2022 Tour de Suisse – Stage 8 Preview
By @EchelonsHub
Thibaut Pinot has won the final mountain stage at the Tour de Suisse. The day saw the breakaway once again succeed, as the stage was battled in the final ascent to Malbun. Pinot managed to reel in early attacker Ion Izagirre and soloed to a strong stage win, beating Oscar Rodríguez and Alexey Lutsenko to the stage win. In the peloton Sergio Higuita managed to make the difference, as the steep final kilometers made the perfect launchpad for the Colombian to take time on Geraint Thomas and Jakob Fuglsang and take over the lead.
Positive: Pinot taking another strong stage win. Higuita rode a very strong climb jumping into the lead, however Geraint Thomas has secured his spot as the main favourite to win the race. Stefan Kung also defended himself and is in position to strike the podium.
Negative: Nothing to note.
The Route
The final day of the race will see a time-trial fully within the territory of Liechenstein. It will have it’s start and finish in the capital town of Vaduz, with 25 kilometers in length with long sections where the specialists can really do the damage.
The Weather
The wind is expected to be weak, however strong gusts are possible. It will be coming from the south, generally a tailwind going into the intermediate and a headwind heading back into the finish.
The Favourites
Stefan Kung – He’s shown great form all week long and with the abandon of Stefan Bissegger, Kung takes the place of home favourite for the stage win. He’ll be eyeing a climb in the general classification which should further motivate him.
Geraint Thomas – Thomas has gotten back to form in a great way and is now the big favourite to win the race. He’ll go to his maximum, and with this form he’s also a contender for the stage win.
Remco Evenepoel – Fatigue, heat or simply not having the form? Evenepoel would on paper be a big favourite to win this stage, however he’s looked a shadow of himself for several days now. He will nevertheless be a contender to take the stage win he’s been looking for.
The win will be in one of those men. However there will be a fight for the overall classification and minor places in the stage. For the stage, BORA duo of Max Schachmann and Felix Grossschartner will no doubt be dangerous aswell as motivated. Andreas Leknessund, Ilan van Wilder, Nelson Oliveira, Dylan van Baarle are also names I expect to see in the top places. Although outsiders, we could also see Michael Matthews and who knows, Bob Jungels back in contention in the terrain he used to thrive in.
As for the GC I expect Thomas to take the win comfortably, with Sergio Higuita holding on to second place – the differences made were too small. As for the podium, the two minutes between Fuglsang and Kung won’t be easy to reel in, and I think it’ll make for a very interesting battle. I’ll go for Kung finishing third, Fuglsang fourth and Powless fifth in the end.
Prediction Time
⭐⭐⭐ Kung, Evenepoel
⭐⭐G.Thomas, Schachmann
⭐Grossschartner, Leknessund, Matthews, N.Oliveira, I.Izagirre, D.van Baarle
A win from Stefan Kung in the final time-trial, a man who’s shown very good form all week long.
Zweeler is a fantasy sports game that includes many sports and cycling is no exception. I ask that you check it out, if you register with the link below you will not only be joining an exciting game but will also be personally supporting me and my work, and allow me to make more content for you!
Tomorrow’s race has prizes of at least €500 and an entry fee of only €5. Make good use of your knowledge!
https://zweeler.com/game/cycling/FantasyTourdeSuisse2022stage8/main.php?ref=790
Rúben Silva
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
Join us on facebook: Ciclismo Internacional
Copyright © 2012-2022 Ciclismo Internacional. All Rights Reserved
