Written by Jime of Time Indaiatuba
  
  Preview Norway Tour
  
  The second grand tour of the season is upon us and the start list has been published. The GC teams have had their moment in the spotlight, but now it’s time to take a deeper look at the fast men of the peloton as we analyse the teams competing in the Sprinting Competition.
  
  The winners of the last two editions will both line up on the start line. Culvert Larrison of Flanders Fields is unlikely to win his second green jersey as he’ll be in a support role this season. Arseny Dobrolyubov of ArxhangiiliPoznyakax will be trying to make it two in a row.
  
  Another previous winner is Time Indaiatuba (that’s me!), but with a new-look, all-Brazilian team. It would definitely be an achievement to win it three times with three different riders. The only other team on the start list that has won the green jersey before is V02maXXers, but this season they’re here with strong GC ambitions.
  
  The key sprint stages are stage 2, 3, 6, and 9. Stage 3 is especially difficult, as it requires a strong hill stat. Stage 9 is one for the pure sprinters, but technique is important too. The TTs and climbing stages are unlikely to affect the outcome of this competition unless someone has a very lucky breakaway.
  
  I have spoken with each manager to find out their hopes and plans for Norway. So, here I’d like to present my favourites:
  
  Sasol Leeus - Balinda Fulani - *****
  
  The African team will be here with a young African sprinter fresh from his Race of the Minutemen SC win last season. He may be only 23, but Fulani is one of only three sprinting captains who will be on top form. His decent hill stat should give him an edge, but he has a fairly weak sprint team backing him up. His lack of experience and relatively weak teammates may be his downfall. As his manager put it: “I don't want to get my hopes up too high as the competition looks pretty strong.”
  
  depadvinders -

Phil Orlando - *****
  
  The 29 year old American also comes into this race in top form, and if he can pull this off, it’ll be the biggest win of his career by far. He is very strong in the hills, which will give him a big advantage in stage 3. I’m not quite sure he has the edge over Fulani, but he definitely has a stronger sprint train.
  
  SST - Karl-Erik Sedin - ****
  
  Sedin is yet to win a race in his career so far, surprising considering his solid stats.His manager hadn’t planned for this tour, but it looks like he will luckily be able to trigger his top form in time. He should do well in the pure sprint stage 9, but may struggle in the more hilly stage 3. Nevertheless, he has some decent leadout men and is definitely a contender.
  
  ArxhangiiliPoznyakax - Arseny Dobrolyubov - ***
  
  Arseny won the Norway SC last season, but without top form, I believe he’ll struggle to find consistency. When asked about his prospects, his manager said, “I am relatively pessimistic, but it’s not impossible if I get super good legs on the right days.”
  
  Time Indaiatuba - Douglas Brasil - ***
  
  Brasil will be representing his all-Brazilian team, not just through his name, but with the national championship jersey on his back. He’s available for top form, but is saving it for the future. He’s backed up by very strong teammates, but will need a lot of luck to beat the sprinters in top form.
  
  Flanders Fields - Cesaro Viana - ***
  
  Flanders Fields have won this twice before but will be using a

different captain this time. The Argentinian champion, Cesaro Viana, has a strong sprint but I feel that his lack of hill stat will let him down. Regardless, his manager has high expectations: “I'd say a top 3 is a must and there is quite some chance of winning if there aren't many sprinters in TF”.
  
  Lundar Cycling Team - Gylfi Jansson - **
  
  Jansson could be a strong contender in the future. The 22 year-old has some good stats. Unfortunately, a number of the riders in this all-Icelandic team tested positive for COVID and had to pull out. This has left him with some very weak riders forming his sprint train, and his manager was not optimistic: “Our chances to win the SC are close to 0%”.
  
  The Laboratory - Leif Johannesen - *
  
  The Laboratory has some good sprinters, but with no top form and the relatively young age of their captain, they will be happy with a few top-9s.
  
  Welsh Phoenix - Lane Vancleave - *
  
  The Welsh Phoenix manager has openly said in interviews that Vancleave might not be the captain for every stage, so his SC chances are very low. I believe he might do well on the final stage though.
  
  Other teams with sprinters signed up are Gewoon Rechtdoor, Roderunners and Szirmai Világos, but none of them have dedicated sprint captains. Gewoon Rechtdoor is likely to have some success on individual stages but will be changing captains depending on the stage. The other two teams are also competing for GC, so will struggle to support their sprinters.
  
  So those are my favourites. Let me know in the comments section who your favourite is!