After a dramatic opening stage the riders take on a 181.8 kilometres starting in Mataró and ending in Barcelona in Sunday’s 2nd Stage of the Vuelta a España.
We take a look at the latest Jersey Betting and also suggest a bet in Stage 2.
STAGE 1 WRAP
We did say in yesterday’s preview that rain could turn this Team Time Trial stage into a lottery and that is exactly what happened.
Team DSM-Firmenich were one of the first out of the blocks and they posted a time of 17 minutes 30 seconds over the 14.8 kilometres route. The weather got worse with the rain pounding down and darkness descending and there were a number of accidents and the teams carrying the big General Classification favourites took a more conservative approach than they would have.
Movistar made a bold bid to win the stage, but it was just edged out by Team DSM with our 66/1 pick EF Education giving us a good run for our money and finishing a 6 seconds back. Jumbo-Visma, the team of Roglic and Vingegaard finished 32 seconds back with Geraint Thomas’s Ineos Grenadiers team 20 seconds behind and the Quick-Step team of Remco Evenepoel was 6 seconds in arrears. UAE also lost some ground finishing 37 seconds back, 5 seconds behind Jumbo-Visma.
JERSEY UPDATE
There wasn’t a lot of time between most of the Red Jersey candidates although Remco Evenepoel and Enric Mas were those who did gain something out of the stage.
Vingegaard remains an 11/10 favourite ahead of Roglic at 11/4, Evenepoel is in slight at 3/1. You can get 10/1 Ayuso, 12/1 Mas, 25/1 Thomas and 40/1 and better the balance.
There is no real change to the betting on the other classifications.
Click here for Outright Betting on the Vuelta a España
THE ROUTE
A 181 kilometre route between Mataró and Barcelona as described on the official website as hilly and includes a Cat 2 climb of 12.1 kilometres at 3.9% in the first-half of the stage. With about 45 kilometres to go the race flattens out, but there is a sting in the tail with a Cat 3 climb of 900 metres at 8.9% with the last half of the climb averaging close to the 12% mark.
There are bonus seconds at the top and this climb should ensure that any sprinters who may have managed to hang on will be discarded from the back of the peloton. There is then a short descent before the road starts to rise to the finish with the final kilometre at 3.9%.
STAGE 2 BETTING – Click here
Primoz Roglic 2/1
Marijn Van Den Berg 5/1
Remco Evenepoel 8/1
Romain Gregoire 14/1
Andrea Bagioli 16/1
Bryan Coquard 18/1
Juan Ayuso 18/1
20/1 and better the balance
PREDICTION
Had Jumbo-Visma, for example had the Red Jersey I would have expected that they may have been willing to let it go and that the breakaway would sail to fight out the stage ahead of the General Classification battle. The problem for them though is DSM have the Jersey and there is no doubt that they will be riding to protect it and so I don’t think the break is going to stick here.
With bonus seconds on top of the final climb I expect Jumbo-Visma to make it very hard and it is likely a fairly small group that comes to the finish together and with all of the quick men likely to be gone, Roglic looks the likely candidate to finish the job off for Jumbo-Visma.
I am going to keep things fairly simple here and go for a Roglic win at 2/1
Suggested Bet: Roglic win at 2/1
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
