Tag: Giacomo Nizzolo

Giro d’Italia 2014: Stage 17 Preview

Stage 17: Sarnonico > Vittorio Veneto – 208 km

The riders who managed to survive the brutal sixteenth stage that put Nairo Quintana into the pink jersey will have an easier day on Stage 17, but this one is tougher than it looks. 208 total kilometers with an undulating profile, the journey from Sarnonico to Vittorio Veneto could end in a sprint finale, but both early breakers and late attackers will also like their odds.

There are three categorized climbs (all Category 4) and a number of uncategorized bumps on the day. None of them are particularly long, but the Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, the third Cat 4, is quite a steep affair. Though short at 1.2 kilometers, it averages 12.2%. It is crested with 20 kilometers left on the stage. The climb is followed by a similarly steep descent. The finish is yet another tricky affair, with back-to-back sharp left-handers between the 750-m-to-go mark and the 450-m-to-go mark, before a straightaway opens up to the line.

With a rolling profile and a vicious late ascent, the sprinters’ teams will have their work cut out for them in trying to control the race. Constant ups and downs will benefit early escapees. Even if the day’s main break is caught, the final bump in the road could see attacks from the punchier riders in the peloton. However, after the debacle on Stage 13 (in which a total lack of organization among the sprinter squads allowed a breakaway to take the victory), the likes of Giant-Shimano, Cannondale, Trek, and FDJ should be motivated to drill a high pace and shut down the hopes of anyone hoping to win off the front. As with most rolling, breakaway-friendly stages, this one is extremely tough to call.

Even if the peloton does manage to reel in any attackers, it’s not a guarantee that all the familiar names will have survived the day’s challenges. Nacer Bouhanni is the big favorite for sprint finishes in this Giro, especially on another technical final few hundred meters, but he may not hung on through the difficult journey with the pack. Giacomo Nizzolo may have slightly better odds, as he has shown an ability to hang on through some tough days in his young career, but he’s still a question mark. The same is true for Luka Mezgec, who can at least rely on one of the most dedicated support squads to help him reach the finish in a good position. Cannondale’s Elia Viviani, as usual, is also a strong candidate for a sprint, if he survives. Garmin’s Tyler Farrar and Lampre’s Roberto Ferrari are other outsiders among the pure sprinters. Sky’s Ben Swift, now that his teammate Edvald Boasson Hagen and Orica-GreenEdge’s Michael Matthews are both out of the race, becomes a big favorite in the event of a reduced sprint. He’s climbing beautifully at the moment (he beat Franco Pellizotti to the top of the Val Martello climb by over two minutes) but he’s also quite fast. Bardiani-CSF’s Enrico Battaglin and Sonny Colbrelli, Garmin-Sharp’s Nathan Haas, and Giant-Shimano’s Simon Geschke also become much more attractive options if the bunch has been whittled down by the day’s climbing. It wouldn’t be a complete surprise to see Wilco Kelderman or Cadel Evans try to get involved if the group is small enough.

Riders like Cannondale’s Moreno Moser and Oscar Gatto, Neri Sottoli’s Simone Ponzi, Astana’s Enrico Gasparotto, and even Lampre’s Diego Ulissi and Katusha’s Daniel Moreno could try to enliven Stage 17 on the final climb.

It will be a vicious battle to get into the morning breakaway. Some of the tougher names listed above could try their luck; other riders who could be hoping to hang out front for a long one include Katusha’s Luca Paolini, Trek’s Fabio Felline, Bardiani-CSF’s Enrico Barbin and Edoardo Zardini (their squad really does have a wealth of options for the variety of potential scenarios on Stage 17), and Lotto Belisol’s Adam Hanson. It’s always a crapshoot predicting who will make it into the big move, but whoever does get into the morning break will be in a great position for the stage win, especially if the sprint trains fail to organize properly.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Nacer Bouhanni | 2. Giacomo Nizzolo | 3. Ben Swift

The GC action will heat up again on Stage 18; keep an eye out for the preview a few hours after Stage 17. In case you missed it, the overall Giro d’Italia preview can be found here. Also, be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more analysis during the race.

