Swiss Prelude to the Tour de France

Another prelude to the Tour de France was the Tour de Suisse (Tour of Switzerland) from June 9 to June 17. Like the Dauphiné, this race attracts most of the top teams, and some of their top stars, but not all. So, it helps us see who is doing well and who is not. But it doesn’t give us all of the head-to-head match-ups that will eventually play out in the "Big One."

Like the Tour of California, this race was a showcase for sprinter Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale), who won the short prologue time trial plus three sprint stages. Very impressive! Off-the-charts impressive! But wait! Again, Mark Cavendish (Sky) was not there. So, their head-to-head battles in July should be dynamite! Will we still be talking about this year’s Tour de France sprint battle 40 years from now, like we do the Foreman-Ali "Rumble in the Jungle" of 1974?

Almost makes us forget to focus on the GC race, doesn’t it? Well, the Swiss Tour had a surprise winner of the yellow jersey. At least it was a surprise to me. Alberto Rui Costa (Movistar) captured the yellow jersey early, by winning the second stage, and he never let go! Frank Schleck (RadioShack-Nissan), after dropping out of the Giro d’Italia, was on Costa’s heels the entire race, but could never overtake him. In the final stage, Schleck made a promising attack on the second-to-last mountain, but it proved to be too early. Costa and the other leaders caught Schleck before the last mountain, and Costa was able to defend his lead to the end with the strong help of his teammate Alejandro Valverde. Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) was always near the leaders and finished third.

What does this tell us? Is Frank Schleck capable of challenging for the TDF yellow jersey? He has a strong team behind him. (I’ve seen reports that Chris Horner has been moved from reserve to starter, but that is not yet reflected on the TDF website. Horner would be an asset.) Is Levi Leipheimer sufficiently recovered from a broken leg earlier in the season to challenge for the yellow jersey? He’s listed in top position for his team on the Tour website. 21 stages of the most intense physical therapy imaginable–if it doesn’t destroy him and his leg, maybe it will heal him! Is Costa the real thing? He’s listed below Valverde on the Movistar roster. Did they switch places in this race so Costa could win some glory? Which one of them will ride as team leader for GC honors in the Tour?  And which one will sacrifice his body to protect and help the leader? Robert Gesink (Rabobank) was in 4^th place overall in Switzerland (see my earlier post on the Tour of California). Will he make a credible challenge for the TDF yellow jersey?

The suspense is building. Can’t wait for Saturday. Stay tuned.

Nyon, Switzerland, looking out over Lac Leman.  (Only in Geneva is it called Lake Geneva.)  Stages of the Tour de Suisse took place along the far shore of the lake, and also in the Jura Mountains behind the photographer in this picture.