La Vuelta 2015 – Stage 5 Preview
By David Hunter
Rota – Alcala de Guadaira 167.3km
The opening 4 stages of the race have been stressful, difficult and full of incident. Today is like a rest day!
See what I mean! Look at the very end of the stage, look closely now or you’ll miss it!
To brighten up a boring day, the final 400metres rises at 5.2%, with a maximum of 8.2%. There is no such thing as an easy sprint, in the Vuelta!
With very few sprint opportunities, there is no chance for the break. This stage is all about the final 5km. Inside the final kilometre, it gets technical. We have a double corner, before the riders turn left onto the finishing hill. At this point, the riders will be travelling slowly, this is a power sprint.
Quite a few of the sprinters had a tough time of it, during stage 3, this will be their first attempt at a sprint. Here are the serious challengers for the stage:- Degenkolb, Sagan, Bouhanni, Ewan, Barbero and Van Poppel. Yes, there are other sprinters but I don’t think they stand a chance of winning.
Degenkolb – He’ll have the best sprint train. He will be supported by Dumoulin, Stamsnijder, Mezgec and De Kort. Mezgec did an amazing pull for him, during stage 2, but Degenkolb failed to deliver. The uphill sprint is much better for the German and he will be wanting to make up for a poor showing, on stage 2. He has an amazing record in the Vuelta, winning 4 stages in 2014 and 5 in 2012. Can he take win number 10?
Sagan – The man who needs no lead out! He was brilliant in Malaga. Clearly still on great form, he’s another that loves an uphill kick. Should have Bennati on hand, to deliver him into the right place.
Bouhanni – An admirable 3rd in Malaga, despite crashing. Has a strong lead out, especially Soupe, but the uphill sprint suits him the least of the favourites. Would take one hell of an effort to beat Degs and Sagan.
Ewan – He might be young, but he’s fast. Lead outs will be important, so protecting the red jersey will hurt Orica. I would expect Gerrans to be ready to join the train and if they save Impey, Gerrans and Docker for the finish, that’s still a very strong squad. Winning the stage would be a dream, a podium is more like reality.
Barbero – Representing Spain! Not got a lot of help, to get into position, but he does love sprinting uphill. This stage is good for him, but not great. He would prefer a few more hills and a steeper finale.
Van Poppel – The easy stage is great news for him, as is the tough finish. He’s enjoying a recent purple patch of form, winning 2 stages in Tour de Wallonie and taking a 2nd place in the Eneco Tour. No Cancellara is a big loss but he can count on his brother and Jasper Stuyven to set him up for the big kick. If not feeling great, Stuyven is also capable of a top finish.
Prediction Time
Positioning is going to be very important. Bennati should be okay to guide Sagan into a great position. In his current form, I can’t see anyone stopping him.
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