-Dane Cash

May 27, 2014
Giro d’Italia 2014: Stage 13 Preview

Stage 13: Fossano > Rivarolo Canavese – 157 km

The Stage 12 ITT was a decisive one for the GC men. It rained heavily early on the day, but things dried out considerably for the later starters, throwing yet another variable into an already wide open stage. Climbing star Diego Ulissi even had the lead for a while (out of nowhere, I think it’s safe to say), until Rigoberto Uran put in a stellar performance to take the victory. Now, the GC riders get to enjoy a day that isn’t likely to have any GC implications. There are some minor bumps along the 157 kilometer journey from Fossano to Rivarolo Canavese, but with a flat finish and some very tough mountain days ahead, Stage 13 will be an enticing prize for the sprinters’ teams.

The small rollers shouldn’t trouble the fast men much, but as usual, the organizers have designed another difficult run-in, with some late twists and turns. Things actually go uphill a bit from about the 1-km-to-go mark to the 500-m-to-go mark before leveling out towards the line. A sharp right-hander awaits with 250 meters to go, and then the finishing straight is a little over 200 meters long.

Nacer Bouhanni delivered a third stage win in the last Giro bunch sprint, and until his rivals show that they can position themselves and time their jumps more successfully on these very technical run-ins to the line, Bouhanni remains the favorite. In every sprint preview I feel the need to point out that I don’t think Bouhanni is necessarily faster than his opponents; he’s a wily bike rider who gets into perfect position and uses his elite acceleration to carry him past the other sprinters on the road. I continue to believe that the gap between Bouhanni and the rest of the field is smaller than it looks, but no one else seems capable of closing it at the moment, making him the favorite.

Giacomo Nizzolo appears to have the best chance for taking the win from the points leader. He’s been 2nd on all three stages that Bouhanni has taken. Each time, he’s put in a great turn of speed, but he tends to mistime his move. In Stage 10, he hit the wind way too early and Bouhanni simply jumped on his wheel and then swung out in the closing meters for the victory. Perhaps Nizzolo will get it right some time during this race, though he hasn’t seemed to figure it out just yet.

A crash ruined Elia Viviani‘s chances on Stage 10, and he’s significantly further down in the red jersey competition than he thought he’d be at this point. He’s motivated to put in a better performance this time around, but these technical finishes do not treat Viviani or his leadout kindly. He also seems to be just a bit slower than he was earlier in the season. Still, rain, crashes, and some very physical jostling for position have kept him from getting to top speed in the last few sprint stages, so I am not counting him out.

Giant-Shimano has been providing Luka Mezgec with strong leadout support in the absence of Marcel Kittel. Mezgec doesn’t have the top-end speed to match the very best, but with this sort of help from his team, he can win anyway. Bouhanni’s domination may make these flat stages look predictable, but I don’t think GSH has been very far off the mark getting Mezgec perfectly placed to take the win, and Stage 13 could be their moment.

Barring a crash, Lampre’s Roberto Ferrari will almost certainly be in the Top 10. He’s been amazingly consistent in this Giro. Actually winning the stage will be a big ask, but he’s an aggressive rider who fights very hard (sometimes a little too hard) for positioning and that makes him a contender.

Sky’s Ben Swift has been hampered by injury in the past few sprints but he should be coming back into shape now. Edvald Boasson Hagen will play his standard role of star lieutenant. Garmin’s Tyler Farrar will hope to prove that he can stay upright through the twists and turns. With Nicola Ruffoni out of the race for Bardiani, Enrico Battaglin and Sonny Colbrelli will hope to pick up the slack. Androni Giocatolli’s Manuel Belletti and Omega Pharma’s Alessandro Petacchi could also feature.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Nacer Bouhanni | 2. Giacomo Nizzolo | 3. Luka Mezgec

Keep an eye out for the Stage 14 preview after the Stage 13 comes to a close. In case you missed it, the overall Giro d’Italia preview can be found here. Also, be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more analysis during the race.

-Dane Cash

May 22, 2014
Giro d’Italia 2014: Stage 10 Preview

Stage 10: Modena > Salsomaggiore Terme – 173 km

After the rest day, it’s a very flat stage likely to go the sprinters. The all-rounders will enjoy the extended break from climbing after back-to-back days in the mountains. Pieter Weening hung on for Sunday’s Stage 9 victory after a long day in the breakaway and Domenico Pozzovivo picked up some valuable time on the rest of the GC contenders who finished mostly together atop a tough final climb.

