Stage two – Selby to York
Stage two – Selby to York
Stage two should be a day for the sprinters, with a circuitous finish in York seemingly a great opportunity for Marcel Kittel to add to his collection of wins on British soil.
Downing certainly agrees, saying: “I think stage two will be a full-on bunch sprint. I’ve not done a full recon of the stage, but the climbs come in the middle of the course.
“When they come that early in the stage they become quite null and void – but, same again, you can never say never. When the wind blows it can get quite strong around Beverley, and at the back of York so it’s one of those that you never know.”
Even without the wind, however, a bunch sprint should not be taken as a foregone conclusion – though eight-man teams (as opposed to six for the Tour of Britain) gives the sprint teams more chance of controlling the bunch.
Downing believes the terrain, however, could mean no team can take control of the stage.
“Some of the roads are uncontrollable,” he stated. “They’re narrow, they’re very up and down and it’s going to be a proper race.
“That could be a surprise. I think most people know stages one and three are quite hard, while two should be a bunch sprint. But that’s racing – if someone wants to race it, then they could split it up in the lanes.”
Swift though is less cautious and, while he’d love to feature in the bunch sprint, there is only one favourite in his mind.
“Stage two is probably the only predictable day,” he said. “That’s pretty much a certain bunch sprint. I’ll probably throw myself in there, but it’s not going to be easy with Marcel Kittel racing.”
Where to watch
York is the obvious vantage point for stage two – a high-octane finish, multiple opportunities to watch the race go by and the men’s race is also preceded by a women’s race too. Swift is of agreement, calling York ‘beautiful’.