Tour de Suisse Stage 1 Preview

The Tour de Suisse starts today with an opening time trial. All during the race there will be daily previews thanks to Mikkel Condé of C-Cycling. I’ve been supplying him with previews for the Dauphiné and he’s offering his analysis and forecasts for the Swiss race.

This blog isn’t always about race previews and live coverage of events but both the Dauphiné and Suisse are big summer races and key tests of form before the Tour de France and I find the act of analysis helps get more out of the stage, it helps you look for the details.

Note the Swiss race has very different TV schedules with the finish every day planned for after 6.00pm Euro time although today’s time trial is earlier.

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Friday Shorts

Strava Doping – Wiggins spotted – Contract Time – Team Rankings – Europcar’s lease ending – Corsica – Novikov – New EPO test

Can you imagine what it feels like to lose a race to an EPO user? The doper gets the trophy, the cash prize and the salary boost. If it feels far away then perhaps many more ordinary cyclists will now get the same feeling of rage with the advent of Strava doping. The popular online network allows users to record their times on various segments, such as a local hill. But there’s now a website called Digital EPO which promises to “juice your ride.”

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Dauphiné Stage 7 Preview

The Queen stage of the race with the royally difficult climb of Alpe d’Huez to start the day before a succession of climbs before the tough Col du Noyer and its ski station at Superdévoluy.

This stage can’t be seen in isolation as it both complements and contrasts with Sunday’s final mountain stage, a procession of steep and awkward climbs as compared to the final day which offers more regular ramps. In fact this stage is probably the last chance for a shake-up on the overall.

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Dauphiné Stage 6 Preview

A good stage but it’s possible the best part is hidden from view as the tricky Col du Barioz will be climbed before the TV coverage begins. This climb is difficult and could be selective. It won’t trouble Chris Froome and his team but it could see sprinters ejected for good despite the promise of a flat finish in Grenoble.

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How The UCI President Gets Elected

With Brian Cookson announcing he’s standing for election to be the President of the UCI many have been asking how you get elected to the job?

When is the vote, who gets to choose and how can you have your say?

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Dauphiné Stage 5 Preview

The first mountain stage of the race, Stage 5 takes the riders across the Alps to Valmorel for a summit finish but don’t mistake this for the high mountains, this is a gentle introduction to the mountains although enough to provide a worthy winner.

If the time trial provided plenty of information on the relative form of riders, now it’s time for a ramp test.

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Dauphiné Stage 4 Preview

A flat time trial might not make for good TV viewing but it’s Act 1 in this summer’s duel between Alberto Contador and Chris Froome and the first time we get to see the relative form of all the other candidates to win this race and the Tour de France.

It’s sometimes regrettable all this gets reduced to a mere prism through which we view the Tour de France but it’s how the sport works and this stage is purposefully included to act as a dress rehearsal for the almost identical first solo time trial of the Tour.

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Cookson’s Challenge

It’s been all over the newspapers on Monday and it is expected to be confirmed on Tuesday that British Cycling’s Brian Cookson will stand for President of the UCI, challenging the current President Pat McQuaid.

Whilst we wait to hear what Cookson’s got to say, there are a few things to look out for. For all the talk of a challenge, Cookson is a senior UCI insider. But this is how the system works.

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Dauphiné Stage 3 Preview

Stage 3 takes the riders away from the Alps but the cols keep on coming although the monts of the Beaujolais are gentle and should suit the sprinters. But a tricky finish awaits, a downhill run into town and then some sharp bends all the way to the finish.

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Dauphiné Stage 2 Preview

Listed as a flat stage by the race, Monday’s 191km routeis harder than it looks with the last 60km loaded with climbing, twisting roads and even a forest track before a downhill rush to the finish in the town of Oyonnax.

The town was once home to Bollé, the sunglasses company and is the setting for one of the few well-regarded literary works to feature a bicycle race so tacked onto the stage preview is a quick look at Oyonnax and Roger Vailland’s 325,000 francs.

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