Le Bouveret 6.8km

The race begins with a long prologue.

With barely a corner in sight, it’s full gas for roughly 8 minutes, one for the specialists.

Weather

There’s a threat of showers until 3pm, then it should be dry. Probably a day to go out late, but the weather in this part of the world can change very quickly.

Contenders

Ethan Hayter – won the prologue last year, it’s a distance that suits him very well. The former track star will start as the favourite, he’s a very good TT rider. The early part of the season was frustrating for him, but his win in the Basque Country will have put him back in the right direction. This is a great chance to take the race lead and potentially hold it for a couple of days. 

Tobias Foss – the ITT world champion will be looking forward to this one. He should have his eyes on the GC, anytime he can take in this stage will be a boost. It looks like he’ll be leaving Jumbo-Visma at the end of the year, a good performance here will help with contract negotiations.

Rémi Cavagna – current form is good; this is a big chance for him to take a win. I expect this to be a good route for him, it’s all about power.

Simon Yates – not someone you’d usually associate with this type of stage, but just remember his performance in the opening stage of last year’s Giro. The team made huge improvements in this discipline last year, I wonder if they’ll be as strong this year.

Matteo Sobrero – he was very impressive in the Basque Country, that’s the best I’ve seen him go. He is very good on his TT bike but does like a hill or two as he’s quite light. He could well find himself finishing a handful of seconds behind the stage winner, the podium should be within his grasp. A good effort here could set him up to take the race lead on Thursday.

Magnus Cort – not raced since Sanremo, he could be a little rusty.

Ethan Vernon – another track star who’ll fancy a good run at this one. The podium is a realistic target.

Prediction Time

I think this will be close between Hayter and Cavagna.

Embed from Getty Images

Prologues are usually good for track riders, so I’ll take a win for Ethan Hayter.