Team BikeExchange-Jayco will head to Switzerland for the Tour de Romandie with a versatile and punchy squad on the hunt for stage wins and a strong general classification showing.
Matteo Sobrero will ramp up his Giro d’Italia preparations at the five-day race, while Kiwi Dion Smith will give the team options in any potential fast finishes. Dutch climber Jan Maas will line up fresh off the back of his Ardennes Classics campaign, as will Ethiopian Tsgabu Grmay.
New Zealander Sam Bewley and Italian Kevin Colleoni are both back in stage racing action after the Tour of Turkey, with Amund Grøndahl Jansen completing the squad as he returns to the fold following illness.
The Swiss race is bookended by time trials, with a short 5km prologue kicking things off and a 15.8km race against the clock on the final day. The stages in between feature rolling terrain and the Queen Stage on the penultimate day, which features five Cat.1 climbs and a summit finish.
Team BikeExchange-Jayco Line-Up:
Sam Bewley (NZL)
Kevin Colleoni (ITA)
Tsgabu Grmay (ETH)
Amund Grøndahl Jansen (NOR)
Jan Maas (NED)
Dion Smith (NZL)
Matteo Sobrero (ITA)
Matteo Sobrero:
“I think the Tour de Romandie is a good point to start for the Giro, I don’t know exactly how my shape and my condition is after an altitude training camp, but I had good feelings in the training camp, so I’m looking forward to some results and I will try to ride for the GC.
The first time trial is a prologue, it’s probably a little too fast for me and short, I’m a small guy, a light guy, but the last stage, the uphill time trial is something that I never did before in a WorldTour race, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Mat Hayman (Sport Director):
“The first three stages of Romandie, after the 5km prologue, are undulating and having Dion there, we have someone who is punchy for those stages. Then looking at the GC, Sobrero is getting ready for the Giro, he’s just come down from an altitude camp and he’ll be looking to test himself in both the TTs and the mountain stage.”
2022 Tour de Romandie – Stage Details:
Tuesday, 26th April, Prologue: Lausanne – Lausanne (5.12km)
Wednesday, 27th April, Stage 1: La Grande Beroche – Romont (178km)
Thursday 28th April, Stage 2: Échallens – Échallens (168.2km)
Friday 29th April, Stage 3: Valbroye – Valbroye (165.1km)
Saturday, 30th April: Stage 4: Aigle – Zinal (180.1km)
Sunday, 1st May, Stage 5: Aigle – Villars (ITT) (15.84km)
Photo: Getty Sport
