Critérium du Dauphiné 2018 – Stage 3 Preview
By David Hunter
Pont Du Vaux – Louhans Châteaurenaud 34.5km TTT
Time for the TTT.
This is as un-technical as it gets. The small men of the peloton need to move over, it’s time for the powerhouses!
Weather
Just like today, some of the forecasters seem to think a thunderstorm could happen. The wind is to remain constant throughout the day. We’ll have to see if any rain materialises, I doubt it.
Contenders
Team Sky – they start the race as the big favourites, as long as everyone stays on their bikes! If Thomas hadn’t fallen off in the prologue, they would have had five riders in the top fifteen. With Kwiatkowski, Moscon, Thomas, Van Baarle and Castroviejo they have a hugely talented squad, especially considering Rowe and Geoghegan Hart are the other two members of their team. Kwiatkowski could be a little sore after today’s crash, but it will take a huge performance by another team to stop Sky taking the day.
BMC – they’re not as strong as usual. They managed to have Bevin and Bookwalter in the top fifteen of the prologue, which is less than normal. Caruso and Bohli are talented TT riders, but Teuns, Wyss, Rosskopf aren’t going to frighten the other teams. I can’t see BMC taking the win.
QuickStep – the Belgians are strong, but they have two youngsters in their team. Knox and Jakobsen are not as strong as the others and it will be interesting to see how the team use them. With Jungels, Alaphilippe and Terpstra the team have the power to push for the podium.
Mitchelton Scott – I can’t see them winning with Power, Verona and Hamilton in their seven man squad. The Aussies also deliver strong TTT performances, they’ll be fighting for the podium.
Lotto Soudal – a team not used to being in the contenders section in a TTT! After strong performances by Campenaerts, Keukeleire and Wallays in the prologue, they might just surprise a few. A top 5 result would be huge for them.
Prediction Time
It’s not a question of who wins, it’s how much do Sky win by?
Team Sky to take an easy win, by over 20 seconds to their nearest rival.
David Hunter
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It is easy when your predictions are so right. What a performance11