6 days including 1 prologue and 1 time-trial. Medium- and a bit of high-altitude mountain, together with those time-trials, show how this race is designed to be a preparation for the Giro d’Italia which starts a few days later.
The favourite is probably Almeida (🇵🇹 UAE), but Evenepoel (🇧🇪 Soudal-QS) should be starting the race if he managed to poo and is done with sulking.
On the French side, this should be the return of Gaudu (🇫🇷 FDJ) who hasn’t raced since his falls on Strade Bianche and Tirreno–Adriatico in early March. Martinez (🇫🇷 Bahreïn), who didn’t take part to Liège, should be there too.
Profiles:
(I didn’t put the profile of Tuesday’s prologue.)
Stage 1 (Wednesday):
Stage 2 (Thursday):
Stage 3 (Friday):
Stage 4 (Saturday):
Stage 5 (Sunday, ITT):
Stage 2
Today was a Remco Circus show.
Firstly, he got his team to pull the peloton against the breakaway, so that the gap would be small at the foot of Chaumont climb. His last teammate pulled the peloton in the beginning of the climb, as if he was going to attack. But the attack never came, and it was even UAE who lead the finish of the climb. Not completely the finish of the climb, because Evenepoel🇧🇪 attacked 50 m from the top and did the downhill full speed. Then he attempted again multiple attacks on the flat.
At no point did he manage to really drop everybody from his wheel. He just pissed everyone in the small group that had followed. We could hear them all thinking “this is Switzerland, this is supposed to be smooth and cool and peaceful, we didn’t come to Romandie to race a classic; what a plonker he is!” 🤣
Then a few riders broke away and as no-one in the leaders’ group wanted to ride any more, they won; well, Fortunato (🇮🇹 Astana) pressed the pedals a tiny bit stronger 1 km from the line or so, while the 4 others who were busy looking at each other and not riding. 😅 And the leaders’ group almost got caught up by the weaker ones like Gaudu🇫🇷 that they had dropped in the climb… despite the fact that Gaudu’s teammate Rochas🇫🇷 was one of the most active riders in the leaders’ group 🤨 🤣
All 5 riders in that final breakaway jumped in front of the general classification and Baudin (🇫🇷 EF) is the new GC leader.