Tour de Suisse 2023 Favourites
Country: Switzerland
Level: UWT
Total Stages: 8
Mountain stages: 4
Time Trials: 2
Key Players
We've got a number of big names here - from Wout van Aert (WVA) to Remco Evenepoel. Expect an exciting eight days. We're also ecstatic one of our rider profiles is showing up, Cian Uijtdebroeks, as he only seems to be getting better.
Pro Cycling Bets
Strongest Teams
Alpecin-Deceuninck coming in with Soren Kragh Andersen should prove to be a force to be reckoned with. But you also have Jumbo Visma with WVA and Ineos with Tom Pidcock and Egan Bernal.
UAE a consistently strong contender is bringing Juan Ayuso, who after Tour de Romandie, shows that that he still has the goods, and potentially just needed another month in the oven. Well he's got that month and we expect him and UAE with him and Wellens as a domestique to show up big time.
Value Picks
The odds haven't dropped yet, but Matteo Sobrero from Jayco has been consistent all season and should place in the Top 10. Axel Zingle from Cofidis has also been showing spunk in recent French one day classics and this may be his year for a big general classification result.
While Q36.5's and DSM's rosters hasn't dropped yet, we expect both to have some standout stars that could be on the value end of the spectrum. Tudor Pro Cycling, basically the Swiss national team in disguise, has had a number of breakthrough performances this year, especially with the like of Voissard who we made a handy bit of change on at the fourth stage of the Tour de Hongrie.
Stages
Stage 1 (ITT)
Not the longest TT we've ever seen. That's for sure. But slightly longer than the max prologue distance of 8kms at 13. Not many hills to speak up. There's about thirteen turns on the course, which is a fair number for 13 clicks.
Should be an interesting battle between Sheffield, Ganna, Küng and Evenepoel. We'd like to see the young Sheffield take the prize.
Stage 2
Elevation Gain: 1873m
Interesting stage right from the get go. Breaks could definitely form over the first categorized climb of 3km @ 5.1% - but honestly, the next climb of 3.2km @ 6.4% seems a little trickier. The climb 24km out from the end is a perfect distance for a final break to punch out if there's not already one going.
Stage 3
Elevation Gain: 2612m
Oh boy! Oh boy! A non backloaded route. Already a hilltop finish on day three. Exciting. 34 km's from the finish there's Col Des Mosses which is 13.5km @ 4.1% and then a solid descent of 18km before a climb of 10.7km @ 8%. Phew, probably just not quite a Hors Catégorie climb, but it's darn close in our opinion.
Stage 4
Elevation Gain: 2789m
Ah. The Crans Montana. Maybe they won't shorten it and cut it in half this time like they did in the Giro. We'll see 🙃
Crans is 14.6km @ 6.7% bt right in the middle of the stage. We expect the major action to start with the climb 35km out from the finish. First 7.8km @ 8.6%, then 2.6km @ 7.6%, then 19km @ 4.5% followed by a final kicker of 1.2km @ 5.1%.
Hope your contender from the GC group that forms up these climbs has a punch.
Stage 5
Elevation Gain: 4654m
A heavy elevation gain day. Almost 5000m of climb. First is the Furkapass of 16.5km @ 6.4%, then 10.7km @ 5.6% for the Oberalpass. A break should form over one of these. A huge amount of descending for 50km, and then another 50km of false flat before Albulapass, a Hors Categorie climb of 17.4km @ 6.8% with sections of 4.4km @ 8.2% and 2.9km @ 8.2%. Phew.
Stage 6
Elevation Gain: 3369m
Another hard day after yesterday's. Starting where it finished. Almost. They make those poor riders repeat part of Albulapass. After the descent they face a 7.5km climb of 7.5% before some mileage, a kicker of 5.9km @ 4.% and then rolling terrain until the end.
If the sprinters can get over the initial climb they'll likely be able to reel back in whatever break does form.
Stage 7
Elevation Gain: 2156m
Not the hardest day on the books compared to others. It just looks gnarly because everything else if rather tame. 9km @ 5.3%, steep and fast descent, then 3.3km @ 9.2% in the middle of the stage. The climbs are nothing to scoff at but shouldn't prove too concerning to the riders if they've managed to make it this far.
GC action should occur given the late stage, but if not a break will form over those climbs. The next 80km is basically a descent and rolling, so in actuality, if GC is close, they may just let this one be a bunch sprint and have the ITT tomorrow be the deciding factor.
Stage 8 (ITT)
A slightly longer TT, coming in at double the distance of the initial one at 26kms. There's a climb in there of 1.7km @ 7.9%, which certainly isn't nothing. The initial climb of 0.6km @ 6.3% sorta is nothing.
Still we expect a lighter TT like Sheffield to perform slightly better here.
There's roughly 15 turns over the course of the route, which is a decent number, and there's one S curve halfway through that could ruin someone's zone.
