2022 Volta a Catalunya – Stage 2 Preview

By @EchelonsHub

It was a hard opening day at Catalunya. It had the expected finale, but it saw echelons, a lot of rain that influenced the race and caused crashes and a late breakaway. It all came down to a sprint though in the end, with Michael Matthews having the most power in the uphill drag to the line, beating Sonny Colbrelli and Quentin Pacher.

Positive: Matthews taking his first win since the GP Plouay 2020.

Negative: Nothing to note.

The Route

The second day of racing Catalunya is one for the sprinters on paper, however a long day on the bike which may see some moves in the hilly section the riders will encounter not too far from the finish.

203 kilometers on the menu, with a rolling start. The main difficulties come from 103 to around 45 kilometers to go where the peloton will face some hilltops, none of them being too hard, but where some sprinters may be distanced if the pace ramps up significantly. The fatigue may build up aswell, but the attention will be towards the final in France, as the sprint takes place in Perpignan.

It’s not a technical finale and it also doesn’t feature any meaningful gradients. There will be 360 degrees of cornering just outside of the final kilometer, but there will be time to reposition towards what will be a fast finale.

The Weather

Moderate to strong wind from the southeast. Things will once again be spicy, crosswinds will be present specially as the race heads into the final 35 kilometers where the roads will be pan-flat and exposed. A day that can prove to be crucial for the GC, many riders may loose it.

Breakaway chances: 20%

The wind will be favourable for a breakaway, generally cross/tailwinds throughout the final section of the stage. There’s a rolling start to the stage and quite some hills that may influence the stage, but surely the interests from the sprinter teams will be too big for it to survive.

The Favourites

Michael Matthews & Kaden Groves – They’ve won the opening stage. They can go for two, Matthews is far from a great pure sprinter but with the right positioning he can go for a second in this competition. Kaden Groves is perhaps the best card, whichever rider the team goes for may succeed.

Phil Bauhaus – After his win at Tirreno-Adriatico Bauhaus is coming in with good form and has a proper finale for him. Bauhaus’ issue is he will have no leadout whatsoever for the finale as the focus is on the mountains.

Juan Sebastián Molano – UAE will have to spend a lot of energy protecting both João Almeida and Marc Soler. Will there be enough support for Molano? Only in the spot will we know, but he must have the speed for such a sprint.

David Dekker – He’s not looked the best today. I am keen that Dekker has the legs to win this stage, but he needs good form and positioning for it. If he does get it right, chances are good.

There are only a few outsiders who should be around to fill up the Top10. Some of the main names to take into consideration are Tom Devriendt, Martin Laas, Francisco Galván and Manuel Peñalver.

Inside The Bus

This morning I talk to…

#213 Fernando Barceló – Stay safe in the peloton Fernando, it will be chaotic down there and you should save your energy for better days, tomorrow is for the sprinters and the GC teams won’t let anyone surprise in the end.

#24 Tom Dumoulin – It will be a test Tom, we have some guys for the GC, you included. We will see how you do in the climbs, but we want to have the possibility to fight for the GC, so you have to make sure you stay near the front, the guys will help you but if crosswinds do split it up you have to take care of yourself if you must.

#33 George Bennett – It won’t be your job to work, but here we have to protect João and Marc. If you can, give them a hand if you get indications that things will get dangerous. Try to stick along in the peloton, it’s far from ideal for you the day but to have you as a GC option would also be good.

Prediction Time

⭐⭐⭐Bauhaus, Matthews, Groves

⭐⭐Molano, Hofstetter, Dekker

⭐Peñalver, Laas, Galván, Devriendt

I think a second stage is coming for BikeExchange. This is my observation only, I think the team would be better off setting Kaden Groves up for the stage if they want to take the win. I think there are other sprinters that may beat since the tailwind will favour the heavyweights, however it may finally be the Australian’s breakthrough.

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