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@lucxsronald Gotta catch ’em all before UAE does.

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@cycloben2 Gotta catch ’em before UAE does.

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@cycloben2 You don’t believe in Tejada today?

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🇪🇸 LA VUELTA | STAGE 12 FAVOURITES ⭐

Vera to the Calar Alto observatory tomorrow, more than 2,100 metres up. The Vuelta returns here after nine years, and it is the first true mountain stage since Pogačar left the race in week one. 🔭

167 kilometres and around 4,500 metres of climbing, all of it packed into the final 44 kilometres: first the Velefique, 13.1 km at 7.2%, then straight onto the final climb of 16.9 km at 5.6%. It opens with three kilometres above 10% and then turns irregular, with false flats and even short descents.

Who are the favourites?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ E. Mas

⭐⭐⭐⭐ F. Gall, O. Onley

⭐⭐⭐ T. Johannessen, P. Roglič, J. Widar

⭐⭐ R. Debruyne, M. Skjelmose, S. Kuss, R. Carapaz

⭐ H. Tejada, C. Rodríguez, J. Omrzel, S. Buitrago, J. Vine

Mas tops our list because he already showed on the Aitana who is strongest here: an attack three kilometres out, Onley on his wheel, then beaten in the sprint. The red jersey does carry bad memories of this mountain, though: in 2017 he was ill and lost a lot of time on Calar Alto. Gall, winner in Burgos and second at the Giro, sits at 1’39” and has to make his move in the mountains, because Roglič is the better man in the Jerez time trial. Onley proved on the Aitana that he was the only one able to follow Mas. And the wild card is Widar: 20 years old and riding his first grand tour.

Does Mas ride everyone off his wheel at the observatory, or does Gall claw his time back here?

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🇬🇧 TOUR OF BRITAIN | STAGE 2 FAVOURITES ⭐

Boston to Skegness tomorrow, from the market town to the seaside, and that is the day for the sprinters: the flattest stage of the week, with a finish on the wide Grand Parade along the seafront. 🌊

181 kilometres and just 873 metres of climbing, two small hills around halfway, and a final 3 kilometres that are dead straight and pan flat.

Who are the favourites?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ T. Merlier

⭐⭐⭐⭐ O. Kooij, E. Vernon

⭐⭐⭐ S. Welsford, S. Bennett, M. Moschetti

⭐⭐ N. Arvanitou, R. Pluimers, R. Pickrell, L. Askey

⭐ M. Trentin, T. Dupont, L. Rex, F. Ganna, M. Walls

The cobbles of Michaelgate gave the fast men no chance today. Tomorrow they get one. Merlier won three sprints at the Tour this summer and is, for us, the fastest rider in this bunch. Kooij has already won seven stages here in two appearances and knows this race like no one else. And Vernon wants a home win at last: he has stood on the Tour of Britain podium plenty of times, but never on the top step. One spoiler: a westerly wind of around 25 km/h, gusting to 40, across the open flatlands and the coast road towards Skegness. Do not rule out echelons, and that is exactly why race leader Askey gets two stars on our list.

Bunch sprint on the seafront, or does the wind tear the peloton apart?

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@jonas_creteur That ad has achieved the impossible: making cycling fans want to see less of Peter Sagan.

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@VelonCC @Dani_Rowe_MBE @marty_mac @TourofBritain @Auber93Cyclisme @TheoDelacr0ix The UCI will have a rule against this by Friday.

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The media play a part in that too. Coverage revolves around a handful of superstars, so casual fans are rarely given a reason to care about anyone else. This Vuelta is full of great stories, but if those stories are barely told, we cannot be surprised when viewers leave with the headline rider.

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Because noticing is not the same as becoming invested. Pogi brought them to the race, but their attachment was to him, not to the Vuelta. Once he left, their reason to watch left with him. An open race appeals to cycling fans. A superstar brings in people who are fans of the rider first.

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@VelonCC @WoutvanAert @vismaleaseabike Wout saw “free points” and accidentally started a second classification campaign.

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@procycletrumps Four jerseys, four nations, zero agreement on who owns this Vuelta.

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@faustocoppi60 Turns out Pogi wasn’t just carrying the race. He was carrying the algorithm too. 😅

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@Cyclingnewsfeed A Classics style finale on Michaelgate, attacks everywhere, and a winner with enough left for a dance move. Stage 1 set the bar very high.

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@cycloben2 Did you hear Mads’ interview yesterday? He didn’t seem to have much confidence in himself…

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🇪🇸 LA VUELTA | STAGE 11 FAVOURITES ⭐

From Cartagena to Lorca tomorrow, and the fast men are allowed to dream: this is one of their rare chances in this Vuelta.

151 kilometres, barely 1,450 metres of climbing, and one late sting in the tail: the Alto de Aledo, 9.5 kilometres at 4.2%. In 35-degree heat that dragging false flat can hurt more than the profile suggests.

Who are the favourites?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ M. Brennan

⭐⭐⭐⭐ W. van Aert, J. Meeus

⭐⭐⭐ B. Coquard, M. Cort, A. Romele

⭐⭐ B. Tronchon, H. Hofstetter, O. Aular, A. Laurance

⭐ C. Laporte, M. Pedersen, J. Labrosse, P. Miquel, T. Nys

The Aledo is just too gentle to really drop the sprinters, but just hard enough to hurt the purest of them. That is why Brennan tops our list: fast, and strong enough to fly over that climb. Van Aert is the man for every scenario, and Meeus hopes the group stays big enough. Cort and Romele smell their chance if the breakaway outfoxes the bunch.

A sprint in Lorca, or does the peloton misjudge it in the heat?

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🇬🇧 TOUR OF BRITAIN | STAGE 1 FAVOURITES ⭐

The Tour of Britain kicks off in Lincoln tomorrow: a long loop through the Lincolnshire Wolds, then the famous city circuit of the Lincoln Grand Prix. 🏰

183 kilometres, and five ascents of Michaelgate in the finale: 400 metres of cobbles at an average of 9.3%, straight up through the old town.

Who are the favourites?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ O. Kooij

⭐⭐⭐⭐ B. Cosnefroy, L. Askey

⭐⭐⭐ E. Vernon, R. Pluimers, J. Stuyven

⭐⭐ M. Trentin, F. Christen, R. Pickrell, F. Vermeersch

⭐ T. Merlier, K. Heiduk, T. Wellens, M. Moschetti, F. Ganna

Five trips up that cobbled ramp should be a graveyard for sprinters, and yet Kooij tops our list. Why? Because no fast man sprints uphill like he does, and his team has every reason to keep the race together. If they fail, Cosnefroy and home rider Askey are lurking: this is exactly the kind of finish where a puncheur breaks a sprinter. And remember: the winner takes bonus seconds that count for the GC.

Does Kooij survive Michaelgate, or do the cobbles crack the sprinters?

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@Behind_Peloton Tobias Johannessen is my pick for today. When he’s free to chase stages rather than ride for GC, this is exactly the kind of day where he thrives. Stage 9 of this year’s Tour comes to mind.

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@Eurosport_NL Tobias Johannessen is voor mij vandaag de favoriet. Wanneer hij geen klassement hoeft te verdedigen en vol voor ritwinst kan gaan, zijn dit precies zijn etappes. Denk maar aan rit 9 van de Tour dit jaar.