Tirreno-Adriatico 2021: GC Favourites

[Underneath article was written before the start of the Tirreno and has not been updated]

The Race of the Two Seas is played out on a classic parcours. There is one mountain stage rising literally above all other stages. The race to Prati di Tivo, where Nibali won in 2012 and Froome in 2013, is expected to open the first time gaps in the GC before stage 5 – the so-called Tappa dei Muri – is likely to bring compelling racing without having a huge impact on in-form GC riders.

The flat ITT San Benedetto del Tronto on the Adriatic sea front passes the final verdict on the last day of action. The race has brought its fair share of close finishes in recent years. Two year ago Primoz Roglic was 26 seconds faster than Adam Yates and he won the GC 1 second ahead of the Briton.

Simon Yates learned a his brother’s lesson. Last year, he lost time to his rival Geraint Thomas, but took the GC anyway – with a 17 seconds margin. The defining race of that edition was the Queen Stage, which was won by Yates, 35 seconds ahead of Geraint Thomas and Rafal Majka, who eventually finished in second and third overall.

Five contenders have tasted the sweetness of overall success at the Tirreno-Adratico: Nibali (2012, 2013), Quintana (2015, 2017), Van Avermaet (2016), Kwiatkowski (2018), and title defender Yates.

Pogacar is the only participant who won a stage race in 2021. The Tour de France Champion took the UAE Tour ahead of Adam Yates and João Almeida.

Favourites 2021 Tirreno-Adriatico

***** Egan Bernal, Tadej Pogacar
**** Simon Yates, Geraint Thomas, Julian Alaphilippe
*** Sergio Higuita, João Almeida, Mikel Landa, Thibaut Pinot
** Nairo Quintana, Pello Bilbao, Rafal Majka, Jakob Fuglsang
* Romain Bardet, Giulio Ciccone, Marc Soler, Wout Van Aert