2022 Giro d’Italia – Stage 3 Preview

By @EchelonsHub

As expected, the second stage of the Giro d’Italia produced a surprising set of results, as the technical and punchy time-trial saw the GC contenders come to the fore to fight for the stage win. Simon Yates was the fastest on the 9.2 kilometer course, beating Mathieu van der Poel – who kept the pink jersey – and Tom Dumoulin to the finish. 

Positive: Simon Yates, not only defending himself but taking time on all his rivals – besides taking an important win. 

Negative: Miguel Angel Lopez lost 42 seconds, Giulio Ciccone 50 and Emanuel Buchmann 57, making for significant losses on such a small stage. 

The Route

The day where the sprinters will be unmatched, as the race says goodbye to Hungary after three days of racing. Before they do though, the fast men will have an opportunity to take over the spotlight, as the 201-kilometer long stage features no meaningful climbing.

Into the town of Balatonfüred the riders will find the finale. A simple one, with no technical aspect, close to as safe as possible. It should be a regular sprint finish, where the strongest and most experienced leadouts will be able to deliver their men properly.

The Weather

A slight breeze from the northeast. Nothing special, may come as a small headwind in the final straight but I reckon it shouldn’t be strong to change anything. 

Breakaway chances: 1%

Very easy day to control, like the opening stage. No wind, no climbs, no threats, just pure flat riding roads where a peloton can with no difficulty comfortably manage any group that goes up the road. 

The Favourites

Caleb Ewan – The crash on the opening day was the worst way to begin the race. However, the consequences didn’t seem to be big, Ewan has shown great form, and this is not a technical finale at all – all of which are good indicators for him. With a strong leadout, he may get his vengeance already.

Mark Cavendish – Cavendish has been saving himself and his first big target comes tomorrow. With a leadout of Bert van Lerberghe, Davide Ballerini and Michael Morkov, there will be little excuse for the Manxman not to perform on a finish like this, and it’s a necessary win for him. 

Arnaud Démare – With a seven-rider sprinter-focused lineup (and Attila Valter) Groupama have quite some responsibilities for tomorrow. He’s not known for his consistency, however in the Giro he’s done great things in the past, will Démare open up his tally for the year?

The riders above are the ones who came with a complete leadout, and should with little difficulty be the teams to take up the charge in the final kilometer. This is a big race though, and contenders will come aplenty. I feel like this is a finish where it will be hard to see surprises, but nevertheless I expect the likes of Giacomo Nizzolo, Fernando Gaviria and Phil Bauhaus to be able to fight for the win if they find themselves in a good position. 

Biniam Girmay, Simone Consonni, Alberto Dainese and Cees Bol, Vincenzo Albanese, Edward Theuns, Sacha Modolo, Magnus Cort Nielsen and Andrea Vendrame are all riders who will be looking to grab a strong result aswell. 

As for Alpecin, I reckon that with today’s stage Mathieu van der Poel may begin to think of the points jersey more seriously, however with Jakub Mareczko the team has a perfect alternative well suited for this finale. 

Inside The Bus

This morning I talk to…

#201 Giulio Ciccone – The time-trial was far from a good ride, so let’s just focus on staying safe now ahead of Etna. The team will keep you safe, we won’t have many ambitions for the sprint so we’ll have our guys keep you near the head of the peloton towards the final kilometers. 

#53 Filippo Fiorelli – There will be good stages for you Filippo, but here let’s give Sacha a chance. He’s motivated, and it is a pan-flat finish so it will be good to test if he deserves the lead in the sprints or not. We will back you guys, and in the final kilometers you have the job to leave him very well positioned towards the sprint, it’s an important day.

#136 Alex Dowsett – Big day for Giacomo Alex, so you have a big role to play in our strategy. With big engines, you and Mathias have the responsibility of keeping the guys in prime position until the last 1.5 kilometers, ideally less than that. Jenthe, Rick will be behind you, and Giacomo will have to be saved as much as possible for the final meters. 

Prediction Time

⭐⭐⭐Ewan, Cavendish

⭐⭐Démare, Gaviria, Bauhaus, Nizzolo

⭐Girmay, Consonni, Mareczko, van der Poel, Dainese, Bol, Theuns, Albanese, Cort Nielsen, Vendrame

It’s a very simple finish, and I think it will pose no issues to any sprinter. Quick-Step to nail the leadout and deliver Mark Cavendish to the win is my call for this flat day. 

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