Jos van Emden value to spring stage one surprise

Stage One
Eurosport 2, from 11.30am Friday

The winner of the 2018 Giro d’Italia will become clearer over the next three weeks but bookmakers are unanimous about which rider they believe will be the first owner of the Maglia Rosa.

Australian time-trial expert Rohan Dennis is highly unlikely to win the general classification but he will have ambitions of keeping the leader’s jersey for the duration of its stay in Israel.

Dennis is unrivalled on short time-trial courses such as the 9.7km route that the peloton will tackle in Jerusalem.

The Australian has won three of the four individual races against the clock he has entered this season but is priced as if defeat on stage one is out of the question.

He will be extremely hard to beat if anywhere near his best but Jos van Emden could pick up the pieces if he isn’t.

The Dutchman was just four seconds adrift of Dennis on a similar 10km course at March’s Tirreno-Adriatico. He is a viable small-stakes alternative.

Recommendation
J van Emden to win stage one
0.5pt 7-1 bet365, Betway, Hills

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