Favorites stage 1 Tour of Guangxi | Top sprinters aim for the first leader’s jersey!

The fifth edition of the Tour of Guangxi begins with a predominantly flat opening stage. The organizers have mapped out a 149.4-kilometer course around the start and finish location, Fangchenggang, consisting of four local laps. It’s a stage that sprinters will undoubtedly have set their sights on!

The local circuit is 38 kilometers, with the start positioned slightly further along in the loop than the finish. This makes the first lap 35.4 kilometers long, followed by three identical laps of 38 kilometers each. Although the profile hints at some smaller challenges on this nearly flat course, they’re minimal in practice.

The few hills on the course are tiny bumps in the Chinese landscape. The first of the three hills is 600 meters long at a gradient of 7.3%. The second begins with a kilometer at 5.1%, then continues almost immediately with another 500 meters at 7.4%. The third and final hill climbs a kilometer at 6.7%. Overall, these are nothing for the fast men to worry about, as a bunch sprint is expected on the streets of Fangchenggang.

While there might be some showers in Fangchenggang on Tuesday morning, the riders are likely to stay dry by the afternoon. It’s expected to be quite warm in Guangxi, with temperatures around 29 degrees Celsius. The wind will blow from the east but won’t be strong enough to impact the race.

With an almost entirely flat opening stage, all eyes are on which sprinters will line up on Tuesday. Team dsm-firmenich PostNL is bringing two to the start: Dutchmen Fabio Jakobsen and Casper van Uden. Jakobsen has one win this year, while van Uden has celebrated victory four times in 2024. EF Education-EasyPost is also fielding a fast Dutchman, Marijn van den Berg, who is certainly a contender for the stage win in this sprint field.

UAE Team Emirates has the fast Colombian, Juan Sebastián Molano, who recently won a sprint in the CRO Race. Cofidis brings Milan Fretin, who might be the fastest of this field. The 23-year-old Belgian claimed his first two professional wins this year. The struggling Astana Qazaqstan team has two sprinters, Gleb Syritsa and Max Kanter, though the young Russian will likely be their designated finisher.

One step down the ladder, there are still plenty of fast men. Luke Lamperti, the young American racing for Soudal Quick-Step, has had several impressive podium finishes this year. Lotto Dstny will rely on Belgian Lionel Taminiaux, while Bahrain Victorious will likely look to Matevz Govekar. Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) has won two sprints at WorldTour level in his career, and Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) also has a strong sprint in him.

Top favorites: Casper van Uden (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Milan Fretin (Cofidis)