The Tour de Romandie begins with a 2.28km prologue in Payerne on Tuesday, the beginning of six days of racing in Switzerland because the countdown to the Giro d’Italia additionally begins.
The WorldTour stage race options two summit finishes at Les Marécottes and Leysin, in addition to a midweek 15.5km time trial in Oron and welcomes a wealth of prime stage racers for the primary stage race following the conclusion of the spring Classics season.
2023 winner Adam Yates is again to defend his title together with one other prime favorite in UAE Team Emirates teammate Juan Ayuso. Former winner Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) can also be on the startline, whereas different main names lining as much as race embrace Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), and Enric Mas (Movistar).
Leading the best way for Jayco-AlUla are a trio of riders in Simon Yates, Luke Plapp, and Eddie Dunbar, making up one of many strongest squads of the 23 beginning the race.
Cyclingnews may have day by day stage stories and information from the Tour de Romandie.
Yates is trying to proceed his comeback after an early season disrupted by sickness, whereas Plapp is again within the saddle for the primary time in over a month.
The Australian is making ready to tackle the Giro d’Italia alongside Dunbar earlier than making ready for the time trial and street race on the Paris Olympics. Dunbar’s 2024 marketing campaign was disrupted by a crash on the UAE Tour. He final raced at Itzulia Basque Country.
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“I’m actually trying ahead to Romandie and to have the ability to race with each Simon and Eddie,” Plapp mentioned forward of the race.
“All of us could possibly be able to a powerful GC outcome so I believe we will play off one another fairly properly. I’ve been in altitude since MiIan-San Remo constructing in the direction of each Romandie and the Giro so I’m trying ahead to seeing how my form is heading into the Giro.”
Plapp completed among the many prime 10 on his race debut right here again in 2022 whereas Yates received a stage at Leysin on the best way to ending second total again in 2017. Dunbar, in the meantime, completed ninth right here final yr.
“Romandie has all the time been a favorite race of mine,” Plapp mentioned.
“I had a fantastic race in my first-year professional right here and the area of Aigle the place we race is one in every of my favorite locations to trip a motorbike on the planet. With Two TTs and the possibility to put on the Aussie TT colors for the primary time this yr can also be going to be nice.
“I believe with the workforce we have now on paper we hope to be proper up there within the GC ranks and have a couple of playing cards to play! I consider the tour will come all the way down to the 15km stage 4 TT, so that may undoubtedly be a magnet for myself.
“With Simon as a frontrunner and myself and Eddie there to play an enormous function of help and having some alternatives as nicely.”
Plapp will probably be up there among the many favourites to take the opening chief’s jersey on the race through the quick, flat prologue on Tuesday afternoon.
In addition to the Jayco-AlUla trio and people contenders listed above, different main GC names trying to begin their race off nicely in Romandie embrace Groupama-FDJ pair David Gaudu and Lenny Martinez, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost).
Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) is again in motion after driving the cobbled Classics with a micro fracture in his fibula head. Other large names to look at for embrace Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), and Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers).