Cycling: After two stage wins by Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) and a success by world champion Peter Sagan (Tinkoff), German cyclists are still waiting for the first German victory at this year's Tour de France. Another chance to do this is offered on today's 4th stage. The undulating 50 final kilometers and the uphill home straight seem to be tailor-made for John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin).
Puncheur vs. sprinter
This year, the Tour de France is extremely varied. While we're on the 1st stage were able to observe a classic bunch sprint was the 2st stage something for puncheur. On yesterday third part it wasn't made that easy for the drivers again. Due to a right-hand bend 300 m before the finish and the slightly uphill last few meters, position driving was particularly important. Team Lotto Soudal's André Greipel was excellently placed by teammate Greg Henderson, as was Team Dimension Data's Mark Cavendish, piloted by Mark Renshaw. However, it didn't work for Marcel Kittel's Etixx-Quick Step team. Today on the 4th stage it could be similar to two days before, because the last kilometers are anything but easy and the last 500 meters or so to the finish line favor the punchers rather than the pure sprinters. So Cavendish, Greipel and Kittel cannot safely plan with a classic mass sprint. But the Germans still have a hot iron in the fire.
The first chance for John Degenkolb
John Degenkolb has already finished second in stages of the Tour de France five times. He is still waiting for a win today. However, he has already proven that he can definitely win mass sprints in big tours. At the Vuelta a España he won ten stages. But when the best sprinters in the world are at the start, John Degenkolb is not one of the top favourites. The 27-year-old prefers a slightly more demanding profile. An uphill home stretch and a wavy route ahead make John Degenkolb even more of a favorite. When it gets a bit too heavy for the pure sprinters like Cavendish, Greipel and Kittel, but at the same time for drivers like Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx Quick Step), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) or Alexis Vuillermoz (Ag2r) too easily, then we are right in John Degenkolb's area. But of course the German is not alone in this area. Today's opponents are all known and have already celebrated great success in their careers.
The fabulous world of the puncheur
It is no coincidence that the puncheurs have all had great success. These types of drivers are particularly in demand because they can achieve good results on many different profiles. Let's take the current world champion and yellow jersey wearer as an example. Peter Sagan has already won stages in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. These were flat stages, hill stages and mountain stages. This year he also crossed the finish line first at the Ronde van Vlaanderen in a one-day classic with many cobblestone sections. The Slovak has even successfully completed short time trials. Michael Matthews (Orica-BikeExchange) was also able to win a prologue this year. In mass sprints and hilly finishes, he was victorious in both major state tours and week-long stage races. The two Norwegians Edvald Boasson-Hagen (Dimension Data) and today's birthday boy Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) are also among the favorites today. In their palmarè you will also find victories on the most diverse terrain such as cobblestones, flat stages and hilly races. Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) has been one of the strongest riders in the peloton for years, but in the end he often lacks the last centimeters for the really big win. John Degenkolb has already celebrated this when he sensationally won both Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix last year.
The drivers make the race
In the run-up to a race, there is often speculation about the possible favorites, but ultimately the drivers themselves make the race. The profile can at most pave the way for possible tactics, but these must then be chosen individually by the respective drivers and teams. If the teams of punchers set themselves the goal of distancing the pure sprinters before the final, then these pure sprinters shouldn't have a chance to win the stage either. If the finale is driven really hard, then drivers such as Alejandro Valverde or Julian Alaphilippe triumph. Normally, however, the golden mean is to be expected, so that we should see the puncheurs mentioned above in a direct fight against each other. Of course, Peter Sagan is the top favorite again, but our German hope John Degenkolb will certainly have chosen this stage to really get involved in the sprint for the day's victory for the first time.
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