To kick off the month of June, and in some ways the start of the summer racing with the Tour de France just around the corner, Tinkoff heads to the five-day Tour of Luxembourg in search of stage success. Due to the busy period the team is in, only five riders will be lining up at the race, however the lack of numbers is made up by the strong spirit and enthusiasm the riders come into the race with.
The team is shaped around taking the race day by day and seizing the opportunites that are available. With Oscar Gatto heading the roster, both as road captain and team leader, the Tinkoff team for the race is completed by four more riders who come to Luxembourg from California. Erik Baška, Adam Blythe, Michael Kolar and Nikolay Trusov all recently returned to the continent after playing a heavy role in Peter Sagan’s and Tinkoff’s success at the American tour, and will look to carry this motivation into the coming race.
Sport Director Lars Michaelsen explained further the team’s ambitions for the race. “Being in a busy period of the season with riders finishing the Giro, and others training at altitude in preparation for coming targets, we can only line-up with five riders but we can see opportunities for ourselves here. We will take it day by day, and the responsibility won’t be on us, so with guys like Oscar and Erik we can hopefully look for results in the sprints or finishes for the puncheurs.”
The race gets underway with a short 2.9km evening prologue in Luxembourg City to define the jersey hierarchy for the opening road stage. The technical route will require concentration for the entirety of the short, sharp effort with several twists and turns to negotiate as well as two stretches of cobblestones.
The following road stages offer opportunities for both breakaways to succeed and also group sprints to fight out the stage wins. Stage 3 in particular looks to be a good opportunity with the race culminating in a finishing circuit including a climb each lap, the last of which crests with just six kilometres left to race.
“We have Oscar for the fast finishes and also Erik depending on how he has recovered from a tough race at California,” Michaelsen added. “I think stage 3 could be a good chance for us with the climb on the finishing circuit to lose the big sprinters. But we will make a plan together for each stage and see what we can do. We don’t come into the race with any big expectations, just to get stuck into the action.”
The Race
Prologue: Luxembourg City, 2.9km
The Tour of Luxembourg gets underway with an evening prologue around the suburban streets of Luxembourg City, covering just 2.9km meaning that it will be a flat out effort of under five minutes for the riders. A true prologue given its length, the course is not without its difficulties as there are various technicalities to tackle between the start and finish. After several left hand turns, the riders will hit the first of two cobblestone sections, after 1.95km covering just 354m. Just under 500m later they will hit the second set of cobblestones, covering 190m – despite being short lived both of these will become tougher if the weather conditions deteriorate. The first rider rolls out of the starting gate at 19:00, with the racing wrapped up at 21:05.
Stage 1, Luxembourg – Hesperange, 170.6km
After the previous night’s effort, the peloton will have some time before the first real climb of the day to refresh their legs. The category two ascent of Consdorf after 59km. The next climb falls after 110km, the 5.6% average gradient Syren ascent. Shortly after this climb the bunch will arrive on the 18.5km finishing circuit, a lap that covers the Syren climb each time around. The fourth time the riders will see the finish will be the real deal.
Stage 2: Rosport – Schifflange, 162.8km
The day’s opening categorised climb falls after 29km, and if a breakaway hasn’t gone clear by this point then the near 8% average gradient may be the perfect launch pad for attacks. The bunch covers nearly 100km before the next climb of the day, Poteau de Kayl, on a finishing circuit from which the race turns off for the final ramp to the line. The finish comes atop the 12.8% average gradient slopes of the first category Schifflange climb, a perfect finish for the puncheurs waiting to strike out.
Stage 3: Eschweiler – Differdange, 177.4km
After a short 1km neutralised section, the riders will take off just after 13:00 on the penultimate stage heading for a first intermediate sprint after 28.7km. This far in we can expect to already see a breakaway, but with four categorised climbs en route to the finish, three falling in the final 25km, there is sure to be fireworks later on. The riders enter the finishing circuit after nearly 150km and then tackle three ascents of the Col de l’Europe, at 9% average gradient. The finish line sits 6km from the top of the final time up the climb – will we see another shake up on GC?
Stage 4: Mersch – Luxembourg, 178.2km
After rolling out from the centre of the town of Mersch, the peloton faces just 3.8km before the first intermediate sprint. The next difficulty lies after 35km of racing, with the first category Côte Gralingen, followed 25km later by the Côte de Vianden. The climbs keep coming with the second category Beringerberg after 90km, which is followed by a lull in action before the riders hit the finishing circuit in the final 22km. The circuit includes five ascents of the Pabeierbierg climb, the last of which will be the finish. With an average gradient of over 9%, the climb will see the riders giving everything all the way to the finish of this year’s Tour of Luxembourg.
