Will we finally see a proper sprint stage today ? The parcour is classed as flat but it is certainly more lumpy than pancake-flat. The majority of the sprinters are at the limit already having tried to survive the last 10 days but with the promise of a rest day tomorrow they will summon the troops and haul their tired bodies out of the trenches for battle.
If the chase is left to Jumbo we will very likely see a repeat of yesterday where the break is allowed to win by a large margin. Primoz Roglic has withdrawn from the race to recover from his injuries and with a depleted squad they will not be looking to work hard where not absolutely necessary. We will likely see the teams of the sprinters control the break especially with the last 54km trajectory being predominantly downhill.
The vital statistics of the day are 202.5km with two gradual Cat 3 climbs at 68km and 154km respectively. The now redundant sprint point comes at 147km. There are plenty of uncategorised climbs, most of which we get out of the way before the last climb.
Our prediction is a bunch sprint. Given the gutsy fight to stay in the race we hope that Caleb Ewan can raise his arms at the finish line today.
Our Top Picks:
Caleb Ewan
Dylan Groenewegen
Fabio Jakobsen
Outside Picks:
Peter Sagan
Wout Van Aert
Our Winner:
Caleb Ewan
