To the Tour of Switzerland 2024 it continues to rise. The seventh stage, scheduled for Saturday 15 June, will be characterized by an arrival at altitude, which is practically the fourth consecutive in this week of competitions. The fraction will have departure and arrival from Villars-sur-Ollon and it will not have a particularly pronounced length, given that the riders will be in the saddle for just over 118 kilometres. The route, however, is very demanding, so much so that it presents 3021 meters of altitude difference and very few moments of breathing space. It seems like a stage suitable for today’s attackers, but the ranking riders might also want to play for success, also thinking about gathering precious seconds in view of the final time trial.
DEPARTURE TIME: 2.20pm
ARRIVAL TIME (EXPECTED): 5.20pm-5.40pm
LIVE TV AND STREAMING: 2.50pm-6.00pm Eurosport, Discovery+ / 3.00pm-5.45pm Eurosport 2
OFFICIAL HASHTAG: #TourdeSuisse
Tour of Switzerland 2024 Stage Seven route
Not even time to start pedaling, leaving Villars-sur-Ollon, which will immediately go uphill. A first stretch on a positive slight slope will end on the slopes of the Col de la Croix (3.8 km at 8.9%), a climb that could launch the day’s attack but which could also cause some group selection. After reaching the top of the hill, a very long stretch of descent will begin, first a little sharper and then progressively gentler, until reaching the bottom of the valley. About fifteen flat kilometers will then take the runners in the direction of Villars-sur-Ollon, where they will pass a first time under the finish line banner.
Banner that will be reached after a 7.3 kilometer climb at 8.2 percent and which will score -61 at the finish line. At that point, the runners will face the just concluded lap for the second time, climbing the Col de la Croix again and descending towards the valley, before the new ascent towards the finish line of Villars-sur-Ollon, a climb which will also include steep peaks above 9 percent. Along the ascent there will also be intermediate goals which offer bonus seconds.
Favorites Seventh Stage Tour of Switzerland 2024
The UAE Team Emirates pair has amply demonstrated its superiority, with Joao Almeida And Adam Yates which appear interchangeable. The two are now essentially fighting each other for the final success, even if obviously they will not battle directly in a road stage, with the confrontation possibly finalizing in the final time trial. Depending on the race tactics we will therefore see how they want to play their cards in the last chance on the line. It is difficult to think that the Portuguese could move first, because it would represent a direct attack on his teammate, so it could once again be the Briton who extends in the final, with the Lusitanian regular player who could then try to do what he knows how to do so well, catch up on his pace , trying to get rid of other rivals. If no one is as good as him, an almost parade-like arrival like today seems plausible.
However, the stage could be less easy to control, so also pay attention to the escape, especially of those who were disappointed with their performances in terms of the general classification. The large gaps from the leading pair also allow riders placed in medium-high positions to try from a distance. Aware of not having enough in a direct comparison, from Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) onwards it is therefore not excluded that the various ones could also move from afar Oscar Onley (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Felix Gall (Decathlon Ag2r World Championship), Wilco Kelderman (Visma|Lease a Bike), who at this point are playing for the top 10 positions, but who with a well-placed breakaway could also hope for something more, in addition to the stage success.
Offensive running could also come from the various Pelayo Sanchez (Movistar), Sergio Higuita (Bora-hansgrohe), Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious), George Bennett (Israel – Premier Tech), as well as two of the big disappointments of this edition, namely Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) e Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma|Lease a Bike), talents who were certainly hoping for something better. It cannot be ruled out that men like this might also feel something Matteo Badilatti (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) e Marco Brenner (Tudor Pro Cycling), without forgetting other emerging companies such as Harold Martin Lopez (Astana Qazaqstan), Finlay Pickering (Bahrain Victorious) e William Junior Lecerf (Soudal Quick-Step), currently in an area of limbo which confirms its qualities, without however giving it the great visibility that a day of scouting in search of a nice partial success can instead give.
Among the disappointed who can also feel something Kevin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), who will want to seek some reassurance in view of a Tour de France at which he will show up with a great desire to leave his mark. Climbers who can certainly have their say on a day like this too Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon Ag2r World Championship), Einer Rubio (Movistar), Jesus Herrada (Cofidis) e Rein Taaramae (Intermarché-Wanty), riders who demonstrated their ability in the breakaway, as did ours Nicola Conci (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
It is unlikely, from what has emerged so far, that the other men in the top positions of the general team will be able to leave their mark. The most fearsome for the dominating couple of the scene so far are Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) ed Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), with the Colombian who has appeared more consistent so far and could, at this point, be looking more to defend third place than an unlikely assault on the title. More up-and-down, the Dane will probably have the weather on his side, but he could also try a more aggressive race in search of third place. Further back in the hierarchies Enric Mas (Movistar) and the surprising Matthew Riccitello (Israel Premier Tech), who however also showed a certain resourcefulness and who knows he might receive more space than the others in a potential tactical final.
Bag of the Favorites Seventh Stage Tour of Switzerland 2024
***** Adam Yates
**** Joao Almeida, Einer Rubio
*** Lenny Martinez, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Wout Poels
** Egan Bernal, Tom Pidcock, Matthew Riccitello, Mattias Skjelmose,
* Isaac Del Toro, Felix Gall, Alexey Lutsenko, Enric Mas, Pelayo Sanchez
Predicted weather for the seventh stage of the Tour of Switzerland 2024
Possible rain. Chance of precipitation: 37%. Humidity: 79%. Wind direction E up to 14 km/h. Expected temperature: minimum 6°, maximum 13°.
Major pitfalls Seventh Stage Tour of Switzerland 2024
Another fundamentally short day, in which it will be important to be in the right condition straight away, also given the uphill start. Many pitfalls could arise from the weather conditions, due to the rain expected, but not certain, during the race and, above all, due to what the road conditions could be, between damp and wet, thinking in particular of the descents that will have to be faced .
Altimetry and Plan Seventh Stage Tour of Switzerland 2024
Timetable Seventh Stage Tour of Switzerland 2024
Tour of Switzerland 2024 Stage 7 Time table
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