If the sprinters let Stage 10 one get away from them, they will have really dropped the ball: the profile shouldn’t leave much room for alternate scenarios. That last bump in the road is not particularly challenging, and shouldn’t cause any problems for the fast men. It is, however, followed by a tricky high-speed descent and yet another technical final few kilometers (the Giro seems to love forcing riders to put their bike handling skills on display at every sprint finish in the race) that will make the fight for position fierce.

I am running out of new ways to name the same few riders as favorites for the flatter days, so I’ll just keep it direct. Nacer Bouhanni has shown that he’s the sprinter to beat in this Giro d’Italia now that Marcel Kittel is no longer in the race. He has the acceleration, he has the top speed, and, of special importance in these technical finishes, he has the ability to get himself into the right position for the final kick, even without a strong leadout. Until the other quick men show that they can put it all together as well as he can, Bouhanni is the favorite.

That being said, Cannondale’s Elia Viviani, Trek’s Giacomo Nizzolo, and Giant-Shimano’s Luka Mezgec are all very speedy and they all have dedicated leadouts working hard to get them set up perfectly for success. Having defeated Mark Cavendish twice already this season (in Turkey), Viviani may have the highest ceiling in the sprints, but his train hasn’t quite figured things out yet and Viviani himself has fallen short even when he has looked well-positioned in the last moments. Nizzolo looks in top shape but he continues to find himself just slightly out of place in the final meters, going too early or too late. Mezgec has a stellar leadout and he showed in Stage 7 that he has the ability to mix it up with the very best in the race, but he still has a bit to prove as he has only had a few opportunities to race for himself in the biggest races at this point in his young career. Really, any of these riders could get it right on Stage 10.

Roberto Ferrari of Lampre-Merida has been remarkably consistent in this Giro, finishing in the Top 7 of all four sprint stages thus far. Maybe he’ll turn that consistency into a victory here. Sky’s Ben Swift and Edvald Boasson Hagen combination have been protagonists as well; both went down in Stage 6 but hopefully at least one of the pair is back to full strength by now. Orica-GreenEdge’s Michael Matthews was a strong 4th in Stage 7, and now that he’s not in the pink jersey anymore his team won’t be spending as much time on the front of the peloton, which should give them a bit more freshness for the leadout. Garmin-Sharp’s Tyler Farrar, AG2R’s Davide Appollonio, Androni Giacattoli’s Manuel Belletti and Omega Pharma’s Alessandro Petacchi lead up a list of outsiders a bit further on the periphery.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Nacer Bouhanni | 2. Elia Viviani | 3. Giacomo Nizzolo

The preview of Stage 11 will be up Tuesday evening after the conclusion of Stage 10. In case you missed it, the overall Giro d’Italia preview can be found here. Also, be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more analysis during the race.

May 19, 2014
Giro d’Italia 2014: Stage 7 Preview

Stage 7: Frosinone > Foligno – 211 km

Despite a few early hills on the profile, the GC men should have an opportunity to let the stagehuners take the driver’s seat on the Giro’s seventh stage. It will be a very welcome opportunity coming on the heels of the wildest day in this race so far. Late carnage on rainslicked roads on Stage 6 saw a number of riders hit the deck and slowed many more, allowing a small group that included BMC’s Cadel Evans and Michael Matthews of Orica-GreenEdge to gap the bunch at the start of the final climb. Those behind eventually organized a chase, but the small group held their lead all the way up the slope, with VH stage favorite Michael Matthews sprinting to his first win of the Giro when they reached the top. With a few bonus seconds for his 3rd place on the stage thrown in, Evans picked up 53 seconds on the chasing group that included Nairo Quintana, Rigoberto Uran, and a few other contenders, but it took some time for the full consequences of the day’s carnage to be known. Those consequences turned out to be dire for several very big GC names, including one of the biggest in the race: Joaquim Rodriguez suffered a broken finger and bruised ribs in the crash, and although he did finish the stage, he has abandoned the Giro d’Italia. It’s another heartbreaking turn of events for Purito, who was so hopeful of finally getting that first Grand Tour win in this event. Several other GC contenders lost varying amounts of time. To name just a few, Lampre’s Damiano Cunego and Astana’s Michele Scarponi lost about a minute and a half to Evans, and Cunego’s teammate Przemyslaw Niemiec lost closer to two minutes, but they were relatively lucky compared to Saxo-Tinkoff’s Nicolas Roche, who came across the line fifteen minutes down.

