The Swiss Monte Rosa Tour has a big bundle of money available for the winners of stages and classifications. Due to the lack of taxes many teams want to grab a bundle if possible. Five stages with two stages that can make or break a rider's tour. Only a real climber will most likely win this event. Who will be a candidate to win it and will there be fondue.
iheb pro team
The Tunisian team iheb pro team was eager to sign up for Monte Rosa Tour and it appeared he camped outside for a while already when the gates openend. A rag tag band of riders appeared and manager iheb laaribi introduced his Tunisian champion Ammar Zenagui as their captain for this tour. A decent climber and capable to stay in front in the timetrial, this rider could surprise the rest.
Adamastor
Second in line was Potuguese Adamastor. An interesting team to watch. These riders will probably try to sneak away when nobody is watching and form a breakaway. They are not capable in the mountains where this race will be won. A surprise victory or decent result in a stage is what they hope for.
FretexHIBAS
Erland Almås is ready for the tour. But it appeared his manager had something wrong in his planning. This rider missed topform by an inch. With it he would be a sure candidate for victory, without he is just an outsider. GuruRustad should go back to the drawing board and hope he will be lucky this time.
Zero Tolerance
The old Burton Alexander wants to shine one last time on a big podium. Zero Tolerance is an Argentine dinosaur and he joined Monte Rosa Tour for the experience of a tour. We wish him all the best and maybe Burton Alexander can surprise us in the mountains stages. We hope he can hang on.
Team Wappels
With a previous victory in the Top Division classic Zurich – Bern – Zurich, Richard Erty is an outsider for a nice result in the Swiss Monte Rosa Tour. He knows the terrain and is familiar with the Swiss mountains. Can he bring Team Wappels the same fame as he gave NECFTW. Winning a great race. The competition is bigger this time then it was back then ofcourse. We will see.
SupperSoppene
All Norwegian team SupperSoppene has Ivar Rogne in topform. We have no idea if he can manage to sustain his present form but, if he does, he will be great in the mountains and be a possible General Classification winner. His support team is mediocure but we have seen that sometimes it only takes a great moment to secure a victory.
Treaty City | | CC
Abel Wilkiin is the Irish captain for Irish team Treaty Citty CC. His climbing abilities are sublime and he can be victorious in the King Stage. With a very timetrial he can even secure a podium finish. If he was in topform, if only, he was a contender, now this is an outsider to watch.
En trailer med vin
Stage five is marked on the calender for En trailer med vin. This team of sprinters has nothing to do then to form a group of riders that can secure their way to the finish in the first stages. The race in Geneve is important and a victory for Kjartan Kolstad is expected. Let us hope they can reach Geneve to shine.
TMobile
Swedish TMobile is active for a while now. We have not seen him in a tour yet though. Bengt Lindblad is the rider that should bring fame and glory for TMobile. A very good climber with a good punch in the end. His downhill capacities are somewhat to be desired. A nice result in a stage and maybe a result in the Generall Classification
Gruppo Apparte
Can Peter-Jan Van der Wal do for Gruppo Apparte what he did for CCFC, winning a tour. He is a good climber, downhiller and hiller and that makes him a great rider for Monte Rosa Tour. His support team is designed to guide im through the King Stage and take a victory there or secure a nice result. With topform this rider could win Monte Rosa Tour, and guess what, he has topform.
Team Specialized Cycling
Danish new name, Team Specialized Cycling, has Johnnie Gade. An interesting climber that will lead the team in the five stages through Switzerland. He could have had topform but something went completly wrong here. He now has to focus on a result or a decent placing in one of the stages. A top nine is possible.
Terque Pro Team
Portuguese Terque Pro Team has Silvio Sacadura as their captain. But this rider is decent in the mountains but has no support except for a sprinter that should bring in points in the last stage. Well we hope their manager is not expecting both of that to happen and opts for the luck of the breakaway. Not a decent team and we wonder what they thought when they signed up.
Skrubb Cycleklub
Vsevolod Kalashnik wants to show his Kyrgyzstan national jersey. Superb in the mountains and capable of finishing close to the winners in the two most important stages. This will most likely secure a decent General Classification. Not a top result but, a decent result and considering his team, manager Loups should be happy with that.
![]() | | src="http://www.cyclingsimulator.com/Flag/Romania.gif"> Vagabundos
Second Romanian team, Vagabundos, relies on a home rider as captain. Laurentiu Rusu is in topform and this might help him to win a stage and maybe the Monte Rosa Tour. His technique is his secret weapon and this could be vital in his assault of the pink jersey. An interesting rider with an interesting team.
Qvibra Pro Cyclingte
With Birger Varg we see a familiar face. A great Swedish climber and als a national team rider when the World Tour enters the mountains. Qvibra Pro Cyclingte has a decent support team for Birger Varg and we will probably see him in the top nine of the mountain stages. This will secure a nice result in the end. Nothing special though.
silvertempo
Carlo Lilienthal is the pefect rider for Monte Rosa Tour. He will not be in front in the first stage but all time lost on the prologue he will make up in the two mountain stages. We even believe this rider could secure a top three result in the General Classification. A perfect rider with a perfect team. An outsider in my book.
Caixa Galicia
Spanish Caixa Galicia has one goal, be the best in the prologue and surprise in the rest of the stages. Reymundo Arteaga should give this team their victory, he is their best rider and a great timetrial guy. The others are decent but are in a totally wrong race, sprinters and allrounders in a tour that is decided by two tough climbing stages.
BrokenChain
Vietnamese team BrokenChain has welcomed Lancelot Harris again. After a brief spell in his hometown with Gradient Levellers he returned to BrokenChain to enter Monte Rosa Tour in topform. Could he repeat his podium finish from last year or even improve it. It is possible, a good team around him should give him that edge.
Cyclists
Chad Talkington is in topform and he is the big favourite of this tour. He has a great team around him to guide him through the mountains. He can race the time trial and even finish in the top nine there. This together would give this rider the highest odds in my point of view to win this race. Only dissaster could prevent him from winning.
Cyklista
We believe this is the oldest team that entered this race. Cyklista has returned and build a decent climbing squad and signed up in the last place for Monte Rosa Tour. Randy West is a nice rider that can give a nice position for Cyklista in the King Stage and the General Classification. Maybe we could even see a top three position but, we feel a top nine is more in place.
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