The Route
The stage is pan-flat there really is no feature to mention.
There is no StreetView in this area so I can't really show the finish properly, it's overall a really messy circuit when you look at it in a map, but it's obvious roundabouts will continuously stretch things out, experience in the finish is important, lots of leadouts so you've got to make a choice regarding how many riders you want in front of you because it's going to be very easy to be dislodged from the leadout. There's a slight turn (outside of a roundabout) just a couple hundred meters away from the finish line but it shouldn't be very dangerous.
The Weather
Strong wind from the north. It'll be constantly over 20Km/h, enough for splits to occur, however the riders will be lucky that the bulk of the stage will be going northwards, however the start of the stage will be quite risky, as for the final circuit splits can also appear for sure with the amount of stretching the peloton will be having because of the repeated roundabouts.
The Favourites
This will be chaotic, that's not an assumption it's a fact. You've got around a dozen riders looking to be in the podium or more, and in such a flat stage everyone will have their tank close to full by the time we get to the final kilometers. Positioning will be vital from far out, pace will be high, crashes are very possible. Several riders can win, in the next stage there is some order but for tomorrow it's best to just look at the sprinters and the riders that can lead them very well positioned:
Caleb Ewan - Jasper de Buyst - Roger Kluge
Sam Bennett - Michael Morkov - Shane Archbold
Giacomo Nizzolo - Max Walscheid - Matteo Pelucchi - Lasse Norman Hansen
Cees Bol - Alberto Dainese - Nikias Arndt
Fernando Gaviria - Max Richeze - Mikkel Bjerg
Jasper Philipsen - Mathieu van der Poel - Kristian Sbaragli - Jonas Rickaert
Pascal Ackermann - Michael Schwarzmann - Martin Laas
Phil Bauhaus - Fred Wright
Elia Viviani - Attilio Viviani - Fabio Sabatini
Matteo Moschetti - Emils Liepins
Luka Mezgec - Kaden Groves - Michael Hepburn
Furthermore some outsiders may sneak in, Stegan Bissegger, André Greipel, David Dekker, Albert Torres, all of them can end in the Top10 if they have really good positioning.
Prediction Time
⭐ Gaviria, Ackermann, Bauhaus, Viviani, Moschetti, Mezgec, Groves, Greipel
Sam Bennett is my call to take the opening stage. There's no better leadout man than Michael Morkov, the duo work perfectly and Deceuninck should have the finish perfectly studied, the Irish has the power to snatch it in the end.
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