The first edition of a new destination on the MG calendar. We visit Finland for the only time this season as the CT teams line up a sprinters' fest in the Hanko peninsula. Home team Valio will be looking to make a mark on this race but they'll have their work cut out as the best of the best sprinters in the division are here to etch their sprinters' name as the inaugural winner. At just over 200 kilometers, and almost pan flat, this is race should favour the strong sprinters who don't mind a long day in the saddle.
Favourites
FLA
STA
SPR
ACC
Guarnieri
76
77
82
81
Van Heerden
73
74
82
73
Manninen
74
71
80
80
Vanoverschelde
72
74
80
75
Salleh
70
73
80
80
Tewelde
74
75
78
77
Wippert
70
75
78
82
Liepins
73
73
78
79
Kreder
73
72
78
80
King
75
73
78
73
Carsi
70
66
80
82
Von Hoff
71
71
79
77
Aregger
73
72
78
77
Brus
71
74
78
78
Krasnov
72
72
78
77
As mentioned before, most of the top CT sprinters will line up for this race and it's no surprise who's the top favourite. Jacopo Guarnieri is the top favourite for this race, and is quite some way stronger than his competition in terms of the skills required for this race.
Van Heerden, he who takes the longest to go from 0 to any speed, should be well suited to this race.
Home favourite Manninen and Vanoverscelde have similar top speeds, but while the former will be relying on his explosiveness in the sprint to bring it home, the latter will be hoping for a grueling race which tires out his opponents more than him.
Salleh, Tewelde, Wippert, Liepens, Kreder and King might not be the fastest over a short distance, but their combination on speed and support stats make them strong contenders for the Top 5 in this race.
While Carsi is fast, he doesn't like races which are of a longer duration. He would be hoping for a mild ride, so that he can keep himself fresh for the sprint.
Van Hoff, Aregger and Krasnov are very similar riders and should be in contention for the top 10, while Brus will be looking to fly the flag high for his Amateur team.
Outsiders
FLA
STA
SPR
ACC
Angarita
72
71
78
77
Keough
72
71
78
75
Hochmann
70
66
79
80
Ranneries
70
68
78
82
Thorsen
61
63
82
85
Manan
68
71
78
78
Haussler
71
69
78
73
Jørgensen
73
64
78
73
Szalontay
69
64
78
77
The name which stands out in the above table is Thorsen, who is extremely fast in a sprint. However, time and again, he has shown an inability to stay in contention at the end in case of long or hard races. Watch out for someone like Hochmann or Ranneries, with their super-high acceleration to make a push for a high finish if the race comes down to a short bunch sprint.
I'm really hoping we get a sprint train here as we have 3 top sprinters, or at least 3 sprinters good enough to get mentioned in the preview plus a team of strong flat beasts to help try and control the race for Salleh.
There weren't many point scoring C2 options for us, so this is as good as any I suppose. On a good day, Ranneries might be able to get a top 10 or even a top five. However, he used up his good day a couple of weeks ago, and he only gets those every... well actually that was his only good day in 5 years, so odds are he isn't having another. Therefore, I expect nothing.
RIP Exxon Duke, David Veilleux, Double Feature, and Monster Energy
Another Podium for Salleh shows his consistency and why he is slowly making himself a CT sprinting legend. He may not have been the best sprinter in the division à la Guarnieri or Lavoine but his longevity at the top must put him in the list of the best all time CT sprinters by now.
Thanks Abhishek!
