Tour of Britain 2018 – Stage 8 Preview
By David Hunter
London – London 77km
The final stage.
The race ends with a criterium around the streets of London. With the GC all settled, this is one for the quick men. We didn’t finish here last year, but did in 2016. You might remember that Andre Greipel was relegated for impeding Elia Viviani, something that I didn’t agree with.
Finale
We have a technical finish, with two corners in the final kilometre. Once onto the finishing straight, the road starts to rise but not by much.
Weather
A sunny day for the bunch.
Contenders
Caleb Ewan – loves a criterium, he’s the Aussie champion. After a frustrating race, he’ll be determined to finish it in fashion. This will be his final race for Mitchelton-Scott, a team that he owes a lot to. In the previous sprints, Ewan hasn’t been supported very well, but this is a very easy stage and he’ll have the full lead out available. He’ll like the final kilometre too.
Fernando Gaviria – the Colombian isn’t looking on top form. After a tough week, he’s now got a good amount of racing in the legs and will be keen to challenge for the win. In his favour is having Max Richeze. The final kilometre has a couple of corners and Richeze is brilliant in this type of finish. If Gaviria can follow the wheel of his teammate, he could well take the win.
Andre Greipel – two wins and lots of confidence. It wasn’t that long ago Greipel was bereft of all confidence and looked a shadow of his former self. It’s amazing how quickly fortunes can change in cycling. He was unlucky to get relegated here in 2016 and he’ll be expecting to take his third win of the week.
Phil Bauhaus – he was here to ride for Edward Theuns, but now gets a chance. Some riders find it difficult to switch roles during a race, but you can’t turn down a chance to win a stage. Bauhaus doesn’t have much of a lead out, he’ll need to choose a good wheel to follow.
Prediction Time
I’ll go against Greipel and take a win for Caleb Ewan, I think the finish suits him better.
David Hunter
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