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!
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