PREVIEW | Renewi Tour 2023 stage 5 - Explosive stage can turn GC on it's head, but also a chance for the sprinters

Preview stage 5. With five stages in length, the Renewi Tour from the 23rd to 27th of August has been shortened but is back in the peloton, the World Tour peloton will tackle the roads of the Benelux where the sprinters, classics specialists and time-trialists will be in the spotlight.

The final day of racing will be an interesting one. It features no big climbs but the explosive terrain can see attacks. Right from the start there will be plenty small ascents all within the area close to Bilzen where the stage will finish.

Towards the end there will be two hilltops where attacks are expected. There is a 1-kilometer ascent at 5% which ends with 17 kilometers to go, and then a 400-meter climb which ends only 4 kilometers away from the finish and ramps up at 6.5%.

This will one way or another influence the finale, perhaps a little too hard for the pure sprinters, and suited to the late attacks as the run-up to the line is quite technical. All the way into the final 900 meters the riders find a small descent and then technical twisty roads where it will be difficult to once again organize a chase. The final straight is flat and allows for recovery, but it will be difficult to balance things out.

*** Jasper Philipsen, Olav Kooij
** Sam Welsford, Arnaud De Lie
* Tim Merlier, Dylan Groenewegen, Jordi Meeus, Jonathan Milan, Axel Zingle, Mike Teunissen, Matej Mohoric, Soren Kragh Andersen

Pick: Jasper Philipsen