The time has come. October 18th 2019, the final day of the season. The ProTour races in Lombardia, the Pro Continental Tour has its curtain call in Japan and for the Continental Tour, we head to Zürich to close the season. In 233.1 kilometer we will know the answers to many questions: who wins the race, who wins the Continental title, who has achieved automatic promotion, which teams can hope for disband promotions, and which team earns the wooden spoon? However, the rankings are not really that close in the important spots, with the battle for fourth between NENT and Netia as probably most exiting. Alternatively, Zalgiris has a chance of beating Bianchi for sixth.
It seems the break will only consist of two riders: Schinnagel and Mäder. Fifty kilometer into the stage and they lead by five minutes, a few hairpin turns ahead of the peloton. There was a brief counter-attempt including Habtemichael, Stoenchev, Petrie-Armstrong and Fedeli, English and Filutas, but the peloton chased that back.
But as we re-enter Zürich to start the local laps with 170 to go, they decide to get caught. Euskaltel, Eddie Stobart, Equinor, BNZ and Zalgiris did not set that high of a pace, so it was purely their decision to slow down. Why go for the break in the first place then?
Schinnagel then tries again a few kilometer later, as if he is addicted to attacking. He gets a new buddy in Majoral a few kilometer later, but no Mäder. They quickly establish a gap the same size as before. With the same teams as before setting the pace in the chase, nothing has changed except one of the puppets out front.
A lap later, same place, and the gap is down to three minutes with exactly 100k to go. Continuing the trend, the duo will be caught for the final lap, right in time for the favorites to attack. Peloton still in one piece.
However, on the downhill a split occurred with some riders being scared/braver than others. Along the lakeside, a lead peloton of only 45 riders containing most major favorites. Important riders in the second peloton are Chaves, Costa and Pinot. Pellaud suffered a puncture and is now even behind the second peloton.
The peloton is now ripped in three parts, as a group has ridden away from the second peloton. Costa and Pinot are in the second group of 34, as are Diggle, Elissonde, Roche, Roux, Squire and Teklit. The groups can see each other but closing in is tough on the climb. Chaves, Pellaud, Diaz and Giogieri still in the third group, currently given at 2 minutes.
Group two managed to close the gap to group one on the first climb in the lap. Azteca and Bianchi push on the downhill to also return the third peloton, crisis averted. The lead of E1 has also shrunk to 1'30, suggesting their chances of survival are slim if not non-existent.
Majoral has enough of Schinnagel and attacks on the next climb. The peloton has closed in to under a minute and the German would soon be caught. The Andorran is not giving up without a fight though.
The peloton also splits in two parts again roughly along the same lines as before, though Chaves has made the jump from behind to the front group. The second peloton would eventually catch up after the climb, leaving only a few individual riders behind the peloton with 50 kilometer to go.
One lap for Majoral, maintaining his one minute lead against Kangangi, Zahiri and Lovik leading the peloton, which is reduced to 100 with a few more riders falling behind on the run into Zürich, but no one who requires explicit mentioning. All the favorites are there when we head onto the final pair of climbs.
Equinor comes to the front with Kurianov and Kurth to catch Majoral at the start of the first climb. 35 kilometer to the finish.
Gunman, Bugge and Malacarne set the pace on the first climb, and with them 61 riders cross the top. Potocki, Camier and Pirazzi are the most important names out of contention.
At 22 kilometer, with the same riders except Grosser who is apparently scared of descents, we turn onto the final climb. Expecting attacks, otherwise it will be a large sprint to the line. Geschke and McEvoy as punchy sprinters still in the group.
The riders fall off one by one, mostly domestiques or riders who were very lucky to be here at this points. Halfway up the climb, Giogieri is the first big favorite to get dropped, confirming the bad form he already showed at the beginning of the stage.
Meyer is the first rider to attack, which will hopefully explode the race. Siskevicius, Edmondson, Weiss and Hoelgaard can be seen responding.
