A marquee rider in Marcel Kittel may have left, but Giant-Alpecin are hurtling towards 2016 with arguably their strongest line-up in history. I's not quite the cycling equivalent of total football but, under manager Iwan Spekenbrink's quiet evolution, the squad have become one of cycling's most versatile outfits.
In seasons past Spekenbrink would have wandered into the Palais des Congrès in Paris for the Tour de France presentation with the sole purpose of counting up the number of sprint stages available. The mountains, the time trials even, would have all been afterthoughts for the team manager. A prologue may have pricked his ears but only because it would mean the opening stage would not end in a sprint. That said, if you're going to be a one-trick pony then you might as well be the best.
Daniel Benson is the Managing Editor at Cyclingnews. Based in the UK, he coordinates the global coverage for the website. Having joined Cyclingnews in April 2008, he has covered several Tour de France, the Spring Classics, and the London Olympic Games in 2012.