Velogames Preview – Italy 2020

Races coming thick and fast now and we’ve started a block of non-stop world tour racing until the 8th of November, all being well. Teams are having to think really hard about what riders to commit where especially with overlapping grand tours. With that in mind, this race could be a very open race with many surprises. Keep reading on for a summary on the route and a rundown on the main players for this year’s Giro d’Italia.

The Route

If you thought the Tour was hard, then this route looks truly mind-blowing. I count only three stages that are almost guaranteed to end in a proper bunch sprint with the potential for a few other more selective sprint stages on the cards. There are no fewer than six summit finishes with one other big mountain day, and a whole host of interesting medium mountain days that should provide numerous opportunities for breakaway success. The main theme of this Giro however, apart from the huge mountain days, appears to come in the form of three time trials. The race opens and closes with races against the clock with one more popping up at the end of the second week. So expect to see the non-time trialling GC men taking as much time in the mountains in what should be a quality punch and counter-punch fight for the pink jersey come Milan. Here are some of the standout stages that aren’t to be missed.

Stage 3: Summit finish on Mount Etna.
Stage 9: Another summit finish to close out the first week.
Stage 10: Really interesting medium mountain day to open the second week.
Stage 12: Another day with hardly any flat over moderate terrain.
Stage 14: The mid-race time trial, 34km.
Stage 15: Big summit finish that might catch a few out after the time trial.
Stage 18: The Queen stage going over the Stelvio pass.
Stage 20: Last big mountain day that dips into France over the Colle dell’Agnello.

Velogames Category Guide

Here is your shake down to aid you in your fantasy selection. Some rosters still aren’t finalised so some of this might change. I’ll tweet out any major changes that are most likely to affect your prospective teams.

All Rounders

Geraint Thomas, 24 Credits: The team is built around him and after 2nd in Tirreno-Adriatico and 4th in the world time trial championship, his form seems to be in the right place.
Jakob Fuglsang, 20 Credits: Seemingly leading Astana with a strong team to support him. Didn’t have a great Tirreno-Adriatico, but did finish 5th in the world championship road race. His grand tour record is against him though. One only stage win across 14 grand tours and his best finishing position was 7th in the 2013 Tour de France.
Steven Kruijswijk, 20 Credits: 1st race back after crashing out of the Dauphiné in August. The team isn’t quite as strong as the Jumbo-Visma from the Tour, but the 33 year old is expected to have a good race.
Vincenzo Nibali, 18 Credits: This is his number one goal this year and he has a fairly strong team around him. Not much to comment on his pre-race form, but he seemed to be holding something back. This will be his 23rd grand tour and he is one of the favourites.
Alexandr Vlasov, 16 Credits: Seems expensive for his first grand tour, but he has had a very good year. Just 24 years old, he finished 5th in Tirreno-Adriatico and had two wins in August over tricky terrain. I fancy him to have his own opportunities, especially if Fuglsang falters.
Wilco Kelderman, 14 Credits: Always seems so close to a good result, but just comes up short each time. Never won a grand tour stage and has four top 10 overall finishes with 4th his best at the Vuelta 2017. Finished 4th in Tirreno-Adriatico to warm up.

Elsewhere here, no rider is available under 10 credits, so extra consideration should be made here. João Almeida is turning up to his first grand tour and his price tag of 12 credits compliments his impressive first year at world tour level. Deceuninck – Quick Step come in with a team of stage hunters all with a pretty free role. He’s only 22 so don’t expect the world from him, but he could get on quite nicely. The final four riders here are all 10 credits. Patrick Konrad is on some good form, but should be here to support Rafał Majka. The two Ineos riders will definitely be supporting Thomas, but Rohan Dennis will go well in the time trials. Diego Ulissi is the final rider and his team is here to stage hunt. He’s just won the Tour of Luxembourg over lumpy terrain so he should be in the mix in the finales.

Climbers

Once again, this section is pretty huge, but there’s only one rider over 14 credits. This will be a good place to find potential bargains with only a couple of riders going for GC and the rest hoping to attack during the tougher stages.

