Paris-Bourges 2016 Preview
By David Hunter
Gien – Bourges 190.3km
As the season continues to draw to a close, the peloton return to France. First stop is Paris-Bourges, before Paris-Tours on Sunday.
Tactics
The climbs aren’t that difficult, the sprinters should be confident of making it over with the peloton. With a lack of top level teams here, the pace of the race should be relatively easy. With all of the big teams bringing a sprinter, it’s safe to say that they’ll all be happy with a big sprint.
Weather
Nice and sunny with quite a strong wind. It will be a cross/tail for most of the day. Should make for a fast race.
Contenders
Sam Bennett – the defending champion is back and he’s found some recent form. Beating Cavendish in Toscana will have given him huge confidence and we know he likes this race. He was ill and missed Beghelli and Munsterland, so he might not be 100% for this race. He will be joined by his trusted lead-out man, Shane Archbold, they make a formidable partnership.
Samuel Dumoulin – fresh from just winning the French Cup, the little man is high on confidence just now. It will be hard for him to beat some of the pure sprinters, but he is capable of finishing on the podium. 2016 has been a great year for Dumoulin, seeing him roll back the years and post a whole season full of fine results.
Marc Sarreau – the young sprinter has found himself being mainly used in Demare’s sprint train, but we shouldn’t forget he is a fast sprinter too. If everything goes to plan, he has the potential to finish in the top 5.
Mark Cavendish – given his unbelievable Tour, it’s gone a bit flat for Cavendish. Unlucky to miss out on gold in Rio, his return to the road has not been successful. With the World Championships just ten days away, Cavendish could do with a win.
Alexander Porsev – I’m unsure who’ll sprint for Katusha, but Porsev is their fastest finisher. A regular in top 10s, he does find it hard to win, he’s only won three times in his career. This will be one of his last races for Katusha, as he heads off to Gazprom for 2017.
Nacer Bouhanni – the French quick man continues to impress in 2016. Fresh from winning Tour de Vendee, his 10th win of the season, he’s looking to make up for failing here in 2016. His sprint train is formidable, easily the best in this race.
Bryan Coquard – after a tremendous start to 2016, his form has stuttered. He was disappointed to miss out on selection for Qatar, but I think it was the right decision. I don’t see him turning his form around and winning here.
Dan McLay – a solid sprinter, capable of a top 5 result.
Baptiste Planckaert – regular readers will be fully aware of my admiration for Planckaert. He was 11th in Binche, another decent result for him. This is a race that suits his skills, I hope to see him challenging for the podium.
Prediction Time
Should be a sprint and Cavendish v Bouhanni. On home soil, I expect Bouhanni to take his 11th win of the season. Watch out for him in Qatar.
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