Written by QSM of Quick step minded
  
  Welcome at the presentation of the 14th edition of the most important Danish race on the cycling calender, Fast on Wheels. And we are happy to announce that for this occasion, we have assembled some of the greatest managers in OCM-history to talk us through the parcours of this challenging tour. They are up-to-date with every little road, street, avenue or lane on which the 144 participants (the largest field ever assembled for this race) will battle it out to see who can be crowned the unofficial king of Denmark by becoming the successor of Ryan Ryder, who unfortunately couldn’t make it to Denmark this time around due to visa-issues.
  
  Let me present you the panel of wise men:
  René of Team Crazy Downhillers: multiple tour winner and living in Esbjerg
  Nick of Team Zyte: no introduction needed, was born and raised in Vejle
  Methode of NCCC: This Danish Kenian and TT-specialist is the ex nr.1, and resides in a town near Odense
  Andreas from ABK & Ichti from Lots o Hugging Bear ex-topdivision managers who both live and study in Copenhague
  And last but not least, Matthias a.k.a. QSM from Quick step minded: former top-15 team and participating in this years edition (as does ichti), has just spent 5 months in Aarhus on exchange
  
  Thank you all for coming gentlemen and René, now it’s time for the presentation of this years race along with looking at the stage and overall favorites & outsiders.
  
  René: “Traditionally, the race starts with a short prologue that takes us through the city center of Esbjerg. This city in North-Western Jylland (the left island) is known for its harbour and fish-industry. (I would hereby like to deny rumours that I smell like fish, btw) And if the weather is nice we will be able to get picturesque sceneries, don’t forget that FoW is broadcasted live on 42 TV-channels all across the globe! Favourites in this field for me are Francis Drager (Valerie Cycling team), Darcy Rodwell (Telstra) and Tauro Ferrado (Zero Tolerance).”
  Matthias: “Hey, what about my riders”
  Rene: ”Oh well, I guess Marvin Waddington and Ratko Cicic could do okay as well, despite their manager”
  
  René: “The first proper stage starts in Esbjerg and after some negotations with the organisers I have arranged it in such a way that the start will be given in front of my house, if my mum wakes me up on time (don’t judge me people) I might be in time to see them depart live.”
  Matthias: “your mother is a lovely ladely indeed René [winks], but anyway, once the peloton has left the like-fish-smelling state of Esbjerg, it will move northwards along the west-coast passing idyllic villages such as Hvide Sande. Hvide Sande is known as the Danish surfers paradise, or so i’ve been told at least, which indicates strong winds and a real possibility of having echelons. However, the

finish-line is in Holstebro gives the riders who got behind a chance to catch up with the leaders and therefore the likely scenario in the end is a bunch sprint.”
  Method: “As someone who knows how it must be done to manage winning bunch-sprints (does the name Longosiwa ring a bell?) I predict that Morris Warringa (Adidas ScotiaBank), Gustav Dewitte (gabbo e bacardi), Angus Mcleod (Glasgow United) and homenation-favorite Aleksander Skytte (squadra sora) will be the riders to keep an eye on this stage.”
  
  Then its onto the second stage which brings the riders from Holstebro to Aarhus
  Matthias: “The first 70% of the stage is not challeging at all, but once the peloton nears Aarhus, that will change with the many small hills the outskirts of Aarhus have to offer. The race will finish at Langelandsgade, which is right in front of the building where I used to live, so it’s needless to say my riders are 110% determined to put on a good show in front of my Danish friends. I expect a sprint of a reduced peloton with guys such as Fidel Viana (Abs stars), Belahney Markos (ahmed cycling team), Heinz Gleisenberg (Allgau), Klas Thomsen (JRJ) and Hunter Samuels (squadra sora) at the front.”
  
