Here we go then: The finale of the 2022 Continental Division season has arrived. As per usual, it takes place in and around the Swiss city of Zurich on a hilly course.
Profile
This is the second year riders will take on this course, after the race had followed more of a circuit with longer climbs in years prior. A few of those have survived, but there are also many, many short and steep hills all over the course, making it a very tough 232 kilometers - not for nothing, Metzgete roughly translates to slaughtering. Looking at the leadup to the finish line, it’s become more difficult for individual riders to succeed with long-range attack and indeed, last year we saw Kreder win the sprint of a reduced group. Following their promotion, Strava is back but without the Dutch, so we will see a new winner. Here’s who’s trying to follow in his footsteps:
Favorites
FL
MO
HI
ST
RS
SP
AC
Boswell
70
71
80
77
73
65
76
Moscon
71
73
79
76
77
59
73
Edmondson
70
69
79
75
72
70
76
Meyer
73
68
78
72
69
71
75
Vogt
73
62
80
78
71
62
63
Teuns
68
75
78
73
73
66
72
Quevedo
69
71
78
72
72
65
75
Serrano
69
72
77
73
75
68
77
Hoelgaard
72
74
77
72
72
68
74
Budyak
68
74
78
72
67
57
68
Zordan
67
73
77
72
72
65
74
Vliegen
71
67
77
76
70
66
74
Kanepejs
70
67
77
72
71
62
71
Pernsteiner
65
75
77
73
71
61
72
Robov
71
72
76
72
73
69
71
Weiss
70
63
76
75
70
73
74
McKenna
70
74
76
69
72
65
77
Sakalou
66
76
75
63
72
60
72
Lietaer
70
67
76
74
71
66
71
Le Court
70
70
76
67
70
64
66
Bernas
76
61
75
75
71
70
73
Hansen
72
64
75
76
69
66
75
Wackermann
74
68
74
74
74
74
72
Siriwardena
67
74
73
71
73
58
68
As is customary for hilly classics, there are a lot of riders with realistic chances to win or at least enter the Top 5. Representing the Top 2 teams of the division, Boswell and Moscon top this list as the best puncheurs, too. While Moscon might have the upper hand if the racing gets tough, Boswell has the faster finish - even if it was only good enough for 8th last season.
Decent sprinting ability separate Edmondson, winner in 2019, and Meyer, who finished second here last year, from the next guys on the list. Vogt on the hand is not only slow but also rather poor on climbs of lower intensity, which has often held him back, despite his nominally great hill skill.
The same can’t be said for especially Teuns, but also the Caja Rural duo of Quevedo and Serrano, as well as Hoelgaard, Budyak, Zordan and BWT guys Pernsteiner and Robov. All of them have the potential to score very well here and nuances will decide between finishes in the Top 5 - Robov was 6th last year - or outside of the Top 10.
As we get further down the list, weaknesses become more apparent. Vliegen, Kanepejs and Lietaer all struggle on lower intensity efforts and don’t have the great hill stats to compensate, like Vogt, Edmondson or Meyer do for example. The issue is even more severe for Weiss, though he at least has a very quick finish at his disposal.
McKenna and Sakalou on the other hand are great climbers but not that great as puncheurs, neither is Le Court, who’s also on the slower side. Still, all of them could fight for a Top 10 place if things break their way.
Towards the bottom of the list, Wackermann is fast but the weakest puncheur among CT team leaders, while Bernas, Hansen and Siriwardena symbolize the low priority this race has for PCT teams Strava and Red Bull.
Ranking Implications
Given that this is the final race of the season, the CT rankings will be finalized today. Let’s have a look at some of the positions that are still fought over. You can remind yourself of the full rankings here, and this is how many points are available in Switzerland:
Spoiler
Position
Points
1
50
2
35
3
29
4
26
5
23
6
19
7
17
8
14
9
12
10
10
11
8
12
7
13
7
14
6
15
5
16
4
17
3
18
3
19
2
20
2
21
1
22
1
23
1
24
1
25
1
The Battle for Third
Pos
Team
Total
RD
3
Glanbia
1377
138
4
Colombini-Adler Aalterpaint
1324
136
5
Tryg - Gobik
1296
138
FL
MO
HI
ST
RS
SP
AC
McKenna
70
74
76
69
72
65
77
Haas
70
64
75
74
70
67
71
Dunne
66
74
74
71
72
62
69
.
Vliegen
71
67
77
76
70
66
74
Olei
69
66
73
73
71
75
75
Gilanipoor
68
76
70
72
69
55
71
.
