THREE GRAND TOUR WINNERS HEAD STRONG BRITISH PRESENCE IN TOUR DE SUISSE

 

The Tour of Suisse (June 15-22) starting just as the Criterium du Dauphine finished in Franceboasts three British Grand Tour winners Geriant Thomas (INEOS), Chris Froome (Israel Premier) and Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl), and 11 British riders in all.

The other eight home riders on the start list provide further evidence of the burgeoning home talent mixing it with the best on the Continent. And none more so than Jake Stewart who landed his first Pro Tour win in a bunch sprint on stage five of last week’s Criterium du Dauphine. And there is also Lewis Askey stage winner in the recent Dunkirk four-day in May.

The overall winner of the Dauphine of course was world road champion Tadj Pogaca from Jonas Vingegaard with Florian Lipowitz third, and Remco Evenpoel fourth.

So, now the Tour de Suisse is in focus in the build up for the Tour de France next month, and also starting this week, the Tour of Belgium.

The11 Britisg riders selected for the Swiss tour are Finlay Pickering (Bahrain Victorious); Max Walker (Education First); Lewis Askey (Groupama); Geraint Thomas (INEOS); Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl); James Knox (Soudal); Sean Flynn (Team Picnic); Oscar Onley (Team Visma); Chris Froome (Israel Premier); Josepth Blackmore (Israel Premier).

Don’t expect they will have much time to admire the scenery.

It does beg the question, did someone win a design award for those sublime unblemished oh so Swiss views, the manicured grass slopes, the beautifully painted houses dotted among the green hills, the small trees with their oval canopies fringing the gardens.  And beyond the houses,  the lakes, and further away in the far distance,  forests lining the ridges on the lower slopes of the near mountains, framed by towering dark craggy peaks in the far distance.

It all looks so pristine, like an architects scale model unveiled that day.

Almost as if the view has been composed for a canvas. It just needs a model train threading the valley. Instead, the Tour de Suisse peloton is snaking through the valley.

Such a contrast to the Italian alps across the border, where I recall houses with more time worn look, in need of a lick of paint.

I am reminded – if I may go off on a tangent - of the remarkable scenes created by German landscape painter Casper David Friedrich (1774 -1840), whose beautiful, albeit gloomy, scenes so beautifully conveyed a sense of the mystery of nature. And yet many of these scenes were his creation.

That lake, the mountains, the forest, would be from different parts of Germany, assembled in Friedrich’s mind and committed to canvas, to convey his vision.

But hey, I’m getting carried away again.  I’m not actually in the landscape, I'm in my armchair,  having to make do with seeing it on the tele - minus  the commentary! I have my reasons!