The first stage of this years BinckBank Tour perfectly showcases the cross-border aspect of the race. The stage starts in the Belgian city of Beveren and finishes in the Dutch city of Hulst, which is known for its old fortified city centre and the popular Vestingscross.
As the profile shows, stage 1 is the first of many pancake flat stages and will no doubt end in a sprint. There are some minor cobblestone sections after 100 kilometers of racing, but they are too easy and way too far from the finish line to have any impact on the race.
There are some tricky corners in the last 4 kilometers, especially between 2 and 1 kilometer too go. The roads are quite wide, so teams might be able to make up some lost places, but you do want to be in front with your sprinter with 4 kilometer to go.
Not much has to be said about how today’s stage will play out. The teams will keep the breakaway under control and reel them back in before the Golden Kilometer sprint. Since GC always comes down to seconds in the BinckBank Tour, we might see some action from the GC favorites who want to obtain valuable bonus seconds. Afterwards it will be a fast race to the finish line with all teams trying to bring their sprinter into the best position.
It’s going to be a rainy day tomorrow! Luckily, the riders only have to tackle a very small amount of cobblestone sections. The rain could have some impact on the race though, but let’s hope we won’t see any crashes tomorrow.
Dylan Groenewegen
One of the, if not the fastest sprinter in the peloton. His Tour de France was kind of disappointing with a crash and only 1 stage win. Combined with a failed European Championship in his home counrty, there is no doubt he is looking for revenge. Has almost an entire team in his service, so he definitely is the man to beat.
Sam Bennett
Has also proven himself to be extremely fast over the last few seasons. He was very dissapointed that the team selected Ackermann to ride the Giro and Tour de France, so he looking to prove his worth to his team.
Arnaud Demare
His season started of pretty disappointing, but since the Giro d’Italia he seems to have found his winning form again. Might not have the pure speed that Groenewegen and Bennett have, but if he positions himself well he can absolutely take the win.
Jasper Philipsen
One of the most exciting young sprinting talents in the world. In the Tour de France, he showed that he was already on the same level(or maybe even better!) than his teammate and main sprinter Kristoff.
Alvaro Hodeg
His team brings out a massive amount of firepower to this race with Jungels, Stybar and Gilbert. Since he is not the fastest man, he will need all the help he can get from his team to take a suprise win.
Outsiders: Halvorsen, Bauhaus, Mareczko, Dupont, Debusschere
We think a revenge-driven Dylan Groenewegen will show why he is still the fastest sprinter in the peloton.