Hoelgaard
72
74
77
72
72
68
74
Fetter
65
64
68
66
69
65
68
Evangelos
68
63
65
71
68
69
69
First and second place are set in stone, but behind Jura GIANTS and McCormick Pro Cycling, we could still see some movement. Glanbia is in pole position to remain in third place, 53 points is a decent cushion considering they bring riders of similar strength here compared to Colombini-Adler Aalterpaint and Tryg - Gobik.
But the San Marinese have another trump card to play: Their top puncheur Betancourt rides in the Giro dell’Emilia - against tougher opposition, of course, but also with more points available. A 9th place there would be enough points to draw level with Glanbia. Tryg, meanwhile, would need a miracle performance to climb to third, but fourth could well be in play if Colombini fails on both occasions.
The Battle for the Chance at Promotion
Pos
Team
Total
RD
6
BWT Hyundai N Cycling
1139
138
7
BNZ-Superhero Racing
1081
138
8
Caja Rural Cycling Team
1056
136
9
Oktal Pharma - TotalTV
1044
138
FL
MO
HI
ST
RS
SP
AC
Pernsteiner
65
75
77
73
71
61
72
Robov
71
72
76
72
73
69
71
Jacobsen
70
73
73
71
70
59
67
.
Edmondson
70
69
79
75
72
70
76
Watson
70
65
78
76
72
62
72
Schultz
68
76
76
74
80
58
71
.
Quevedo
69
71
78
72
72
65
75
Serrano
69
72
77
73
75
68
77
Sinkeldam
73
64
74
72
68
67
66
.
Sakalou
66
76
75
63
72
60
72
Piaskowy
69
72
72
73
70
54
68
Frankovic
74
62
71
71
78
74
76
Tryg - Gobik are safe in at least 5th place, but we all know that one, two or even more teams outside of the Top 5 regularly get to promote due to disbanding teams in higher divisions. BWT Hyundai N Cycling are currently the leading candidate, but they’re under pressure from BNZ-Superhero Racing and Caja Rural Cycling Team. With Edmondson, Watson and Schultz, the former have a good case for the deepest Top 3 of any team in this race, and Quevedo and Serrano are a fierce duo, too.
Still, 58 and 83 points, respectively, is a big gap to overcome and Caja Rural realistically can’t expect any points from their appearance in Italy. On the other hand, just 8 points separate them from Oktal Pharma - TotalTV, but the Croatians have one of the worst squads here, so any advancement for them seems unlikely.
The Battle for the Final Top 10 Place
Pos
Team
Total
RD
10
Tafjord Kraft
992
136
11
Bianchi - Panerai
983
138
FL
MO
HI
ST
RS
SP
AC
Weiss
70
63
76
75
70
73
74
Ludvigsson
67
63
76
74
70
67
76
Bugge
68
73
74
71
72
62
70
.
Zordan
67
73
77
72
72
65
74
Vendrame
72
62
76
75
73
71
75
Svab
70
71
76
70
72
67
78
Rota
69
71
76
76
74
66
71
Luchshenko
72
65
75
77
72
75
75
While promotion is off the table here, 10th place is still valuable for both prestige and potentially fulfilling an important team goal. Tafjord Kraft are in the driver seat, but their lead to Bianchi - Panerai is a measely 9 points and the Italians come with perhaps the deepest roster and riders capable to compete whichever way the race unfolds, as well as the strongest rider of the two teams in Zordan.
However, similar to Colombini, Tafjord Kraft have significant scoring potential in the Giro dell’Emilia, where they’re competing with Hagen and Dyrnes, as well as good team support. With a Top 5 well on the table for them, that should be enough to keep Bianchi at bay and they could still attack Oktal Pharma or even Caja Rural in 9th and 8th place, but we all know that hilly races are a tricky thing to predict.
The Battle for 12th Place
Pos
Team
Total
RD
12
Pas Normal Studios - Mikkeller
743
138
13
Bonduelle - Eesti Energia
723
138
FL
MO
HI
ST
RS
SP
AC
Vogt
73
62
80
78
71
62
63
Juul-Jensen
72
69
77
74
72
65
77
Besada
68
63
77
74
74
56
77
.
Laas
67
74
76
68
73
67
76
Molard
67
70
74
71
71
69
73
Russo
73
65
73
73
73
76
78
Admittedly, we’re getting into less prestigeous territory here, and it’s likely not very tense, either: While only 20 points separate Pas Normal Studios - Mikkeller and Bonduelle - Eesti Energia, but the former come with much more firepower and it would be quite a shock if they scored fewer points than their French rivals. With 240 points to 11th and Air New Zealand in 14th place having only limited scoring potential in Italy, these two should finish right where they are now.