Purito wasn’t the only rider who abandoned in the wake of the crash-marred sixth stage (the list of abandons includes Purito’s teammates Angel Vicioso and Giampaolo Caruso, who are both out after suffering nasty injuries as well), so it will be a somewhat smaller peloton that sets out from Frosinone in Stage 7. There are a number of bumps along the road to Foligno, but none of them are particularly challenging, and the last one is crested with 40 km still to go on the day. Breakers will surely take their chances, but with a long, flat run to finish line, the sprinters’ teams should make a strong effort to pull back anyone who gets too far up the road. A breakaway victory is certainly possible, but I think a bunch sprint is the more likely outcome. Whatever the size of the lead group entering town, a nasty hairpin with about 1.5 km remaining will make for a fierce fight to get into position early, but the final kilometer that follows is not as technical as some we’ve seen so far; there is a gentle right turn with around 500 meters to go, but it shouldn’t slow down the riders too much. I don’t think the profile will be too much for any of the major sprinter names to handle, so after two days of finishes open to a considerably more versatile cast of contenders, I think we’ll see the familiar top-flight fastmen battling it out in the finale.

Cannondale has looked strong on every sprint stage of this race so far, but they haven’t been able to nail down their timing just yet. If they can perfect things here, Elia Viviani will be tough to beat, with an elite turn of top speed. He’s the first of my (probably unsurprising) trio of stage favorites. FDJ’s Nacer Bouhanni is the second. I think his leadout is something of a disadvantage, but he’s very good at fighting for his own position when he has to, and he already has a stage victory to prove that he is one of the fastest riders in this Giro. Trek’s Giacomo Nizzolo is the other rider I see as a top favorite. He has some excellent squadmates to deliver him to the finish at a very high speed, but he always finds himself just slightly out of position. I think he’s likely to get it right eventually, and I bet he’ll be flying over the final kilometer of Stage 7.

Luka Mezgec, now that Marcel Kittel is gone, will benefit from one of the best leadouts in the Giro d’Italia. He took the the final stage of WorldTour racing in 2013 in the Tour of Beijing, winning a sprint finish over both Bouhanni and Viviani, so I think he’s a real contender now that he’s Giant’s featured rider.

Sky seems to be behind Ben Swift on the flatter sprints in this race, with Edvald Boasson Hagen playing a fantastic second. The pair are quite formidable. I think they’d prefer a more challenging final half-hour of racing, but Swift was 2nd behind only Marcel Kittel on Stage 3 and will probably continue to place highly on even the flat days. As a note, Sky showed on Stage 5 that they aren’t afraid of sending one of their quick men into a break, and on this profile that has at least some potential for breakaway success, I don’t think it’s out of the question that they try again; Boasson Hagen is a particularly talented breakaway artist.

Pink jersey wearer Michael Matthews would absolutely prefer more challenges on the profile, but he’s likely to at least be in contention late again. Lampre’s Roberto Ferrari is a pretty constant fixture in the Top 10s of this Giro’s sprint finishes. He lacks the team support to be considered a big favorite but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him nab one of these sprint stages with some luck. Tyler Farrar hit the deck hard in Stage 6, so his overall health is something of an unknown. Manuel Belletti, Davide Appollonio, Francesco Chicchi, Jetse Bol, Tony Hurel, Alessandro Petacchi (should he finally decide to contend a sprint), and Nicola Ruffoni headline the other names who could challenge in a bunch gallop.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Elia Viviani | 2. Nacer Bouhanni | 3. Giacomo Nizzolo

Check back after Stage 7 for the preview of Stage 8; Saturday’s racing is likely to provide some GC fireworks! If you missed it, the overall Giro d’Italia preview can be found here. Also, be sure follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more analysis of the Giro, and of the Tour of California as well!

-Dane Cash

May 15, 2014
Giro d’Italia 2014: Stage 4 Preview

Stage 4: Giovinazzo > Bari – 112 km

As expected, Stage 3 ended in a bunch sprint. Sky’s Edvald Boasson Hagen delivered an excellent leadout to teammate Ben Swift, and Cannondale’s Elia Viviani did his best to match Swift’s acceleration in the final straight, but Marcel Kittel came up along the side of the road and blew past everyone at the last moment. With a hundred kilometers to go he was several bike lengths behind Swift, EBH, and Viviani, but no head start could keep him from powering to victory. If it wasn’t clear enough already, Kittel showed on Stage 3 that he is miles ahead of the other sprinters in this race.

