Team Sunweb

Germany No. of riders: 23 Under 26: 12 Over 35: 2 Key stat: The team has more under-26 riders than any other in the Worldtour.

How was the off-season?

The most significant moment of Team Sunweb’s off-season might have been when Tom Dumoulin first glimpsed the route of the Giro d’italia. Having won last year’s race in such impressive fashion, it had been expected that he would set his sights on a Tour de France bid this season, but a few extra time trialling kilometres and an overall parcours deemed more favourable has persuaded him to instead prioritise defending his Giro title.

Biggest challenge

Following an annus mirabilis for the team — which, as well as Dumoulin’s Giro win, featured green and polka-dot jerseys at the Tour courtesy of Michael Matthews and Warren Barguil respectively, as well as three Worlds gold medals across the men’s and women’s teams — the team’s biggest challenge might simply be to not get carried away. Matthews’s spring schedule, which includes an assortment of Flemish and Ardennes Classics, and the fact that Dumoulin is still flirting with the idea of going for the Tour as well as the Giro, could either be interpreted as admirably ambitious or naively overreaching.

Man on the spot

The only way that Michael Matthews can shake off the suspicion that he would not have won the green jersey last year had five-time winner Peter Sagan not been disqualified is to beat him head-to-head in the competition. That will be no easy task given Sagan’s super-human ability, but Matthews impressed with his own consistency and versatility to win last year. The Aussie is also overdue a first-ever Classics win.

Ones to watch

With Warren Barguil gone, and Dumoulin potentially preoccupied by the Giro and the Tour, Wilco Kelderman and Sam Oomen could again be free to target the Vuelta, a race the former finished third in last year. In the women’s squad, Coryn Rivera is seeking to build on a breakthrough season, while Ellen Van Dijk and Lucinda Brand are also capable of winning big.