Volta a Ciclista Catalunya 2023 – Stage 5
The last mountain stage. This one is tougher than the previous two.
Route
It should all come down to Lo Port.
I have included the foot of the climb. As you can see, it is when we start see the first hairpins the tough part of the climb begins.
Here you see the middle section. 4.4 km at 8.9%.
Weather
A bit more wind tomorrow, especially in the northern part of the route. Once near the climb, the wind is down to 4 m/s. That means a cross-headwind on the climb. From time to time, the wind is a lot stronger on mountains, we will have to see tomorrow. It likely means the move will happen towards the end of the difficult section rather than at the start.
Contenders
Evenepoel – he looks the strongest right now. I would say he starts tomorrow as the favorite, he has been the best on the last two mountain top finishes. It is the sole climb of the day, meaning he will start relatively fresh. A big bonus for him.
Roglic – getting better and better. Don’t you worry, he will be in tip-top shape for the Giro d’Italia. It will be difficult for him to defend the jersey. It is all about following Evenepoel. It is tough all the way to the top. I think he will lose the jersey tomorrow, but he should still finish in the top-3.
Ciccone – best of the rest. Tomorrow is steeper, more explosive. I think that is positive for him. We have seen him ride well in Valenciana and Tirreno-Adriatico. Tomorrow, it is a proper hard climb. Let’s see what he got.
Landa – I expect Landa to be among the best tomorrow. He is more of an explosive climber than a TT climber. I assume he will fight for the podium.
Almeida – I have been years trying to categorize him. I doubt this suits him to well. Despite him being a fast finisher, he is more of a TT climber. He never gives up, and pacing yourself can get you a long way. I could see a few riders explode tomorrow, he won’t do so.
Woods – he has been complaining about the last two mountain top finishes not suiting him, therefore, I expect him to do well tomorrow. The higher gradients is beneficial for him. I expect him to fight for a podium spot.
Chaves – looking good and better on steeper climbs. He falls into the category as Woods, he should be able to perform better tomorrow than the last two mountain top finishes.
Hindley – on a good day, he could challenge for the win. On a more realistic note, he will challenge for a top-10 spot.
Who will win?
The strongest climber right now is Evenepoel – I assume he will win.
