Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2022 – Stage 4 Preview

By @EchelonsHub

It was a tough day for the peloton, some hard climbing on the menu and it all came down to the final climb. Early on Valverde moved in the GC group, which caught the last survivor of the escapee group mid-climb, but only during the gravel section were there gaps made as Aleksandr Vlasov attacked and made his gap grow all the way to the line, taking the stage win and becoming the new leader of the race. Carlos Rodriguez finished 2nd and Enric Mas 3rd, Remco Evenepoel struggled in the final kilometer and dropped to second place in the GC.

Positive: Vlasov taking the win and setting himself up for GC glory. Rodriguez with a great performance.

Negative: Evenepoel loosing the lead as he cracked in the final kilometer.

The Route

The sprinters will have exactly what they want in these two final days of the race as the flat roads have the majority. Torrevieja is the destination, by the sea the riders will be once again and the finale is urban and fast just like what they’ll face throughout the year.

The stage is all about that finale, surely. The peloton will ride through the final kilometers once before the decisive lap, so it won’t be an unknown to anyone.

Not very technical. The race will traverse the city so road furniture and some roundabouts will have to be avoided but nothing big. The last technical turn comes with 1.3Km to go and in the final 500 meters there’s a slight turn to the left, it shouldn’t prevent a normal sprint from happening in any way though.

The Weather

Milder temperatures and more wind, now the weather is changing up. It will be by the sea so it won’t affect a great part of the stage, but northeastern winds are expected. A cross-tailwind exposed run-up to Torrevieja at first, although I don’t expect the wind to be strong enough to create damage. As for the stage the final kilometers will be inside the city so the wind probably won’t be felt, in the sprint it may come as a tailwind.

Breakaway Chances:

5%

The wind does give out a possibility of a smart move if the right group goes ahead that can put the peloton in trouble, but it’s highly unlikely. The whole stage is flat, although Quick-Step already got their wins they can very well get another, and other teams like Intermarché and maybe UAE will help with the chase.

The Favourites

Fabio Jakobsen – The fastest sprinter in the race with the best leadout in the race. It will be hard to beat him, but it is possible.

Alexander Kristoff – Intermarché did a brilliant leadout yesterday to Kristoff but as expected he struggled a bit with the gradients in the end. Tailwind and a flat sprint, if they manage to replicate the leadout work the Norwegian has a solid chance to taking the win.

Juan Sebastián Molano – With Gibbons abandoning the race due to a crash UAE’s leadout looses some strength, but nevertheless he did very well yesterday by finishing second. That was his best opportunity, but the Colombian is still fast in flat sprints.

Elia Viviani – An enigma I’d say, he’s very experienced but I don’t expect a win as there’s always someone above, a Top3 is likely though I’d say.

Giacomo Nizzolo – Nizzolo was the missing man from the last sprint, so tomorrow will be his first opportunity assuming he’s actually there in the finale. Israel don’t have a strong leadout here, but he should still be able to get himself up there in place well.

The likes of Matt Walls and Matteo Moschetti will be hunting for a win aswell, they definitely have the quality for it just need to have the perfect set-up for the sprint. Bingoal have Timothy Dupont and Stanislaw Aniolkowski, B&B Hotels’ Luca Mozzato is another option seeing how well he’s done in yesterday’s sprint finishing 6th.

Inside The Bus

This morning I talk to…

#156 Jonathan Lastra – The hilly days are behind us so your chances of getting a good result are also gone. Don’t worry though the pressure isn’t on you, we’ll ask some of the young guys to get in the breakaway, you just ride in the back of the peloton and get some more race rhythm, you’ll need it for the next few races.

#193 Pier-André Coté – Straight to the point, breakaway. Are the chances high? No, but it’s the only way we have to netting something good here. Ben has confirmed himself the KOM jersey so he’s the only one who gets a pass and can relax, the rest including you have to attack in waves at the start, try to get at least one or two men in front and see what you can do from there on.

#124 Asbjørn Hellemose – We’ve got Matteo with an opportunity today and it’s time to try and do a good leadout here. Jacopo and Markus will have the task to be up there with him in the final kilometers, you and Marc have to make sure everyone stays safe throughout the day, you take special attention to Matteo and on getting the guys well positioned for as long as possible in the finale.

Prediction Time

⭐⭐⭐Jakobsen, Kristoff

⭐⭐Nizzolo, Viviani, Molano

⭐Moschetti, Walls, Aniolkowski, Mozzato

Best is to go simple. Don’t overthink, bet on the fastest guy with the fastest team.

Zweeler is a fantasy sports game that includes many sports and cycling is no exception. I ask that you check it out, if you register with the link below you will not only be joining an exciting game but will also be personally supporting me and my work, and allow me to make more content for you!

Tomorrow’s race has prizes of at least €100 and an entry fee of only €2.5. Make good use of your knowledge!

https://zweeler.com/game/cycling/FantasyVoltaalaComunitatValenciana2022stage2/main.php?ref=790

Rúben Silva

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Join us on facebook: Ciclismo Internacional

Copyright © 2012-2021 Ciclismo Internacional. All Rights Reserved