Tirreno-Adriatico 2017 – Stage 6 Preview
By David Hunter
Civitanova Marche – Ascoli Piceno 159km
After a crazy weekend, the peloton will be looking forward to a quieter day in the saddle.
This is a day for the sprinters, but like most opportunities for the fast men, it’s not without difficulty. This time we have a short climb, just 10km from home.
The little kick up is split into two sections. First of all we have 2km at 4.7%, then a 500m descent, before 500m at 7.4%. Once over this, the peloton have just 7km remaining. It promises to be a difficult end to the stage.
The straight road from 3.5km until the flamme rouge is not terrific news for any late attacker. Continuing with the bad news, the sprinters have to deal with a double corner in the last kilometre, before they can even begin to think about their sprint. This is not an easy finish!
One thing to remember is that no top sprinter will take any risks in this stage, due to Milan-Sanremo being just 5 days away. You might see some of the big names, sit this one out.
Weather
A very pleasant day for the bunch, lots of sun and not too hot.
Contenders
Fernando Gaviria – the Colombian was part of the big crash on Thursday, meaning that he didn’t get to sprint. Quickstep have not had the best of races and would like to get a win before it ends. His team look incredibly strong and he’ll have riders like Jungels, Stybar, Terpstra, Trentin and Boonen to help him in the closing kilometres. That’s the strongest train and the final climb will certainly not put him in any difficulty. Starts the race as the favourite.
Peter Sagan – what a win he took today! That was a huge effort from the world champion and I think he’ll now turn his thoughts to MSR. I think Sagan might just sit this one out.
Mark Cavendish – didn’t have the legs on Thursday, but will be keen to take a morale boosting victory ahead of MSR. Cav has a strong team to support him, especially Thwaites and EBH, in the closing kilometres. It will be interesting to see how Gaviria shapes up against Cavendish.
Elia Viviani – the Italian looked good on Thursday and this is another stage for him. Sky have had a good week, apart from their disastrous TTT. Viviani won’t have an enormous sprint train, but that’s something he’s used to. Expect to see Kwiatkowski on lead out duties.
Matteo Pelucchi – if Sagan sits this one out, it should be the turn of Pelucchi. The final climb could be a problem for him, he’s not really known for his climbing skills. If he gets over that in a good position, Pelucchi has the speed to contend for the win.
Jens Debusschere – he punctured late on in Thursday’s stage, forcing Lotto to change plans and go with Roelandts. It worked out well for the team, with Yogi taking 3rd place. This stage should see them go back to the original plan and Debusschere will have Benoot and Roelandts to help him in the closing kilometres. That is a good lead out train and he’ll have a chance of taking a big result.
Luka Mezgec – Orica only have 5 men left in the race, but they still have a sprint train better than most! Mezgec can count on the help of Hepburn, Durbridge and Impey. That will certainly put him in with a shout of making the podium.
Sacha Modolo – the Italian is looking like the nearly man. Gone are the days of him winning races, he now seems to always be around 4th to 10th position. Such a shame as he is better than that! He will have Ferrari and Kump to help position him, but does he have the sprinting speed required to take the win?
Max Walscheid – the young German hasn’t managed a proper sprint yet this season. Sunweb have a strong unit to help him, expect to see Timmer, Andersen and Sinkeldam position him in the closing kilometres. The young German does have a lot of power, but he is still learning at this level.
Greg Van Avermaet – might just test the legs on the final climb. He hasn’t really challenged for a win this week, something that he isn’t used to. Hopefully, we get to see a Van Avermaet attack.
Jan Bakelants – just like GVA, Bakelants might stretch his legs on the little climb. The same can be said for a long list of riders. Hopefully someone has a go at upsetting the sprinters.
Prediction Time
Considering the riders at his disposal, I think this is a day for Fernando Gaviria. He won’t be worried about MSR, he’s young and carefree!
David Hunter
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