Binck Bank Tour 2018 – Stage 2 Preview
By David Hunter
Venray 12.7km ITT
A big day in the GC battle.
Pan flat and not many corners where you need to use the brakes. This course is about pure power.
Weather
There is a fair chance of rain for the later starters. The wind is relatively strong too, but should remain constant for all.
Kittel Watch
5km to go – peloton take a big left turn, but Katusha are sitting too far back. They have already lost Zabel out of the train due to a crash. This doesn’t look good.
4km – we are on narrow roads and gaps are not appearing. Katusha are sitting on the right, waiting patiently for space to move up, but the space isn’t opening. Still not looking very good as all the other sprinters are already on the front of the bunch.
2.5km – same as above, but now running out of time.
2.2km – the big man senses this isn’t going well. He moves away from his train and drifts into the centre of the road, hoping to find some space to move up.
1.7km – that well known sprint train, Roompot, go smashing to the front on the left. That’s exactly what Marcel needed and he’s jumped on their train. Not only that, but he’s got Mads Würtz Schmidt in front of him to help. Things are looking much better!
1km – Kittel moves ahead of his lead out man and now sits in the first 6 wheels. This is his best position for a long time.
400m – QuickStep make a rush to the front, leaving Kittel stuck behind a dead train. He’s now in danger of getting boxed in.
300m – as some of the sprinters start to launch, Marcel is now stuck in the middle of traffic.
200m – the big man drifts out to the barrier as he sees Caleb Ewan going past. Now he has some free road.
0m – 2nd, pipped on the line by Jakobsen, but finished very quickly.
Conclusion – this was Kittel’s best performance for a long time. He looked hungry and even though the train wasn’t great, he didn’t give up. He continued to look for space and delivered a fine sprint. If Zabel had been there, things could have been different. Well done Marcel!
Contenders
Stefan Küng – won the wet TT here in 2017, something that will give him confidence heading into the stage. He does needs a boost, because he was very disappointing in the Euro TT, finishing down in 7th place. I’m a big fan of King Küng and have closely monitored his progress over the last few years. He has recently announced his move to FDJ, which was a big surprise as most expected him to sign for a “bigger” team. He starts the stage as one of the big favourites, but he needs much better legs than he had in Glasgow.
Jos Van Emden – if you look at the results from last year, you would think that Van Emden had a bad day, finishing down in 10th. Those that remember last year’s TT will know that the result doesn’t tell the full story, as Van Emden was due to win but took a wrong turn in the closing metres! The Dutch tester is a very talented rider, but he’s developed a horrible habit of finishing in 2nd place, something which must frustrate him greatly. If he doesn’t take a wrong turn, he has a big chance of winning.
Soren Kragh Andersen – one of the rising stars of the TT division. The Dane was seriously impressive in the TDF, finishing 5th in the final TT. That followed up a very strong 2nd place in the Tour de Suisse, where he was only beaten by a flying Küng. Sunweb are here with hopes of him winning the GC, to do so he needs a huge performance in this stage. He certainly starts as one of the men to beat.
Mads Pedersen – after winning the Tour of Denmark TT, confidence will be high. Still just 22 years old, it’s almost frightening to think how good this young man can become. His huge engine is perfect for this route and I expect him to be challenging for the podium.
Michael Matthews – after the massive disappointment of abandoning the Tour, Matthews has been easing himself back into racing. He made the break in Ride London and was looking in a good position in San Sebastián, only for the huge crash to end his bid for glory. His TT performances have been of a consistently high standard this season, culminating in him winning the prologue in Romandie. Frustratingly for the Aussie, that is his only win in 2018, something that he’ll hope to address in this stage.
Victor Campenaerts – after successfully defending his Euro TT crown, it will be interesting to see how he goes over a shorter distance. The Belgian is one of the best TT riders in the world and will fully expect to challenge for the win. Weirdly, he’s only ever won one TT outside of championship events, back in the 2017 Ruta Del Sol. We shall see if he can make it number 2.
Prediction Time
If the rain comes down, it’s a lottery. If we get equal conditions for all, I’ll go with Jos Van Emden for the win. No more 2nd places!
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