Written by Simon de Montfort of
  AnnoDomini
  
  24 teams meet again in Sagunto, Valencia, where the 24th edition of Vuelta de los Castillios begins. Lets take a closer look at the teams and their cptains to get a better understanding of who is the favorite in which classification.
  
  Hog Bay CT
  The best Bermudian team brings 6 riders from the Coral Islands and their captain is Gresham Witham - a rider already well known in the peloton as a very strong climber and tour rider (his 3rd place in Germany Tour confirms that). He took part in this race 2 seasons ago but was unlucky and finished 15th overall. Now he is surely focused on the top 9 placing.
  
  CyclingClubChomutov
  Lucio Cesar won 2 stages of this tour last season and finished 3rd overall. The 30yo rider from the top Czech team is back again to repeat the wins on the mountain stages and grab a podium finish again. With some luck it may even be the top spot.
  
  Team Wonderdee
  Norwegian wonder from Team Wonderdee Alexander Hetland is making his debut at the tour. Hetland will target stage nr 5 in Morella and will hope to create some gaps there to the main GC guys which together with a decent time trial performance might help him get into top 9.
  
  Nairobi City Cycling Club
  The tactic of the NCCC team is not fully clear. Manager Methode signed up Nathari Engola, who finished 7th in GC last season, however it is not clear if he will be fighting for the general classification. Some say he will end up as a domestique for a young american Tom Cormier, who's name is not yet known in the peloton but who is supposedly in a great form and wants to surprise everyone and win a stage in the mountains.
  
  Nefal
  Top Norwegian team brings Sal Dambrosio into the tour. This young Italian superstar is here to compete for both YC and GC. He finished 5th two seasons ago, but was only 17th last time around. Will he treat Vuelat as a preparation for Germany Tour? Or will he go flat out here? Whatever his tactic is, he is always a man to watch out for. Always.
  
  Gabbo e bacardi
  First team to concentrate on the sprinting classification. Their sprinter is Leo Caggiano, 28yo rider with great technique who was 4th in SC last season in Vuelta. He has a strong lead out train and hopes for some bacardi or champagne at the end of one of the sprint stages.
  
  Silver Giant
  The Burundians get always a worm welcome, wherever they show up and it is not different in Spain. Their lineup is a mix of very young (20yo) and very old riders (35yo) and includes climbers, all rounders, a sprinter and a time trialist. This means each stage we may see them playing on a different note - but will this approach pay any dividends?
  
  CCFC
  One of the best sprinters in the world Otto

Skoglund never put his mark in Vuelta. He comes back to the tour after a longer break and will try to achieve sometihng in the SC, but even though his team is decent, the compatition is fierce and it will be hard for him to compete for the SC jersey.
  
  Drollevangers
  Dutch climber Rudolf Nieuwendijk will have his 3rd attempt at Vuelta. He managed to finish 7th and 10th in the last two editions - quite well, but not splendid. He hopes for a higher place this time and has good team mates to help him achieve his goal.
  
  Indurain Team
  Patryk Drozdowski? Didnt he mix up the tours? - one may wonder. No, he didnt. The 30yo Pole is often riding in Vuelta, which he treats as a test for his beloved Germany Tour. His target are the mountain stages where he will test his legs and try to win them, just to ensure he can do the same later in the season in Germany.
  
  Cycling Team FPS
  Jeffery Napier dominated the YC category in Vuelta for the last 3 seasons. He is not eligible
  for the YC jersey anymore and will probably have to step down from the leaders role to help Saul Soldadera. The 28yo Spaniard looks to be well suited for the race and will hope to better his performance from the edition #20 when he finisehd 9th.
  
  Team AEK
  Wim Lowik is already a sprinting legend in the Netherlands, but that doesnt stop him from wanting more. At 36yo he could already retire, but instead he is here in great shape to win the SC jersey again. Can he do it?
  
  Jonas Pro Cycling
  Top Danish team arrives to the tour with two focuses: time trial stage and sprinters jersey. They have 3 TTers which will be fighting for a win in the last stage of the tour, while during the other stages they will be supporting Armando Silveria, the champion from Portugal, who won the SC classification 4 seasons ago. As you can see the sprinters field is very strong in this editon.
  
  AnnoDomini
  With the lack of a strong rider who can compete in general classification or sprinting classification the best Polish team focuses on the young rider's jersey and has Orlando Kacciavurian as their captain. Orlando is a strange kind of rider and this tour does not seem to suit him fully, but it is his last chance to compete for the YC and he is determined to do as well as he can.
  
  California Mist
  The best American team shows up with no American riders in their lineup. Instead they have 3 time trialers to fight for the TT stage win plus a cobbler (Theofanis Anastasakis) who will try to do well in the sprints. Interesting mix? I bet it is. Succesful? Certainly more for the TT rather than flat stages...
  
  Peleton Pushers
  Another team that brings a mix of TTers and, this time, climbers. The overall leader seems to be Timo Goossens, but we feel he is not comfortable with riding in a

hilly terrain and may lose a lot of time there. The Pushers therefore think more in terms of stage results rather than general classification.
  
  Team Celeste
  Every time Kane Laporte captained the Vuelta he finished in top 9. He was 8th, he was 5th, he was 3rd. We are not sure exactly what place he will end up this time, but he has very good team mates to support him and we expect him to continue his small tradition of top 9 finishes.
  
  Spin Doctors
  The best English team arrives to the tour with only one goal - win the sprinting classification. Their captain is Ridley Oboyle, fairly unknonw sprinter so far, but that will change soon after this race, cause with such leadouts as Kirby Abner, who absolutely dominated Volta ao Porto and Kyle Wyles, the 26yo Ridley will have an easy job to deliver the expected result.
  
  NECFTW
  Top Dutch team has two cards to play. One is an allrounder Maurits Veldhuis who is eligible for the young rider's jersey, while the other one is Peter Langeveld, who is a strong climber and hiller. The team has also some good all-rounders as team mates, so they leave themselves plenty of tactical options to choose from.
  
  Equipo Easy On
  One more team focusing on the sprints with Leo Reed as their sprinting captain. Leo is a good rider and his leadout train is decent as well, but the competition here is very strong and he may need to have a really good day to compete evenly with the rest of the field.
  
  Comfius
  Being two times second in the last two editions, Dolf Latomme has enough of 2nd places and wants to win the Vuelta. He is a very strong climber and all-rounder and has fantastic helpers, so it looks like it is going to be the "3rd time lucky" race for him.
  
  NJ Procycling
  One of the late joiners are NJ Procycling with their young sprinter Leonid Gribov. The Russian champion was training hard in Spain for the last couple of weeks, taking part in various races there and finishing on podium in two of them. He feels ready to face the best sprinters in the peloton and fight for the SC.
  
  Team EksilFG
  One more sprinter to join the fun is Fanngeir Asson from Faroe Islands. He is only 23years old, but has already shown his abilities in the Cymru Taith last season and should not be taken out of the equation here. The team also has two strong time trialers to fight for the TT stage results.
  
  Pekac B
  Finally we have Mr Vuelta - Farruco Alonso. The Legendary Colombian won the race 5 times, 3 times in a row in last editions. Everyone knows he is great and normally he would be top favorite in everyone's books. He is however weakened by an injury which puts a little question mark to his actual form. Will he be able to win the race 4th time in a row against all odds? Follow the race with us and see for yourself!!!