Tour de Suisse 2017 – Stage 9 Preview

By David Hunter

Schaffhausen 28.6km ITT

The race ends with a rolling TT around Schaffhausen.

The opening 20km is up and down on tough roads, then we hit the major obstacle for the TT riders, a 4km climb at roughly 5%. After the climb is crested, we have a fast descent down to the finishing line. It’s not the hardest TT I’ve seen, but it’s not the easiest either.

Weather

Sunny, with a consistent wind coming from the east.

GC Picture

The only battle is between Caruso and Kruijswijk for 2nd place. The rest is all over.

Contenders

Ion Izagirre – won the final TT here in 2016 and will hope for a repeat performance. After a disappointing climb on Tuesday, he has grown into the race. His big focus is the Tour, so he won’t be too disappointed with his Tour de Suisse. He would love to end it with a win and the rolling nature of the route is good news for him.

Rohan Dennis – the Aussie won the opening TT, after a huge performance. The rest of the week, he’s been working hard for Damiano Caruso, but he did crash on Sunday. Thankfully nothing is broken, but we’ll have to see if he’s 100% for the TT.

Maciej Bodnar – the Pole is a very consistent TT rider. He was 4th in the 2016 World Championships, one of his best results on his TT bike. As his national championship is under one week away, he will be hoping for good legs and a top 10 performance.

Ryan Mullen – he was in the hot seat, on stage 1, for a very long time! He eventually finished down in 8th, it will be interesting to see what his legs after like after a very tough week. He seems to have taken it easy, but some of those climbs will have used up vital energy.

Michael Matthews – has a stage win, time to go full gas in the TT! The Aussie continues to improve in this discipline and I think he can get even better. He has competed in three ITTs this season, finishing 7th, 6th and 4th. I wonder if he’ll make the podium?

Fabio Felline – was laid low by a stomach problem, but returned to form today. His attack on the final climb was an indication that he is better and starts the TT as a strong candidate for the top 5. He was 5th in the Romandie TT, a performance he would like to equal or maybe even better.

Sylvain Chavanel – another rider looking for a test before his national championships. His TT performances have been okay in 2017, but I think he will benefit from his experience. This week has been very demanding, Chavanel will have carefully managed his efforts, with one eye on this stage. It will be hard to win, but he’ll be pleased with a top 10.

Yves Lampaert – the Belgian is a steady improver in this discipline. On his day, he could threaten the podium, but he does need everything to go perfectly.

Jan Barta – another diesel engine who will roll round and finish in the top 10. He won’t win, but he’ll want to be fighting for the top 5.

Prediction Time

If 100%, Rohan Dennis will take the win. Back in the GC fight, Spilak will take a comfortable win.

*Overall Preview

David Hunter

Follow us on @CiclismoInter

Join us on facebook: Ciclismo Internacional

Copyright © 2012-2017 Ciclismo Internacional. All Rights Reserved