Tag: Stage 6

Volta a Catalunya 2015: Stage 6 Preview

Stage 6: Cervera › Port Aventura – 194.1 km

Stage 5 of the Volta a Catalunya was yet another day of GC action, with Alejandro Valverde soloing to victory ahead of a select group of riders, but the profile of Stage 6 will have the sprinters finally hoping for a chance to make their mark on the race. The long, low-gradient Alt de Prades in the middle of the stage won’t be an easy jaunt for anyone, but with about 70 kilometers after the top of the climb until the beginning of the next categorized challenge, anyone who struggles on the Cat. 1 will have plenty of opportunity to get back into the mix. That next categorized challenge is a short Cat. 3 crested over 30 kilometers from the line. From there, it’s a fast downhill followed by about 20 km of flat.

The late climb and steep descent towards the end of the day will certainly entice the punchier riders in the bunch, but several sprinters made their way to Catalunya hoping to come away with WorldTour stage victories, and one has to think that after so many days escaping their fast-finishing grasps, those quick men will be gunning for this stage, where a relative dearth of climbs will give them a chance.

Still, some uphill ability will be required to come to the line fresh. Bryan Coquard, very fast in a pure sprint but also capable of going up and over the occasional climb, is the prime pick. With Pierre Rolland out of the GC picture, Europcar should be throwing their full weight behind Coquard now.

Luka Mezgec is another strong pick, also very fast in a pure sprint. Unlike Coquard, he’s won several WorldTour-level sprints in his career, and against the young up-and-comer (who does tend to have positioning issues), that experience could come in handy.

Julian Alaphilippe gets a mention practically every day, but he hasn’t delivered just yet. Still, he’ll be more capable of surviving the pressure of late attacks by the GC riders than most of the other quick men here. The same is true for JJ Rojas, but Movistar clearly isn’t done backing Alejandro Valverde in this race just yet.

Speaking of Valverde, he’s certainly a contender again on Stage 6, where the late ramp will offer him a chance to break up the race, or at least shed some sprinter weight. As usual, Dan Martin, Rigoberto Urán, and Wilco Kelderman are others to watch if the final lead group is reduced too much to feature any sprinters.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Bryan Coquard | 2. Luka Mezgec | 3. Julian Alaphilippe

-Dane Cash

Be sure to follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for more race analysis!

March 27, 2015
Vuelta a España 2014: Stage 6 Preview

Stage 6: Benalmádena › La Zubia – 167.1 km

John Degenkolb took a second straight sprint victory in Stage 5, but his sprinting rivals will have to wait a little while for a shot at revenge, as the Vuelta hits its first serious uphill test in Stage 6. Things will start out calm, as the peloton will set out from Benalmádena and take on over almost 50 kilometers of relatively flat coastal roads before heading inland. Not long after the route changes direction, the road kicks upward to climb the Alto de Zafarraya, a challenging Category 2 of 12.3 kilometers at 5.7%. After the KOM point, the climbing continues on and off over a stretch of rolling roads (with the Category 3 Alto de los Bermejales among the uphill sections that the pack must overcome). Things flatten out again with about 40 km to go, and they stay that way for a while as the peloton heads toward Granada. The riders will pass through the outskirts of town and then the city proper, hitting a pair of intermediate sprint points along the way, but then the route will take them southeast to challenging finale on the Alto Cumbres Verdes, the first Category 1 climb of the Vuelta a España. It is only 4.6 kilometers in length, but it has an average gradient of 7.8%, and that number doesn’t tell the whole story either. Things get particularly steep after the first kilometer, with a significant stretch that hits almost 13% coming between kilometers 1 and 2, and not a whole lot of respite after that, as things stay very steep all the way to the line.

The first real climbers’ day of the Vuelta, Stage 6 should see some GC action on the final slopes. The Cumbres Verdes climb is a tough enough uphill test to open up gaps between the finishers, and the top contenders for the red jersey will want to making strong opening statements on the high gradients.

The day’s breakaway will have a chance of going the distance on the profile, but they will also have a few factors weighing against them. A very long section of flat before the final climb will significantly boost the chances of the chasing pack, and the punchy GC riders will have extra motivation to reel in anyone up the road thanks to the bonus seconds on offer at the finish. If the red jersey hunters spend the final hour of the race watching each other and not injecting the pace, a strong rider off the front will have a nice opportunity for stage honors, but otherwise, a showdown among the big-name climbers should be on tap.

Though the final few kilometers are very steep, this is a short climb, and that will play into the hands of the riders who can find an extra gear for a brief charge up a high gradient. Joaquim Rodriguez will love this finish. He is on terrific form right now and with motivation through the roof, he’ll be hard to beat on this terrain. Teammate Daniel Moreno is also particularly well-suited to this challenging ascent.

Movistar’s Nairo Quintana would prefer a longer finishing climb, but he has the skillset to pull out an advantage whenever the gradient nears 10%, and with the form he showed in the Vuelta a Burgos, he will be hard to catch if he goes on the attack in the Stage 6. Like Purito, Quintana also has a particularly dangerous teammate in Alejandro Valverde, who lost a few seconds on Stage 3 and will be eager to get back onto the same time as Quintana. It won’t be easy to counter Movistar’s one-two punch.

Chris Froome showed on Stage 3 that he’s feeling strong in this Vuelta, and he knows he can’t afford to wait to gain ground on his rivals after losing some time in the opening TTT, even though this isn’t the sort of long slogging climb that one might traditionally associate with his skillset. If he is truly at his best and planning on fighting for the overall victory in this race, he will be a strong contender on this stage.

