Right 3 days till the spring season kicks off

who will be the winners or losers by the end of L-B-L

teams

individuals

Vanmarcke will do very well I think.

Dont see Sky winning a monument, close but no podium.

I reckon Cancellara will be trying to make up for last years near misses.

Boonen and Cancellara to dominate on the cobbles, Gilbert to own the hilly classics but someone else rises up to do a Nuyens/Van Summeren. Griepel to beat Cav at MSR

As far as the monuments go:
BMC - 2
Leopard - 1
Sky - 1

Sky are focussing pretty seriously on Milan San Remo, thats the one they want to win. They will be going there with probably 3 or 4 riders capable of getting a good result. And winning MSR would take the pressure off for the remainder of the spring. they are also taking this weekends opening two races very seriously, and have a very good record over the last two years, two wins, and two very good results. Wouldnt surprise me in the least to see them win both races this weekend.

Cobbles - Thomas is a big loss to the team. If they can get a win this weekend then it eases the cobbled pressure and they will probably be content with strong places for Flecha and Stannard. Hope is that Stan will perform as well as Thomas did last year, which means they go into 2013 with Stannard and Thomas as the two lead classics guys.

Ardennes - Dont expect much from them, but it should be the Rigo and Henao show. If these two are let off the leash then podiums are a distinct possibility which considering their age and experience is a good basis for 2013.

BMC looks crazy strong on paper.  Too many egos perhaps?

Garmin might surprise.  A lot depends on Haussler.  If his knee is good he could be a real threat.  He was very good in 2009 and has some young guys that can help as well as Van Summeren.

Boonen looks good.  Cancellara is peeed about last year... If Canc doesn't get over-confident with his tactics he wins either Flanders or P-R.

Phil probably has to be the uber favorite for Flanders.

I don't see Greenedge doing much... although Stuey is pretty cagey.  Goss could go well at P-R, Gerrans maybe at Flanders or the Ardennes....  Ultimately I just don't think a first year team comes to the Northern Classics and does much.

They also have the Matthew Hayman card to play, don't they? Awful teeth but a great rider.

Hayman reminds me (a little) of Van Summeren.  Ride all day on the front, there when it matters.  A real unselfish guy. 

Someday I hope he wins something big as a payoff for so much tough work.

BMC looks crazy strong on paper.  Too many egos perhaps?

Garmin might surprise.  A lot depends on Haussler.  If his knee is good he could be a real threat.  He was very good in 2009 and has some young guys that can help as well as Van Summeren.

Boonen looks good.  Cancellara is peeed about last year... If Canc doesn't get over-confident with his tactics he wins either Flanders or P-R.

Phil probably has to be the uber favorite for Flanders.

I don't see Greenedge doing much... although Stuey is pretty cagey.  Goss could go well at P-R, Gerrans maybe at P-R....  Ultimately I just don't think a first year team comes to the Northern Classics and does much.

Touches on a lot of my thinking too. This time last year, Philbert had already shown himself at Algarve, but so far in 2012 he's keeping it low key. He'll probably pick up a big one. Apart from that...

• Pozzato to do nothing significant
• MSR to not be a Cavendish vs. Greipel tug of war (I hope for another split like 2011)
• OHN to have an unexpected winner
• Van Avermaet to win a minor classic like Dwars door Vlaanderen
• Valverde to win LBL
• Gent-Wevelgem to not be a bunch sprint
• Euskaltel to discover Tiernan-Locke's obscure Basque ancestry

Juan Tzenan-Loxe?

Yeah, that's his great great great great grandfather. Fishing off the coast of County Kerry (because even though they say the first homo sapiens was from Nubia, I prefer to believe that we're all descended from the Irish), the Teenan-Locketts were blown off course towards Ye Olde Biscaye and shipwrecked near Bilbao.

At first the Basques thought of selling them to the Galicians but instead they decided to use them as firewood because they were otherwise worthless. Anyway, a passing English monk called Thomas Turpin of Bodmin Briars bought Juan and used him as a donkey for the long ride back home to Exeter via Santiago de Compostela.

Hence.

Boasson Hagen misses Het Nieuwsblad due to illness, @TV2Sindre says.

