There's always an exodus of notable, mainly sprinting, talent before the Giro's critical mountain tests, and why not given there is nothing much to whet their appetite during the final week of the race. With the biggest climbs now looming, the sprinters will be determined to make the most of the two stage-winning opportunities they have left. This is the pick of them, so any break today is almost certainly doomed unless their lead amounts to more than a minute coming off the final small climb.
Procycling's favourite to win:
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European Cyclocross Championships: Fem van Empel wins women's elite title in thrilling battle with Ceylin Alvarado
Van Empel out-sprints her compatriot in a dramatic final lap as Brand takes third for a Dutch 1-2-3 -
European Cyclocross Championships: Jente Michels defends under-23 men's title
Filippo Agostinacchio in second and Aubin Sparfel third as Haverdings mechanical denies him podium spot -
Wout van Aert to make Cyclocross season debut after December Visma-Lease a Bike training camp
Belgian recovered from season-ending injury, exact date of racing return unconfirmed -
European Cyclocross Championships: Célia Gery wins under-23 women's title
Marie Schreiber second for Luxembourg, Leonie Bentveld in third
