2022 Tour of the Alps – Overall Preview
By @EchelonsHub
With the Giro d’Italia drawing near, the climbers will be priming their form and testing their legs in the Tour of the Alps. A race for the mountain lovers, both for those watching and racing it, because that is all there is for five consecutive days.
The Route
The opening stage is very open. Harder on paper than what it seems by the profile, it is an ideal start for those looking for chaos as there will be little idea of who can control such a stage, and what scenario may lead to the victory.
The second day starts off brutal with the Passo Rolle. It is the day with the longest climbs, where the mountain goats can really make the difference, however they will need to be bold if they ambition to do so, as the climbs come quite far from the finale.
The third day is much more focused on a single ascent, however it promises not to disappoint. The Passo Fuccia is the highlight of this day which also has a lot of potential to flip the overall classification on it’s head.
Perhaps the easiest stage of the race, however simultaneously it’s the only one with a summit finish. The fourth day also has everything to be an interesting stage, as the riders step into Austrian territory for the race finale.
The final day of racing is based around Lienz, where the organizers have plotted a route full of steep ascents which will see an explosive finale to the race.
Weather for the Week
Cold temperatures throughout the week, but there’s no surprise there really as the whole race will take place inside the Alps.
GC Contenders
Pello Bilbao & Mikel Landa – With the eyes in the Giro, Bilbao and Landa will be preparing themselves for it. With a modest startlist in comparison to other years, they will enjoy the mountain-filled route, where they can make for a brilliant combo.
Miguel Ángel López – As a pure climber, López will be on his favoured terrain here. The goal lies ahead, however it would be no surprise whatsoever to see López in the fight for the win here as the high mountains of the Alps are perfect for him.
Richie Porte & Pavel Sivakov – Richie Porte is a rather inconsistent rider however he has put on some strong performances this year. He can do strong, INEOS will be well rounded up, and Pavel Sivakov will be another card for the British team to perform.
The GC is set to be decided between many other riders though, although it must be said that it’s fairly unknown the form in which some may present themselves. It won’t matter that much for some, I would say that Hugh Carthy for example won’t be worried, but alongside Esteban Chaves they can absolutely be in the fight for the win if the form is right. With depth you also find Groupama with Thibaut Pinot, Michael Storer and Attila Valter all strong options to fight in the mountains.
Then you’ve got the likes of Lennard Kämna, Geoffrey Bouchard, Romain Bardet, Filippo Zana and Jefferson Alexander Cepeda who can all be up there in the ascents and with the right legs, fight for a podium or even more.
Prediction Time
⭐⭐⭐Bilbao, MA.Lopez, Landa
⭐⭐Porte, Bardet
⭐Buitrago, Sivakov, Carthy, Pinot, Storer, Valter, Kamna, Bouchard, Zana, Cepeda
I think numerical advantage will play a crucial role and Bahrain will be able to take control of the race. My call for the overall win is the great Mikel Landa, he’s looked brilliant at Tirreno-Adriatico and I think he can get back to his winning ways.
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Rúben Silva
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