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Tour de Hongrie 2023 (May 10-14)

Time for one of the biggest races in Central/Eastern Europe.

Startlist
A star-studded sprint field headlined by Groenewegen, Jakobsen, Ewan, Bennett and Viviani. For GC, it looks like a battle between Ineos (Bernal, Plapp, Tulett) and DSM (Poole, Onley), but there are also the likes of Hirschi, Fuglsang and of course the mighty Fausto Masnada.

The route
An upgrade from previous years: instead of four sprints and a big MTF, we now have three sprints and two slightly smaller MTFs, but with beter run-ins.
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Stage 1: Szentgotthárd - Szentgotthárd, 168k
We start with a sprint stage in the westernmost corner of the country.
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Stage 2: Zalaegerszeg - Keszthely, 175k
Sprint stage number two sees the riders head for Lake Balaton.
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Stage 3: Kapósvar - Pécs, 180k
Things get a lot more serious with the first of two uphill finishes of the race. After an easy run-in, we have 2.5 laps of a circuit with the easier climb of Mánfa and the harder climb to Pécs-Melegmányi Út, with the opening 1400 metres averaging 12.2%. The stage finishes halfway up the latter climb.
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Mánfa:
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Pécs-Melegmányi Út:
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Stage 4: Martónvasár - Dobogókő, 206k
Nominally the queen stage, although it’s probably easier than yesterday’s stage. We have an ascent of Két-Bükkfa (the pass below the MTF), then three ascents of the climb of Pilisszántó. After the third time, the riders leave the circuit to almost immediately take on the MTF and presumably settle the GC.
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Két-Bükkfa (first 7.3k only):
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Pilisszántó + Dobogókő:
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Stage 5: Budapest - Budapest, 150k
The race ends with a flat circuit race in the capital on the banks of the Danube.
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Useful links
Roadbook
Interactive maps
Live tracking

Race twitter
 
The sprinters field is very good indeed but nice to see two hard stages too.

Bernal can actually fight for the win here which would be an important step on his recovery and confidence boost. I would also add Fisher-Black to the list of possible contenders.
 
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It's been a disastrous season for Plapp so far, except for the UAE Tour - Should have been the leader at the TDU and could have finished on the podium, late withdrawal from Romandie which was his early season target,