Old Town > Maraya 143.4km

It’s the final stage, but the GC isn’t settled yet. We have a gravel section of around 7km, which will make Guerreiro a little bit on the nervous side, but this stage should still end in a sprint.

Weather

Another nice day to finish.

Finale

Slightly uphill, so it’s going to cause a few problems. With 5km to go, there’s 780m at 4.1%, which will cause some of the sprinters to slide down the bunch. Then there’s a lot of flat for them to move back up, before the final 750m at 2.7%. 

Contenders

Dylan Groenewegen – he’s got one stage win but would like one more. He’s got the best sprint train in the race; it really is a luxury to have Štybar and Mezgec to guide him in the final kilometre. The rises in the final 5km won’t cause him any problems, but he would prefer a flat sprint. The uphill finish will bring his rivals closer to him.

Jonathan Milan – will Bahrain go for him? They said at the start of the race that they’d give Milan and Rajović chances, and the Serbian has only sprinted once in the race. In my opinion, Milan is much faster, but at this point in the season it makes sense to give Rajović another chance.

Pascal Ackermann – got sick before the race but has started to feel better and will sprint in this stage. The uphill kick is perfect for the German, he’s brilliant in this type of finish. UAE can now throw all their riders behind him, having Gibbons as final man means Ackermann should be in a good position for the sprint. 

Cees Bol – he’s performed well this week, and an uphill sprint is good for him. Despite a lack of a sprint train, he’s done well in stages 2 and 3. I expect him to be fighting for the win, but he might have to settle for another podium spot. 

Prediction Time

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I’ll go a bit on the risky side and take a win for Pascal Ackermann.