For BMC, Gilbert is targeting MSR and RVV and Thor is going for P-R.  However, I don't see them winning any of those three tbh.  Gilbert will feature in the Ardennes though, but again, can't see him repeating last year's feats, so against their (and everyone else's expectations, a failure).

I hope that Igor Anton wins Fleche Wallone...  :

All the talk coming out of Sky is that Cav is in great shape, so should be well set for another tilt at MSR, but Greipel seems to be in fantastic shape.  It might be a bit boring for some, but the thought of the two premier sprinters in the world going head to head in La Primavera would be pretty exciting.  I expect Sky to feature pretty heavily in all the cobbled races, but won't get a monument - can see them doing well at Omloop, K-B-K and G-W though.

If Cancellara has learnt his lesson from last year, and his team are a bit better, then he is still the man to beat on the cobbles imho.  However, with his great early season form, I hope that Boonen is able to win one (or both) of RVV or P-R.

As a potential wild card, how do people think Sagan might do?  How does he handle the extra distance of the monuments?  How does he go on cobbles?  If he is still there at the business end, particularly of MSR, then he's got a real shot at winning.

Finally, the season is about to start

As for predictions, here we go:
Milano - San Remo: Greipel over Boonen in a sprint finish.
E3 Prijs: Cancellara for a third time in a row.
Ronde van Vlaanderen: Gilbert, with Cancellara close behind.
Gent - Wevelgem: Greipel again.
Paris - Roubaix: Boonen outsprinting Cancellara.
Amstel Gold Race: Gilbert.
La Flèche Wallone: Valverde.
Liège - Bastogne - Liège: Fränk Schleck.

That would make the winners Lotto with Greipel and OPQS with Boonen, while Gilbert will be a slight disappointment despite a win in Flanders. Cancellara won't take a monument again, Hushovd will be disappointed, and Sky will feel let down in not winning anything major.

No love for Cuddles in the Ardennes?

he is super Dom to PHIL

But F-W might be a 1-2

I suspect one of the lesser lights at BMC will get a big(ish) win/podium - Phinney or Blythe maybe.  Selig will show himself somewhere.  Degenkolb will prove his class. The Oss Sagan duo will do well.

The new Ronde will be fascinating to watch, and whether it draws any Ardennes types.

Anyone think that Leif Hoste and Bobbie Traskel can get amongst it anywhere on the cobbles?

it would be nice if Betancur gets to ride Fleche Wallone and/or LBL.

I hope Im wrong but i think Garmin might disappoint.

This weekend

Omloop
1. Stannard
2. GVA
3. Offredo
3. Bak

KBK

1. Cav
2. Boonen
3. Farrar

Some predictions, here we go:
Milano - San Remo: gREENedge to take a 1-8 after they break away at the start and TTT their way to the finish, in doing so they set a new course record and all this is with a 90 minute lunch in Monaco. Davis celebrates with his 1st major win(aside from all those TDU stage wins)and is promptly declared top favourite for the TdF.
In fantasy world, I think it will come down to a field sprint with Cav or Greipel taking it and once again Boonen sucking in M-Sr.


Ronde van Vlaanderen: Despite the gREENedge boys not touching a bike since Milan-San Remo due to other commitments(bar work in London), they aren't given a chance by the so-called pundits and the pundits are left red faced as gREENedge repeat their Milan-San Remo plan, they don't stop for lunch in Monaco but they do get a few rounds of pub golf in on the way. Jens Keukeleire thinks he's going to win but Shayne Bannan says only Aussies can win on gREENedge, so Matt Wilson bags the win.
Again in fantasy world, I see Gilbert being left a little dissapointed and FC bagging the win.

Paris - Roubaix: gREENedge again bag another famous win and although these are all rather meaningless wins in small european races and in no way hold a candle to the TDU, leads the press to ask 'why are they bothering?'. gREENedge claimed the victory with some rather stunning technical advances(as some may know their owner is the king of recreational vehicles. ) they decide to ride on recreational vehicles, but that doesn't bother the UCI, who are more concerned with the new helemts used by gREENedge, think Cavendish's helmet at the WC with added corks on strings. O'Grady looks like he was going to claim his 2nd win but at the last minute he pulls over and lets Howard take the win.
Boonen takes the win, although there will be a break that lasts until the last 35km, and one of the break members will take a podium place.