Stage 4 will mark the final day of the 2017 Sibiu Cycling Tour, where the field will depart for one last time from the city of Sibiu before making a 148.4 kilometer loop through the Transylvanian countryside and finishing in the Sibiu city square.
Riders will face their first climb of the day almost immediately after their departure, as the climb to the summit of Dealul Daii begins only 1.4 kilometers from the starting line and will take the field up a 3.2% average gradient for 4.1 kilometers.
After descending Dealul Daii, the route begins to flatten out and the peloton will ride towards two intermediate sprint checkpoints.
The first intermediate sprint will come at the town of Nocrich, 28.9 kilometers into the stage, while the field will quickly approach the next sprint in Barghis. The main pack will be working hard in the early kilometers to put their sprinters in good position to capture the points in Nocrich and Barghis.
After the intermediate sprint in Barghis, riders will soon begin their second major climb of the day to the castle of Pelisor, built in 1902 for King Carol I, ruler of Romania at the time.
The climb to Pelisor will be the shortest climb of the day, at 1.6 kilometers in length, but will also be the steepest of the stage, with an average gradient surpassing 6%.
The field will gradually descend from the stage's high point at the Pelisor castle, and ride for the next 58 kilometers before reaching the final intermediate sprint of the day in the commune of Seica Mare.
After passing through Seica Mare, riders will begin the stage's penultimate climb up to Rusi, which will last 2.1 kilometers and reach a maximum gradient of 7.5%.
Once the riders have made their quick descent down from Rusi, they will make their final climb of the day to Slimnic at an altitude of 540 meters. The climb to Slimnic will cover 2.8 kilometers at an average gradient of 4.3%.
The final 10 kilometers of the race will be fast and frinetic, and the field will be seeking to put their riders in the best position for the stage and overall classification placings.
Egan Bernal (Androni Giacattoli-Sidermec) is sitting in a good position going into the final stage, and will end the 2017 Sibiu Cycling Tour as the overall champion if he is able to finish in the peloton. Bernal put in a massive effort on Stage 3 to take the lead in the general classification, and his Androni Giacattoli-Sidermec teammates will undoubtedly be looking to support their rider on the final stage. Bernal has put himself in position to win this year's Sibiu Cycling Tour, and save for a horrendous stage for the Columbian rider, Bernal will be the overall winner of this year's race.
Colin Stussi (Roth-Akros) was another rider who put in a strong showing on the grueling Stage 3 at the Sibiu Cycling Tour. Stussi currently sits second in the general classification and points classification behind Bernal, while also sitting in third in the mountains classification behind Moritz Fussneger (0711 Cycling) and Bernal. Stussi will have to put in a massive effort on the final stage to take the overall title, but his Roth-Akros teammates will be sure to put in an equally aggressive effort on Stage 4 to put Stussi at the front of the pack to bolster his final standings.
Moritz Fussnegger has unquestionably wrapped up the title in the mountains classification, but look for the German rider to be aggressive on the final stage. Stage 4 may be the ideal stage for Fussnegger to cap off his mountains title by putting in a big day in the saddle and capture a stage victory. Fussnegger's 0711 Cycling squad does not have a rider battling for the general classification title, and bringing some attention to himself and his team by capturing victory on the Tour's final stage would be an emphatic statement by the young rider.
Other riders to watch on the final stage of the 2017 Sibiu Cycling Tour include Simone Ponzi (CCC Sprandi Polkowice), Ziga Groselj (Adria Mobil), Adne Van Engelen (Bike Aid), and Cristian Raileanu (Differdange-Losch).
Comments
Post a Comment