BinckBank Tour 2020 – Stage 3 Preview

By David Hunter

Aalter > Aalter 157km

The organisers have moved fast after the Dutch authorities banned the race; I think they deserve a round of applause. We now have seven circuits of the lap in Aalter. Please note, the finishing straight is the same as last year, but not the rest of the lap.

Weather

It looks like being wet and windy, exactly what some riders will want to hear, but I’m not sure about most of the sprinters. The wind is strong, coming from the west, but will we see any echelons?

Splits

Most of the route is sheltered, or the wind is blowing the wrong way for echelons. The best section is the road south, heading back towards town. We have a 3km section which does have some exposed areas, but it won’t be easy to split. The wind might be strong, but it could be the rain that has the biggest impact on the stage.

Tactics

Who doesn’t want a sprint? I think QuickStep seem the obvious answer. They do have Archbold, but I expect them to try something and make this a selective day, but that will only happen if other teams join in.

The golden kilometre will also have a part to play in the stage, it is just 13km from home. Just like in the opening stage, this is very close to the end, so those wanting to sprint for stage glory can’t commit to it, which is perfect for the fast GC men.

Finale

The organisers of this race love narrow roads. Yet again, the closing kilometres of the race is full of tight roads, and this finish has a few corners too. The worst of it is from 3km to go until the flamme rouge. The peloton have to squeeze into a tiny little road, which is right beside the railway line. This road is not big enough to fit the whole bunch, I do fear we’ll see crashes. Once into the final kilometre, the road does get wider, which is a relief.

Contenders

Mads Pedersen – was very close to taking the win in the opening stage. If we get some filthy  weather he should be even stronger in this stage, he really doesn’t mind the rain and wind. Pedersen is right in the fight for the GC battle, but he’ll want more bonus seconds to get a bigger gap to Van der Poel. With Alex Kirsch by his side, he has the ideal man to guide him through the closing kilometres. This is a big chance of taking a stage win and 10 bonus seconds.

Tim Merlier – the crash denied him on Tuesday, but he’ll be back fighting in this stage. With the likes of MVDP, De Bondt and Rickaert to lead him out, Merlier will expect a good position for the final sprint. After winning in Tirreno, we know he has the speed to compete against the best here.

Pascal Ackermann – he seemed to launch his sprint a little early on Tuesday, but sometimes that’s how it goes. Bora have a good team here to support Ackermann, and he usually goes well in poor conditions. As he isn’t in the GC battle, he doesn’t have to waste energy in the golden kilometre, which could be important in the closing stages. Given the level of his rivals at this race, he’ll expect to be winning the stage.

Jasper Philipsen – his stage win was a surprise to me, but a welcome one. After a relatively lean period, it was good to see the youngster remind everyone of just how fast he is. Winning a second stage will be complicated considering the speed of his rivals, but a sprinter with confidence should never be underestimated.

Yves Lampaert – QuickStep will try something in this stage, there is no doubt in my mind. Given the speed of his sprint, Lampy could well try something in the closing stages.

Mathieu Van Der Poel – keep an eye on him in the closing stages, if he senses an opportunity he’ll go for it.

Prediction Time

Sorry to be boring, but I think we’ll get a sprint and Pascal Ackermann will win.

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