Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2017 – Stage 1 Preview
By David Hunter
Orihuela – Orihuela 37.9km TTT
It’s very unusual that we are faced with a 38km TTT as the very first stage of a race in January. I’m sure the vast majority of the bunch are not looking forward to this.
The route has one categorised climb, any type of hill in a TTT is difficult. On the plus side, the lack of corners is good news for most. This is about raw power.
Weather
Looks like being a very nice day for the riders with sunshine and not much wind. The weather will not influence the outcome of the stage.
Contenders
BMC – the former world champions line up with only one rider from their silver medal winning team in Qatar. Kung is the only surviver and it’s been a while since I’ve seen a BMC TTT outfit looking as weak as this one does. Don’t get me wrong, they are still a huge threat to win the stage but they lack their usual big engines. Hoping to impress the team bosses is Tom Bohli, a rising star in this discipline. Greg Van Avermaet will be looking to test out his ankle, after undergoing surgery in November. The other teams will look at BMC and think they have a chance.
Quick Step – they arrive with two of their gold medal winners from Qatar, Lampaert and Terpstra. Supplementing those riders will be Gilbert, Stybar, De La Cruz, De Plus and Keisse. Their GC hope is Dan Martin and he’ll be hoping his teammates can pull out a big result and place him high on GC. Given the strength of the BMC squad, I think Quick Step should start as the favourites for the stage.
Orica – the Aussies are another team that arrive with a weakened TTT squad. They have no riders that featured in Qatar, but they do bring some powerful men. With Adam and Simon Yates, they have two riders capable of challenging on GC, but they’ll need to step up tomorrow. Their team does resemble the outfit that finished down in 9th place in the 2016 Tirreno TTT.
FDJ – one of the most improved TTT squads in the peloton. Their 3rd place in Tirreno was a massive step forward for them. They would dearly love something similar in this race, it would certainly put Pinot into a strong position on GC. A top 5 is certainly achievable, maybe even better.
Jumbo – the other most improved TTT squad. The Dutch boys really are starting to look impressive in this discipline and I know that this stage is a massive target for them. They arrive with a team full of talented TT riders: Campenaerts, Castelijns, Clement, Van Emden, Keizer, Kruijswijk, Roglic and Van Den Broeck. The squad have been out in Spain for a good few days now, already taking a look at the stage over the weekend. The Dutch team are serious about this stage and want a huge result. They will be bitterly disappointed not to make the podium.
Movistar – always deliver on home soil. Saying that, their squad does look rather weak, apart from Amador and Castroviejo. Can they continue to outperform on home soil? I certainly wouldn’t be surprised, but the team just doesn’t look good enough to win. They will hope for a solid result and a high finish for Nairo Quintana.
Sky – they have two riders from the 4th placed team in Qatar, Kiryienka and Kwiatkowski. The rest of the squad are fairly solid in this department, but I’m not sure that’s going to be enough. Just like Movistar, they will be hoping for a good time, to keep Poels in contention for the GC. Top 5 is certain, can they surprise? After all, they won the TTT in the Vuelta with 4 of their squad that is competing here.
Katusha – hoping to benefit from the Tony Martin effect! Can he carry them all the way to the podium? I doubt it.
Prediction Time
First race of the season and it’s a 38km TTT. This is screaming surprise winner to me. I’ll go Team Lotto-Jumbo, the Dutch boys are really up for this one.
*Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2017 – Overall Preview
David Hunter
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