The 68th edition of the Tour de Romandie features the usual combination of time trials and mountains; however this year the race lacks a summit finish, which makes the outcome a little unpredictable. Team Sky's Chris Froome emerged triumphant last year, in a race that was dominated by foul weather. Early reports suggest that there is a danger that the same will happen this time around, and with the race set to feature two competitive descents to the finish, this isn’t a race for the faint hearted.
Prologue: Ascona (5.57km)
As is now traditional, the Tour de Romandie opens with a short test against the clock. Chris Froome held off a strong challenge from Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) in the corresponding stage last season.
Stage one: Ascona - Sion (200.9 km)
The peloton faces the immense Simplon Pass in the first half of the stage, the climb itself clocks in at 20km and 6.6%, but the riders will be going uphill for 39.8km by the time they reach the peak at 2,005m. While it will no doubt hurt the riders, it comes too far from the finish to be used for attacks. The ascent to Lens is much better positioned but the climb isn't terribly difficult, the final 2.6km has a 5.5% gradient and provides the best opportunity for a group of riders to go clear ad descend to the finish together. I'd expect this stage to end with a sprint from a much reduced sprint.
Stage two: Sion - Montreux (166.5 km)
The most obvious sprint stage of the race, don't be fooled by the lumpy profile, the Y-Axis has been stretched compared to the stages above and below, making the climbs look much worse than they are.
Stage three: Le Bouveret - Aigle (180.2 km)
By far the most difficult stage of the race, the peloton faces four substantial climbs. The Col des Planches, 11.4km at 8.3%, and the Champex-Lac, 8.8km at 6.5% soften the riders up before the more decisive climbs in the second half of the race. Attacks from stage hunting riders could come on the ascent to Les Giettes, 10.3km at 7.2%, but the chances are the serious attacks will be saved for the final climb up part of the Col de la Croix. The climb is likely to measure out around 11.9km at 6.2%, but the first 7.4km of that is roughly 8.1% and where the damage should be done. The peloton crests the climb with 15.5km remaining to the line and there should be an exciting descent to the finish. If a good descender crests the climb with a gap then they should be able to stay clear for the win. If the weather is bad then this is going to be a very difficult stage.
Stage four: Fribourg (174 km)
The final road stage consists of six laps on a 29km circuit around Fribourg. The hills aren't imposing and the stage should either finish in another sprint, or see a breakaway succeed.
Stage five: Neuchâtel (18.5 km)
The traditional time trial to finish the Tour de Romandie, last year it was pretty flat but this one features a 2.3km climb of over 8% which tilts the dynamic towards the GC specialists.
All stage profile images are from http://www.tourderomandie.ch
Ten Riders to Watch
Chris Froome - Team Sky: The reigning champion comes into the race after a troubled start to the season. A back problem caused Froome to miss Tirreno-Adriatico, which has left him a little short of racing. This weekend Froome pulled out of Liege-Bastogne-Liege citing a chest infection, he is still expected to ride in the Tour de Romandie, but if the infection lingers and the weather is as expected, it could exacerbate his condition. Assuming Froome does start he should be the favourite for the two time trials, but the absence of a summit finish makes this a less than ideal parcours for him.
Nino Schurter - Orica GreenEDGE: The triple mountain bike World Champion agreed a deal with the Australian team to ride the two Swiss World Tour races. It's difficult to know what to expect from him, but if the weather is bad and Schurter feels good, he could be a very dangerous rider on the tough finish of stage three.
Jean-Christophe Peraud - AG2R La Mondiale: The French GC specialist has been in impressive form throughout 2014, 4th in Tirreno-Adriatico, 1st in the Criterium International and 3rd in the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco. A strong climber and time trialist, Peraud should excel on the final stage.
Michal Kwiatkowski - Omega Pharma-Quick Step: The Polish sensation iscapable of excelling on this parcours. A very strong time trialist and climber, he has struggled with some of the longer climbs and could be put under pressure here, but if he arrives at the line with the leading bunch he has the speed to take the stage win, grabbing a valuable time bonus in the process.
Simon Spilak - Katusha: A strong all-round GC rider, Spilak has the right combination of time trial and aggressive climbing talent for this race. His form has improved steadily in 2014, most recently landing him 4th overall in the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco. Spilak was a stage winner and second overall in last year's race, proving that he had no problem racing in foul weather.
Marcel Kittel - Giant-Shimano: The powerful German is an elite sprinter and the clear favourite for any bunch sprints in this race, provided he is in the group that contests them. Kittel has enjoyed a short break since winning the semi-classic Scheldeprijs, but should be reaching good condition ahead of the Giro d'Italia.
Giacomo Nizzolo - Trek Factory Racing: A season that promised much has been somewhat derailed by a broken collarbone in February, it left Nizzolo behind the curve when he returned to racing, but he should finally be racing fit for this race. Another fast finisher, Nizzolo can't match Kittel for speed, but he is a capable climber and could well contest a sprint when Kittel cannot. A contender on the first road stage so long as the pace isn't rapid on the final climb.
Mathias Frank - IAM Cycling: An important race for both team and rider, Frank is another strong all-round GC rider who is capable of riding aggressively. He was there or thereabouts in the Ardennes which means his form is good, and he will be highly motivated to impress for the Swiss team on home soil.
Tejay van Garderen - BMC Racing Team: The American GC specialist has looked strong and aggressive so far in 2014, this race is an important part of his preparation for the Tour de France, but theparcours isn't ideal for him. A long climb to a mountain top finish would play into van Garderen's hands, but the final stage ITT looks perfect for him.
Andrew Talansky - Garmin-Sharp: Almost got off to the perfect start in last year's race, only for Froome to steal his thunder, Talansky will be keen go one better on Tuesday. Talansky's challenge fell short last year after he became ill; however his aggressive racing style and strong time trial skills make him a threat this time around.