Teams 7-12
12th - Euskadi-Murias
Last Season: 17th CT
Euskadi-Murias had a tough year in the CT finishing close to the bottom. Top scorer Daniel Munoz returns though that was only 75pts which was a sharp decline from a promising 2022.
Important riders In | Important riders out | Mustafa Carsi | Jo Kogstad Ringheim | Luca Sterbini |
A really solid window for the team not to lose any of their most prominent scorers from last year and adding new additions in the sprints, TT and cobbles. Really hard to know what to make of all the additions as all have not been in the CT for the last two years. Though Carsi was top 200 in the PT and is the favourite on any pan flat stage
Leaders
Mustafa Carsi | Luca Sterbini | Jo Kogstad Ringheim |
Weighted OVL: Not a massive surprise this is a lower-end team in this metric though moves like keeping Sinkledam for an inflated wage make little sense and also hurt the team. Bar that a couple of solid 50k riders make a real difference too many guys are being slightly overpaid here Quevado and Ablenado for sure. 13th
Depth: Similar score for the team in the depth department though it's promising having Sterbini, Scheit and Garcia all who look capable of point-scoring seasons in the lower ends of the team OVL. Small points for the cobbled depth though I feel both are fairly useless due to the lack of backup stats. 12th
Leaders: Now here's where this team comes into its own with a very solid score and a top 8 finish. As shown above Carsi, Ringheim and Sterbini all scored well here and it's clear the manager prioritised some high-value scorers. It has to be said that Ringheim and Sterbini don't reach the top 10 in either discipline though so a lot rests on Carsi and how well the management can plan the super fast sprinter picking out those pan-flat courses. 8th
Scoring Potential: Back to the lower-end scoring range here but not without hope. Carsi again brings the bulk of the points but Serrano and Sterbini both are expected to at least hit some high-value scoring. That being said this is a bare team in the top leader's department if Carsi doesn't produce. 14th
Average Finishing Position: This is one of the main teams where manager planning will be crucial this year probably 2nd only to SEE Turtles (though placing in prologues is easier than sprints) and if we see a great season plan for Carsi this team has a lot of potential to be a high-end mid-table team with the base from last year and the three additional scorers. I think there will be a very fine line between boom or bust here though and if Carsi fails the floor this team could fall too will be very low in the rankings. As the average position shows though this team was hitting mid tables and higher plenty of times in the randomiser coming in 12th in the prediction but an 11.25 average position. An interesting team to watch this season for sure. 11.25th
11th - Trans Looney Toons
Last Season: 22nd PCT
Trans Looney Toons return to CT after a spirited effort in PCT last season only finishing a few hundred points off staying in the division. Though without top scorer Lillian Calmejane.
Important riders In | Important riders out | Matevz Govekar | Kyeng Ho Min | Giorgi Nareklishvili | Lillian Calmejane | | Sven Erik Bystrom | | Zico Waeynets |
A team really torn apart with the strict salary cap losing top scorer Calmejane was rough though keeping Jaka Primozic made the most sense from a long-term planning point of view.
