Ayuso, Roglic or someone else? Bruyneel tips one rider for the Giro win: 'He's only going to get stronger'

“UAE was hugely impressive again today,” Johan Bruyneel began. “If you're in a reduced peloton and still have almost your entire team around you, that leaves a mark on your rivals. It also gives you such a strong sense of control. Every time the group was whittled down, they still had four riders in there.”

But it wasn’t just UAE Team Emirates-XRG that stood out. Bruyneel was also impressed by Carapaz and his team, although he believes the Ecuadorian owes a thank-you to UAE. “They were the ones who kept the break from gaining too much time by setting such a high pace. Once EF went to the front, you could see an attack from Carapaz coming. It was a brilliant win. He’s clearly in great shape and I expect him to be a real contender for the podium. He’s only going to get stronger.”

And what about the other GC contenders? Most of them kept a low profile. “It was Bernal and Del Toro who made moves and looked strong, but otherwise it was pretty quiet. Roglic stayed calm again, which is very smart. He’s not wasting any energy while others are. And the way things are going, I think that will pay off for him in the final week.”

“But he also doesn’t have much of a choice,” Bruyneel admitted. “He’s crashed twice already, so it makes sense that he’s taking it a bit easier. You could see it in stage 11 as well, where I don’t think either Roglic or Ayuso had a particularly good day. Del Toro, on the other hand, was very impressive again. He’s incredibly strong. If I were one of his rivals, I wouldn’t feel too comfortable right now.”

Stage 12 looks set to offer another opportunity for the sprinters, but Johan Bruyneel isn’t fully convinced it will end in a bunch finish. “I’m not sure we’ll get a sprint. A breakaway could very well make it to the line. But I do think there are enough teams that will want to keep things together.”

And if it comes down to a sprint, the Belgian has a clear favorite. “I think Kooij is the man to beat. He was held up in previous sprints, but if he gets a clean run at it, he’s the fastest in the bunch.”