Vlaamse Wielerweek: Teams Power Poll #1!

Protagonist: Geraint Thomas

Supporting Actors: Bradley Wiggins, Ian Stannard, Bernhard Eisel

History: Well, at this rate they won't relinquish control of the Omloop until it's pried from Stannard's cold, dead hands. Thomas has a second in Dwars and a smattering of top tens, joined by Wiggins in the Paris-Roubaix honor roll last year. Eisel is a former Gent-Wevelgem winner, in HTC colors.

Run of Form: Thomas was super strong in Paris-Nice. Stannard's form might be heading in the wrong direction, proving once more what a red herring the Omloop can be. Eisel and Wiggins have done nothing this year, but they're both looking toward winding down their careers, so you can probably count on some improvement over the next couple weeks.

Prediction: I'm sure to get some pushback in the relative ranking of Sky vis-a-vis BMC, and all I can tell you is that I'm a bit more convinced by BMC's captain than Sky's. But just a bit. While BMC have upward mobility in their young legs, Sky are counting on some aging riders to step up once more. That goes against our usual age-ism bias, this being sports, but Flanders isn't like normal sports, and getting old is sometimes a very good thing here.

I expect Thomas to impress us again, but I'm a little skeptical as to how much assistance he'll have.

Cuddles Says:

4. Lotto NL - Jumbo

Protagonist: Sep Vanmarcke

Supporting Actors: Bram Tankink, Maarten Tjallingii, Maarten Wynants, Moreno Hofland

History: Vanmarcke grabs top-five placings at cobbled classics out of habit, though his only victory was the Omloop, and from his Garmin days. Lotto-NL have an inglorious history of securing wins in the classics, dating back to its Rabobank years, but they can be counted on to show up on the scoresheet. Tjallingii was third in Roubaix in 2011. Tankink ripped off top-fives in E3 and Brabantse Pijl that same year.

Run of Form: No victories to speak of, and Hofland looks like a non-factor at the moment, but Sep has shown enough to warrant co-favorite status in the monuments.

Prediction: We are well into the second tier of Classics teams here, as the dropoff after Sky and BMC is not nothing. Still, Lotto NL can keep themselves well in contention thanks to one man. I firmly believe Sep will win a monument. He and Stybar will combine to shut out Cancellara. And Vanmarcke will be all over E3 too. After that, if anyone else is around to help, or if Hofland can get up to speed in the Scheldeprijs or Driedaagse de Panne, all the better.

Cuddles Says:

Photo by Patrick Verhoest

5. Katusha

Protagonist: Alexander Kristoff

Supporting Actors: Luca Paolini, Alexei Tsatevich, Alexander Kolobnev, Jacopo Guarnieri

History: Kristoff has two top-fives in Flanders and a top ten in Roubaix, along with some high placings at Driedaagse and the Scheldeprijs. Paolini was on the Flanders podium back in his Liquigas days, and was 11th in P-R for Katusha in 2012. Guarnieri has been 23rd and 31st in P-R. Tsatevich was seventh in Gent-Wevelgem last year.

Run of Form: Paolini and Kristoff were excellent in Milano-Sanremo, as good a gauge as you're gonna get.

Prediction: If the weather is nice, Kristoff will be in contention to win any race he enters. Nowhere I'd make him a favorite, but if rival teams don't drop him from the peloton on Friday (E3), they'll be sorry. Tsatevich's GW performance was nothing to sneeze at, and promises him a shot at some nice placings before too long... though of course that was in good weather. Anyway, not to be overlooked.

Cuddles Says:

6. Tinkoff - Saxo

Protagonist: Peter Sagan

Supporting Actors: Matti Breschel, Daniele Bennati, Christopher Juul-Jensen

History: Sagan has so far been kept out of the Monument winners' circle, runner-up two years ago at Flanders for his former team, though he also took E3 last year and Gent-Wevelgem the year before.. Of course, quite a bit was won in Saxo colors five years ago, including Breschel's only major win, at Dwars, as well as Cancellara's breakout performances. You could also throw a couple Paris-Roubaixs in the hopper (good on ya Stuey) if you see this as an historical exercise. Bennati is historically useful around this terrain as well.

