Mat Hayman's view
On paper, this looks like a fairly flat stage, and once again the sprinters' teams will want to control the race. The GC teams will be keeping out of trouble and will be waiting for the next few stages. The sprinters' lead-out trains will be putting all their winter-work into practice, and it could be that one of the more well-oiled machines from the previous years come out on top, simply because they're used to working with each other.
The heat, as throughout the race, is going to be a factor. The southern hemisphere riders will be used to it, and they might have spent most of the off-season in those conditions, whereas some of the Europeans – although they might have been in Australia for some time – might never like it or get used to it. At the end of the day, you're either good in the heat or you're not.
-
'The Giro d'Italia is not on the agenda' - Florian Lipowitz aims for repeat ride in Tour de France next July
German star will likely announce full 2026 schedule in December at the earliest -
Intermarché-Wanty riders move on to new teams ahead of merger with Lotto
Alexander Kamp, Hugo Page and Gerben Thijssen among those finding new contracts elsewhere -
'We're very optimistic people' – Israel floats possibility of future Tour de France Grand Départ
Suggestion made weeks after 2025 Vuelta a España severely disrupted by protests against Israel-Premier Tech team -
'I was in the best shape of my life' - Tom Pidcock on how he learnt to enjoy Grand Tour racing in 2025
Yorkshireman talks exclusively to Cyclingnews about his successful first season with Q36.5