Garmin-Sharp’s Dan Martin likes the high-gradient finales and showed with a near-victory on Stage 3 that he’s on great form. With Ryder Hesjedal and Andrew Talansky both essentially out of the GC picture after being caught out in crosswinds on Stage 5, Garmin will be fully committed to Martin’s ambitions in this race.

Tinkoff-Saxo’s Alberto Contador has been downplaying his aspirations in this race, but he has not showed much weakness so far, and this will be an opportunity to see just how well he has recovered from his leg injury. Obviously, if he is in good shape, this steep summit finish suits him well. Fabio Aru is a terrific uphill charger who should like the Stage 6 profile, but form is a bit of an unknown right now. If he’s feeling strong, he’ll be dangerous. Rigoberto Uran‘s form is also a question mark, but if he’s at his best he should be able to be in the mix. Warren Barguil, Samuel Sanchez, Cadel Evans, Przemyslaw Niemiec, Wilco Kelderman, and Johan Esteban Chaves are others who could get involved for stage honors.

At this point in the race, with so many strong climbers still relatively well-placed on GC, there aren’t a whole lot of riders that stand out as strong long-range candidates on a climb like this. Julian Arredondo is one, but he has not appeared to be at full strength just yet (though if he does get out, he’ll obviously be a danger). Louis Meintjes, Adam Yates, Damiano Cunego, and Kenny Elissonde are others who might have a chance at Stage 6 if they are allowed up the road.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Joaquim Rodriguez | 2. Nairo Quintana | 3. Chris Froome

Be sure follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for live commentary of this and every stage of the 2014 Vuelta a España! The next preview will be up after the conclusion of Stage 6, so stay tuned.

-Dane Cash

August 27, 2014
Tour de France 2014: Stage 6 Preview

Stage 6: Arras › Reims – 194 km

Following a brutal, rain-soaked fifth stage that saw defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome abandon the race and former cyclocross World Champion Lars Boom take a win, the peloton will breathe a collective sigh of relief for Stage 6. It’s another mostly flat day. There are only two categorized climbs on the menu, both of them Category 4s and far enough from the finish line that they’re unlikely to put anyone into too much trouble. The parcours should bring on another sprint finale. An excess of roundabouts and then a few turns as the stage nears the Reims finish line will make for a bit of a hectic run-in, but the stage closes out with a long straightaway that will likely lead to a very high-speed finale.

Naturally, Marcel Kittel will be the day’s big favorite. On the Tour’s fourth stage, things were much closer in the sprint finish than they had been in earlier stages, but Kittel still emerged as the victor. He is likely to pick up another win here. He has the strong team to guide him to the straightaway, where his opponents will have difficulty matching his unrivalled top speed in what projects to be a very fast finish. It would be a surprise if anyone outguns Kittel for Stage 6 in Reims. John Degenkolb will play his usual role as Giant-Shimano’s strong second option if anything happens to Kittel.

Andre Greipel, at his best, has a top speed that at least comes close to that of his countryman Kittel, but he has struggled to get in position for the bunch gallops so far in the Tour de France and has yet to really contest a stage. Leadout man Greg Henderson has abandoned the race, which will make things even tougher for Greipel, and the possibility of rain could lead to continued difficulty in getting into a comfortable position for the finale. It’s very hard to project Greipel’s performance right now; just a few weeks ago he was looking great across a number of races, but he seems to be missing something in this Tour de France.

Peter Sagan may have only landed 4th on Stage 4’s sprint finish after a pair of 2nd place results in the previous bunch sprints, but that 4th place came after crashing in the last half hour of racing. He still looks like a strong contender behind Kittel, assuming he isn’t too exhausted after a long day in the lead group on the cobbles. Alexander Kristoff finally made it to the finish without any serious misfortune along the way on the Tour’s fourth stage and he very nearly won the day, getting just pipped at the line. Of course, misfortune aplenty struck on the fifth stage of the race, as crashes put him out of contention early, but Stage 6 will be a fresh opportunity. Given the potential for more rain (he tends to cope with bad weather very well), Kristoff should be in the mix.

FDJ’s Arnaud Demare looks to be coming around for the sprints after struggling with wrist pain early on. He should contend on Stage 6, as should Europcar’s Bryan Coquard, who has been in the Top 5 of every bunch sprint so far. He may not have much team support to guide him to the finish, but if he can make it to the last kilometer at the head of affairs he will be very dangerous.

Mark Renshaw of OPQS showed off his excellent overall form on the cobbled fifth stage, and he has filled in admirably as Cav’s replacement in the sprints. Another strong result could be in the cards for him on Stage 6. Trek’s Danny van Poppel, Movistar’s JJ Rojas, Lampre-Meridas’s Davide Cimolai, IAM Cycling’s Heinrich Haussler, and Garmin-Sharp’s Ramunas Navardauskas will be other fringe contenders.

VeloHuman Stage Favorites

1. Marcel Kittel | 2. Peter Sagan | 3. Andre Greipel

Be sure follow @VeloHuman on Twitter for live commentary on this and every stage of the 2014 Tour de France! The next preview will be up after the conclusion of Stage 6, so stay tuned. In case you missed it, the overall Tour de France preview can be found here.

-Dane Cash

July 9, 2014