Giro d’Italia 2016 – Stage 21 Preview

By David Hunter

Cuneo – Torino 163km

The end is nigh.

A little roll into Torino and a sprint finish, well, that’s the plan!

Once in Torino, the riders are faced with 8 laps of the local circuit.

It’s a very straightforward circuit, which shouldn’t cause many problems.

It does contain a short climb, but it’s nothing that will cause the riders any difficulty. It does give the non-climbers, a chance of upsetting the odds.

Contenders

Giacomo Nizzolo – looks nice and safe in the red jersey. He is still to win a stage, just like last year, despite looking impressive. He seems to have the edge over Modolo, but can Trek set-up the sprint?

Sacha Modolo – despite having the flying Ferrari, he has been unable to challenge Nizzolo. With Ulissi sitting 33 points behind Nizzolo, it will be interesting to see how they approach the stage from a tactical point of view. Can Modolo find the speed of 2015?

Alexander Porsev – good chance of making the podium, mainly thanks to Viacheslav Kuznetsov. He might not get much of a mention, but he’s a quality lead-out man.

Nikias Arndt – eventually started to get it together. Giant have the resources to put him into a good position and he has the speed to challenge.

Matteo Trentin – took a magnificent win already this week, but he’ll go full gas to try and take another. Do not underestimate him, he’s quick!

Breakaway Hopes

Daniel Oss and Diego Ulissi are still nice and high in the battle for red, they need to attack. Oss is likely to try and make the morning break and hope it stays away. Ulissi must be tired by now!

Weather

There is a chance of rain and thunderstorms for the majority of the day. Wet roads would increase the chances of a shock result.

Prediction Time

Last year, it was up to Lampre to set-up the sprint. They failed!

This time, Trek can work for the sprint, as Nizzolo is just about clear in the battle for red. Saying that, they couldn’t ensure a sprint finish on Wednesday. Giant and IAM might get involved, but this is not a guaranteed sprint.

Nizzolo is the fastest, but I have a feeling that Daniel Oss might just surprise the peloton.

Final Word

Well that’s another grand tour of previews done. A massive thanks to all that have read my work over the last 3 weeks, it’s been fun!

David Hunter

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