Giro del Trentino 2016 – Stage 3 Preview
By David Hunter
Sillian – Mezzolombardo 204.6km
After the fun of today, it’s time for the Queen stage. The stage is dominated by two cat 1 climbs.
The opening climb is long, really long! 19km at 6% is a lovely test of the climbers ability. It starts at just 300m and rises all the way to 1436metres. Some riders will not make it to the top of the climb.
The final climb is tough, 11km at 7%. As you can see it is above 7% from km 1 to km 10. We should see a proper sort out of the GC riders. Quite a few riders performed well today but will struggle on the longer climbs.
Vincenzo Nibali didn’t have the best of days today, finishing 32 seconds after Landa. The climb was never going to suit him, but don’t think that the race is finished for him. With LBL just a few days away, Nibali will be keen to really test his legs. Pozzovivo did something similar last year, winning a stage the day after a poor performance.
Despite being exposed today, Astana still look strong. In Nibali, Scarponi and Fuglsang, they have three riders capable of winning this stage. Sky did a great job today but I do think their team is weaker than Astana. It will be interesting to see what tactics Astana employ, but their big goals are LBL and the Giro.
Landa was brilliant today. Moscon did a good job in setting up his attack, but on longer climbs, I’m not sure how long he’ll be able to stay around. As the finish is not on the top of the mountain, it does usually mean a larger group come to the finish together. That would be good news for Sky, who would happily see a small sprint for the stage. If they can protect Landa in this stage, they know that the jersey is nearly his.
Sergey Firsanov is really enjoying a purple patch. This is a really important part of the season for Gazprom-RusVelo, as they prepare for their first ever grand tour. Firsanov is certainly stepping up in a big way and he again impressed, finishing 2nd today. He will be targeting a place on the podium and looks a very hard rider to drop.
AG2R didn’t do much, but still managed to get Bardet and Pozzovivo in the top 10. Similar to Nibali, they will be looking for a big test of their legs in this stage. I’m not overly convinced we’ll see either of them win the stage.
Quite a few young riders impressed today, but the long climb will be a different test for them. Older heads like Cunego, 3rd today, and Franco Pellizotti will be looking to shine on the tough slopes of the final climb. I shouldn’t have to remind you of Cunego’s descending skills.
Konrad and Buchmann stepped forward as the leaders of Bora today. Both young riders have huge potential and are keen to land a big result. Hugh Carthy is another young rider who will love this climb. Today was too punchy for him, this is more his style. A little off the GC battle, hopefully Hugh will be given some freedom as the GC riders mark each other.
Prediction Time
I see a group of 10-15 riders cresting together and expect Sergey Firsanov to continue his amazing run of form.
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