Giro d’Italia 2022 – Stage 3
With minor changes in the GC after the first two stages, it is now time for the sprinters to show their worth in the last stage in Hungary. The stage has 1309 climbing meters.
The last five km
It will be a boulevard sprint. There is a roundabout with 1 km left which is the last obstacle. At 500m to go, the riders ride on -2% gradients, which means it will be very, very fast.
Weather
The wind will blow with 3 m/s from the east, but at the finish, it will come from the north around 17:00 local time. A crosswind sprint.
Contenders
It is time to figure out, how well the trains are synergized.
Cavendish has very good support here. Mørkøv, Ballerini, Lerberghe and Schmid to name some of them. He does have the best lead-out man by his side, which tomorrow is not going to matter as much. The goal is clear, to win the stage and he has the speed to do so.
Demare and FDJ are all out to make sure Demare can win tomorrow. The problem is his top speed, which I think is the reason he will not win tomorrow. His position at the start of the sprint should be close to perfect which means he has a good chance for the podium.
Nizzolo with Zabel and a few TT riders, Dowsett and Brändle. He should have good enough support to fight for the win, but I think the stage is too easy and his speed too slow.
Ewan looked very hurt on stage 1. The form is clearly there – and he is the fastest sprinter here. We will see how he has recovered, by his own statement, he is fit to fight. The problem is no De Buyst (injured) or Selig. He is not known for his strong ability to surf wheels in the final.
Mareczko probably has one of the best lead-outs here. MvdP, De Bondt, Oldani just to name a few. He has not had a good result in a long time, but the stage is very easy which is good news. Add the amount of help I assume he will be getting. It can get him far.
Bauhaus – can do a lot on his own, but in a Grand Tour, it will rarely get you a win. I imagine Sütterlin can try and help him as far as he can. He will be lucky it is about top speed tomorrow, but I think he is slower than some of the names here.
Gaviria with Richeze. In Romandie, the stage he sprinted, he did not have the speed to surpass Hayter even though he was covered from the wind by him. The train and the speed will make it difficult.
Girmay – I imagine a top-10. At Paris-Nice, we saw he has problems in the fight for positioning. Aime de Gendt should be a good wheel to follow in the final, then it is up to his own legs to determine if he will get on the podium – which I doubt.
Consonni with help from Cimolai. Another duo. I think they will get overrun tomorrow by the numbers of the other teams.
Bol has a few helpers, Dainese and Denz. He has been below his level all year and I don’t see it changing tomorrow.
Who will win?
Mark Cavendish. The only one faster is Ewan, but he is set back by a crash and lack of support.
