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Giro d'Italia 2016 preview series: Sprinters still don't rate it like the Tour de France

2nd May, 2016
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Can Andre Greipel win Stage 14 of the Tour de France? (Photo by Joe Frost)
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2nd May, 2016
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The Giro d’Italia has often been known as a race that is devoid of sprinters due to it’s very uphill and brutal nature. Add that to what are often shocking weather conditions, and it is easy to see why sprinters sometimes tend to steer clear.

However, with the Tour de France not too far after it some of the best sprinters in the world can often line up for the first two weeks, and then pull out of the race to prepare for the biggest event of the cycling season.

For the 2016 edition though, many of the big guns are missing. There is no sign of Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan or Alexander Kristoff although Andre Greipel and Marcell Kittel will show up, but presumably in low-key roles.

In part, it looks like the reason for not many sprinters could be the fact that there are three time-trials in the period of time they would normally stay in the race, plus a number of stages where a bunch sprint is less than certain.

In fact, you could almost say it is more than likely that a number of the ‘flat’ stages will end in a reduced sprint or with a punchy rider taking out the stage.

Another point to take into account, before we get onto who is likely to feature on the flatlands is that the difficulty of it not only makes the flat stages boring – but also could be driving away some of the big general classification riders.

Of course, many of the general classification guys will be off to the Tour de France, but still the first Grand Tour of the year, in what are generally less than ideal conditions needs to have some pulling power.

Mountains are obviously needed to decide a race, but something needs to be done to make it possible for a rider to have a hope of doing the double – that being the Giro and Tour. Alberto Contador tried it last year of course and failed in comprehensive fashion. It’s just too difficult.

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Not having the required sprinters – but also not giving the ones who are there a reason for their teams to get on the front is an issue. It means the General Classification teams will have to do a bulk of the work on those days that are too difficult for the sprinters to get to the line, and could mean we have a few runaway breakaways.

It’s just not a good look for the race to not have a large field of sprinters contesting the end of flat stages.

However, despite all the doom and gloom there are some quality sprinters who have lined up for this year’s race. Let’s have a look.

Marcel Kittel (Etixx-Quickstep)
Kittel is just one of a number of riders here to prepare for the Tour de France. In saying that, he had a shocking back end to 2015, eventually moving teams across to Etixx-Quickstep. This is his first race back on the big stage, and he will be more than a little keen to make a statement in his new colours.

He won Stage 1 at the recent Tour of Romandie, and has also had a couple of stage wins littered throughout his season at smaller races. Pressure on for Kittel to try and book a spot at Le Tour.

Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal)
Greipel, like Kittel is here to prepare for the Tour de France. There will be no pressure on him though, with constant good results joined up with being in a very good team environment.

If his form is anything to go by though it will take a fair few days before Greipel is anything like himself, and it is pretty obvious why he is here – for kilometres in the legs rather than to win. Since the end of January he has only had one stage win, but he was in a similar position last year and managed a stage win at the Giro.

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Arnaud Demare (FDJ)
It’s difficult to read the young Frenchman’s ambitions for the Giro. He has plenty of talent, but this is the year you feel he has to start to make his mark on the professional cycling game for FDJ.

He has never finished higher than third place on a Grand Tour stage, and over the last two years has shown dissinterest in the Giro – failing to race at the event. After two seasons soley focussing on the Tour it is almost like he is trying to gain a bit of confidence by going to Italy.

There is no question he has plenty of speed on the bike, but the pressure will be on him.

Caleb Ewan (Orica Orica-GreenEDGE)
The young Aussie hopeful’s biggest challenges will be securing resources within the team but also handling the three weeks of a Grand Tour. Before you put the pressure on Ewan, you have to remember his first Grand Tour was last year’s Veulta a Espana where he won a stage, but also had to pull out after just ten days.

He will also battle with Orica’s general classification hopeful Esteban Chavez for resources.

Ewan’s form is hard to read, with only one race since the middle of March – being the Tour de Yorkshire where he pulled out during Stage 3 but had a second place on Stage 1. By all reports he has been training strongly though.

Elia Viviani (Sky)
Viviani has really made a name for himself at the Giro in the last few years. Lining up for Team Sky again he will be second fiddle behind Mikel Landa who is gunning for pink, but he managed to win a stage at last year’s Giro and will be looking for a strong performance again this year.

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It has been consistency that counts for Viviani, who nearly every flat stage is there and abouts. Unfortunately there is no form to go off as he hasn’t raced since he pulled out of Paris-Roubaix.

So, who actually wins the sprint jersey? It may well not be one of these guys, with plenty of points in the mountains. Still with only minimal points for intermediate sprints at the Giro, they are in with a chance.

If it was to be one of the sprinters then Caleb Ewan is the man for mine.

As I was talking about earlier, there are also a lot of punchers named in the field, and they could play quite a large role in their respective teams duking it out for stage wins.

Alessandro De Marchi (BMC)
De Marchi is one of the best opportunists in the peloton. He has featured in a stack of breakaways not only in the recent classics but stretching back to Tours last season, and he always wants to be aggressive.

He won’t be afforded that luxury if he was to be picked for the Tour de France, but with no Richie Porte or Tejay Van Garderen here, he will have the ability to play virtually whatever card he wants.

Joe Dombrowski (Cannondale)
Dombrowski had some major milestones last season racing at some of the smaller races, including a great performance at the Tour of Utah. It was these that brought him onto the map and see him getting a ride in the first Grand Tour of the season.

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While Rigoberto Uran is in front of him, and he will have to do a lot of work I expect that if Uran was to falter, or he needs men in the breakaway then Dombrowski will be the man to turn to. Don’t be surprised if the American picks up a stage win.

Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal)
Wellens is arguably one of the most exciting aggressive youngsters on the professional cycling scene. At just 24 years of age, he already has won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Monteal and finished fourth at the Il Lombardia.

Furthermore, he has been in solid form with a top ten finish at Amstel Gold just a few weeks ago and a stage win at Paris-Nice earlier this year.

Diego Ulissi (Lampre)
Ulissi has shown time and time again how skillful he can be when going up steep gradients, and should be feared by all when the Giro heads uphill on those punchy type days. He can attack with the best of them, and it would be fair to say he is the best of this group without Phillipe Gilbert on deck.

Damiano Cunego (Nippo-Vini Fantini)
Cunego won this race 12 years ago. He now rides for a conntinental team, and has nowhere near the same capabilities he used to have. His best bet would be to get on the attack and try to grab a stage win, which he is more than capable of doing.

Always seems to feature on TV at some point during his home Grand Tour.

Tomorrow, we have a look through the Australian’s in the field and what we can expect from them over the three week race.

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Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde

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