Route du Sud 2016 Overall Preview

By David Hunter

Time to get ready for the Tour!

Route

Stage 1

The race begins with a sprint stage, with a few climbs to roll over near the start. At 196km, it’s long but shouldn’t be a challenge.

Stage 2a

Friday is host to a split stage, with another one for the sprinters in the morning.

Stage 2b

Followed by an afternoon TT. Riders usually hate split stages!

Stage 3

It’s Saturday and GC day. We have two serious climbs, Col du Tourmalet and Col de Couraduque. This is a huge day of climbing.

Stage 4

We end with a tricky lap circuit, containing a few lumps!

Analysis

The GC battle is all about Saturday’s stage. It really is a beauty, climbing the Tourmalet, but that final climb is really tough. It is 6.6km at 7.7%, but features ramps of 13%. This is where the title will be decided.

Not losing time in the TT will also be a requirement. It’s only 13.4km long and features two climbs, so the GC riders should be bunched close together.

Contenders

Nairo Quintana – won here in 2012 and was 2nd to Contador in 2015. He’s been training in Colombia since Romandie, as he looks to get ready for the Tour. As he is aiming to peak for the 3rd week of that race, he won’t be 100% just now. Problem for the rest of the riders is that a 90% Nairo is still good enough to win.

Dayer Quintana – already benefited from his brother’s work in San Luis. It’s quite possible we will see the same type of tactic from Movistar. Dayer has continued to improve as a pro rider, and he will relish another chance to win a race. His chances depend on the hopes of his brother.

Hugh Carthy – the big man is having a wonderful season. He was an incredible 9th in Catalunya and won in Asturias. This is his next target, before he begins to focus on the Vuelta. He has been training hard but had a few days off his bike last week, thanks to stomach flu. Fully recovered, he is fit and motivated to do well here. A podium spot is certainly within his grasp.

Eduardo Sepulveda – still recovering from his crash in the Drome Classic. He completed the Tour of Luxembourg, which was crucial for him. He now has another chance to test his legs before the Tour. This will be very important to try and get some more racing in his legs.

Thomas Voeckler – former winner and fresh from winning the Tour of Yorkshire. Think that the Queen stage will be too hard for him.

Arnold Jeannesson – his move to Cofidis has been a success. He was 11th in Paris-Nice, 4th in the Criterium International and finished in the top 20 in Fleche and LBL. I’m pleased for him, as he is a rider I’ve always had a soft spot for. Should be capable of a big result here.

Sergey Firsanov – having just completed his first Grand Tour, the Russian should be very tired. Problem is, you can never write off these boys from Gazprom.

Garikoitz Bravo – a lesser name for you to look up. The 26 year old rides for Euskadi and is a solid climber. He was 4th in Asturias and in Madrid, so he’s having a good season. It would be nice to see him go well in this race.

Sprinters

Should be an interesting battle between Demare and Coquard. The little man from Direct Energie already has 9 wins to his name in 2016. That is more wins than he’s managed in any season as a pro. He has been brilliantly supported by Adrien Petit, a very underrated lead out man.

On the other hand, Demare only has 3 wins in 2016. It helps that one was in Paris-Nice and one happened to be Milan-Sanremo. He will be supported by a full sprint train, this will give him every chance of beating Coquard, but that will not be easy.

Prediction Time

Quintana wins, I’ll let you decide which one!

David Hunter

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