Tour de Suisse 2016 – Stage 3 Preview
By David Hunter
Grosswangen – Rheinfelden 192.6km
Time for a tough day in the saddle.
After a fairly gentle start to the race, this stage is more typical of racing in Switzerland.
Again we have a lap circuit and it contains two very difficult climbs. The first climb is 2.2km at 6.5%, quickly followed by 1.3km at 11.5%. This will ask some serious questions of the sprinters. We then have a 10km run for home. A little bit on the long side for any late attackers, but you never know!
The Finish
A long straight road. Perfect!
Tactics
In any normal stage, I would start by talking about dropping the sprinters, but not in Switzerland. Sagan, Matthews and Gaviria are the big three here and they all climb brilliantly. It’s very difficult to see any of them getting dropped. That should see the other teams riding an aggressive race. Attacking on the final pair of climbs is a wise move, although the 10km run for home is good news for Tinkoff and co. We could even see some of the GC riders decided to test some legs. Now, that would be fun.
Contenders
Peter Sagan – was his usually self today, bloody brilliant! Starts the stage as favourite, but as we’ve seen before, he doesn’t always wait for the sprint. If he senses that the chances of a sprint are small, he will attack on the climbs.
Michael Matthews – was put in a great position today, but couldn’t beat Richeze in the sprint. If he wants to win the stage, he needs to attack on the climbs. He cannot beat Sagan in a sprint.
Fernando Gaviria – crashed today and had to pull out the sprint, due to fatigue. We have to see how he recovers, but to beat Sagan, he needs to be on the top of his game.
Tiesj Benoot – climbs and rain, sounds like Tiesj has been dreaming! The young Belgian star is still searching for his first win and it could come here. He excels in horrible conditions and will be given some freedom by Lotto. I can’t wait for that first pro win, I’m sure he’s the same!
Michael Albasini – Orica are a team that hate chasing. In Albasini, they have the perfect attacking option for the final climbs. He has 6 stage wins here in the last 3 years, he knows what it takes to do well in his home country. I think he’ll be released from sprint train duties and given free reign to work for himself.
Zdenek Stybar – very similar to Albasini. Etixx will try and pressure Tinkoff and hope to take an edge off Sagan’s sprint. Stybar is their perfect rider to attack on the final climbs. He’s looking to build up for the Tour, so expect him to already be in good form.
Weather
More rain, well it is Switzerland.
Keep An Eye On
The Westra & Boom Show – these two love attacking! Astana are here to support Superman Lopez, but the two Dutch riders will have little responsibilities in this stage. That means we’ll see them attack, attack, attack! Neither rider has taken a stage win in 2016 and they’ll be looking to set that record straight. Both love bad weather and demanding days in the saddle.
Prediction Time
A long overdue first win for Tiesj Benoot. With everyone looking at Sagan, the young Belgian could well slip away.
David Hunter
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