Start of the Tour de France: Why there are only two Swiss

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Everything revolves around the duel between Jonas Vingegaard (26) and Tadej Pogacar (24). The Dane replaced the Slovenian as Tour king after consecutive Tour victories last year. Can Pogacar fight back?

No. But on the contrary. Spectacle is inevitable in the battle for the top ten. A plethora of drivers qualify: David Gaudu, Jay Hindley, Enric Mas, Ben O’Connor, Richard Carapaz, Mikel Landa, Romain Bardet, Simon Yates and many more. Egan Bernal also returns to the tour, as does aggressive crowd favorite Julian Alaphilippe. For Peter Sagan, Mark Cavendish, Thibaut Pinot it will be the last Grand Boucle.

For the general classification, for example, Tour de Suisse winner Mattias Skjelmose (22). In addition to the usual Jasper Philippsen (25), Fabio Jakobsen (26) and Cavendish (38), Australian Sam Welsford (27; DSM) and New Zealander Corbin Strong (23; Israel – Premier Tech) should be considered in the sprint. It’s also worth keeping a duo from Scandinavian team Uno-X on your radar: Tobias Johannessen (23) and Torstein Traeen (27).

There are only two: Stefan Küng (29) and Silvan Dillier (32). Less than since 1980, when there were no Swiss at all. A childhood problem? Because Team Tudor and Team Q36.5 do not have a World Tour license, they are not part of the tour.

The battle for the yellow jersey has to start early. The 5th stage already leads to the Pyrenees. A day later, the first of four mountain finishes is scheduled. In the ninth part (9.7), the entourage returns to the Puy de Dome after 35 years. The volcano is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is located in a nature reserve. Therefore, no spectators are allowed on the last four kilometers. The 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th stages also go into the mountains. On the penultimate day (July 22) in the Vosges on the Markstein, the tour must be decided definitively.

Grand Colombier (14/7), Les Portes du Soleil near Morzine (15/7), Saint Gervais (16/7), Combloux (18/7), Courchevel (19/7) and Markstein (22/7) are all possible can be reached from Zurich in two to a maximum of four hours by car, promise maximum excitement in the battle for the general classification. A journey pays off.

Safety is again at the top of the UCI’s list of priorities. President David Lappartient today wants to announce a “major development in safety in professional cycling”. The tour organizer ASO is also taking a symbolic measure in honor of Mäder. With the 61 and the 13, two numbers are missing in the peloton. By symbolically omitting the 61, Mäder would be the silent leader of Bahrain Victorious. Mikel Landa will therefore wear the number 62 as team captain in the coming weeks. The 13, on the other hand, is missing because it is considered an unlucky number for many. Instead of the 13, Felix Grossschartner (UAE Team Emirates) will wear the 14.

Regarding Corona: A positive test does not automatically mean exclusion from the competition. However, ASO mandates that masks must be worn in the paddock and interview areas. Caution is therefore advised

Yes. Netflix launched a second season of the documentary series a day before the start of the tour. Just like this year, it will then be broadcast shortly before the 2024 tour.

Source : Blick