Stage 7: Maceda › Puebla de Sanabria – 158.5km
Another day at the Vuelta, another hilly-but-not-too-hilly profile. Stage 7, just like the last several days, could very easily go to the early break or a late move. It could also go to one of the several fast finishers on the start list with decent climbing legs.
The late Cat. 3 isn’t particularly intimidating, but it is followed by a long descent. That will give any attackers (either from an early break or in a late move) a nice shot to stay clear as the sprint teams take time getting organized.
Still, there are a few teams with versatile speedsters on the roster, enough to motivate the bunch to chase—as such, it’s probably worth starting with the likes of Gianni Meersman.
He’s proven to be the rider to beat in the sprints in this Vuelta, and he’s got a great skillset for this sort of stage. It’s up to team cooperation to make this a sprint, but he’s deserving of favorite status in that scenario.
Fabio Felline is another rider capable of surviving the parcours and getting into the mix in a sprint. Trek also has Niccolo Bonifazio, giving the team two great options.
Kristian Sbaragli, Tosh Van der Sande, Magnus Cort Nielsen, and Nikias Arndt are other candidates for a sprint.
Philippe Gilbert is one to watch on that last climb. Punchy as he is, this a great profile for him, and he’s got the speed to win a reduced sprint.
The same could be said for Alejandro Valverde. He’s looked very strong in this race. He’s not a candidate from the early break like Gilbert might be, but he’ll be deadly if there aren’t many riders left by the time the bunch pulls into the final 25km.
José Goncalves, Luis León Sánchez, Simon Clarke, and Zdenek Stybar are others to keep an eye on in an attacking scenario.
VeloHuman Stage 7 Favorites
1. Gianni Meersman | 2. Fabio Felline | 3. Philippe Gilbert