Danilo Di Luca Wins on the Mur de Huy
Joseba Beloki Interview, Tour de France Podium and Back
Phil Zajicek chats with BiciRace.com
Tour de Romandie, Switzerland
26 April - 1 May
Preview
The Stages:
26 April, Prologue, Genève Prologue 3.4 km, Map
27 April, Stage 1, Avenches - Avenches 170 km, Map
28 April, Stage 2, Fleurier - Fleurier 174.9 km, Map
29 April, Stage 3, Aigle - Anzère 143.9 km, Map
30 April, Stage 4, Châtel-St-Denis - Les Paccots 147.9 km, Map
1 May, Stage 5, Lausanne TT 20.4 km, Map
![Swiss Champ Rast](javascript:ImagePopup("../../photo/2005/KBK/GreinRast.jpg", 399, 600, "Swiss Champ Rast"); "Swiss Champ Rast, 2005 Tour of Flanders, photo: Christine Grein, Capture -The-Peloton.com")
Swiss Champ Rast, photo: Capture-The-Peloton.com
Immediately following Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour de Romandie is a changing of the guard of sorts. The one day specialists that have dominated the headlines, now take a back seat to the grand tour riders. It doesn't have quite the stature of, say the Tour de France, but it nevertheless draws in the heavy hitter GC riders looking to hone their form for the imminent Giro d’Italia. Tyler Hamilton has owned this race the last two years, but with his absence this year look for local boys Fabian Jeker and Alexandre Moos to put in good rides.
With its inclusion in the Pro Tour calendar, the Tour de Romandie will be stacked deep with riders that will be battling it out over the picturesque cantons of Switzerland. The 59th edition of this race will cover no less than 656 km and will include 8311 meters of climbing. The festivities will kick off April 26th with a 3.4 km prologue through the streets of Genève. Look for TT whiz-kid, Fabian Cancellara, to put in a storming performance and take an early lead.
The action should be thick and fast from the gun, since none of the four road race stages exceed 175km in length. This should keep the riders from riding piano for the majority of the stage, then cranking up the pace when the TV helicopters start circling overhead. Stage one is a relatively flat affair that should be the only opportunity for the sprinters to shine. Following that will be 3 tough days in the mountains, culminating with 2360 meters of total elevation gain on stage 4. The riders will cap their Swiss holiday with an individual TT of 20.4km in Lausanne.
BiciRace.com expects the Giro GC hopefuls to be playing their cards close to their chests, but don’t be surprised if Cunego, Garzelli or Basso decide to dish out some pain. A good performance by one of these riders could really deal a psychological blow to their Giro d’Italia opponents.
Stay tuned to BiciRace.com for race coverage and commentary.
- Paco
Voigt Vino Boogerd in Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Tom on Brasstown Bald Stage 5 in Georgia
Brian Vandborg Winning Stage 4 in Georgia
The Tim Johnson Phone Tap, "The crowds were so huge!"
More news on the Armstrong Press Conference: Lance Armstrong Retires, His Children are number one!
Race action from Paris-Roubaix
Iban Mayo tells why Basque Cycling is so cool. It involves eggs and good friends. BiciRace.com sent our Spanish correspondent to get the Inside Scoop.