doing here? It’s probably just me failing to see the greater plan…
Drapeau Noir
Captain* I’ll go mad if it isn’t Melvyn Jégou
TF Yes
Objectives* Can’t be anything else than victory, knowing Delion
German favourite* Asking a Frenchman what’s his favourite thing about Germany might be the same as asking me what my favourite kind of peanut butter is, pretty futile indeed…
food during the tour* Can’t be anything German, that’s for sure. My bet is on something superior.
Jégou is one of the favourites to win it. He will lose time in the mountains, but will he keep his losses small enough to make up for them in the hills and time trials?
Predictions
I also asked the managers to predict their winners. For the GC, Bogh, Kristiansen and Jégou were mentioned most often. The SC had Longosiwa on almost everyone’s nr1 spot, although a guy named Peter Sagan was mentioned as well. I haven’t seen him signed up, but I think he might be able to get a second place on a stage somewhere. The YC was tough to predict for most managers, but I’ve heard Alonso and Drozdowski being mentioned.
Conclusions
Managers that sign up for Germany Tour like:
Speeding
Beer
South-Germany
Longosiwa
I hope this preview has been useful to all readers (should be at least five) and that I haven’t made too big of a fool of myself with my predictions. One way or another, it will be an exciting Germany Tour, that’s a sure thing.
|