Tour of Britain 2018 – Stage 7 Preview
By David Hunter
West Bridgford – Mansfield 215.6km
Now that the GC is settled, it will be interesting to see how the bunch approach this stage.
The longest stage of the race and it is really long! 215.6km will certainly take it’s toll on the riders, especially after some hard racing this week. We only have three categorised climbs and they’re all cat 4s, but you’ll notice the jaggy end to the day. The closing stages don’t feature anything that is overly difficult, but it does provide a chance for attackers to grab a win.
Breakaway Hopes
With just six men on each team, the breakaway has a great chance in this stage. A lot will depend on the composition of the break, we shall see if Lotto, QuickStep or Mitchelton-Scott manage to get up the road. If they do, I doubt we’ll see a sprint finish.
Finale
An easy finish, but will we see a sprint?
Weather
The peloton are going to get wet and the wind is coming from the south-west. That means a tailwind as they head towards the finish line.
Contenders
Andre Greipel – with two stage wins, the German will start the day as the big favourite. He’s looked back to his best this week, it helps when Jasper De Buyst is also flying. Lotto have done a good job towards the end of the sprint stages, but they only have five men left in the team, which leaves them short to chase the morning move.
Breakaway Options
Ben Swift – after an awful season, it would be good to see him with a smile on his face. Swift is riding for the GB team and they’ll be very keen to get in the morning move. It’s been rumoured that Swift will be rejoining Sky, a big performance in this stage would certainly help with negotiations.
Taylor Phinney – EF Drapac don’t have a sprinter left in their squad, which will free the American up to join the break. A hugely entertaining rider, he’d be a popular winner.
Jay Thomson – I really want to see my buddy in the morning move. Thomson is a rider with a huge engine, I hope he can use it to make the move and drive it to the line.
Sylvain Channel – one of his final races. Chava has been very active in this race, but the bunch keep chasing him down. He’ll keep trying until he gets away.
Prediction Time
A day for the break and a win for Jay Thomson.
David Hunter
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