(Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Whenever there’s a sprint relegation, there’s a lot of talk about setting precedents. But they never really come true. Every race is different, every jury is different, and sometimes, it seems like every decision is different.
I’m not sure what rule Sam Bennett broke in the run-in to the finish that warranted relegation – maybe he didn’t break any rules – but it looked bad, and that’s all anyone seemed to care about. The rules in question are about riding dangerously, intimidating other riders, being overly aggressive, that kind of thing. So it’s all up to interpretation, which doesn’t make the decision any easier.
Bennett kept his hands on the bars, didn’t use a headbutt but rather his shoulder, and held his line at the back of his leadout train. At some point, I think it’s part of the sport. How else is he supposed to defend his position on his teammate’s wheel? The two riders can start leaning on each other, sure, but when one has to push, the other has to push back, otherwise they crash. And if you push too hard, you get relegated.
It’s another one of those tricky situations with no obvious answer. I don’t think Bennett should’ve been relegated. And I’m not just saying that because he’s on my fantasy team and I picked him to win the stage…
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On to Stage 10, a lumpy day with a tough finish. The final 1.5km averages 5.9%, and should be too tough for the pure sprinters – if there are any left.
Throughout the stage are a number of short climbs with gradients of 5-8%. Add in a category 3 climb with 59km to go, and I doubt we’ll see Bennett, Ackermann, or Philipsen coming under the flamme rouge in the lead group.
Magnus Cort (EF Pro Cycling) finished just outside the Top 10 today, but he’ll like his chances tomorrow. But the big two favourites I think are Andrea Bagioli (Deceuninck-QuickStep) and Alex Aranburu (Astana). This a stage built for both riders, and they could win it out of a break or the peloton. The Spaniard has shown better form so far in la Vuelta, so he’s my pick for tomorrow’s stage.
As for the GC contenders, some might actually be strong enough to contest the stage win. Roglic has a huge kick – anywhere from 15 seconds to a minute – and could challenge for the win tomorrow if he’s willing to take a few risks. Carapaz won’t be far behind, but some of the pure climbers like Carthy and Mas could lose a handful of seconds. Dan Martin’s punch is back, meaning he’ll be up there in the Top 5 I reckon.