Tour de Suisse 2022 – GC Preview
Goodmorning. The antibiotics are working and I’m feeling fresh enough to do a preview for Tour de Suisse as well. Let’s get right into it.
Stage 1
Starting already today. A circuit race close to Zürich with the last climb finishing close to the finish. A minor GC day.
Stage 2
A stage where they are going more down than up! The last climb they do is 6.3 km at 6.3%. It should think out the bunch significantly. We will see if anyone attacks over the top or the fast men can hold it together to the line.
Stage 3
The stage has most of its 3100 climbing meters in the first half of the stage. We will have to see if the breakaway can fool the sprinters.
Stage 4
One climb at the start and one at the finish. On paper, this really suits the breakaway. I am not sure how many teams with a sprinter will be interested in going up a 2.75 km climb at 8.9% and hope there will not be attacks.
Stage 5
It looks like something they have stolen from Tirreno – Adriatico. It should be a GC day with some time gaps. If it rains, it can be a very gruesome day for some riders.
Stage 6
First big mountain test. Nufenepass and Moosalp. Both are very demanding. 18 km at 7.5% – out of this world.
Stage 7
Second big mountain stage. Malbun looks like another very demanding mountain.
Stage 8
A TT.
Weather
For the next days to come, the weather looks awfully nice.
Contenders
INEOS – with a big trio. I think Martinez and A. Yates are the two best riders of the three. This is a very important race for them both. Can any of the two get to be the sole leader of the Tour de France if they ride a dominant Tour de Suisse? I guess that is some motivation to have. It is the first race for them both in a while but normally they are very strong after a training session. I would assume they both need around 1m30s on Remco before the last day.
Evenepoel – he just did a fantastic job in Norway on Gaustatoppen, a climb very similar to the final one on stage 7. It was a different level. He will have to seek out on the stages where INEOS will have a hard time following him – stage 5 in particular. As mentioned, I think if he is within a minute of one of the two from INEOS before the TT, he stands a good chance. Will he be that? I’m uncertain, but the performance in Norway was scary.
Vlasov – has had a very good year, and I do hope to see him continue his good run. He had a very long spring but has had six weeks since his last race. Is that enough to recover and regain form? I think he might be a few percent off his best, but I do not know for sure. His improvement against the clock will be a big bonus, but I think he will find some difficulties on stage 6.
Mäder – the home race for him. Fifth in la Vuelta last year and second in Romandie this year, he is starting to find a bit of consistency. He won the Queen stage here last year, it seems like this race is always a goal for him. I expect a good result, a top-10 minimum.
Carthy – Let’s see what he can do two weeks after the Giro d’Italia. He certainly finished on a high note there.
Israel-PT – Woods and Fuglsang, will lose an awful lot of time against the clock. I expect them to fight for stage wins.
Kuss – he will pose a threat in the mountains but will lose time against the clock too.
Who will win?
I think INEOS will win. I will go for Martinez as I think Remco will challenge them on a lot of different terrains. Here, I see Martinez as more versatile than Yates.
