Tour de Romandie 2018 – Stage 5 Preview
By David Hunter
Mont Sur Rolle – Genève 182km
A sprint stage, but where are all the sprinters?
After a demanding week, the race ends with an easy day in the saddle. This would normally be a nailed on sprint, but with only a few teams willing to chase, the break will also have a chance.
The other option is an attack on the uncategorised climb, La Cézille. This is 4.1km at 3.7% and crests with 37km remaining. It certainly won’t be easy to hold off the pack, but there is a better chance than you would normally have.
Weather
Nice and sunny, with little wind. The perfect way to end the race.
Contenders
Pascal Ackermann – the young German sprinter will be excited about this stage. Arguably, he starts as the fastest sprinter and this is a great chance to take his first pro win. With Rudi Selig by his side, he will be put into a brilliant position, it will be up to him to finish it off. Bora have only lost one rider during the race, they have plenty of men to chase the morning move.
Sonny Colbrelli – with a couple of 2nd places to his name, he will be keen on getting the win. The Italian does look in fine form and seems to be sprinting fast. He will start the stage as the favourite and his team will have to shoulder a lot of the chasing. Bahrain will be desperate to end the race on a high.
Roberto Ferrari – the veteran Italian rarely gets a chance to sprint for himself. He still possesses a fine sprint, but might not fast enough to take a win. Can he roll back the years?
Samuel Dumoulin – he will struggle in a flat sprint, against some of these men. Now in the twilight of his career, I would be very pleased to see him make the podium.
Timothy Dupont – this is the man I think can surprise. The Belgian is a fine sprinter and seems to be enjoying life at Wanty, after a difficult 2017. The team will sense a big chance of taking their first world tour win since Gasparotto won Amstel in 2016. This is a big opportunity for them.
Baptiste Planckaert – a rider that rarely threatens to win bunch sprints. He might squeeze into the top 5, but that’s about the best he can achieve in this race.
Michael Albasini – late attack option. The local man has hauled himself round the course, clearly lacking form. It would be nice to see him at the front of the race.
Danilo Wyss – Swiss option.
Silvan Dillier – another Swiss option.
Alex Dowsett – late attack and big engine to hold off the bunch.
Prediction Time
A sprint win for Sonny Colbrelli. He might not be the fastest, on paper, but his form is good just now.
David Hunter
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