«If we talk about Jonathan Milan – says Bennati confidently – in my opinion there's plenty of time to reorganize a chaseSurely someone will attack in Montmartre, someone will even make the difference. The Van Der Poel of the moment, Van Aert (opening his push for 2025, ed.), Pogacar, Evenepoel, these riders here. But I think there's room to recover and think about sprinting. Or at least setting the stage up to finish in a sprint.
There's little to do: the inclusion of Montmartre in the final part of the Champs-Élysées stage makes the sprinters turn up their noses, deprived of the icing on the cake after three weeks in the mountains of TourThis year, the three previous stages have an uphill finish in a Rossinian crescendo that would be unbearable without the prospect of one last chance. Perhaps this is why The route planners of the Grande Boucle have reshuffled the deck: Montmartre will be done, but 15 kilometers from the finish line. Quite different from the three steps of 2025, the last one 6 kilometers from the finish.
«It's clear that after three weeks – continues Bennati – the energies are what they are. However in dry conditions the sprinters can certainly think about competing in the sprint».
Paris 2025, was it a real spectacle?
The clarification about the dry road is certainly worth a further step. Last year the show was incandescent, but the neutralization of the times in the final circuit significantly devalued the race behind the leaders. In the end, Van Aert won., which added the Champs-Elysees to the iconic Siena white roads stage of the Giro.
"I don't think it will rain next year," Bennati points out, "but we can't know that. The wet road, in a certain sense, penalizes the show, because last year at the first acceleration there were six of them left and it wasn't good for the closing stage on such a beautiful stage. I must say that as a sprinter, It wasn't nice to see riders everywhere and small groups relaxing to get to the finish lineObjectively, if it were to be like this again, I'd prefer the classic circuit. Not because I was a sprinter and won on that finish, but because I thought it made the final stage much more adrenaline-filled.
From zero to 100 in an instant
The final stage of the next Tour is 130 kilometers long and will be completed without any significant elevation gain, except for the Montmartre climb. This means that The riders, especially the sprinters, will have in their legs the approximately 54.450 meters of altitude difference of the previous three weeksDoes this mean the final flat stage will be a walk in the park? No, it will be exactly the opposite.
«The climb itself is not very hard – Bennati nods – if you compare it to any wall in Flanders it is much lighterThe cobblestones are also quite rough, but not excessively so, so they're fairly light. However, you arrive with three weeks left in your legs, so if Pogacar wants to win the last stage, it'll still be tough for the sprinters. Those in the standings have superior recovery skills compared to a sprinter, so they potentially have an advantage..
«Returning to the discussion of the short stage, from personal experience the last stage of the Tour, the Giro or the Return It's never a walk in the park. You've just had three very demanding weeks, and the first few kilometers are filled with celebrations and a super-easy pace. Consequently, the memory which has always been that of a tremendous effort when you start to accelerate on the circuitOn a route like this, riders like Van Aert and Van Der Poel always have an advantage, even if they aren't climbers. Because the sprinter has tried to sprint and maybe has fought for the green jersey, so he spent more than them. So absurdly such a short stage could turn that little climb into a big problemThe sprinters will have to put all their remaining teammates in front."
The sprinters cheered up
The point is that this time, though the sprinters could have the space to recover and play for the sprintMaybe not everyone, because not everyone will have the legs to handle that kind of acceleration and the subsequent pursuit.
«The Bennati who he won in Paris – says the Tuscan, remembering – in the last few days he was better than most sprinters, because probably had a better recovery. It remains to be seen whether, by running today, I would have put the team in front to do Montmartre at my pace, because Pogacar would probably take the brunt of the race, especially if he wants to attack and try to win. Maybe 15 kilometers isn't a big deal for someone like him, but this will be another good reason to look forward to the race with great excitement."
