The Giro d’Italia 2022 it’s here. And the intensity of the first stage, like the rest of the route of this 105th Corsa Rosa, will increase with the passing of the kilometres. The Grande Partenza de Budapest will see the light of day two years after its initial programming, a delay due to the signature of COVID-19, with a mostly flat route: 195 km between the capital of Hungary and the town of Visegrad.
But don’t be fooled by the profile, because here the big favorites will have their first litmus test. The small town of 1,800 inhabitants, adjacent to the immense Danube River, awaits a ‘trap finish’ with a small ascent of 5.6 km that has enough toughness to eliminate pure sprinters from the pools.
After an almost false flat start, the last 3.8 km can lead to attacks, with an average of 5.1% and maximum ramps of 8%. With an ending of these characteristics, it is inevitable to think of a Mathieu van der Poel who, in the words of one of his direct rivals today, Alejandro Valverde, this outcome is “like a glove”. Apart from these two, great candidates to put on the first pink jersey, the men of the general as Richard Carapaz, Joao Almeida and Simon Yates (the three with good top speed uphill) will be forced to show their faces. watch out for hungarian Attila Valter (23 years), who since finishing the last Giro in 14th position continues to make good progress and rides at home. It has less surveillance and that works in its favor. Running with your compatriots cheering, even more…
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