Written by Menni from Stroopwafel.
  
  Any manager can become national team manager! So if you're interested in basically running a second team with only the top riders of your nation, competing with all the big stars of the game, hop on board! Even not actively taking part, the World Tour is a thrilling ride to just to watch on screen. On a weekly basis, across four divisions, nations try to climb the rankings and conquer the Cycling Simulator elite. Next season, quite a bit of extensive visible coverage has been planned, for now this is the main link:
  
  https://www.cyclingsimulator.com/?page=World%20Tour
  
  As you can see on the bottom of that page, many nations have a national team manager, but quite a few still don't. Countries like Austria and Brazil are missing in action completely, others like Norway, Romania and Wales have been missing a lot of signups lately and perhaps are ready for a new chief. Also, some managers just took the job and simply held on to it for a long time because no one else showed interest; that's where you might come in handy. Read the forum, shoot me a message, have fun!
  
  World Tour History
  
  Wanna win, you have to beat the Dutch, that's just the way it is. Completely dominating all all-time rankings, The Netherlands has always been the biggest powerhouse. Having the most world class riders available obviously helps, but consistency is key, micromanagement, backed up by a strong community. Friendly advice: never underestimate their southern

neighbours, the only other recent WT winner Belgium.
  
  Ever since season 10 (!), the fight has been epic, with a few usual suspects but just as many surprises along the way. Denmark and Poland, Italy, England and Australia all took home the trophy at one point in time. The game itself doesn't save these statistics, but there's always someone willing to compile massive data:
  
  https://www.cyclingsimulator.com/forum/world-tour/436315
  
  For many smaller nations, qualifying for the Clash of Nations is the big achievement worth striving for. Starting on day 30, the then top 20 in the ranking compete in a seven-day super-clash, covering all disciplines and requiring utmost attention from everyone involved. There is no official ranking for the CoN, 'just part of the World Tour', but rest assured, it's held in high regard. With a lot of points on the table, just one great day can make all the difference. Past winners include USA, Canada and Portugal, while other never-expected flags showed up on the podium.
  
  Season 75 Review
  
  The story of last season, cheered on by all other leaders for all the right reasons, was clearly Greenland. Kristian Grønkjær stunned the globe by winning no less

than four World Tour races, including two by breakaway!! A measly 10 points kept the proud nation from winning the Clash of Nations, but a World Tour bronze medal felt like gold. This just goes to show you, anything is possible; smaller nations really just need one big boost in order to surprise, especially if bigger names faulter slightly. With its current manager though, silver medalist Germany is now stronger than ever. And in the end, the Dutch win. There's this neat final standing, voluntarily created and shared on Discord, yet another sign that the World Tour is ready for better coverage and more exposure:
  
  https://cyclingsimulator.xyz/awards/data/wt-nations.html
  https://cyclingsimulator.xyz/awards/data/wt-riders.html
  
  Season 76 Preview
  
  What will happen next season? No one knows, that's the beauty of it! Several nations already have a brand new manager at the helm, hoping to improve on or at least repeat most recent results. Greenland might have a hard time repeating that podium finish, because breakaway results are just hard to come by, but fingers are crossed they'll succeed in defending their position. The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium are favorites again, perhaps Spain and France will be able to return to the top, but if you're looking for odds actually worth betting on, try Laos and Burundi.
  
  Or even better, take things into your own hand and apply for the position of national team manager yourself. If not now, perhaps next season you'll be ready for it, just get involved for starters. International glory is closer than you think!