We are close to the top and a group of 13 riders has a considerable gap over the rest of the group: Edmondson Weiss Meyer Siskevicius Hoelgaard Thiery McEvoy Kwiatkowski Bystroms Bernas Groselj Geschke Villella
McEvoy and Geschke are obviously favorites if this group makes it to the end. Chaves, Costa and Pinot missed the boat but neither them nor their teams can be seen at the front of the chasing group.
Over the top and Edmondson accelerates to create a small gap over Meyer, Siskevicius, Hoelgaard and Thiery, with McEvoy trying to close it. Groselj, Villela and Geschke have lost contact at the back. Roche, Bravo, Rovny and Hardy lead the group which falls behind further and further.
The descent contains a small climb of a kilometer, at which Edmondson leads by 30 seconds over the other twelve who found themselves on the downhill again. With further cooperation, they can close the gap.
Behind the chasers we have a second group of eight riders only 40 seconds behind: Zingle Hardy Pinot Chaves Bravo Rovny Roche Squire
They responded a bit too late but if they start looking at each other out front, they can get back in contention.
The gap to the Brit only increases, so Thiery and Siskevicius attack just before the descent resumes, the gap now 45 seconds with the second group about to join the first. Hoelgaard, Meyer, Kwiatkowski, Bernas and McEvoy are the front riders on the descent, with a gap appearing to occur behind with Bystrom as culprit.
Ten mostly flat kilometers to go for Edmondson. The descent has caused large gaps amongst the front, Thiery the first of the group to get down, ahead of Siskevicius. A considerable gap occurring behind them with the chasing group now definitely split in multiple, smaller groups.
Siskevicius rides back to Thiery but there is another 35 seconds to Edmondson with the kilometers ticking down. Meyer, Hoelgaard, Kwiatkowski and Bernas are 20 seconds behind the duo, with McEvoy another 15 behind. The rest of the group is twenty seconds behind McEvoy, which is 1'30 to Edmondson.
Five kilometer to go and the gap stays the same. Unless a rider attacks or Edmondson implodes, he wins. McEvoy is back to group Kwiatkowski. but a minute down on Edmondson will be difficult to bring back.
Disagreement between Thiery and Siskevicius! The Swiss gesticulating at the Lithuanian with regards to taking over, but he flat out refuses. Group Kwiatkowski has now come within sight again.
And all this allows Joshua Edmondson to ride away unthreatened and win Zuri Metgzete! He timed his attack perfectly, just before the downhill, and managed to keep his cool on the road into Zürich to win by nearly a minute.
Siskevicius now finally coming out of Thiery's wheel inside the final kilometer. Meyer, McEvoy and Bernas have ridden away from Kwiatkowski and Hoelgaard but it might be too late to sprint for the podium places, fourth will be the max.
But the reasons for his refusal to take over become clear, as he has no energy for a sprint. Cyrile Thiery brings a smile on the home crowd by taking second place, amazing result for him! He will have a word with Evaldas Siskevicius behind the podium though.
Bernas, McEvoy and Meyer are side by side with 300 meter to go in the sprint for fourth.
As should be expected, McEvoy wins that sprint, a good result though the attacks threw a spanner in his plans. Bernas fifth as lead Netia rider, Meyer sixth.
Kwiatkowski and Hoelgaard with a close finish for seventh but the Pole takes it. Nevertheless, he went into this race as prime favorite and seventh is simply not good enough then.
Bystrom ninth, with Villela and Weiss heading to the photo booth to decide tenth place, it is given to the Austrian. Hardy twelfth, Pinot disappointed with thirteenth. Azteca with fourteenth to sixteenth place with Chaves, Bravo and Squire, which should lead to a re-evaluation of team tactics. Rounding out the group are Rovny, Roche, Geschke, Groselj and Zingle.
The top twenty-five receives ranking points, and every point might count, so the sprint for twenty-second in the next group is hotly contested. Freuler beats Paez, with the final points going to Alizadeh and Saggiorato.
