PREVIEW | Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 7 - Will Filippo Ganna win his first World Tour bunch sprint?
Cycling
Preview. Stage 7 of the Vuelta a Espana is a return to the sprinting days. A very fast stage is predicted, after the GC riders had a huge clash this afternoon, tomorrow will see a different set of stars coming to the front.
Stage seven will be a good sight for the peloton who find a flat stage. The first half of the day will largely be downhill which means the peloton can't afford to give the breakaway much of a gap, but the run-in to Oliva will be pan-flat.
Stage 7: Utiel - Oliva, 203.1 kilometers
However it's another day which finishes at significantly lower altitude than the start, 700 meters, which means fast speeds which favors breakaway. The opening half of the stage will be quite hilly in fact, featuring no categorized climb but plenty small hilltops where some fatigue will be created. However the second half of the day should be gentle enough to keep things under control.
Play along with our Fantasy Vuelta a España 7 2023. At least
$435/€400/£ 345 in prizes! Click here to
create your own Fantasy Vuelta a España team.
It is most likely a day for a bunch sprint, through roads the peloton will know very well. The riders pass through the outside of Gandia and then finish very close to the area where dozens of teams train throughout the winter. In the town of Olivia is where the finish line will be, not an overly technical finale but a nervous one. The final corner will come with 350 meters to go and there will certainly be a sprint towards that, and then a second sprint towards the line.
Read also
Stage 7 Finale
The Weather
Map Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 7
Strong wind from the southeast. Luckily for the peloton however this is the opposite of what teams would need to make a difference. It'll be a cross-headwind and headwind throughout most of the day. The latter one mostly for the final kilometers, all the way into the final corner with 350 meters to go - there it'll be a crosswind sprint finish.
The Favourites
Kaden Groves - Winner of both sprints so far, with and without a leadout, on a flat and uphill sprint. No problems for the Australian so far, with Alpecin-Deceuninck fully focusing in him and no real competitive leadouts, it's hard to argue against a third win.
Main Competition - Juan Sebastián Molano and Alberto Dainese could be termed as his main competition, specially in a flat and pure sprint, however I'll add Filippo Ganna to that list after his second place yesterday, the Italian absolutely has the power and positioning ability, but maybe he'll benefit from a harder stage or sprint.
Outsiders - The race then includes a few outsiders. None of these are riders with the speed to beat Groves, but who knows, with a technical sprint ahead someone could surprise, specially as the final corner comes very close to the finish.
Edward Theuns, Milan Menten and Dries van Gestel have so far performed well and will be the Belgian group to chase a result in this sprint. To this we'll add to the mix Marijn van den Berg, Hugo Page, Lewis Askey, Ivan García Cortina and Orluis Aular.
Prediction Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage 7:
*** Kaden Groves
** Juan Sebastián Molano, Filippo Ganna
* Edward Theuns, Marijn van den Berg, Dries van Gestel, Alberto Dainese, Milan Menten, Ivan García Cortina
** Juan Sebastián Molano, Filippo Ganna
* Edward Theuns, Marijn van den Berg, Dries van Gestel, Alberto Dainese, Milan Menten, Ivan García Cortina
Pick: Kaden Groves
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
Loading
⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️ ⛰️⛰️ 𝑃𝑖𝑐𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑙 𝐵𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 ⛰️⛰️⛰️ ⛰️⛰️ 𝑂𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑜 𝐴𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑖́𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑜 ⛰️ ⛰️⛰️ 𝐽𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑟𝑒 ⛰️⛰️⛰️ ⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️ 🏆 🇺🇸 @seppkuss - @JumboVismaRoad #LaVuelta23
Write a comment