Sarnen – you really can’t go much more central in Switzerland. A town of 10.000, it is situated on the enchanting shores of Lake Sarnen. As is often the case in Switzerland, the town is surrounded by mountains.
Directly from the start, riders head in north eastern direction. Since Bellinzona is cornered on all sides by Italy, except the north, we almost end up in the land of the Giro. Last May we’ve already been there for three weeks, so we turn the handle bar slightly to the north to head for the heart of Switzerland.
Halfway riders crest the Gotthard pass (2.093 metres, hors catégory), Furka pass (2.416 metres, hors catégory) and Grimsel pass (2.177 metres, 2nd category). Closer to the finish Brünigpas lays waiting, peaking at 1.024 metres. It’s an 8% climb and upon cresting it’s 20 kilometres left to race, toughly half of it downhill and the other half flat.
The stage starts at 11:53 (CET) and the finish is expected around 17:05.
Tour de Suisse 2014 stage 2: Images and more
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