Leaders
Jaka Primozic | Roc Korosec | Girogi Nareklishvili |
Weighted OVL: The first team we've previewed to grab an elite score in a category and with good reason, this team packs 19 riders with scoring capability and even some extra TT depth behind those 19. Unlike most teams we've seen the Cobbles riders are also packing strong backup stats in a variety of ways a very well-built roster from the bottom up. 2nd
Depth: Unsurprisingly after success overall the team also goes elite in the depth rankings, guys like James Knox, Cristian Munoz and Oliver Lecourt are all more than capable top 10 finishers on any given day. The only department with any lack of depth is sprinting and with a token leader in Vingerling there is unlikely to be many points good here. 3rd
Leaders: Now some positives and negatives in the leadership roles. Primozic has shown last season what he is capable of and should continue with another strong year alongside Narkeshvilli though both look like lower-end of the elite riders in the division. Korosec is a very capable hilly sprinter and given the right parcour should grab multiple good results during the season. The last leader Moulingui also looks a solid rider in the cobbles but very much in the mould of the others solid but not spectacular. 10th
Scoring Potential: And here is the big problem it would seem for Trans this season. Amazing depth but lacking what a Calmejane or Min could have provided in the heavy scoring department. The team did keep Primozic and he scores a heavy amount of points for the team in this category but he is in a stacked mountains division and how far he can go is anyone's guess but he could ride into 20-25 strong pure climber per race though not many of them can match his back up stats. Beyond him the only other heavy scorer is Narkeshvilli and if he comes out on top in another stacked division in the TT then this team will be climbing fairly above this ranking overall. 15th
Average Finishing Position: This team feel like it had a bit of bad luck with the renewals and subsequent sales of star riders while trying to rebuild for the future and though there was a very solid job done there is a real lack of top-end scoring that could count against the team come the end of the season. Top planning and some luck in the TTs are needed for this team to climb further than our finishing position here in 11th but that would not be out of the question. 10.55th
10th - Spark Team NZ
Last Season: 24th PCT
Spark Team NZ returned to CT after finishing bottom of the PCT last season with old MG legends Angel Madrazo and Jack Bobridge. A team rebuild was needed over the off-season
Important riders In | Important riders out | George Bennett | Angel Madrazo | Eduard Beltran | Jack Bobridge | Jernaj Svab | Luis Enrique Lemus Devila | Anotine Duchesne |
Big rebuild completed in the off season with star signing Bennett along with a New core for the hills and a chief domestique in the mountains very productive.
Leaders
George Bennett | Eduard Beltran | Luis Enrique Lemus Devila |
Weighted OVL: Strong group overall for NZ which is pretty impressive considering Rodriguez still takes up 25% of the budget (excellent team-building talent of his ability), Svab was a great addition in the draft to give the team another scoring option though hard to know where exactly he will rank considering he was racing in the PT the last few years. The team carries a lot of talents to add to the core but all are of a good standard even the regionally-focused signings. 7th
Depth: Some nice scoring depth overall here to down to Rodriguez it's easy to see all riders pitching in with some points throughout the season. Notable lack of cobbled or TT riders, the first is a non-issue that can be avoided with planning the 2nd may be a bit trickier given the MG calendar heavy TTT and TT focus but still possible to avoid most for the team's leaders. 6th
Leaders: A bit of a drop off here as it's hard to see a true team leader that isn't Bennett here. Beltran has a great Mo/HI combo but I worry with the backup stats and the amount of hilly classics that finish on a kicker having such low resistance (the rate the red bar deteriorates) could end up being a real issue. with most of his rivals having at least a 5-6 advantage in that category. The flip side is to find the races which influence most on the MO side as he can find himself at a huge advantage and the most difficult medium mountain stages. After those two with Cameron Scott a potential stage winner throughout the season and Jake Marryat a potential top 10 in TTs though it could be Bennett chief domestique Lemus Davila who is going under the radar the man scored 217 pts last season good enough for 15th Overall in the CT standings and if planned to be his leader from time to time is good enough to rack up a healthy scoring total. 12th
Scoring Potential: Though not just a one-man team the bulk of this season's scoring is down to Bennett and how well he will fare at the much weaker CT level. For me his TT is going to be a big disadvantage and finding the right races is going to be the key to unlocking his full scoring potential. Carapaz, Jorgensen, Lunke, Arensman and Elosegui are all capable of putting minutes into him in the wrong race setup. That being said there are so many points available in the mountains with the right planning and for me, he is a promotion winner on his own with the right season. Behind him, good planning for Beltran and Davila is needed but both score some points in this category along with Marryat, Svab and Scott though nothing to move the team out of mid-table. 10th
Average Finishing Position: It's a great rebuild after losing the bulk of the team's leaders and having so much budget placed behind one rider, I think Spark Team NZ have given themselves a great chance of promotion this season given the right planning. There is a downside to having such a bed of talent in the short term mainly the lack of secondary leaders but filling in the gaps with Beltran and Lemus Davilla was smart as concentrating on a few disciplines and not stretching the budget to a leader on all terrains. A strong effort that does produce promotion for a few teams in the sim and rarely falls too far down the rankings due to the floor a rider like Bennett has but with the increase in Mountains competition for Davilla it is hard to see where the secondary points will come from so I'm pretty comfortable with a mid-table finish for now with the caveat that Bennett could easily earn the team promotion on his own given the right schedule. 10.05th
9th - Genii Hyundai N Cycling
Last Season: 23rd PCT
Genii Hyundai N Cycling returned to CT without two of their three top scorers from last season with both Penasa and Sicard leaving the team to leave them light on leaders but plenty of cap space to rebuild.
