Züri Metzgete, or the Championship of Zurich as it is known in English, is one of the oldest one-day races in cycling. It will be held for the 94th time in 2007 and is expected to be another spectacular race coming just one week after the UCI Road World Championships. The new World Champion traditionally shows off his rainbow jersey in the race giving it a special feeling and an air of celebration. The 240km race is very demanding and often means few riders finish the race, especially in bad weather. The first section of the course rolls through the Swiss countryside with a 72km loop around further south before four 42km circuits that pass along the northern shore of the lake and through the centre of Zurich. The race is often decided on the tough Pfannenstiel climb 20 kilometres from the finish. The steep and narrow road splits the field and there is little time to recover on the fast descent towards the finish. Samuel Sanchez of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team made a perfectly timed attack and then used his impressive bike handling skills to win in the rain last year. He was one of the best riders in the final part of the season and was rewarded second overall in the individual UCI ProTour standings behind compatriot Alejandro Valverde.
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