Run of Form: Sagan was a disgraceful fourth in Milano-Sanremo, and didn't even win Strade Bianche (by not taking the start). Breschel was even more pathetic, twelfth in MSR, suggesting he has the ability to disappoint management even further starting tomorrow. Bennati might be injured or ill, given his DNFs in Tirreno and MSR, which is just another tired excuse. Really, the whole team needs to be fired and replaced by some riders who care about winning. Like (insert riders currently under contract with other teams).

Prediction: If the team's morale bottoms out quickly enough, they could rebound in time to do something. Sagan hasn't been overly convincing this season, if you are subjecting him to his past devastating results, but those results were largely in lesser races, and he comes into the Monuments more experienced than before. Flanders suits him to a tee and he had little trouble remaining in contention in his first stab at Paris-Roubaix last year. With a somewhat resurgent or at least still useful Breschel as co-captain, Sagan seems like a lock for a podium place somewhere, and a win if either Sep or Stybs should falter.

Cuddles Says:

7. Lotto - Soudal

Protagonist: André Greipel at some point. Probably Jurgen Roelandts the rest of the time.

Supporting Actors: Jens Debusschere, Kris Boeckmans, Lars Bak, Tiesj Benoot

History: Roelandts has been on the Ronde podium (2013) and sixth in Gent (2010). I swore he was going to do something big last year, but he crashed out of Flanders. Tony Gallopin was their protagonist last year, finishing sixth in E3 and third in Brabantse Pijl, but he's on Ardennes duty this time around. Greipel can't seem to find the podium in the classics, and would need GW or another race to stay together to the very end.

Run of Form: Hotter than the surface of Venus. Boeckmans has three wins, two in Belgian semi-classics. Debusschere won a stage of Paris-Nice. Greipel has a lone win. Benoot has been in the mix. And perhaps most importantly, Roelandts is fine, finishing 11th at MSR.

Prediction: For all their quality, oozing from every pore of the roster, it's hard to see them gaining a win outside the secondary races like Driedaagse or the Wednesday action. Not because they lack the necessities; there are just too many bigger stars around. But I will be borderline angry if they aren't animating every race in the final hour.

Cuddles Says:

8. Trek Factory Racing

Protagonist: Fabian Cancellara

Supporting Actors: Stijn Devolder, ... would you like me to keep going? OK, Gregory Rast and a couple hard-working New Zealanders. In the non-monuments you can add Giacomo Nizolo and Danny van Poppel to the mix.

History: Cancellara has a history of making history. Devolder has a history too, which is becoming harder and harder to fathom as it ages.

Run of Form: Cancellara missed out on the podium at MSR for the first time in years, but that can be discounted by the lack of selectivity in the course. He won a couple forgettable stages and otherwise seems like he's laying low.

Prediction: Spoiler alert! Oh wait, I should have included that above. Cancellara is human, I think, so while it won't surprise a soul if he sets the record for career Flanders wins, it says here that the ghost of Fiorenzo Magni sleeps soundly on April 5.

Cuddles Says:

9. Giant - Alpecin

Protagonist: John Degenkolb, Marcel Kittel

Supporting Actors: Koen De Kort, Bert De Backer, Ramon Sinkeldam

History: Kittel seems to enjoy his annual stopover in CobblesLand, which lasts long enough to win the Scheldeprijs. Degenkolb was second in Paris-Roubaix last year (!!!) and won Gent-Wevelgem. He also owns two top-tens in E3 and Flanders. De Kort was third in Dwars once. De Backer was 11th in Roubaix last year.

Run of Form: Degenkolb won Milano-Sanremo, which is about as good as runs of form get. Sinkeldam went home sick from Paris-Nice. Not much else of note.

Prediction: Degenkolb might hang around but MSR winners don't have a great track record of following through in Flanders in recent years. No reason Kittel can't win another Scheldeprijs, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if Degenkolb won Gent-Wevelgem again. Probably best to temper expectations after that.

Cuddles Says:

10. MTN - Qhubeka

Protagonist: Edvald Boasson Hagen

Supporting Actors: Tyler Farrar, Theo Bos, Reinhart Janse van Rensburg, Kristian Sbaragli, Matt Goss

History: Bubkis. Boasson Hagen owns a Gent-Wevelgem win from days of yore. Farrar was fifth in Flanders and won the Scheldeprijs back in 2010... again, not with MTN.

Run of Form: Boasson Hagen has been consistently good, including tenth in MSR. Farrar hasn't scored much, which is not unusual. Sbaragli has been in on some sprints. Ciolek was second in a Tirreno stage.