The Battle for the Top 15
Pos
Team
Total
RD
15
Staffbase - BHP
580
136
16
Le Creuset
558
138
17
Bordeaux Metropole - Euskotren
557
136
FL
MO
HI
ST
RS
SP
AC
Lietaer
70
67
76
74
71
66
71
Jans
76
53
74
74
73
74
74
Vermeersch
77
63
70
74
78
74
72
.
Teuns
68
75
78
73
73
66
72
Gogl
69
69
76
74
72
67
75
Hamilton
72
68
76
71
74
64
73
.
Wackermann
74
68
74
74
74
74
72
Berthet
64
71
70
68
71
62
70
Lazkano
64
64
69
64
67
64
68
On the other hand, we could see some movement to round out the Top 15. Hills aren’t a strong suit for Staffbase - BHP and a strong performance by Teuns could well be enough for Le Creuset to overtake them.
Bordeaux Metropole - Euskotren are only one point behind but unless Wackermann makes it to the finish in the first group and can take advantage of his fast finish, there’s not much hope for them. And neither they nor Staffbase can expect much from the Giro dell’Emilia.
The Battle for Last Place
Pos
Team
Total
RD
18
Podium Ambition
322
138
19
Eddie Stobart
253
136
FL
MO
HI
ST
RS
SP
AC
Le Court
70
70
76
67
70
64
66
Redy
68
65
69
67
67
68
68
Cole
70
64
68
66
67
69
70
.
Meyer
73
68
78
72
69
71
75
Umerbekov
68
70
76
74
67
70
73
De Tier
68
68
75
73
72
63
69
Podium Ambition manager TheManxMissile has been flirting with the “worst to first” narrative for next year and they still might get that chance: Meyer finished second here last year - do one place better, add some depth from Umerbekov with additional scoring opportunities from Hugentobler at the Giro dell'Emilia and that’s the 69 point gap might yet come down and prevent Eddie Stobart from finishing last for the third time in four years. With only Le Court having realistic scoring chances, Podium Ambition will hope that Eddie Stobart don’t reach their full potential … or do they?
If you’ve read all of that, you’re a real CT connoisseur and that is much appreciated! Tune in tomorrow to see how all those battles turn out.
Can’t wait for this one. Edmondson has won it before and as said in the preview, 6th place is on the line… we need to do well here and not only achieve our goal of a top 5 but I think try get 2 riders in the top 10 with one in the top 3. Going to be a very exciting and interesting race!
Although our season definitely was fantastic overall, I hope we can say "save the best for last" - where the "best" here would just mean the "best hilly classic", though. We haven't done well in those, and this is our win goal. So we're sending a pretty strong puncheur lineup I believe, with Moscon obviously being our main threat. He did a great job in Euskal Bizikleta, so I hope he was able to take the good form back to Switzerland. Then we have Masnada (who would easily make the favorites list if riding for another team I believe), plus Schmid, who also did a good job in Spain recently.
If the race should be really, I mean, really really lame, there's also Aregger, but I'm pretty sure that's not going to matter. Still, you always have to tell your sponsors you tried everything to reach their goals - although I know that given Moscon's bad sprint, winning here is not too probable for us.
Thanks for the great preview, cunego - although I'm afraid you picked the stage racing points instead of the one day races
Hopefully we can end the season on a strong note. Don't think it'll happen, but winning the first and last race of the season would be somewhat poetic hah. In the end it doesn't really matter, since promotion is a dream already, but I don't think we will get that podium spot in CT. The competition is too fierce. However, good luck to everyone, it was a great season! Thanks for the preview
It's a bit sad we dropped a position with this race but congrats to Bordeaux and this great victory! We could score a few points so it sint a bad result for us in the end.
Though I might see some of you at Emilia, thanks for my fellow manager companions for this season. I hope to see many of you again next season and then I hopefully will battle a bit harder
“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably."
A. Roy
Lovely win for Wackerman who is a super cool rider that I was looking at as well but was not really a good fit for my plans. Also fantastic for imladrik after his work this season to end it on a bang!
We held onto the 6th place in the CT Rankings for now, which is one of the most difficult spots to be in - we are the first in line for additional promotion spots, yet it's not always a sure thing that there will be disbandments. Still, it's our best season ever and though we failed to finish in Top 5 which would've guaranteed us promotion spot no questions asked, I think I should be proud with this season.
Zuri Metzgete 
Let me adjust that (and a few text passages then) real quick ...
