2022 Critérium du Dauphiné - STAGE 7 Preview & Predictions
Stage 7 Profile
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First Climb: Col du Galibier |
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Second Climb: Col de la Croix de Fer |
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Finish Climb |
This is where the big battle starts. The riders start with climb of the Galibier where some riders will try to attack to form the breakaway. Team Jumbo-Visma will content themselves to using Chris Harper to set a decent tempo. From there on, it will be the duty of Laporte and Kruijswijk to bring the leaders to the foot of the Col de La Croix de Fer.
From there on, the pace will be set at speed to try to deter any attack but not to drop Wout van Aert.
Juan Ayuso who has to leave the race after suffering from stomach issue will be missed.
Attacks from David Gaudu, Enric Mas and Team Bahrain’s duo of Caruso and Haig can be expected. The constant shape of pressure might crack Wout van Aert, leaving Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglič having each other’s back.
The race will end at Vaujany after a final 5.7 km climb at 7.2%. Unless someone would do something spectacular like Mark Padun last year, the break away would be caught by then and thus leaving the general classification guys to fend for themselves.
The last climb to Vaujany ,although 2nd category should not be underestimated. The first 4 km are steep with gradient around 9-10%. This will be the platform for some serious attacks!
Predictions
★★☆☆☆ : Ben O’Connor – The Australian is getting better and better in terms of abilities and confidence. Although his descending skills are not the best, his strength is his capacity to attack at a time when everyone needs to take a breath. This could happen in the final climb, although it is not hard enough. He could also try to go earlier at the top of Col de La Croix de Fer.
★★☆☆☆ : Wilco Keldermann – Given that the last climb is not the most difficult of the day, there is a high possibility that a group of elite come to the finish together. We have seen Gaudu’s sprint ability but I still believe Keldermann is the fastest one.
★☆☆☆☆ : Primoz Roglič – He could just blow the race on his own by attacking on the Col de La Croix de Fer and leave everyone behind. It is also possible that his team might use Jonas Vingegaard to attack and make the opponents react.
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