The carnage caused by the crash in Stage 5 really put pay to any bets that were running up until that point. Degenkolb eventually powered home after a mammoth sprint to catch Canola just before the line with Angel Vicioso and Paul Martens taking unexpected spots on the podium.
Much to the relief of the pure sprinters, stage 6 is tailor-made for them. With a long straight section leading into the final sprint, there should be none of the chaos of today and the sprint teams should be able to get their trains set and in position nicely.
Mark Cavendish is the obvious favourite for this stage. I went against him in the opening stage due to his often slow start, but he was on the ball straight away and it is difficult to really see him losing this. He showed that he is perfectly capable of winning stages even when his train is not perfect - he is simply faster than anyone else in this race.
John Degenkolb will be hoping for back-to-back stage wins and he will benefit from a strong leadout train. Argos-Shimano were nicely set today before Luka Mezgec's fall on the slippery surface, but it showed that they are well-organised and ready for tomorrow. Similarly, Cannondale should be set to give Elia Viviani the perfect opportunity to go for his first ever Giro stage victory.
Among the other sprints, I would expect Nacer Bouhanni, Mattia Gavazzi and Roberto Ferrari all to be in amongst the leaders. Bouhanni has been slightly disappointing thus far, but was nicely positioned in today's stage and he is quick and strong when it comes to finding the right spot in these types of finish. Mattia Gavazzi gave up on today's climb early on, suggesting that he intends to conserve his energy for this stage. He already has two wins this year under his belt and will be hopeful of challenging for a third.
Again, I don't feel that the form is there for Matt Goss to really challenge. He has been fairly disappointing so far and I suspect that he will struggle to find the speed to worry the power sprinters in this stage. Among the other possibles are Francesco Chicchi, Adam Blythe and Sacha Modolo, but it is difficult to see them overcome the top sprinters in this field.
Giacomo Nizzolo is one that I have tipped up a couple of times now, but after a good first stage, he has not quite seemed himself. He was complaining about allergies in stage 4, explaining that he felt better today due to the rain calming those problems. The weather for tomorrow is expected to be hot and sunny, so this could be a problem again, and as a result, I don't particularly fancy him for this stage.
Prediction
1. Cavendish
2. Bouhanni
3. Degenkolb
4. Gavazzi
5. Viviani
Recommended Bets
Mark Cavendish @ 8/11
Nacer Bouhanni E/W @ 11/1
Mattia Gavazzi E/W @ 28/1
Much to the relief of the pure sprinters, stage 6 is tailor-made for them. With a long straight section leading into the final sprint, there should be none of the chaos of today and the sprint teams should be able to get their trains set and in position nicely.
Mark Cavendish is the obvious favourite for this stage. I went against him in the opening stage due to his often slow start, but he was on the ball straight away and it is difficult to really see him losing this. He showed that he is perfectly capable of winning stages even when his train is not perfect - he is simply faster than anyone else in this race.
John Degenkolb will be hoping for back-to-back stage wins and he will benefit from a strong leadout train. Argos-Shimano were nicely set today before Luka Mezgec's fall on the slippery surface, but it showed that they are well-organised and ready for tomorrow. Similarly, Cannondale should be set to give Elia Viviani the perfect opportunity to go for his first ever Giro stage victory.
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| It is difficult to see who can stop Mark Cavendish from winning his second stage |
Among the other sprints, I would expect Nacer Bouhanni, Mattia Gavazzi and Roberto Ferrari all to be in amongst the leaders. Bouhanni has been slightly disappointing thus far, but was nicely positioned in today's stage and he is quick and strong when it comes to finding the right spot in these types of finish. Mattia Gavazzi gave up on today's climb early on, suggesting that he intends to conserve his energy for this stage. He already has two wins this year under his belt and will be hopeful of challenging for a third.
Again, I don't feel that the form is there for Matt Goss to really challenge. He has been fairly disappointing so far and I suspect that he will struggle to find the speed to worry the power sprinters in this stage. Among the other possibles are Francesco Chicchi, Adam Blythe and Sacha Modolo, but it is difficult to see them overcome the top sprinters in this field.
Giacomo Nizzolo is one that I have tipped up a couple of times now, but after a good first stage, he has not quite seemed himself. He was complaining about allergies in stage 4, explaining that he felt better today due to the rain calming those problems. The weather for tomorrow is expected to be hot and sunny, so this could be a problem again, and as a result, I don't particularly fancy him for this stage.
Prediction
1. Cavendish
2. Bouhanni
3. Degenkolb
4. Gavazzi
5. Viviani
Recommended Bets
Mark Cavendish @ 8/11
Nacer Bouhanni E/W @ 11/1
Mattia Gavazzi E/W @ 28/1
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