The Giro d’Italia moves into Italy for Stage 4. The peloton sets out from coastal Giovinazzo and takes a circuitous route that eventually winds southeast towards the town of Bari. After around 45 kilometers on the road, they’ll reach their destination, where they will kick off eight laps of 8.3 kilometers around the town. That makes for a grand total of just 112 kilometers. The very short day on the bike will be an extremely pacey affair. A technical circuit with some wicked twists and turns in the last two kilometers will make it crucial to be in good position before the final moments of the race. However, there isn’t anything even resembling a categorized climb on the menu; the country may have changed, but it looks almost guaranteed that the riders fighting for those final corners will again be the same sprinters we’ve seen at the fore for the last few days.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll point out that Marcel Kittel is again the huge favorite to take a sprint finish. He proved Sunday that he’s just too fast right now even when caught well out of position in the bunch gallop. I don’t think it’s likely that his rivals will get that kind of opportunity again. This finish is not completely suited to his skillset, as late turns will not allow power guys like Kittel to make full use of their top speed, but I’m not sure that will matter for the points jersey wearer. Luka Mezgec remains the strong second option for Giant-Shimano.
UPDATE: Marcel Kittel has abandoned the race due to a fever. His absence will give some of the other riders we’ve seen at the front the opportunity to contend for the win instead of runner-up honors. Luka Mezgec becomes the go-to rider for GSH, and a strong option at that.

Nacer Bouhanni and Elia Viviani are again my two favorites to take on Kittel. This technical circuit suits Bouhanni very well: he’s very aggressive in a fight for position and isn’t afraid to take risks on the corners. That will be of paramount importance in the Stage 4 finale. If he can force his way into position for the last bends in the road, he has a shot at making the quick acceleration to the line in the final straight. Cannondale’s Viviani might be a bit more favored on a course ending with a longer drag, but he’s fast enough right now that he is still a top contender here. Cannondale continues to get to the front early; such a decision will make a little more sense on Stage 4, and if they can improve their timing just a bit they’ll be able to set him up nicely.

Sky’s Ben Swift was so close to victory in Stage 3, and his performance their suggests that he really can duke it out with the fastest guys here. Having such an elite leadout man in Edvald Boasson Hagen helps. With EBH to guide him on Stage 4, Swift is again a contender, especially with a very slightly uphill finish. I’m also not going to rule Sky flipping the script and backing Boasson Hagen one of these days. Trek’s Giacomo Nizzolo also has a very fast leadout (Danilo Hondo and Boy van Poppel), and he won’t mind a tiny incline either. His biggest challenge lately (and not just in this race) has been positioning. I’m interested to see what he can do when he actually gets himself into the perfect spot to launch his move, because in recent contests he has so often been just a little out of place in the final moments.

Maglia Rosa wearer Michael Matthews hasn’t been able to land in the Top 5 of a sprint just yet but a shorter finishing straight could suit him better. Alessandro Petacchi looked a bit more interested in Stage 3 than he was in Stage 2; he’s actually sitting 2nd in the GC right now, so maybe he’ll try for the victory and the bonus seconds in attempt to wear pink on Stage 5. AG2R’s Davide Appollonio outclassed some bigger names on Stage 3 and will look to do so again, though he’s somewhat disadvantaged by a lesser leadout. Same goes for Roberto Ferrari. Garmin’s Tyler Farrar, Neri Sottoli’s Francesco Chicchi, Androni Giacattoli’s Manuel Belletti, Bardiani’s Nicola Ruffoni, Europcar’s Tony Hurel, and Belkin’s Jetse Bol are other likely protagonists.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Marcel Kittel | 2. Nacer Bouhanni | 3. Elia Viviani
UPDATE: With Kittel out, Bouhanni slides into the driver’s seat of VH favorite with Viviani very close behind. I’ll name Giacomo Nizzolo as 3rd favorite.

Be sure follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more analysis during the race! You’ll also see plenty of tweets about the Tour of California, which kicked off with an exciting opening stage on Sunday and continues today with an important individual time trial. I am not doing previews for California, but if you’re looking for picks you’ll find them on Twitter.

The preview of Giro d’Italia Stage 5 will be up not long after the Stage 4 finish. If you missed it, the overall race preview can be found here.

