We start heading South. Pogatchar (🇸🇮 UAE) has already crushed the race: with 2 victories in ~~-4-~~ 3 stages, he leads the 3 classifications...
Rankings after stage #4.
General time classification
- Tadey Pogatchar 🇸🇮 UAE
- Primoj Roglitch 🇸🇮 Bora @ 3′21″
- Enric Mas 🇪🇸 Movistar @ 3′32″
- Sepp Kuss 🇺🇸 Visma @ 3′44″
- Oscar Onley 🇬🇧 Ineos @ 3′45″
- Richard Carapaz 🇪🇨 EF @ 3′50″
- Felix Gall 🇦🇹 Decathlon @ 3′57″
- Matias Skjelmose 🇩🇰 Lidl-Trek @ 4′06″
- Jarno Widar 🇧🇪 Lotto-Int. @ 4′06″
- Jay Vine 🇦🇺 UAE @ 4′11″
Points
- Tadey Pogatchar 🇸🇮 UAE: 82 pts
- Ethan Hayter 🇬🇧 Soudal-QS: 37
- Matthew Brennan 🇬🇧 Visma: 30
Mountain
- Tadey Pogatchar 🇸🇮 UAE: 23 pts
- Lorenzo Fortunato 🇮🇹 Astana: 10
- 4 riders with 6 pts
Stages
Stage 5, Wednesday 26
173 km, D+ 1700m*
Whith the hills that start 60 km from the line and end 20-30 from it, this should be a game of sprinters vs punchers. Therefore we should see punchers-sprinters having their day.
NB: the profile exaggerates the steepness of the slopes.
Stage 6, Thursday 27
177 km, D+ 3000m*
Another mountain stage, another Pogatchar day. To make sure of it and remind him of his 3 Stade Bianche victories in a row, there will be 2 km on a gravel road at 12% near the summit of the last climb. Shall the first group to ride down towards the finish line be a one-man group or shall he get a few companions?
Stage 7, Friday 28
150 km, D+ 3600m*
I am not sure how to name this stage. There is quite some elevation, but the vast majority of slopes are smooth. Probably a day for breakaways, coming after an UAE stage.
Stage 8, Saturday 29
172 km, D+ 1300m*
I assume this stage is designed to create a fight between punchers and sprinters. However it didn't work on Wednesday, as everyone wanted a sprint; and this time the slope may be insufficient to get rid of all sprinters.
Stage 9, Sunday 30
188 km, D+ 5000m*
A mountain stage fo finish the week. All sorts of climbs, steep or smooth, short or medium-length, precede a 22 km long final climb. This stage will be very hard, there is no flat section and it is rather long.
Pogacar’s exit blows the race wide open, but I hate to see it happen like this. I’m not saying the eventual winner will need to defend their title in any way, but they will have won after Tadej had absolutely dominated everyone in the field earlier.
I enjoy sprint finishes where several people have an opportunity right up to the end, but you’re right. At what point does this just become too much of a blood bath to put up with?
Pro cycling has to be close to if not the most dangerous pro sport there is surely?
It was a rock Pog hit FYI. Nasty crash before this, and again in the sprint. Not what anyone wants