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I predict breakaway containing at least one young Aussie for half the distance.

I predict former teammates getting animated with each other in the run for home.

I predict carnage on the last corner.

I predict a win to Johno Cantwell .

The media are drumming this up as a race between Andre the Giant and the Angry Wee Manxman. Sure, Greipl and Hansen will feel at home embedded in the HTC train but I think the HTC train will be trying to get Matty Goss over the line first anyway.  Sadly however, my crystal ball sees a big pile up caused by too many sprinters either finding or not finding their legs in the first big hit-out for the year.

Lots of team mates have been old team mates on different teams and there are a fair share of new bed mates for the sprint too.  Greipl /Hansen, McEwen/Hunter/HWMNBM, Dean/Farrar,  Brown/Bling, Rogers/Hendo/C.J., Cookie/JJ, and they will be bustling the crap out of HTC and each other on the back straight to get to the last corner with a chance.  But I see a lone sprinter like JJRG, Stuey, Alfie  or Chichi tavoiding the pile up and taking the spoils.

I looked at the video of last years sprint to the line (won by Hendo of Team Sky) and the Russian kiddie  GALIMZYANOV  (I had to paste that one in) and Johnno Cantwell of Team UniSA were both in the mix so I'm going all out and putting a tenner on them for the quinella.

I will spend my winnings (or rather re-imburse my wallet) on a couple of bottles of Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc (Whippet or Shaw and Smith I think) while I sit under my favourite tree to watch the proceedings.

As you all should know, I'm a 1km to go man. That's where a race is won and lost so I'll try and get a good spot on the back straight and try out my new technology....the Brownie was much simpler to understand.

Look out for the PdC banner.

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