Volta ao Algarve 2017 – Stage 3 Preview
By David Hunter
Sagres – Sagres 18km ITT
A painful, out and back TT awaits the riders.
It is long enough to create some big gaps on GC, with Tony Martin looking to gain as much time as humanly possible!
Weather
Dry and not much wind. Perfect for a TT.
Contenders
Tony Martin – returned to his old self towards the end of 2016, winning the world championship. He’s started the 2017 season in fine form, winning a stage in Valenciana. He is the massive favourite for this stage, and the race is one that holds good memories for him. He’s going to be tough to beat.
Michal Kwiatkowski – really good to see him back on form. In 2014, he won a TT finishing in Sagres, but it was on a different route. Given his ride today, I think he has a chance of making the podium.
Primoz Roglic – was hugely impressive today. His TT performance was amazing in 2016, winning a stage in the Giro and just losing out on another. He would fully expect to be in the race lead after this stage and has an outside chance of taking the stage too.
LL Sanchez – not on his best form today. Cannot see him turning it around in the TT.
Jonathan Castroviejo – finished this TT in 6th place last year. He was climbing well today and will expect a better result this year. He ended 2016 in wonderful form, taking gold in the Euro TT and bronze in the World Championship. A real contender for the stage.
Alexander Foliforov – the enigma himself! His win in the Giro TT was the biggest shock of the season, maybe even the last 10 seasons. Amazing that he did that, even with his bottle cages still on his bike. Since that point, it’s gone a bit quiet for the Russian. It’s very hard to know if he is aiming for this stage, but he certainly can’t be discounted.
Edvald Boasson Hagen – I hope we get to see him going full gas. A good blow out would certainly help with his upcoming target races. He is an underestimated TT rider, but not one that always delivers. Hopefully, tomorrow is a good day for him.
Prediction
Got to be Big Tony, but Roglic won’t be far behind. A win for the German and the race lead for the Slovenian.
David Hunter
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