Tour De Suisse 2015: Dates, TV Schedule, Teams and More
The 2015 Tour de Suisse will start on Saturday, June 13, as the peloton will be greeted by nine stages crossing the Swiss mountains in one of the top preparation races for the Tour de France.
Most top contenders for the Tour de France have elected to start in the Dauphine Libere, including three-time Tour de Suisse winner Rui Costa, who will not defend his title. But the main contenders for the green jersey have gathered in Switzerland, with the likes of Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan leading the sprinters.
Michal Kwiatkoswki and Rafal Majka should be the favourites for the general classification, while Team Sky will be curious to see what Geraint Thomas can do as a leading rider. Here's a look at the dates for the 2015 Tour de Suisse:
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| June 13 | 1 | Prologue |
| June 14 | 2 | Hill |
| June 15 | 3 | Hill |
| June 16 | 4 | Hill |
| June 17 | 5 | Mountain |
| June 18 | 6 | Hill |
| June 19 | 7 | Hill |
| June 20 | 8 | Hill |
| June 21 | 9 | Time Trial |
British Eurosport 2 will provide full highlights of every stage, while Stage 2 will be broadcast live on British Eurosport, starting at 4 p.m. BST.
Here's the full list of teams participating in this year's Tour de Suisse:
| AG2R La Mondiale | FDJ | Orica GreenEDGE | Team Sky |
| Astana Pro Team | IAM Cycling | Team Cannondale-Garmin | Tinkoff - Saxo |
| BMC Racing Team | Lampre - Merida | Team Giant-Alpecin | Trek Factory Racing |
| CCC | Lotto - Soudal | Team Katusha | Wanty - Group Gobert (Wild Card) |
| Etixx - Quick Step | Movistar | Team LottoNL-Jumbo |
ProCyclingStats.com was kind of enough to share the full starting list:
"Official startlist with bib numbers @tds 79th Tour de Suisse (2.UWT) http://t.co/CzZPitAeIx pic.twitter.com/lxu1DS6o1X
— ProCyclingStats.com (@ProCyclingStats) June 12, 2015"
Preview
In previous years, the Tour de Suisse acted as a great warm-up event for the climbers and contenders for the Tour de France's general classification, but this year's event will be different.
With Cavendish, Sagan and Alexander Kristoff going head-to-head on the Swiss roads, fans should be treated to plenty of spectacular sprint battles, a preview of what's to come during the Tour de France.
Kristoff has been in sensational form in 2015, but Sagan remains the king of the big stage races and is the strong favourite for the green jersey. He seems more than excited to see where his form lies, compared to his main rivals:
Cavendish has endured a couple of difficult years and has been surpassed by Sagan in the sprinters' hierarchy, and a strong showing in Switzerland is needed ahead of the Tour de France. The Brit is never going to be as strong as Sagan in the high mountains, but he has the raw explosiveness to grab some early stage wins.
There's good news for the local fans, as Swiss star Fabio Cancellara has recovered from illness just in time to participate in the Tour de Suisse:
The expert time-trialist will have his eye on the final stage, an individual time trial in Bern. Cancellara has become more of a Flandrien in recent years and has shifted his focus to the big classics in spring, but the Tour de Suisse remains a special race for the home favourite.
In the race for general classification, both Costa and Bauke Mollema have opted to ride in the Dauphine Libere, leaving Kwiatkowski and Majka as the favourites for the win. Thomas will be given the opportunity to lead Team Sky, and per Cyclingnews.com's Patrick Fletcher, it will be up to the Welshman to show he can successfully make the transition from classics racer to stage racer:
Thomas should have a strong Tour de Suisse, but Kwiatkowski has to be the favourite heading into the open stage. The 25-year-old is an excellent time-trialist and climber, and winning a big stage race like the Tour de Suisse is the next logical step in his development.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
