Tour of the Alps 2019 – Stage 1 Preview
By David Hunter
Kufstein – Kufstein 144km
The race begins with an interesting stage.
We have three laps of a large circuit and two laps of a smaller one. The small lap contains a difficult looking climb, one that will worry the sprinters.
The Climb
Almost 2km at 10% is a serious little climb, but the road actually rises into the foot of the climb, the whole climb is around 5.3km at 4.6%. Is it too hard for the sprinters? The final crest comes with 14km remaining, which features some fast descending, but also a couple of little rises along the way.
Weather
A nice day for the bunch, with pleasant temperatures.
Contenders
Marco Canola – after taking six wins in 2017, the Italian failed to build on that in 2018. This is exactly the type of stage he should be winning; he has a fast sprint and can cope with steep climbs. Nippo Vini Fantini don’t win many races, to do so against World Tour teams would be significant for the squad.
Francesco Gavazzi – now in the veteran category, Gavazzi still has a fine burst of speed. Androni will look at this stage and sense a big opportunity to take the glory. They have a squad capable of holding the race together and their sprinter has the speed to win.
Simone Velasco – won a similar stage in Coppi e Bartali, something that will give him a lot of confidence in this stage. The Italian is developing a good reputation for himself, a win in this race will certainly get the attention of the World Tour teams.
Pello Bilbao – back in the day, Bilbao was a fast finisher. Much time has passed and Pello has now developed into a fine climber, at the expense of some of his sprinting speed. To win this stage, Astana will have to set a fierce pace on the climb and reduce the group to around 30 riders. As the climb is only 2km long, that won’t be very easy.
Pascal Ackermann – the presence of the German will want some teams to make the climb as hard as possible. He is a big guy, but can survive climbs like this. He’s the fastest sprinter in this race by a country mile; if he survives, he’ll win. Can the “smaller” teams put him in difficulty?
Prediction Time
Too hard for Ackermann, which opens the door to many riders. I like the look of Androni and think that Francesco Gavazzi will take a big win for the Italian team.
Remember I’ve now got a podcast too. Go and give it a listen
David Hunter
Follow us on @CiclismoInter
Join us on facebook: Ciclismo Internacional
Copyright © 2012-2019 Ciclismo Internacional. All Rights Reserved
