PREVIEW : Sparkassen Münsterland Giro 2023: Kooij will try to defend his crown against Philipsen, Groenewegen and Co.

Preview. The Sparkassen Münsterland Giro, one of the most anticipated cycling races in the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia, is gearing up for an exciting edition this coming Tuesday, October 9. This year, the competition will adopt a new starting point in the city of Osnabrück, marking a change in the tradition of selecting previous starting locations.

ROUTE.

The 194.2-kilometer route will take the cyclists southbound, passing through a local circuit of more than 30 kilometers that will include the demanding climb of Holperdorper Straße, which they will have to face twice. The competition will continue to the towns of Tecklenburg and Lengerich, where the cyclists will face a local circuit of almost 16 kilometers, which will feature the challenging climbs of Grafenstraße and Lengericher Berg. This local circuit will be raced three times.

After completing the last lap in Lengerich, the riders will tackle the final 60 kilometers to the finish line. With just 14.1 kilometers to go, the peloton will head to the local circuit in Münster, which consists of four laps of 4.3 kilometers each. This final section features a short cobbled section at the beginning of the lap, followed by two right-angled left turns in the last 1.5 kilometers. The final straight, officially 350 meters, will include a right turn before reaching the Schlossplatz, where the winner of this exciting race will be decided.

The 2023rd edition of the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro will take place on Tuesday, October 3, with the start scheduled for 13:00 hours. Cyclists are expected to reach the finish line in Münster between 17:00 and 17:40.

FAVORITES.

Despite the hills that the cyclists will encounter along the route, anything less than a massive finish will be a big surprise, as the last third of the race is practically flat and historically those who have won on the streets of Münster are sprinters. Two years ago Mark Cavendish did it and in 2022 a man who will try to repeat his victory this year, the Dutchman from Jumbo-Visma Olav-Kooij, who will also be supported by the brand new European champion Christophe Laporte;

The favorite, however, will be Jasper Philipsen, who in 2023 is proving to be the most solid sprinter in the world peloton and hopes to get another win in Germany. It won't be easy for the Alpecin Belgian, however, as the list of participants includes rivals who will make things very difficult for him.

Watch out for the team that Lidl-Trek brings, for example, with Mads Pedersen as the head of the team and with a Jon Aberasturi who will try to give a scare and play the unexpected trump card. Soudal Quick-Step arrives with a solid team around Tim Merlier. The winner on the Champs Elysees in Paris, Jordi Meeus, arrives with Nils Politt and Danny van Poppel... watch out for BORA.

Dylan Groenewegen is the always dangerous asset of Jayco AlUla, Caleb Ewan could try to do a last service to Lotto-Dsnty and, finally, Gerben Thijssen at Intermarché and Alberto Dainese and John Degenkolb at DSM;

Prediction Sparkassen Münsterland Giro 2023:.

*** Jasper Philipsen
** Olav Kooij, Mads Pedersen, Dylan Groenewegen, Jordi Meeus
* Calew Ewan, Christophe Laporte, Jon Aberasturi, Danny van Poppel, Alberto Dainese, Gerben Thijssen

Pick: Jasper Philipsen