Important riders In | Important riders out | Kristian Haugaard Jensen | Pierre Paolo Penasa | Julian Bernard | Romain Sicard | Muhamma Afif Ahmad Zamri | Lukas Postlberger |
A big rebuild it was indeed. Some great signings picked up here with Haugaard Jensen 14th in the individual rankings last year the pick of the bunch.
Leaders
Kristian Haugaard Jensen | William Barta | Lukas Postlberger |
Weighted OVL: Few talents equal higher in these rankings as we've seen time and time again in this preview. I am a fan of having very few wasted roster spots here with only a couple of riders potentially hurting the team by taking up a roster spot but overall a strong team throughout. 8th
Depth: Solid depth throughout the climbing ranks here varying capabilities and strengths most have made planning the team a bit of a breeze in the high mountains with everything from TT heavy, attackers good MO/HI combos and even a climber who can sprint. A good TT depth in case of any TTT and for the odd TT result is also a bonus though the team does like any real scoring power in Cobbled and Sprint races though these can be avoided mostly and there is a sprint to throw into long stage races with a few flat stages if needed. 10th
Leaders: Given top billing to Jensen here with not too much to actually talk about a top puncher in this division has increased competition at the top end but a weaker overall field than last year at least in the C2 races. Will Barta comes off the back of a strong season at PCT level (140pt), you would think he would improve that total down a division but the overall quality of the mountains field may mean reproducing that scorer would be classed as a good year. Postlberger as well drops down two divisions and is hard to place as a scorer but has some good backup stats to do well in TT-heavy events. 13th
Scoring Potential:One of the surprises of the scoring system initially for me but on closer inspection maybe not surprising at all. A strong TT mountains rider has been favoured quite a lot in this version of the game and Genii boasts three of these riders and another two TT riders capable of good results there. Added to a top 20 individual rankings rider in Jensen and you have the base for plenty of spikes throughout the season should the luck fall your way. 6th
Average Finishing Position: Overall this team has a very solid look and a very high floor with Jensen guaranteeing a good chunk of points on his own. There's probably a lack of a definitive Mountains leader to send this squad into the promotion contenders category but this team with the right results along the way could push them further up the rankings. This feels like one of the safest bets in the whole division that the team will end up somewhere from 7th-11th and the algorithm agreed slapping them nearly bang on 9th with a 9.25 average position. 9.25th
8th - Zain - Omantel
Last Season: New MG team 2024
Zain - Omantel joins a brand new team becoming the only team based out of the Middle East in the MG.
Important riders In | Important riders out | Richard Carapaz | | Riccardo Minali | | Milos Borisavljevic |
One huge new signing to the CT with Carapaz joining the team with two additional leaders in Minali for the sprints and Borisavljevic a secondary leader in the mountains.