Prediction: Remember how I spoke of a second tier up above? I think we're down to a third tier now, with about six teams whom you could credibly place in any order you want. Boasson Hagen might do something this weekend, or in Driedaagse, and any race ending in a sprint will see Farrar in the mix for a top spot. But there is nothing they do that someone else doesn't generally do better. Luck will have to come in heaping helpings for them to score a victory.

Cuddles Says:

11. Astana

Protagonist: Lars Boom

Supporting Actors: Borut Bozic, Laurens De Vreese, Andriy Grivko

History: Almost nothing. Bozic was threatening last spring, taking third in Dwars and 7th in E3, but again that was the year of nice weather and bunch finishes. Even more impressive was 2013, when he was second in both. So there's a pattern. Grivko has a history of hanging around Driedaagse, but that is pretty stale. Boom is a perpetual threat in all of the classics, though he's yet to top sixth in Roubaix, and even that wasn't for Astana.

Run of Form: Boom is his usual self. I can't remember if he was being called too skinny or not skinny enough back in January. But his results are typical so far. Bozic has been perhaps a bit too quiet.

Prediction: Boom may still be adjusting to life in the Astana circus, and there's no reason to get especially optimistic that this is his year. De Vreese was a smart pickup as a very useful guy in the late stages of the classics. I'd feel stupid for overlooking Bozic once again. Not foreseeing anything much though.

Cuddles Says:

12. IAM Cycling

Protagonist: Sylvain Chavanel

Supporting Actors: Heinrich Haussler, Dries Devenyns, Vicente Reynes

History: Chava took fifth at Dwars last year. Haussler went 4th-6th-11th in Gent/Flanders/Roubaix two years ago, and of course owns a second place in Flanders from his Cervélo years, as does Chava, among many results from his Quick Stepping days. Devenyns was 14th in Flanders a year ago, for Giant-Shimano.

Run of Form: Haussler and Chavanel are their usual selves. Devenyns left Paris-Nice with a nasty cold.

Prediction: Top 20s in the monuments. Chava's time trialling is often good for points in Driedaagse. Can't see much more than that.

Cuddles Says:

13. AG2R

Protagonist: Sebastian Turgot, Damien Gaudin

Supporting Actors: Johan Van Summeren, Sebastian Minard

History: Minard was top 20 last year, but the duo of Turgot and Gaudin, while quiet last spring, lit up the two monuments in 2013 in Europcar colors. Van Summeren, of course, owns a cobble from his Garmin years.

Run of Form: Turgot seems to have barely raced this year. Gaudin seems fine, as does Summie. Minard left Paris-Nice, for reasons I can't decipher.

Prediction: Was 2013 a mirage? These two were sensational, and with some essential help in Van Summeren and Minard it seems reasonable to expect to see AG2R colors on the front near the end of the race. Hoping for real results is another matter, but AG2R deserve their money's worth from Turgot and Gaudin.

Cuddles Says:

14. Topsport Vlaanderen

Protagonist: Jelle Wallays

Supporting Actors: Edward Theuns, Preben Van Hecke

History: As a pro-conti team Topsport Vlaanderen aren't usually able to steal podium spots, though their stable of developing young Belgian riders sometimes surprises. Like when a teenaged Sep Vanmarcke took second in Gent-Wevelgem back in 2010.

Run of Form: Theuns won Drenthe and has made it into a few other one-day sprints. Wallays hasn't scored much this year.

Prediction: The fields are loaded, so it might not be a good year for shock results. But Wallays nabbing some points would hardly be a shock. This is a guy who won Paris-Tours, after all, which is a pretty good comp for Gent-Wevelgem.

Cuddles Says:

15. FDJ

Protagonist: Arnaud Demare, Yoann Offredo

Supporting Actors: William Bonnet, David Boucher

History: Demare has won Le Samyn and been second in Gent-Wevelgem last year. Offredo is usually hanging around the top 20.

Run of Form: Demare has been on a couple sprint stage podiums. Offredo is out and about, with little in the way of stunning results.

Prediction: Demare could win the Scheldeprijs, if he can get by Kittel, and will be a major threat in any of the shorter classics if a bunch sprint happens. He's shown enough to be respected as a true classics rider, not merely a fast finisher who hides out all day. Also, we're talking about a 23-year-old. Offredo is more of a proven also-ran at this point, but if Demare makes a finale with him, perhaps they can work some magic.

Cuddles Says: