Giro d'Italia Stage 6 Tips: Cavendish and Demare the pair to trust

What's the stage like?

192km and largely flat. A category four climb early on is neither hard enough nor close enough to the finish to cause the sprinters any concern. Crucially, the finish is utterly straightforward, meaning the fast men will have no excuses.

Who are the favourites?

As reported at the start of the Giro, Caleb Ewan (3.259/4) and Mark Cavendish (3.259/4) should be the rightful favourites on any sprint stage, and things are no different here.

For Ewan, though, the market will soon lose faith. He fell on Stage 1, was woeful on Stage 3, and got dropped hard and early on Stage 5. On current form, it would be hard to put him up as a likely stage winner, and he is best watched until we see signs of recovery.

Cavendish was also - predictably - troubled by the early climb on Stage 5. But he should face no such difficulties here, and his win on Stage 3 suggests he has something in hand on his rivals when it comes to a bareknuckle sprint.

Who are the most likely outsiders?

The only other sprinters to impress so far have been winning Stage 5 13.0012/1-tip, Arnaud Demare, and Fernando Gaviria (12.0011/1).

Neither would be a surprise winner, but Demare (7.5013/2) has twice looked to comfortably have the best of Gaviria. Even with the odds discrepancy, then, Demare - along with Cavendish - is the choice.

What effect will it have on the overall markets?

With so much time spent on the coast during this stage, it's possible that crosswinds could cause echelons and a decimated peloton. On those days there are always significant time gaps and some of the General Classification contenders lose out. The forecast suggests flags will be limp, though, so expect an uneventful day in the battle for the Pink Jersey.

*Odds correct at the time of writing