La Vuelta Ciclista a España 2023 – Stage 21

The last preview for a stage in a Grand Tour this season.

Route

A short day in Madrid. We will likely see a sprint.

Here you have the laps in Madrid. There is some kind of gpx error due to the U-turn the organizers have set up, therefore I’ve used the roadbook picture.

Weather

A cold day in Madrid. Not too much wind either.

Contenders

Groves – went down the other day luckily not as bad as his team mate. The team is now without Gaze

Molano – won here last season on this circuit. It suits him a lot, as he thrives in a technical sprint. He starts tomorrow as one of the favorites

Dainese – just so bloody quick isn’t he. He prefers a boulevard sprint, the big question is his positioning on a circuit. I think he will struggle to take another stage win.

Theuns – just so over consistent. He will fight for a top-5.

M. van den Berg – they had a good timing on stage 19, by far the best we’ve seen from the American team this race. He was in a very good position, but near the end, they couldn’t give him the lead-out it looked he would.

Ganna – this is simply due to the fantastic lead-out the team can provide for him.

Stars

⭐⭐⭐ Molano
⭐⭐ Groves, Ganna
⭐ Theuns, Dainese, M. van den Berg

Who will win?

I will take a stage win for Molano. Thank you everyone for reading, I will take a few days off before Skoda Luxembourg Tour.