Stage 2: Budapest to Budapest
Distance: 9.2km
Race times: 14:00-17:10 (CEST)
Stage type: ITT
The Hungarian capital plays host to a second stage of the Giro on Saturday May 7, with a short individual time trial. At just over the 8km distance that is usually reserved for a Grand Tour prologue, the stage two time trial starting order will be decided by stage 1’s punchy finish.
Beginning in Budapest’s Hősök tere, or Hero’s Square, the mostly flat route weaves through the streets of the town, before crossing the Danube. It’s not all plain sailing though, with some technical turns, and a fourth-category climb giving the contenders something to think about as they approach the finish line. The climb is 1.3km in distance and averages five per cent in gradient, although the trickiest section comes at the beginning of the ascent with 300 metres at 10 per cent.
In terms of contenders, with the fewest time trial kilometres in the last 60 years of Giro d’Italias at just 26.3km in total, there may not be a whole host of specialists present to fight it out for the stage win. Jumbo-Visma will hope to dominate the day, as at the time of writing they have a legion of time triallists set to start the Giro. These include Olympic silver medallist and former World Champion Tom Dumoulin, former Dutch champion and Chrono des Nations winner Jos van Emden, reigning Norwegian national champion Tobias Foss and Italian powerhouse Edoardo Affini.
While short, with a few sharp turns and a climb at its finish, the route is reasonably technical, so it’s hard to predict outcomes. The likes of João Almeida, Alex Dowsett, Mattia Cattaneo or even Luis Leon Sanchez could spring a surprise while the GC contenders are likely to work hard to ensure they do not give away precious seconds to their rivals so early in the competition.
Expect surprises in terms of the stage winner and who will wear the jersey by the end of the day, with just a few seconds set to determine the order going into stage 3.
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