Vuelta a España 2022

Stage 6 – Bilbao > Ascención al Pico Jano. San Miguel de Aguayo (181.2km)

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Stage 5 Result

1st Marc Soler (50/1)

2nd Daryl Impey (200/1)

3rd Fred Wright (45/1)

Stage 5 Bets

0.5pts each way (3 places) Fred Wright @45/1 – 3rd

0.5pts each way (3 places) Robert Stannard @50/1

0.5pts each way (3 places) Harry Sweeny @80/1

0.25pts each way (3 places) Jaakko Hänninen @225/1

Wright and Hänninen made the break but the Finn apparently had a puncture and dropped out of it (just before we got live TV pictures which was frustrating – how he couldn’t get serviced and chase back on I don’t know). And more frustration as the stage conspired against Wright – lent on as the strongest rider and wheel-sucked by Rudy Molard all day. Wright took it remarkably well speaking afterwards. Some place money, but it should’ve been a winner.

PS. It was confirmed afterwards that Hänninen was actually hit by a Shimano neutral service car but was able to continue behind in the peloton.

Stage 6 Preview

The first mountain stage of this year’s Vuelta. We leave Bilbao and head west before venturing further inland for two tough first-category climbs. The Collada de Brenes, tackled first, measures 6.8km at an average of 8.2%, before the summit finish up to Pico Jano which is 12.6km long at 6.5%.

This climb is in two steps with the first half the toughest before a flattening off and then a less severe final 4km to the line. It took over an hour of racing for the breakaway to form on stage 5 but the terrain looks more favourable here with inclines for the first 35km. But will the break or the GC men take the day?

Stage 6 Contenders

A big mountain top finish usually tips the battle for the stage towards the GC favourites, but there’ll be a certain nervousness about teams putting all their cards on the table so early in the race, so we’ll have to see how it plays out and a breakaway saver is probably wise.

Jumbo-Visma’s Primož Roglič is odds-on to win his fourth Vuelta in a row and stage 6 may go a long way to confirming if those odds are justified or not. There appeared to be no question marks over his form as he powered his way to a win on stage 4 in typical style, but this will be a much sterner test of his condition post-Tour. Should he arrive in a group, he’s unlikely to be beaten in a sprint and so is the justified favourite at an unattractive 7/2.

Can Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s Remco Evenepoel step up and look like a genuine GC rival to Roglič? Nobody really knows if the precocious talent will develop into a Grand Tour contender. He appears to have taken some advice on board and is riding a little more conservatively instead of haring all over the place, but then we kind of want to see him off the leash, don’t we?

Perhaps the single most impressive performance coming into this Vuelta was his attack and solo ride to win his second Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa a few weeks ago. How would that match up against Rog? Seeing how that battle develops should be a fascinating watch. The Belgian is tempting at 14/1.

One of the standout performances on the stage 4 uphill finish was Movistar’s Enric Mas who came home third despite a less than ideal final. He was greeted after the line by a so-called fan, mobile camera in hand, calling him a ‘paquete’ which translates something like a ‘dead weight’ or an ‘imbecile’, no doubt after some social media attention. Which he got and now everyone knows he’s a complete ‘paquete’. Still, it can’t help the confidence of Mas who had a particularly troublesome Tour.

At a bigger price is the last man to win the Vuelta a España that isn’t Primož Roglič – BikeExchange-Jayco’s Simon Yates, who triumphed in 2018. He comes in off wins at the Ordiziako Klasika (a Basque one-day race) and the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon, albeit against much lesser opposition than he’ll face here. But he still put them away in decent order and after yet another disappointment at the Giro d’Italia earlier this year is looking for a repeat of the redemption he found four years ago. The 25s about him looks a bit big.

Another who appears at his peak level is Pavel Sivakov. He won the Vuelta a Burgos ahead of some top riders earlier this month and has started the Vuelta well. Ineos Grenadiers’ de facto leader is Richard Carapaz but it’s Sivakov who appears to be carrying the better form. That can change over three weeks of course but as Sivakov, unlike Carapaz, will still be at Ineos next year, the Frenchman may get full backing for a GC tilt and at 50/1 looks like a bit of value.

For a breakaway option – Astana-Qazaqstan’s Alexey Lutsenko showed his intentions for this Vuelta early by getting up the road on stage 4. Namely that, despite his GC credentials, he’s after stage wins and a boost for a team that’s had a lacklustre year. He finished the Tour de France as one of the best riders and was unlucky not to bag a win in the final week. If he’s anywhere near that form and is in the break, then he’s a big player. I think we have to add him to the mix.

Stage 6 Bets

1pt each way (3 places) Simon Yates @25/1

0.5pts each way (3 places) Pavel Sivakov @50/1

1pt win Alexey Lutsenko @14/1

Posted 2117 BST Wed 24th Aug 2022

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