Stars of cycling return to Lausanne

Switzerland's Oscar Camenzind will be hoping to add to his win in the Tour de Suisse Keystone

Six days after welcoming riders on the Tour de France, the Swiss city of Lausanne will again be in the cycling spotlight on Tuesday when it stages the race "A Travers Lausanne".

The organisers have had to cope with late withdrawals by Switzerland’s Alex Zülle and the Italian Marco Pantani – who both pulled out of the Tour de France just before the arrival in Lausanne – but the race still boasts a number of top professionals in the starting line-up.

France’s Laurent Jalabert and the winner of this year’s Giro d’Italia, Stefano Garzelli, are among those contesting the race, which comprises two sprints against the clock over a distance of 6.85 kilometres. The riders will start in Ouchy, near the point where the Lausanne stage of the Tour de France reached its dramatic climax.

The first part of Tuesday’s race will see the riders making the steep ascent through the hilly streets of Lausanne, similar to that made by the Tour cyclists during their lap of the city. However, unlike last week, the route for “A Travers Lausanne” does not allow the athletes a downhill run. Instead, in keeping with the events name, the riders will cross the city, passing the station and cathedral, before finishing at Sauvabelin park on the northern edge of Lausanne.

For the Swiss spectators, the absence of Zülle will be forgotten if his compatriot, Oscar Camenzind, can use the occasion to build on his victory in last month’s Tour de Suisse. Laurent Dufaux and Beat Zberg are also among the likely contenders, heading a Swiss field comprising some 18 cyclists.

swissinfo with agencies