Favorites stage 2 2023 Tour of Burgos | Jumbo-Visma dives into the discipline they hold dear

Thirteen kilometers is not something professionals would immediately fret about. However, in a team time trial, the dynamics change, as for some riders, it's typically a day they wake up with anticipation in their legs and minds. The team time trial is a very specific discipline, where the team is only as strong as its weakest link.

Teams are allowed to finish with five riders, but the organizers haven't exactly made things easy: teams finish one by one on a small hill, in Poza de la Sal. At 2.1 kilometers with a 4.8% gradient, it might not immediately seem like a significant obstacle. However, when there is already lactic acid in the legs, it can be a daunting task!

Times:
Start: 3:27 p.m.
Finish: about 4:42 p.m.

It's expected to be quite warm in Spain on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius. However, the riders have a welcome advantage: the wind will be at their backs for almost the entirety of the team time trial, making this a fast endeavor!

In recent years, anyone previewing a team time trial would quickly land on one team: Jumbo-Visma. The Dutch outfit has dominated this discipline over the past few years. As such, they are the top favorites for the second stage in Burgos, with strong riders such as Primoz Roglic, Edoardo Affini, Jan Tratnik, Koen Bouwman and Robert Gesink in their lineup.

UAE-Team Emirates, with Adam Yates and Jay Vine, should be able to limit the damage, especially since Ivo Oliveira, Ryan Gibbons, and Domen Novak are known as riders who can cycle at a decent speed. Moreover, they have the current race leader, Juan Sebastian Molano, in their squad, though it remains to be seen what contribution he can make on Wednesday.

Aleksandr Vlasov and Lennard Kämna are known as good time trialists themselves, but the rest of the BORA-hansgrohe seven-man team typically struggles more. Bahrain Victorious (with Damiano Caruso, Kamil Gradek, and Jasha Sütterlin) and also Movistar (with Will Barta, Oier Lazkano) can be considered on a similar level.

With riders like Luis León Sánchez and Samuele Battistella, Astana Qazaqstan Team might perform better than expected, while it seems EF Education-EasyPost and AG2R Citroën will mostly need to limit their losses. The same applies to all the lower-tier teams - although Q36.5, with Joey Rosskopf and Damien Howson, still has some power at the starting line.

Top favorite: Jumbo-Visma
Outsiders: Bahrain Victorious and UAE-Team Emirates
Longshots: Movistar, Astana Qazaqstan Team and BORA-hansgrohe