Leaders
Richard Carapaz | Riccardo Minali | Milos Borisavljevic |
Weighted OVL: Plenty of new talent here from the team region brings a score down a little bit and a couple are on the older side but with a very specific focus region the options were limited. All maxed riders though give good scoring opportunities and with most on minimum wages, it gave plenty of flexibility on the upper end of the roster. 14th
Depth: Very similar to the above rankings as a couple of unmaxed guys sneak in at the bottom of the depth. Guys like the La Lavandier twins and Lachine Saber are sneaky points scorers in the right type of races though while David Bartl is a potential TT result given the right profile but will likely ride in a helper role most of the season. 13th
Leaders: Now to the real part of this team there is a strong core of leaders here with Carapaz leading though Borisavljevic is more than capable of having a very strong season if given his opportunities for the year. Behind him, Minali and Bartl should add some points and hills leader Sirironnachai on the right route with less emphasis on MO stat may also score. 11th
Scoring Potential: A very high position in this category came down to two riders scoring in the top apex of the division. Carapaz comes out as the number 3 scorer in the division this season some high praise which I think mostly comes down to the lack of top climbers that can TT (there are some obvious exceptions) though of the 17 riders with above 78 mountains, only 6 have a TT better than 70. To add to that Borisavljevic has the best TT of all riders with 77 Mountains. I feel the only reason Carapaz hasn't come top is his low acceleration and some absurd backup stats for his main competition but these two should carry this team a long way this season despite the relative lack of scoring others can provide. 4th
Average Finishing Position: Could this team be this year Crabbe-CC Chevigny I'd say it's not out of the question that if Carapaz finds the right C1 race to target he can easily come away with a big scoring haul for the season to move this team up into the promotion spots single-handedly. Will they win the division, no there's one outlier team this year but this team could go a long way. To play devil's advocate now though if Carapaz doesn't perform the floor this team falls to could be very low as there's no real depth underneath to sustain an underperforming leader and that is why they have ended up with an 8.65th average finishing position. But they are one team that can dream of promotion for sure. 8.65th
7th - Ethiopian Airlines
Last Season: New MG team 2024
Ethiopian Airlines joins a brand new team for the man-game but not a brand new manager, Dippoflex originally managed a Bank of Ireland team back in the 2014-2016 MG seasons.
Important riders In | Important riders out | Sven Erik Bystrom | | Pierre Paolo Penasa | | Ryan Gibbons | Juan Ernesto Chamorro |
The table probably wouldn't be able to include all the signings made by Ethiopians but there are plenty more important ones that's for sure. Three strong leaders in Bystrom, Gibbons and Penasa are the headlines.
Leaders
Sven Erik Bystrom | Pierre Paolo Penasa | Ryan Gibbons |
Weighted OVL: We have our first highest-ranking team of the preview and deserved it. This team hasn't wasted a single roster spot with even Kenyan talent Kipruto able to get over the hills and sprint to a good enough standard for breakaways. A personal favourite is Felix English who could be underrated but has perfect stats to disrupt the flat classics this year with his high flat/accel combo good stamina and sprint. 1st
Depth: Interestingly this team instantly does fall in the rankings once depth is taken into account mostly due to others having more talents on their team which can impact the overall team. Don't get it wrong though this team still has great depth for the division Berhane, Schönberger, Grmay and Goncalves all are good Mo/Hill guys who could have strong rides at points in the season while Frison is a solid TT option. 7th
Leaders: Another stable position for the team in the top half for leaders. Though I would proceed with caution here as Bystrom struggled last season at the PCT level though this could change going down a division into a much weaker field in C2 events it is interesting to note. Penasa on the other hand was a very strong rider in the PCT field last year just outside the top 50 in the Individual standings. He should go well despite his first decline this season though a strong mountain field could hurt him there as well. Finally, Ryan Gibbons should be a solid top-10 option in the sprints all year and gain a solid amount of points for the team throughout the season. 7th
Scoring Potential: A slightly surprises strong finish for the team here in my own opinion but Penasa, Gibbons and Chamorro all contributed all Bystrom scores are a lot better than expected though still not as huge as expected seeing Eiking score from earlier in the preview though perhaps down to how bad the field in the hills is this season he will get away with a low mo/hill ratio in more races. The good news for Ethiopians is the amount of riders in the mountains adding value here with Berhane, Penasa and Chamorro combining to contribute a healthy score on their way to 8th in this category. 8th
Average Finishing Position: The depth play is something that has worked well in many different CT years Tafjord Kraft last season used depth to hit a top 5 in the rankings without a top 30 scorer and this team gives similar vibes this season to me. There isn't to my eye one outstanding scorer on the team, even then there are enough balanced high-floor riders that they still have the high-scoring ability on the team as a collective according to the algorithm. This intrigues me and this could be a team that you don't see towards the front of the MG photos much this season but will always be lurking in the background picking up the points along the way. It's quite apt then that they finish these rankings lurking outside the promotion zone in 7th if there's one team that will take advantage of underperformance on star riders this season I wouldn't be surprised if it's this one. 7.10th
Edited by jt1109 on 27-09-2024 20:30
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