Tour de Suisse - bothered?

specialgueststar
specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
edited January 2014 in Pro race
I was thinking - I watch every race all season if I can.....yet for some reason I feel no 'connection' with the Swiss tour , barely taking an interest in it. Why is it? It does usually clash with my favourite race, the Dauphine, but that can not be it. I don't even know who won it last year (it was Costa for the second year running - just looked). The only thing I know recently is that the Schlecks usually do well and more distant - Zulle won overall. I watched that one!

All that amazing scenery - cue photos! What is the climb with the pink paving stones at the top?

Comments

  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Strange, isnt it. I much prefer the Dauphine too.
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    I think it's a good match for the Dauphine in terms of GT warm up if not in kudos.

    It will be interesting to see which GT favourites avoid each other by doing this or the Dauphine. I haven't checked Wiggo or Froome's schedule but I presume one is doing one and the other the other?
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    edited January 2014
    Yellow Peril wrote:
    I think it's a good match for the Dauphine in terms of GT warm up if not in kudos.

    It will be interesting to see which GT favourites avoid each other by doing this or the Dauphine. I haven't checked Wiggo or Froome's schedule but I presume one is doing one and the other the other?


    Pretty sure Nibs is riding the Dauphine.

    I'll put down some BR bitcoin - if Wiggins is going to ride the Tour, he'll be at the Dauphine, personally targeting the ITT but otherwise riding for Froome. Sky wont risk leaving it at one race where Wiggins and Froome ride together i.e. T-A*. Also they like to field the core of their Tour squad at the Dauphine.

    Back to the appeal of the Dauphine - it feels like it has a richer history (even though the TdS was first run a few years earlier than the Dauphine).


    *well, they MIGHT. But...umm...
  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    1950 edition !

    09.jpg
  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    I was thinking of the Gotthard pass - its grey cobbles with a pink stripe!

    Granfondo-Gottardo-Cobbles-SwissRetreat-Cycling-Tours-700x300.jpg
  • slimreaper
    slimreaper Posts: 738
    Was it the TdS or Romandie where Sagan and Cunego waere giving it the berries on some crazy descent? Really enjoyed that edition. But I agree, on the whole, it doesn't do it for me either. I also cant say why. Scenery is good, good climbs etc, but Dauphine for me too.
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    Might see Nibali or Quintana (I'm assuming he's riding Tour) 'keeping their powder dry' this year. Contador's disastrous Dauphine TT in 2013 took some of the pressure off his Tour contenders. Also, the Grindelwald stage profile is a treat.
    Eigerwand1.jpg
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    edited January 2014
    While, the Dauphine tends to cover much of the same Alpine ground as it's big brother, a month later,
    the ToS has, in recent years, tended to under sell it's mountain parcour.
    While some might argue that the Swiss race goes for the more "balanced" route, we had
    in 2009 Columbia-Highroad winning 6 of the 9 stages, Fabian Cancellara taking both TTs plus the GC
    and Tony Martin as runner up.

    Frankly, this race often tends to be a bit.........................dull.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    edited January 2014
    Nah, Maca, according to Nibs, he's following a trad French stage race route to the Tour - P-N, CI, Romandie and Dauphine

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali- ... -de-france


    Though he particularly taken with your Grindelwald route above as he wants to do it in reverse and show off his descending skillz
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    I'll put down some BR bitcoin - if Wiggins is going to ride the Tour, he'll be at the Dauphine, personally targeting the ITT but otherwise riding for Froome.

    Wiggocrit 15% :D
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Macaloon wrote:
    Richmond Racer wrote:
    I'll put down some BR bitcoin - if Wiggins is going to ride the Tour, he'll be at the Dauphine, personally targeting the ITT but otherwise riding for Froome.

    Wiggocrit 15% :D


    Possibly on the conservative side... :oops:
  • Crankbrother
    Crankbrother Posts: 1,695
    I have friends in Switzerland so enjoy the TdS ...

    Last year one of the stages went along the sea (lake) right where they live and as chance would have it they were visiting Edinburgh that week so we sat and watched the stage and was able to get additional insight into the last kms ...

    Admittedly the racing ain't up to much but the scenery makes up for that ...
  • mike6
    mike6 Posts: 1,199
    SpecialGuestStar wrote:
    1950 edition !

    09.jpg

    How cool is that look? Black shoes, white socks, black (short) shorts, and minimal advertising on the jersey.Oh and no helmet. 8)
  • argyllflyer
    argyllflyer Posts: 893
    From a UK POV, after Eurosport lost the rights to the two Swiss races, it's one of the few WT races not covered live as Sky have the rights but don't use them - they only want Romandie and bought the two together. They showed an hour's worth of highlights a week or so after it finished.

    I tried following it on streams last year and it was miserable.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,821
    I'm in a similar situation with Paris Nice.

    I watch all I can of that, but then barely watch the resumes of Tirreno Adriatico
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    How can you not love it

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzPLdSGW-Vo (7-Eleven kit FTW)

    In all seriousness, I don't know what's happened to it. Used to have a lot more prestige. I saw it in Switzerland when I lived there briefly as a nipper. Can't remember much aside from that fact I saw it.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Always seems a big deal on the continent, when I'm on holiday there when it's on.
    _
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Sort of answering my own question, it's used to be a very rich race AFAIK.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,317
    iainf72 wrote:
    How can you not love it?

    I've heard the same thing said of Switzerland itself. And by some Swiss folk, too.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    Switzerland is grim.
    _
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,317
    But it shouldn't be. The most mountainous - and some might say, most beautiful - country in Europe. Yet somehow a bit meh...

    And why the sequel "The Sound of Music" failed, I don't know. Perhaps people weren't ready for "The Sound of Nazi Collaborators Counting The Proceeds of Their Stolen Jewish Loot In Some Remote Canton Hideaway"...
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    ^ Superb rant from Mr 16%
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.
  • Richmond Racer
    Richmond Racer Posts: 8,561
    Macaloon wrote:
    ^ Superb rant from Mr 16%


    Quite. Is now the right time for me to unleash my Sound of Music Tour anecdote? No?

    Disappointing
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,651
    Anyone know who the wildcards are? I'll happily swap the Dauphine for it if Qhubeka are in.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • Macaloon
    Macaloon Posts: 5,545
    SNF1224A---_1762335a.jpg
    'The Cound of Music'
    ...a rare 100% loyal Pro Race poster. A poster boy for the community.

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