Races coming thick and fast now, and in the midst of a busy and enthralling classics season is this six stage tester in Northern Spain. You won’t find any sprinters here! This is a climbers race full of steep and gruelling ramps, a far cry from the cobbles of Belgium, and probably a lot warmer too. After missing a guide for Catalunya, I’m keen to dish out plenty of tips for this one, so let’s get to work.
The Route
The key takeaway from a superficial glance at the stage profiles, is that there’s no summit finish this year. The classic final stage scrap up the slopes of Usartza isn’t present this year, but each stage offers a unique opportunity for success and I think we’ll see some exciting and attacking racing as teams look for others ways to make the difference. A couple of the stages might end in some sort of reduced sprint, but even the general classification riders (GC) should feature in those to some extent. Climbs litter all six stages though, so stacking your team with climbers with a decent kick on them is a superb idea. Here is the profile of this year’s final stage where this race will be decided.
The Riders
Similar to Tirreno-Adriatico, this race is wide open. On paper, Jonas Vingegaard (24 credits) is the pre-race favourite. He wasn’t in the best of form at Paris-Nice and the lack of summit finishes and long climbs might count against him, but he does still have a good kick and with no Pogačar here, Vingegaard will be wanting to make a statement. Only two other riders are in the twenties with Enric Mas at 22 credits, and Daniel Felipe Martínez at 20 credits. Mas is on decent, but not spectacular form, and Martínez was good at the Colombian nationals and the following Volta ao Algarve, but he was then non-existent at Paris-Nice. The Ineos strategy might be more for stage wins with Ethan Hayter (12 credits) and building form with Egan Bernal (12 credits), but who really knows. I would say Vingegaard is the one expensive rider who’d mostly be worth it as there are some great alternatives for a little less budget.
The first options in the mid-range of riders are a trio on 18 credits. These are Pello Bilbao, David Gaudu, and Simon Yates. Bilbao has a great track record with two 3rds and a 4th in stage races so far this season. He also has a great kick on him for stage finishes and with a race like this in his own backyard, he seems like a great option. 5th here last year with four good stage results seem to back up this sentiment. Gaudu is coming off the back of 2nd in Paris-Nice with four good stage results, the lack of uphill finishes might count against him, but he too has a good kick on him. Yates is of the same ilk with 4th at Paris-Nice and four decent stage finishes, so he too would be a good option here. If I was to rank them all then the order I announced them would be it.
Under these three are Richard Carapaz at 16 credits, and then Mikel Landa, Sergio Higuita, and Ion Izagirre at 14 credits. Of these, Higuita represents the best option for me although he’s yet to really launch his season. Landa has been good so far this year, but Bilbao is here, which is a conundrum. Izagirre has been quiet so far this year, but he did just win the GP Miguel Indurain one day race on Saturday, so maybe it’s his time to shine. Carapaz represents too much of a gamble at 16 credits when he too is yet to set his season alight. I makes for an interesting choice, and it is possible to take several of the pricier options when we take a look at who’s available for even cheaper.
There are a fast non-GC men to throw in the mix as well. The only problem with them is whether or not they’re guaranteed any opportunities. If the opportunities do arise though, here are the main players to consider. Ruben Guerreiro (12 credits), Alex Aranburu (10 credits), Mattias Skjelmose (10 credits), Andrea Vendrame (10 credits), Quentin Hermans (8 credits), Ide Schelling (8 credits), Quentin Pacher (8 credits), Andrea Bagioli (8 credits), Jon Aberasturi (8 credits), Carlos Canal (4 credits), and Romain Grégoire (4 credits). There are others of course, but I’d expect these to be the main bunch challenging for the non-GC stage finishes. Drop a comment below or on Twitter if you have someone you’re backing to be amongst the results.
Elsewhere, the in form riders include Marc Soler (12 credits), Rui Costa (8 credits), Luke Plapp (10 credits), Pierre Latour (10 credits), Mauro Schmid (8 credits), Rémi Cavagna (6 credits) and there are a whole host of interesting riders at 8 and 6 credits, which make this a really interesting race for fantasy lovers. I’m going to be toying with my team all evening and probably a bit in the morning too. Vingegaard or no Vingegaard? All GC or some punchy types? And many other questions to spend too much time mulling over. Happy picking all and enjoy the racing!
The Pelotonian 