Team seven in my preview, the former Lampre-Merida team.

Last Season

Pretty weird year. They were meant to be a Chinese team this year, but then that deal fell through, then the Abu Dhabi royal family jumped in to save the deal, and then they dragged in a new title sponsor mid season. That strange year was matched with rather middling results. They started well, with Rui Costa winning the queen stage and the overall at the Abu Dhabi tour (convenient much?), and Jan Polanc won the first big mountain stage of the Giro at Mount Etna (above). They had a largely anonymous Tour de France, though Louis Meintjes repeated his eighth place from the year before, and Sacha Modolo picked up a stage of the Tour de Pologne. The season ended well though, Matej Mohoric winning a fine stage of the Vuelta, and Diego Ulissi winning the GP Montreal plus a stage and the overall at the Tour of Turkey. Overall I'd say when they could have gone under that's a pretty ok year.

Who left?

Quite a lot of talent. The former junior and under-23 world champion Matej Mohoric (above, on the stage of last year's Vuelta he won) leaves for the other Middle Eastern sponsored team. Louis Meintjes, the best GC rider UAE had last year by far, goes back to Dimension Data. They also lose Andrea Guardini, Marko Kump and pretty good sprinter Sacha Modolo.

Who's joining?

Some huge signings. Dan Martin (above) will lead the team at the Tour de France. He's capable of a podium finish, having finished sixth last year despite being taken out on the stage to Chambery by Richie Porte, breaking two bones in his spine. Can also, and has done before, win in the hilly classics, he's a very strong rider. Then, for the Giro and probably the Vuelta, they have Fabio Aru, who's a grand tour winner and a world class climber. For the cobbled classics and the sprints, world silver medalist Alexander Kristoff. Three massive signings suggest this is a team that mean business. They are joined by Sven Bystrom and Rory Sutherland.

How will 2018 go?

They could genuinely be one of the top teams of 2018. Easily within the realms of possibility they could get on the podium at all three grand tours and all five monuments. Kristoff will win big races, not necessarily the ones he dreams of but he's very consistent at the semi-classics. Dan Martin will win something big, either a tour stage or a classic, and be very solid in the overall classifications of stage races.