  The next day the parking of the Vielhelm Kiers Kollegium in Aarhus, popular among students, will host the departure of the third stage. After leaving the 2nd biggest city in Denmark the route will be taking the riders to Vejle, which has one of the most beautiful city-centres in Scandinavia.
  Nick: “This is one for the real punchers. Not only is the finish on a hill with a 21% gradient, but with the many hills in the final the sprint will be contested by those that have some power left. It is no coincedence that this stage has been given the tag of kings stage, and I suspect the better hillers will be looking to make the gap towards the better TT’ers as big as possible. It’s summertime though, so watch out for bugs, I know all about them. And i’m not a betting man, but I would put lots of money on either Hunter Samuels (squadra sora), Morten Holen (Quick step minded), Fidel Viana (Abs stars) or Marzouk Deyay (Lots o Hugging bear) taking the win in this one.”
  
  The middle island of Denmark is called Fyn, and its in and around the biggest city of that island, Odense, where a 37km-long time-trial will be hosted. As a specialist of both TT’s and Odense, Methode will talk us through this one.
  Methode: “Each off-season I take my TT-squad to Odense and practise their skills, so this parcours holds no secret for me. By both starting and arriving in the city-centre on the small cobbled roads it’s obvious you need a certain amount of bike-handling skills, technique so to speak, if you want to go full-speed in that area. However, the middle part of the TT consists of a big circle around the city and there it’s just a case of closing your eyes and pedal as hard as you possibly can. I would like my ex-rider Ratko Cicic

(Quick step minded) to do well, but he’ll have to see off riders such as Darcy Rodwell (Telstra), his team-mate Marvel Waddington (Quick step minded), Edi Mohammed Widiyanto (gabbo e bacardi), Christopher Halloran (CC Chelsea) and Luis Sherteel (Lots o Huggin Bear), a tough ask.”
  
  And last but not least, FoW visits the last of the 3 main Danish islands, Sjaelland, on which the lovely
  capital of Denmark, Copenhague, is located.
  Ichti: “This is a classic flat stage which usually features at the end of a tour, the sprinters still left in the field will battle it out in the area of Nyhavn, I think the use of a LO-train will be vital here.” Andreas: “No question, ichti. Accoring to my mathematics the favourites are Morris Warringa (Adidas ScotiaBank), Patrick Kimmorley (Redmond racing), Belahney Markos (ahmed sprinting team) and Gustav Dewitte (gabbo e baccardi). Trust me on this one, I’m an engineer.”
  
  Thank you very much gentleman, to round off, can you guys come to some sort of agreement on who will win this tour.
  
  Andreas: “I wouldn’t say there are any certainties, however, there are a few probabilities, history has shown us that you need a certain level of TT-talent, otherwise your chances will be non-existing, zero so to speak.”
  
  Methode: “Yes, TT, I agree, I love TT’s and TT’ers, don’t you know, so the TT will be very important. TT!”
  
  Matthias: “I don’t really care man, as long as I win it doesn’t matter who becomes 2nd and 3rd”
  
  Ichti: “I don’t have such an egotistical opinion Matthias, for me, anyone may win it, as long as they’re Libyan.”
  
  René: “To be honest, I’m not the sharpest tool in the box, so I don’t have a clue”
  
  Nick, can you be the voice or reason, as usual? Nick: “Well of course, Hunter Samuels of squadra sora is made for this parcours and has a very strong team behind him, it’s just a shame that he’s somewhat out of shape so that might be a hinderance. Allgau has 2 cards to play with, but in the end they will have to make a choice I feel, betting on 2 horses is a dangerous thing to do. Santambrogio (Skeel) will aim to improve last years place, which would result in the overall victory. Another ex-runner-up Morten Holen has supposedly peaked for this race, so he could be interesting. And then you also have to watch out for riders such as Bruintjes (disco cycling), Stale Eriksen (Team Dag Otto), Drager (Valerie pro cycling team), Sherteel (Lots o Huggin Bear), Widayanti (gabbo e bacardi), Sosa (teamgo) and Rodwell (Telstra).”
  
  
  Superb, does anyone want to add something?
  
  All together: “Wait, do we actually get paid for this?”