Sprinters hope to seize rare chance in stage two of the Tour of Catalonia

In the opening stage, a (mass) sprint was not a given, but on day two we do expect a classic showdown among the fast men. The stage to Banyoles is – by Catalan standards – quite flat. WielerFlits looks ahead!

Route

Last year, the peloton headed from Banyoles to Figueres on day two; this time it’s exactly the opposite. Over a distance of 167.4 kilometers, about 2,000 meters of elevation must be conquered again, but we still expect a ‘normal’ sprint for the win. Whether it’s a prime opportunity for the pure sprinters remains to be seen, as the route is certainly not perfectly flat in the opening hours.

On the other hand, the climbs are not overly challenging either. In fact, only one hill (Alt del Purgatori) is evidently tough enough to be classified as a categorized climb. In the final 25 slightly descending kilometers, teams will have time to reel in any breakaway. Who will sprint in Banyoles to follow in the footsteps of Gianni Meersman (’13), Mark Cavendish (’10), and Thor Hushovd (’08)?

Classifications

Favorites

For most of the fast men, the opening stage turned out to be a bit too tough, but one day later we expect a ‘classic’ sprint with a sizable group. Okay, it’s not exactly a billiard-table-flat stage, but there are few insurmountable obstacles on the agenda. And given what the riders still face in the race, we don’t expect immediate fireworks en route to Banyoles.

This will sound like music to Ethan Vernon’s ears. The Brit from NSN Cycling may well be the fastest rider at the start of the Tour of Catalonia and has already achieved several successes on Catalan soil in recent years. Vernon can also count on a particularly strong lead-out train, including Brady Gilmore, Pier-André Côte, and Jake Stewart. The latter can also potentially take the sprint honors himself.

Or will we witness Dorian Godon’s consecutive win on Tuesday? The French champion especially excels when the finish is uphill – as was again evident in Sant Feliu de Guíxols – but the INEOS Grenadiers rider should also be able to play a meaningful role in a flat sprint. Certainly in this, with all due respect, not particularly stacked sprint field.

We are also factoring in a standout performance from the fast German Henri Uhlig (Alpecin-Premier Tech), who already won a stage earlier this season in the Tour du Haut Var, and the Italian Alberto Dainese. The latter has even won stages in the Giro d’Italia in the past but has yet to have a strong start to the season with his new team Soudal Quick-Step. Matevž Govekar (Bahrain Victorious) is also a very dangerous contender.

Finally, we note the names of the following fast men: Ivo Oliveira (UAE Emirates XRG), Henok Mulubhran (XDS Astana), Noa Isidore (Decathlon CMA CGM), Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), Noah Hobbs (EF Education-EasyPost), Felix Engelhardt (Jayco AlUla), Mathieu Kockelmann (Lotto-Intermarché), the ‘good old’ Sam Bennett (Pinarello-Q36.5), and Riley Pickrell (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling).

Weather

In the start town Figueres, Tuesday’s conditions will be very pleasant: plenty of sunshine and temperatures around eighteen degrees Celsius. This weather pattern will hold throughout the following race hours. It will stay dry, the sun will have free rein to shine, and a moderate wind will blow from the northeast.