Stage 5: Viveiro › Lugo – 171.3km
The Vuelta’s fifth stage should be one for the sprinters. The only official climb of the day is a Cat. 3 over 50km from the finish, and then it’s mostly flat the rest of the way home. There is an uphill drag of a few kilometers running up to the 2km-to-go mark, which could conceivably makes things a bit interesting—but a big sprint seems to be the most likely outcome.
Gianni Meersman nabbed the first sprint win of the race, and he’s definitely a candidate for success again in Stage 5 having proven he’s in good shape (with a great leadout). He’ll be hoping for a high pace on the late uncategorized bump—anything to wear out the purer speedsters on the startlist, even if there’s no top-shelf names here.
Nikias Arndt looks like a strong candidate for Stage 5 too. Among the few sprinters at the Vuelta, he’s one of the most accomplished. Form is a bit of a question mark, but on ability, he deserves to be up there as a potential stage favorite.
Kristian Sbaragli is another of the rare quick men on the startlist with an actual Grand Tour win under his belt. He’s been quieter this year than expected and didn’t factor much in Stage 2 but with a decent leadout he’s got a chance.
Niccolo Bonifazio will likely be in the mix as well. He’s still got a ways to go in the consistency department but he’s flashed some serious talent in his young career.
Michael Schwarzmann has a chance to show that Stage 2 wasn’t a fluke. I’m not sure I expect another top 2 performance from him, but anything is possible in this field. The same is true for Magnus Cort Nielsen, Jean Pierre Drucker, Fabio Felline, and Jonas van Genecthen are others to watch.
VeloHuman Stage 5 Favorites
1. Gianni Meersman | 2. Nikias Arndt | 3. Kristian Sbaragli