Let's take a quick look at today's menu.
Stage 1: Rotterdam - Den Haag/Le Haye, 123 km
Start time: 12:45 CET
Expected finish time: Around 15:38
Temperatures: 28-32 °C, but it might feel hotter
Wind: 15-19 km/h from SEE. Gusts up to 32 km/h
As you can see, there's a nice day out on the Dutch roads in store for the peloton. It looks like a dead set bunch sprint, and we all know who's most likely to win in such a scenario. We can hope for 3 things on this stage: One is that the wind will be strong enough to cause splits and mayhem. However that will also require GC teams to be willing to work hard on the first day, and I don't know how likely that is to happen.
The second thing is that Lorena Wiebes and SD Worx will be challenged in the sprint. DSM with Charlotte Kool can do a better lead out on their best days, but that won't necessarily mean they'll be more likely to win than let's say Elisa Balsamo from Trek.
The final hope is that there won't be any major crashes, that will either influence the GC battle or severely injure riders. We've seen enough of that in other races.
Some riders will feel at home during this stage, and others will litterally be at home. Dutch champion and former World champion Chantal van den Broek-Blaak will probably be somewhere along the route or in the SDW team car, as she hasn't been selected for the race, but both former CX World champion Lucinda Brand, who hails from tomorrow's starting point in Dordrecht, and local flower girl Demi Vollering will both be able to enjoy the race first hand.
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