Simon Yates, 24 Credits: Comes into this race after victory in Tirreno-Adriatico and has unfinished business here after the 2018 and 2019 versions. Will probably race aggressively for a buffer in the time trials.
Rafał Majka, 14 Credits: A really good showing at Tirreno-Adriatico with 3rd place and a few good stage results. He will also need time in the mountains after being pipped by Thomas on the last stage.
Pello Bilbao, 10 Credits: Added into the Bahrain – McLaren roster. Spanish national time trial champion and loves a breakaway. Hermann Pernsteiner, 6 credit climber, is going for a good GC place, and this might free up Bilbao to do his own thing. Who knows.
Fausto Masnada, 10 Credits: On good form and had an excellent Giro last year. One stage win, two other top fives and 2nd in the KOM competition.
Guilio Ciccone, 10 Credits: Last year’s KOM winner was showing excellent for before the Tour before testing positive for Covid-19. He’s since recovered and declared fit to race, but no idea on his form this time round and should be riding in support of Nibali anyway.
James Knox, 8 Credits: On good form, but probably not worth huge points. Could be famous last words those.
Matthew Holmes, 6 Credits: Free role and won a stage of the Tour Down Under in January.

There are numerous other riders here who could prove to be good value. I’m not mentioning much about Lopez though because he says he’s here to work for Fuglsang and has just come off the back of a tough Tour. I might let you do some of your own research about the others. Many are on decent form and many have the freedom to attack.

Sprinters

Not many opportunities for the truly fast men here so it might be prudent to pick someone who can handle some climbing. Here are the contenders.

Peter Sagan, 16 Credits: This will be his first appearance in the Giro and this route gives him many opportunities for stage victories. Has his form built from the Tour?
Michael Matthews, 14 Credits: Huge 7th place in the world championship road race after building form at Tirreno-Adriatico. He should be Sagan’s main rival for the points jersey.
Arnaud Démare, 12 Credits: Should be the favourite for the bunch sprints after showing super post-lockdown form.
Fernando Gaviria, 10 Credits: Showed good form in Tirreno-Adriatico and is good value. Probably won’t be able to follow Sagan and Matthews over the steeper stuff, similar to Démare, but will offer good competition for the flatter stages.
Elia Viviani, 8 Credits: Misfired massively in the Tour, I’m not expecting a whole lot better here.
Álvaro José Hodeg, 6 Credits: Throwing this guy in here as excellent value. A very fast man on his day, but will he be sharing sprinting duties with Ballerini?
Rudy Barbier, 6 Credits: Another cheap rider in fairly good form. I’d say Hodeg is better value, but you could always gamble!

Unclassed

In what should be an attacking and unpredictable Giro, these riders might be key to a good fantasy score, just like at the Tour. Obviously I can’t comment on all of them, but I will try and give a good cross section of riders to think about.

8 Credits
Andrea Vendrame: 2nd in a stage last year, free role.
Ruben Guerreiro: If EF’s roster is accurate, he and his teammates should have free roles.
Thomas de Gendt: This course should suit him more then the Tour.

6 Credits
Aurélien Paret-Peintre: AG2R all have free roles, but he’s going to see what he can do in GC.
Tony Gallopin: He wants to complete the grand tour set of stage wins.
Enrico Battaglin: Could also feature in a few stages.
Giovanni Lonardi: Sprinting for Bardiani.
Giovanni Carboni: Free role for Bardiani, 4th in a stage last year.
Matteo Fabbro: 4th in a stage at Tirreno-Adriatico.
Attila Valter: Outside bet.
Tanel Kangert: In the EF free role bucket.
Filippo Ganna: World time trial champion and there are three time trials.
Victor Campenaerts: Time trials.
Ben O’Connor: Outside bet.
Mikkel Bjerg: Time trials and free to attack.
Brandon NcNulty: Free role.

4 Credits
Cesare Benedetti: Stage winner last year, his only pro win.
Héctor Carretero: Won the KOM at Tirreno-Adriatico.
Julien Bernard: Probably working for Nibali, but has been quite good in KOM classifications this year.

So hopefully that’s given you something to think about, or just made it much more complicated for you. Either way, happy picking and good luck!