-Dane Cash

May 12, 2014
Giro d’Italia 2014: Stage 3 Preview

Stage 3: Armagh > Dublin – 187 km

The rain continued on Stage 2 but the sprinters were not deterred. A small cast of breakers including Maarten Tjallingii did a great job to stay out front till the very end, but the peloton reeled them in in the last few minutes. Cannondale and Trek took the front, and then Giant-Shimano took over, looking perfectly positioned for a Kittel leadout in the last kilometer. Orica-GreenEdge came around them late, but Marcel Kittel was unfazed. After the final turn, he sprinted up the left side of the road and no one could match his engine. He nabbed his first Giro stage win rather handily, with Bouhanni, Nizzolo, and Viviani behind. In 8th place on the day, Michael Matthews moved ahead of teammate Svein Tuft just slightly in the GC and will wear the pink jersey tomorrow. Ultimately, Stage 2 was a wet, nervous day, but the final results were unsurprising, with most of the expected names featuring in the sprint.

Stage 3 takes the Giro d’Italia into the Republic of Ireland, kicking off in Armagh but finishing in Dublin. It’s got a few early bumps (two Cat. 4 climbs) but once the race leaves Northern Ireland the road flattens out a fair bit. Without any major tests on the profile, the weather, potentially very windy and rainy, will offer the biggest challenge to the riders.

Conditions could make things unpredictable, but the bunch was generally able to avoid trouble on Stage 2 and will hopefully manage to stay clear of danger on the final day of racing outside of Italy. A bunch sprint is again likely, and with even fewer lumps and fewer overall kilometers, Marcel Kittel may be an even bigger favorite. The way he was able to dominate today’s finish inspires confidence in his chances of repeating. There is a sharp bend at about the kilometer-to-go point, but after that it’s a pretty clear run to the finish line, and it’s hard to see many challengers taking on the big German in the final drag. As usual, should he falter early in the day, Luka Mezgec becomes Giant’s go-to guy.

Unsurprisingly, and probably unexcitingly, the riders placing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th on the first sprint stage will be my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th favorites for Stage 3. Nacer Bouhanni showed that he’s in great shape on his way to runner-up honors. He’s a powerful sprinter who will like the look of Stage 3. Giacomo Nizzolo appears strong and fully recovered from his early season injury, and his leadout is also very quick. As a note, his Stage 2 result bodes well for later in the Giro: I think he and Viviani are more likely to hang on through tough mountain stages than Kittel and Bouhanni, which could set up a few showdowns between the Italian fast men if/when their rivals abandon the race. Speaking of Elia Viviani, his Cannondale squad probably did a little too much work a little too early for today’s finish, and he still managed to come through for 4th, so look for him again tomorrow.

Michael Matthews will wear pink on the road to Dublin but I found his 8th place a bit underwhelming given his ability and his leadout’s excellent position. I don’t think he loves racing in the rain. We’ll see if he can improve his position tomorrow. Roberto Ferrari‘s performance was the opposite—impressive given recent results (or lack thereof) and Lampre’s unimpressive leadout. Another flat day of sprinting, shorter than today’s, will be appetizing for the 31-year-old. Sky’s Ben Swift continues to show just how strong he is right now, mixing it up with the very best in the race. Like Matthews, he’ll look to place as highly as possible on these days to prepare for later stages in which the small number of faster riders might be out of contention. He seems to be Sky’s go-to guy for the sprints ahead of the also fast Edvald Boasson Hagen. Garmin’s Tyler Farrar is another rider who will be in the mix tomorrow. Alessandro Petacchi, meanwhile, seemed content riding purely in a support role for Stage 2. With another windy day on tap, the OPQS rider might make a nice outside challenger, but he didn’t even contend today and might not for Stage 3 either.

Two of the three real outsiders I named in the Stage 2 preview finished in the top 10 (Manuel Belletti, 6th, and Davide Appollonio 9th). The third, Francesco Chicchi, came back from a very late mechanical to finish 12th, which is pretty impressive, though he did have a bit of team car assistance. They’ll be outsiders again for Stage 3, along with the likes of Bardiani’s Nicola Ruffoni, Belkin’s Jetse Bol and Movistar’s Fran Ventoso.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Marcel Kittel | 2. Nacer Bouhanni | 3. Giacomo Nizzolo

Be sure follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more analysis during the race! The peloton gets a rest day after the Dublin finish. Keep an eye out for the preview of Stage 4, which kicks off in Giovinazzo on Tuesday. If you missed it, the overall race preview can be found here.

May 10, 2014