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Pip Sports Network

A Look to the 1601 season
By Richard W. Wallace
Published: Elva, 1600


Sylvestre Richeliu, a future Tour de Valland winner? Vallish fans hope so


Pip Sports Network - As the cycling season is about to finish, Pip Sports offers our readers, as we do every year, a list of riders to follow in the 1601 season. Who will be the unexpected winner? ...the rider to consolidate his status in the peloton? ...the promising rider which missed his last chance? Pip Sports Network deputy director, Richard W. Wallace, with more than thirty years of experience covering the Tour de Valland and other cycling races, will try to offer an answer to such questions.

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Adam Sandor (32) - The Keszarian rider will be the oldest rider in the list this year, but in his first season as team leader, he didn't disappoint at all: after winning the 1600 Tour of West Brigidna and a good Tour de Valland, in which he finished fifth, he has gained the right to be considered one of the favourites the next season.

Ulrick Vandenhof (29) - We don't usually include the Tour de Valland winner in these lists, but one of the big questions for the next season is if the Soyabarian climber will repeat the level he showed in the last Tour de Valland, where he did not find rival in the main high mountain stages. It is true that he won't have it easy, as the 1601 Tour de Valland will have fewer kilometres on high mountain than this season Tour. In the case it is confirmed that he leaves the Télecon Team after four seasons (he was been rumoured to have been in negotiations with teams such as MTS, Scholden-Gulcron, or Mordvelo), it would be unclear as well how changing of team may affect his performance in the next season.

Sylvestre Richelieu (25) - If Vandenhof finally leaves Télecon Team, it is expected that the role of the young Vallish rider -who was key in Vandenhof's win in the last Tour de Valland- will increase. Richelieu, who surprised in 1599 winning a stage and finishing 9th while serving as a domestique for Roman Herzogenrath, is not likely to offer his best results in the Tour de Valland -it has been rumoured that he may consider leading Télecon Team in the Tour of West Brigidnan instead-, but Vallish fans have big hopes on him, after 16 years without a Vallish winner in the most important Grand Tour.

Melker Rausing (30) - The Galeaen sprinter, after being second in the World Championship Road Race for second time in a row, may face a decisive season in 1601 in his career if he doesn't want to be remembered as a sprinter who was close to win many times, but was rarely able to do so.

Osvald Jokumsen (26) - The Oslanburgan sprinter confirmed himself as more than a promise in 1600, after winning his first individual stage in the Tour de Valland, as well as winning the Tour of Kaffau, the Badenburg Classic, or the Richard Malone Classic. He could be one of the sprinters of the year in 1601.

Kjeld Povlsen (29) - Jokumsen's teammate and countryman Kjeld Povlsen seemed to stop his status as eternal promise after finishing second in the 1600 Ceribian Tour. However, it remains to be seen if he could show the same kind of performance in the Tour de Valland, where his results have been rather disappointing.

Jarik Nytar (31) - After finishing fourth in the last Tour de Valland, the Nerysian rider could be one of the favourites in the 1601 Tour de Valland, this time with the role of team leader since the first stage, unlike previous seasons. Although we don't predict that it is likely that he will finish in Lauren wearing the red jersey -we see riders such as Herzogenrath, Vandenhof, or Kalnins as more serious contenders- we can certainly see him achieving a place in the podium.

Damir Zagipur (24) - After the retirement of Almas Cingur and his teammate Enver Dushku leaving to Vançotte Team, Zagipur is expected to lead his team in the 1601 Tour de Valland. Despite finishing third in 1599, he probably needs more time to become the third Kyrzbekistani rider to win the Tour de Valland, but we expect him to be one of the most active riders in the high mountain stages.

Irakli Maisuradze (25) - Although he is expected to serve as a domestique for Jevgenijs Kalnins in the Tour de Valland, 1601 could be the season of his confirmation for the Ceribian rider, after finishing 13th and winning the Youth classification in 1600.

Cesar Spinoza (24) - The Lomarran sprinter was one of the surprises of 1600, after winning the Mestarka Classic and Heldenstadt Classic. Although he is still expected to help his teammate Richard Deiss in many races, we would not be surprised if the disciple overcomes the professor in 1601.