Before starting, i want to point out that CT is the division where i feel the least knowledgable and i struggle to understand how strong C1 startlists are expected to be which is crucial for CT teams to perform good.
As with my PT prediction, the text blurb is mostly to give you an idea of why i overrate / underrate your team and not really a full preview of your squad.
You can argue that Deutsche WindGuard has the best rider on cobbles, hills and sprints in the division. Neither one is an obvious and simple case but Quita, Kamberaj and Wisniowski are all in the mix. All three of them have good support teams behind them although im not 100% sure about Kamberajs leadout train. The team also has signed about every solid punchy sprinter that was available in free agency. One of the best rookie teams in recent history and a clear title favourite for me.
2. JEWA TIROL
A strong leader quartett with Yates, Stüssi, Lammertink and Boudat. Really solid depth surrounding them. I have some individual question marks surrounding some of the domestiques but the mentioned leader will be great and carry them to a likely promotion.
Kennett, Osorio and a strong TTT team makes the team a big promotion contender. Nikiema and McCarthy are a bit more like wildcards for me - they could be great but they could also be a bit more anonymous. Still there is a ton to like in this squad and this feels like a promotion worthy squad.
4. IESE ProCycling Team
Schlegel and Fernandes is an awesome leadership duo and prologue specialist Kukrle leads a good TTT team as another point scoring opportunity. The team has good depth on the climbs with riders like Hocevar, Spanopoulos or Holowesko with Toupalik an interesting hills option. Its a good squad that could promote but im far from certain due to the division strength.
5. Karthago
An interesting leaders group with El Sabbahi, Neilands, Shikai and Tesfatsion. I have some doubts about each of them but as a group most of them should perform nicely with at least solid support on each of the terrains. Should be in the promotion fight imo.
6. Banco Vaticano-Valkyrie
Powless is probably the best CT riders we have seen in this division for a while. It would be shocking if he doesnt win the individual rankings as the best stage racer and best time triallist of the division. The question is how much can he run up the score? I am not familiar enough with the calendar to answer that properly. Jele, Mayer and Beltran look solid but neither of them is a top leader in the division. I dont think they are strong enough to win the division but it could be enough to promote. But that mostly depends on how Powless can maximize his 35 race days.
7. IncaLine Pro Cycling
I dont see the one standout leader that really is above the rest of the division but the team has several well rounded riders who could fill a sweet spot within the division. Burke is a fantastic cllimber who will surely do a great job against supposedly stronger stage race opponents. De Gendt could be a top 3 cobbler in the division who might struggle a bit more against the PCT opponents in the higher race categories. And riders like Rohendi, "El Chapu", Prado or Tiviani are all guys were i could imagine possible upset results although far from a guarantee that they will be up there.
8. DeNA RoadStars
Cras is great and the second best stage racer in the division. Vangheluwe should be amongst the better cobblers in the division - assuming he gets the leadership role ahead of Heinrich. Carcueva, Ganjhanlou or Mayrhofer can add some minor points but similar to Banco, this team is mostly about how much Cras can run up the scoreboard - which he should be able to do even against PCT opponents.
Stocek, Lafay, Serrano are pretty good riders for CT level, Berthet is a solid climber, Politt and Darbinyan could also secure solid scoring throughout the year in their niches. With the exception of sprints, the team looks solid in the leader roles on every terrain which can work out nicely.
10. Air New Zealand-Prada
How good can Lutsenko still be? Is he a dominant force in CT? Or will he more often lose against riders like Quita or Yates (not Joel!)? Other than that, Cort Nielsen and Fabbro are the only other (main) contributors but neither is really at the top of their terrain anymore.
11. Tafjord Kraft
Stalberg is a super interesting rider as someone with a very nuanced strength/weakness profile. My personal take is that he wont be too dominant as i believe that a good leadout setup is absolutely crucial for his performance and i dont think Tafjord can give him an ideal one. I'm also not a fan of Pira no matter the setup. Belevics is good while Page and Curley could be solid as well although im not sure how much they can shine.
The team also collected every mediocre hilly rider with 75-77HI and mediocre backups. This is another idea that could work but i am not sure if Blouwe (as my highest rated one of them) is good enough for it. He could repeat last season where he scored 18 PCT points all season long or he could be the next Montenegro who somehow is the one 77HI guy to excel for no reason. I see the promotion chance in the team but i'm not loving it too much.
12. Simba Cement - Tanga Fresh
Owen is a strong cobbler, Turgis could be an even better leader for them as he has a really good stat package for a CT leader. Rachid and Azman are solid climbers. Sureda has been a solid sprinter in the past and Schomber should perform better in CT than in PCT.
Langellotti is the star of the team and could be one of the best puncheurs in the division. Behind him Smith, Masnada and Onodera are the riders who i think could play a bigger role this season. I really like Smith and Masnada in the past but i also think that their first decline hurts them a lot.
14. Billstedt-Horn
Galta, Walscheid, Stallaert is a good trio for a CT team who can find races where they will be very competitive. I just think they are less versatile than other leaders in CT and especially once they meet the PCT leaders they will struggle. Behind that, there just isnt much which promises points as the team instead went talent hunting for some really good expensive talents.
15. Parmalat - Croatia
Parmalat is going all in on signing last season's surprises by trusting Montenegro (302 CT Pts) and Leonardo Basso (315 CT Pts) to lead them. I dont believe that either of them can fully repeat those seasons.
The other two big leaders are Ciccone and Welten who both have intriguing profiles and both should be solid. Welten is easily the most interesting rider in the team as someone who could be one of the best sprinters in the division. I dont love his leadout which i reckon to be more important for a low acceleration sprinter like him.
16. THE ONE - Fox God
My favourite leader for The One is Ulloa who is a really solid and lowkey versatile cobbler. I dont think he is as good as e.g. Wisniowski, Neilands or De Gendt but he can get some solid results throughout the year.
They also have a good depth of versatile climbers but i'm not sure if Petelin or Verschaeve (who i prefer) is going to be a good enough leader to properly benefit from it. .
17. Brandt Cycling Team
Taylor Phinney is the star of the show. Despite being 36 years old, he should still occasionally be able to show his quality while he will have major offdays in other races. Finding the right races for him might get tricky and he might get blocked by Merchan who i think is terrible.
Other than that, Im not in love with any potential scorer. Daniel has some nice versatility to overperform his 77TT, Gonzalez looks rather solid and Richardson has shown last year that you dont always need backups to find any success but it seems to be one of the worse teams of the division.
12th isn't what we're looking for, but will use the label of promotion longshot as motivation for an exciting season in a very competitive CT division.
