Cycling: After the second and final rest day, the Giro d'Italia continues with another mountain stage. However, in our preview of stage 16 we assume that victory will not go to the top favorites.
Mountain stage after the rest day
The Giro d'Italia enters its third and final, decisive week on Tuesday . It kicks off with a 206-kilometer mountain stage from Livigno to Santa Cristina Valgardena. The riders will face an uphill climb right from the start. The first real test is the Umbrail Pass (16,7 km at 7,2%) in the first third of the race. It's likely that the day's breakaway will form here, and we might even see a dangerous GC contender in it. However, the main battle for the general classification isn't expected until the final quarter of the race – if at all. The finale is considerably less demanding. While the Passo Pinei (23,3 km at 4,8%) and the Monte Pana (6,5 km at 6,3%) come close together, adding up to a significant number of kilometers, truly steep sections are few and far between.
Velomotion forecast: Victory goes to the breakaways
Stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia is tailor-made for a breakaway coup. With the days to come proving tough, the general classification contenders might hold back tomorrow. This opens the door for all those teams that haven't yet managed a stage win – and there are quite a few. At the same time, the potential stage winner needs to be a strong climber and, ideally, a powerful puncher. We're betting on Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), who has already won a stage and will need to be sent out on the offensive again by his team tomorrow. The Frenchman has shown that, as a lightweight, he's difficult to pin down in a breakaway. And while he impressed as a super-domestique yesterday, it would be almost negligent of his French team to let this huge opportunity for another stage victory slip away. We might also see Simon Geschke (Cofidis) attack again. And perhaps veteran Domenico Pozzovivo (VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè) will also dare to join the breakaway group this time.
* * * Valentin Paret Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)
** Stephen Chaves (EF Education – EasyPost), Nicola Conci (Alpecin – Deceuninck)
* Dominic Pozzo alive (VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè), Simon Geschke (Cofidis), Luke Plop (Jayco – AlUla)