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With Cadel Evans still holding the overall lead in the 2014 Giro D’Italia, join us from 10pm AEST for our live coverage and discussion of Stage 13 of the Grand Tour.
Most of the flat stages are behind us, which means Stage 13 is one of the last chances for the sprinters given the majority of the remaining stages are mountains or time trials.
The only other real chances for the sprinters are on Stage 17 and the final flat stage into Trieste.
This fact will make all the key sprinters left in the race very keen to catch the break and perform well on Stage 13. By Stage 17 no one will have any energy left after a few days in the mountains, and the breakaway will run away with it.
Stage 13 will stretch a distance of 158 kilometres from the towns Fossano to Rivarolo Canavese and encounter one category four climb and one intermediate sprint towards the end of the day’s racing. The rest of the stage is mainly played out over rolling roads that just can’t be classified as categorised climbs.
After yesterday’s time trial, it will be a little bit tougher on everyone as the time trial was designed not to be easy. If there is a formation that is not dangerous to the GC the breakaway may be allowed to go away with the stage, but at the same time the sprinters can count how many opportunities they have left on one hand.
The GC teams will know this as well, and that means they have a lot of riding to go up and down mountains so they won’t want to waste any unnecessary energy chasing a break they don’t need to chase. The other factor that will work to the advantage of the breakaway is the fact that is it is a shorter stage, so they can ride harder for a shorter period of time.
Stage 13’s sprint and categorised climb are right near the end, with the climb being 32 kilometres from the end and the sprint only 13 kilometres from the end. This could certainly throw a spanner in the works for the stage.
Not so much the climb, although if the break has already been caught there is no doubt someone will try and have a go. But with the sprint only being 13 kilometres, the sprinters will almost certainly want someone away as they go through the sprint.
If the sprint finish does come, Nacer Houhani (FDJ) would have to be the favourite once again. He has made the sprints of the Giro his own since Marcel Kittel (Giant Shimano) withdrew from the race, and now with Michael Matthews out of the race it suits him even more.
The challenge will certainly come from the form of team Sky and Ben Swift as they try and get something out of the Giro. Other challengers will include Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek), Roberto Ferrari (Lampre), Ella Viviani (Cannondale) and Luka Mezgec (Giant-Shimano). All of these riders are certainly in with a chance of winning the stage if it does end in a sprint finish, but with the dominance shown so far by Bouhani he is certainly my tip.
Whether it is won by a breakaway or it ends in a sprint finish,it should be a great stage of the Giro .