Bretagne Classic – Ouest-France 2018 Preview

By David Hunter

Plouay – Plouay 256.7km

With the Vuelta starting in Spain, some of the pro peloton are stuck in grand tour mode, the rest are now looking forward to a series of one day races. Some are here to win, others are looking to get racing in the legs with a view to Canada and the Worlds.

The route is a little different to previous years, with a big loop of 242km, before the closing circuit of 14.7km.

Most of the action centres around the final 20km, with two climbs for attackers to try and launch moves on. We have Le Lézot, 1km at 5.1%, and Côte de ty Marrec, 1km at 6%. The final ascent of this climb crests with just 3.5km remaining and gives a great chance for the late attackers.

Sprint Finish?

Despite a difficult looking finish, this is a race that usually ends in a sprint. I have to admit, sometimes I’m left scratching my head as to how this actually happens. At the foot of the last climb, the peloton is already small. Attacks fire on this hill, especially as they turn right and join the main road. With only a handful of domestiques left to chase, a strong attacker should be able to stop the sprinters, but this doesn’t often happen!

The change in the route will also make some riders nervous. Most of the day is spent on narrow roads, where crashes are likely. These roads could encourage attacks before we reach the circuit, giving the race a totally different complexion. The last 30km should be very exciting.

Weather

Nice temperatures and the hint of some wind. We could get some big gusts coming from the South-West, that means a chance of echelons.

Contenders

Sprint Options

Alexander Kristoff – a rider who I have written off in the past. Kristoff surprised many people(maybe just me!) when he won the sprint in Paris. You could say it was against a depleted field, but it still goes down as a big win in the history books. That win would have given him an enormous confidence boost and he looked strong in the Euro Road Race. He then did something I didn’t expect, which was to attack in Hamburg. His group was brought back, but he still had enough in the tank to sprint for 3rd place. It seems that the big Norwegian is flying and back to near his best. This race is ideal for him and he’s finished on the podium in each of the last 3 years. UAE arrive with a strong team, who will surely ride for a sprint finish.

Sam Bennett – 3 stages wins in the Giro was an amazing performance by the Irishman. After taking a couple of weeks off, he then won Rund um Köln, before a longer period of rest. His only race since that point was his national championship, where he was a DNF. There are two ways of looking at this, he will either be fresh as a daisy or seriously lacking some racing! On paper, this is a very good race for him, but I am a little concerned about the length of the race considering his recent quiet spell.

Fernando Gaviria – his performance in the Great War Remembrance Race was downright weird. He made the front selection, but pulled out of that group with a considerable distance still to run. It didn’t look like a mechanical, it looked like he chose to drop back. The rest of the race he took very easy, rolling over the line in 67th place. With this race happening two days later, did he just want a relatively easy training ride? It was his first race since the Tour, but it makes me wonder about his current form. Can he deliver a big performance?

Michael Matthews – left the Binck Bank Tour with a seriously impressive stage win. This could signal the start of a purple patch for the Aussie, something he would be delighted with after a frustrating season. His sprinting speed seems to have dropped a bit, but this finish is slightly uphill, something that suits him. With an extra confidence boost, Matthews should back himself to beat the other sprinters in this race.

Sonny Colbrelli – he’s enjoyed a fine season, but is currently looking like a man trying to find himself. Does he back himself to win sprints against these riders? I think Sonny has lost a little bit of confidence and is now looking to attack on the hills and hope for a smaller sprint finish. It’s certainly an interesting tactic, but a move that won’t often end in success. I think Colbrelli needs to back himself in the sprint and stop wasting energy on the climbs.

Attack Options

Tim Wellens – strong current form and can’t help but attack. Like most of the attackers, Wellens would love the final climb to be double the length, just 1km is tough to create gaps. The Belgian is usually very strong in this period of the season and I expect this to continue in 2018.

Michael Valgren – the Binck Bank Tour was a series of unfortunate events for the Dane. He crashed on Saturday, ending up with a few cuts and bruises. He looked great the next day, but his move was stopped by a mechanical and then he had to ride a neutral service bike for the rest of the day. He’s spent the last week back in Denmark, something that worked well before the Amstel Gold Race. His form is good, his legs are good, he just needs a little luck.

Daryl Impey – the South African is enjoying his best ever season, with 4 wins to his name. After riding the Tour, he finished an impressive 15th in San Sebastian, before going on the attack in Hamburg. That move was unsuccessful, but it does indicate that the legs are still good. He’s not a rider that is going to wait for a sprint in this race, he will attack and see what happens.

Oliver Naesen – his legs suffered a Tour hangover in the Binck Bank Tour, but his performance in the final stage was very impressive. He followed that up by winning a local race on Thursday, things are looking good for the former Belgian champion. Oli has fond memories of this race, it was here he took his first, and only, World Tour win back in 2016. Since that point, he has developed into one of the best in the world and I expect a strong spell for him over the next few weeks.

Zdenek Štybar – it’s been a long time, but he looked back to near his best in the Binck Bank Tour. I was beginning to wonder if Stybar was on the decline, but last week was enough to convince me that he still has what it takes to challenge in the biggest races. He’s climbing well and his sprint has even made a reappearance, things are looking good for the QuickStep man.

Prediction Time

Sprint finish and a win for Alexander Kristoff. He loves this race and his current form is good.

David Hunter

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