Vuelta 2014: Favourites stage 5 - Bouhanni vs Degenkolb/Sagan combination

Stage 5 offers a fast men menu, not for the first time. Condition is they don't wine over a 3rd category top with 15 kilometres left and a false flat finale. Will Nacer Bouhanni be able to outwit Sagan and Degenkolb? (Slideshow route/profile)

At 40 kilometres the long and not particularly steep 3rd category climb. Upon cresting a 14 kilometres descend lays waiting and then a false flat (1.3%) finale in 800 metres.

Degenkolb, Matthews and Sagan may want to team up and speed up the last climb to exhaust Nacer Bouhanni, otherwise the pure speed of the 24-year old Frenchman could be decisive in the bunch sprint. On the other hand, the German and Aussie are no snails themselves. The Slovak however seems not his best self in Spain, dropping on climbs he normally eats for breakfast.

Other competing sprinters are Moreno Hofland, Jens Debusscherre, Matteo Pelucchi and Andrea Guardini.