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Hanko Classic Discussion
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| redordead |
Posted on 31-01-2026 07:19
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 Hanko Classic 
The race is reported by kandesbunzler26
Welcome to the 8th edition of the Hanko Classic. The Finnish sprinter's classic is by now an established race on the MG calendar. The same course is also used on one of the stages of the Baltic Chain Tour, but the Hanko Classic has now moved to the PTHC category. With 201 km in length it's very flat and has always provided us with a sprint finish. Stamina isn't an issue given how well protected the sprinters are for the majority of the race. So expect a battle between the fast men.
With that said let's look at some of the favourites:
| Sprinter | FL | RS | SP | AC | Leadout | FL | RS | SP | AC |  Gaviria | 76 | 76 | 83 | 84 | Nur Hasan | 74 | 74 | 79 | 78 |  Coquard | 72 | 72 | 83 | 81 | Afewerki | 72 | 69 | 78 | 79 |  Cullaigh | 74 | 70 | 82 | 81 | Scott | 72 | 71 | 78 | 78 |  Farantakis | 74 | 72 | 82 | 80 | Koumpetsos | 74 | 73 | 76 | 76 |  Dainese | 76 | 76 | 81 | 82 | Coutinho | 71 | 72 | 78 | 78 |  Halvorsen | 76 | 71 | 81 | 80 | Ruiz | 79 | 71 | 73 | 75 |  Kanter | 75 | 73 | 81 | 80 | Gross | 74 | 75 | 79 | 79 |  Samolenkov | 74 | 71 | 81 | 79 | Trakhov | 68 | 74 | 69 | 75 |  Enger | 73 | 73 | 81 | 78 | Waersted | 73 | 78 | 78 | 79 |
We have a deep field of sprinters here in Finland. The best sprinter in the Pro Tour Gaviria headlines the startlist, but he has plenty of competition. Coquard is defending his victory from last year and is on paper the Colombian's main rival. Cullaigh and Farantakis are next in line. The Brit is still looking for a big result this season while the Greek is coming off an impressive showing at the Tour of Northern Europe.
Dainese is arguably the best of the 81 sprinters and he has the winner from 2022 as his leadout, but there isn't a whole lot to choose between the 81 sprinters. Halvorsen is always a contender for the top spots. Kanter has also established himself over the past few years as a rider that can win races of this caliber. Samolenkov hasn't had a great result yet this season, so he could be due one. Enger will be hoping that he can improve upon his recent outing at the Tour of America.
| FL | HI | ST | RS | SP | AC |  Jakobsen | 74 | 67 | 75 | 73 | 80 | 80 |  Vesely | 72 | 67 | 73 | 67 | 80 | 79 |  Hsu | 75 | 67 | 75 | 70 | 80 | 79 |  Peak | 80 | 69 | 73 | 77 | 80 | 78 |  Willwohl | 73 | 65 | 71 | 67 | 79 | 78 |  Boudat | 73 | 68 | 71 | 74 | 79 | 78 |  Kamberaj | 75 | 69 | 73 | 73 | 79 | 78 |  Ahlstrand | 70 | 63 | 68 | 67 | 79 | 76 |  Welten | 76 | 69 | 72 | 71 | 79 | 75 |  Kulikovskiy | 73 | 71 | 70 | 73 | 78 | 79 |  Nommela | 72 | 67 | 70 | 70 | 78 | 78 |  Pedersen | 77 | 69 | 78 | 80 | 78 | 77 |  Vermeersch | 78 | 69 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 77 |  Stalberg | 68 | 60 | 65 | 77 | 78 | 74 |
All the 80 sprinters are good dark horse options to finish in a high placing. I'll single out Peak as he's shown that his strong FL and RS often seems to give him a leg up on most sprinters. Pedersen and Vermeersch could also fit that mold, but they are noticeably slower. Ahlstrand is far from his former glory, but he deserves a mention as a former winner of this race.
Full startlist:
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| SotD |
Posted on 31-01-2026 07:29
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World Champion
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We had a significantly stronger setup in Moscow than here, so it will be interesting to see if we can actually perform here or if Farantakis will be left much more to himself. Zingle is a class act leadout rider, and we don't have him here. Let's hope Koumpetsos is enough. Also we don't have Soulious who did well in Russia, so a completely different last tier setup.
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 31-01-2026 07:40
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World Champion
Posts: 11645
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Really hope we do something here after not trying anything (even sprinting) in Moscow 
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[PT]  Xero Racing
5x  x5
1x  x1
2x  x2
2x  x2 |
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| Marcovdw |
Posted on 31-01-2026 07:48
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Grand Tour Champion
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Kamberaj is not a favorite, but finger crossed for a good result
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| Jakstar22 |
Posted on 31-01-2026 08:01
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Grand Tour Champion
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Insane start list! Really hoping for a great result here but Gaviria is so strong so that’s a bit stressful. Still, should be a great race!
Great preview! Keen for this race
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| Luis Leon Sanchez |
Posted on 31-01-2026 09:44
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Only a few sprinters but was to be expected
Hopefully an outside shot of a Top 5 from Jakobsen!
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 31-01-2026 16:26
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| jph27 |
Posted on 31-01-2026 14:27
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Slightly concerned that in a field of this strength Peak may be treated as an attacker. If we could get a top 10 to at least have a 'near miss' for our top 5 goal that would be great |
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| quadsas |
Posted on 31-01-2026 14:40
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Classics Specialist
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As long as we avoid a 0 pointer it's a success
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