Stage 13: Bilbao › Urdax-Dantxarinea – 213.4km
Another day in the Basque Country, another lumpy parcours. The Vuelta’s 13th stage doesn’t have quite the challenge factor that Stage 12 had, but it will still provide opportunities for the attackers. Though the fourth and final categorized climb comes 50km from the finish, there are several uncategorized ascents en route to the line that could see a few sprinters dropped and a few moves launched.
I think the most likely outcome for Stage 13 is a slightly reduced sprint after some late aggressors have been reeled in. As such, I like Gianni Meersman‘s chances. He’s made a career out of strong performances on lumpy days that end in sprints, and this is a great parcours for him.
Fabio Felline was a bit of a disappointment in Stage 12, present for the sprint, but not particularly close to pulling off the win. He’ll have a shot at redemption in Stage 13, and he’ll have the added advantage of being fully capable of jumping into any late attacks that look promising; on the other hand, I’d like to see a bit more from him in the sprints before tabbing him as a top favorite again.
Philippe Gilbert is another candidate with a shot as an attacker or as in a reduced sprint. Ditto Luis León Sánchez.
Nikias Arndt and Kristian Sbaragli are potential contenders if a big enough group gets to the finish but that could be a tough ask. It seems just as likely that a roll of the dice by Zdenek Stybar, Thomas De Gendt, Pello Bilbao, or Jan Bakelants goes the distance.
VeloHuman Stage 13
1. Gianni Meersman | 2. Philippe Gilbert | 3. Fabio Felline