Race #1 The Tour Poitou – Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine, a chip little 2.1 variety of 4 phases, third stage is a flat 29km TT with the street phases being stuffed with quick sharp surprising little partitions. The 4 French WT groups are joined by 9 massive PRT groups so it must be aggressive. Assume largely younger sprinters like Penhoet, Warenskjold, Lonardi, Fretin, Tesson, and outdated man Demare with a leveling of children who can climb a bit and can combat for the GC: Costiou, Holter, Dversnes and so forth. Tough finale is Friday. Take pleasure in.

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Race#2 is the Lidl Deutschland Tour happening this time within the Saarland from Wednesday-Sunday beginning with a prologue, 2.9km lengthy, and 4 bumpy street phases. Sprinters and punchers like Mads, Kristoff, Milan, Skujins, Viviani, Lamperti, Poels, Buitrago, D Van Poppel, Aular, Alveiro Cepeda, Hayter, and so forth and so forth.

With these names and even powerful it’s a .Professional race, in FSA-0DS land it’s a cat 5 stage race with 12-count ‘em-TWELVE WT groups and 5 PRT groups. Have you ever seen the shortage of puncher sorts within the Vuelta? Look right here for them. Only a actual good startlist reverse a Grand Tour. You’re welcome.

Winner? Let’s say Jonathan Milan.

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Race #3 Druivenkoers-Overijse. This one-day little Belgian quantity on Friday is a FSA-=DS cat 5 race with the minimal 4 WT groups, eight PRT groups, and a few variety of Conti groups that managest to climb the bumpy Smeysberg six? occasions (I misplaced rely) plus a couple of different leg-sapping climbs simply made for puncheurs. And sure now we have a Maxim Van Gils sighting for this race. can he rouse himself from his summer time doldrums and take the win? Can he beat Axel Zingle or Tom Van Asbroeck? Lucca Mozzato? Gianni Vanmeersch? Nah. I’m going along with his teammate Milan Menten.

Picture by MAARTEN STRAETEMANS/BELGA MAG/AFP by way of Getty Photographs