Tour de Romandie 2023 – GC Preview
We are back in Switzerland for some of the most stunning scenery of the year.
Stages
Prologue
A short and simple prologue with just three corners.

Stage 1
A hilly day where the last 48 km are flat. It should end in a sprint.

Stage 2
The second part of this stage looks very demanding but the gradients are not too difficult. With no big gaps in the GC the breakaway is not allowed to win. I think we will see a reduced bunch sprint.

Stage 3
A mountain TT. It will give us an indication on who is going well uphill.

Stage 4
A very though day with three cat-1 climbs. Thyon 2000 (20.8 km at 7.6%) is a monster of a climb, we will see big GC gaps and find the winner of Tour de Romandie here.

Stage 5
With the GC settled, it should be a battle between the breakaway and the teams with a sprinter.

Weather
The weather looks good for the coming week. Of course, this does not say anything about the wind. It should be calm all days except Friday (mountain TT day). We will have to monitor how that unfolds, currently they are just outside the windy-zone.

Contenders
Pinot – form is looking good ahead of Giro d’Italia. Unlikely many other riders, he has a packed program before the first goal this season. He did well in both Classic Grand Besancon Doubt, Tour du Jura Cycliste and Tour du Doubs, finishing in the top-5 in all races. However, it was against poorer competition. He lacks the TT to win and he is not the same rider he was five years ago. A top-10, potential top-5.
Jumbo – Visma – it seems Gloag is the team leader for this race which I find a tiny bit surprising. He did very well in Valenciana back in February and has since had an injury but has fully recovered. He also mentions to have worked on his time trial, a very smart move ahead of Romandie. He is one of the big climbing talents out there, but I still think Kruijswijk is a solid option too. Always working for the team and he looked very good on the last stage in Basque Country. They should both be good top-10 contenders.
Woods – won on Thyon 2000 in 2021 but his time trial will limit his chances of winning, despite the longer one being a hilly TT. A top-5.
Jorgensen – He has stepped up massively in this season. Tour of Oman tells us he can handle short and steep inclines, 9th on Col de la Couillole (Paris – Nice, stage 7) tells us he can handle longer climbs too. He has a good time trial too, it is not the best but it is good enough to still be in contention after the two of them. I don’t think a podium is out of reach for him.
Vauquelin – alright, time for the big test again. He has been going very well all year – solely racing in France. 4th in Etoile de Bessèges, 1st in Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var and recently another top result in Tour du Jura Cycliste. It is his 18th spot at Paris-Nice that bums me out. He was 19th on the long mountain stage. I think his specialty lies in short climbs as for now – he still has to work on the longer efforts. He will do well against the clock, giving him a small edge.
S. Yates – had a small period with sickness after Basque Country where he already looked a bit from his best. He has worked on his TT the past few years which can get him a long way tomorrow. He has been more consistent this spring compared to prior seasons but I just do not think he will win after a poor showing in Basque Country followed by sickness. Still, he should be fighting for the podium – it is just very difficult to say how well he goes this week.
Bardet – The Ardennes Classics prove he is going well right now and we all know his TT is not one of his strongest attributes. I think the Thyon 2000 stage suits him, do not forget he was technically 2nd on the Col du Granon stage in the Tour de France in 2022 and on Blockhaus in the Giro d’Italia. He is some climber after a tough day on the bike. I think the podium is realistic even though he time trial is poor. It is all about Thyon 2000 and the form is going in the right direction.
A. Yates – he started the season off with a bang and then has become invisible. 55th in the rainy TT in Tirreno-Adriatico was just a sign that he should work for Almeida that week. Then, in Catalunya, a very hard crash put him out of contention. A series of bad luck and he still finished the race 28th overall. I think, roughly a month after, he is back to his best.
Ion Izagirre – he is always going well in April. He was 7th here in 2021 on Thyon 2000 – he will not be able to follow the best to the top but he will certainly be up there. His TT is not what it used to be but he is not poor at all. I think a top-10 is possible. He also looked good at LBL.
Lutsenko – form is peaking right about now. A DNF in LBL is not optimal but I can not find any reason why. I guess he was out of the race early on and the rain might have been a problem too. Nonetheless, he looked good in Sicily and in Amstel. The long Thyon 2000 suits him and he is happy the weather is not too bad the next week. His time trial is not poor but it depends on his motivation. He can win or finish 30th.
Caruso – beaten in Sicily but a diesel such as Caruso just need a few race days to get the engine warmed up. With the Giro d’Italia around the corner, I expect a much better performance in Switzerland. Otherwise, the team could look towards Gino Mäder – a box-of-chocolate type of rider. He is also the leader for this race, I think both of them can fight for a top-10 spot.
Stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐ A. Yates
⭐⭐⭐ S. Yates, Jorgensen
⭐⭐ I. Izagirre, Bardet, Woods.
⭐ Lutsenko, Pinot, Vauquelin, Gloag
Who will win?
It is a battle between the Yates’ Brothers. I will take a win for Adam, the bad luck has to stop now.