Unfortunately it’s looking like the prospect of crosswinds is there but only early in the stage and it’s therefore unlikely any team could make it stick. As I mention above, you can’t rule out a breakaway taking the day but nervousness in the peloton and still with teams knowing this is probably their sprinters last chance for a win, we should end up with a bunch sprint.
With over a 1100 metres of climbing it’s not an easy day but it’s not hard enough to put too many sprinters into difficulty. It will however have some not as fresh as they’d like to be at the finish. It’s a straightforward run in but there are roundabouts in the last couple of k’s that will string out the peloton. A strong team will give their leader the best chance and therefore it’s Philipsen who should be favourite. The best 3 to beat him are Cav, Groany and Bini but only the latter will arrive fresh into the last kilometre.
As usual on a third week stage, there’ll be plenty seeing a chance from the break. Cort, Stuyven, Abrahamsen, Turgis, Campy, Moho and Kung are obvious picks. If Alpecin send a rider into the break and the wind stays as a light breeze, I’d favour the break but if Alpecin are all in for Philpsen and there’s even a hint of crosswind danger, it will be a sprint. Outside of those mentioned, only Wout has the speed to win unless Ackers or Demare can cause an upset. I’ll be hoping for win number 36 but the head thinks it will be a Jasper, Wout, Bini, 1,2,3.
Here's your start list.
In this game, only the race results matter. You're not committed to keeping the same riders throughout the series, you make fresh picks before every race. Our overall competition is just the sum of individual race scores. You're eligible for the overall even if you miss some races.
Pick 4 riders for the upcoming race. The order of your picks doesn't matter. All of your riders can score.
Riders score points down to 10th place. Less popular riders score more points than heavily-picked favourites. See below for scoring details.
The strict entry deadline is the official start time of the race, the neutralized roll-out or Départ Fictif. Be warned - if your post is timestamped one minute late your entry won't count! So do remember that there's no disadvantage to getting an entry in early, even the day before, because you may always change your picks up until the deadline. Feel free to rethink your picks when it emerges which riders are more or less popular with other players. If you make changes, post your revised 4 picks in a reply to your original post.
The last 3 races will be secret entry between the top contenders… To avoid defensive picking.
When we say top contenders we leave the number open because who knows how many will be within striking distance...
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Head over to the spreadsheet to check how you fared. Any issues, please email us on... WendyHellfreezes@over.com
