Stage 6: Monforte de Lemos › Luintra – 163.2km
Before the Vuelta began, I expected Stage 6 to be the first breakaway day in the race. Now it’s set to be the third.
The profile is perfectly suited for the long-range attackers, with no super-hard climbs but plenty of up and down. There’s only one categorized climb, a Cat. 2 that begins at kilometer 105, but it’s followed by two more uncategorized lumps likely to make it tough for the sprinters to stay involved. That, coupled with a finish that shouldn’t have much of a GC impact, should reduce the impetus of the peloton to chase.
The hardest thing about previewing this stage is trying to predict who will be in the break. Several names come to mind as likely long-range hopefuls, and a few others come to mind as strong contenders who at least have the potential of getting into the move.
Philippe Gilbert seems as good a place as any to start. He showed both form and motivation attacking the peloton at the end of Stage 5, and this stage profile suits him well. He can win a reduced sprint if he’s in the lead group at the right time.
So can Fabio Felline. This is a great profile for the Italian. It also suits his Trek teammate Kiel Reijnen.
I’m expecting Caja Rural to be very active in Stage 6. They have multiple options, with Jose Goncalves and Pello Bilbao standing out the most to me. It’s never easy to predict which Caja Rural rider will be in a break, but you can be assured they’ll try to get someone up the road.
The long list of possible candidates who might win this stage from afar (or from the peloton, for that matter) also includes: Zdenek Stybar, Luis León Sánchez, Thomas De Gendt, Simon Gerrans, Simon Clarke, Jan Bakelants, and Enrico Battaglin.
Should this come down to the bunch after all, beware the versatile Gianni Meersman, who is on fire in this race. If he’s not there at the finish though, Alejandro Valverde and Michal Kwiatkowski are riders who might be in the mix.
VeloHuman Stage 6 Favorites
1. Philippe Gilbert | 2. Fabio Felline | 3. Jose Goncalves