Originally, the last stage would have included three passes to the west of Andermatt, but since the Susten Pass is closed the organisation was forced to come up with a solution. The new route is 42 kilometres longer and takes in a similar elevation gain.
The last stage of the Tour de Suisse takes in the Oberalp Pass to start. The 11 kilometres climb slopes at 5.5%. After the descent the riders turn right to enter the Lukmanier Pass. Which is a 16.5 kilometres climb at 5.3%.
A downhill of roughly 30 kilometres brings the riders back into the valley and the route continues on undulating terrain – mostly uphill – to the foot of the Gotthard Pass. It’s not the official climb yet, but this section surely adds to the fatigue. The actuel Gotthard Pass is a 13 kilometres climb wit an average gradient of 6.8%.
From the summit the pilots descent into Andermatt before the last kilometres are played out on the flat.
The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprints come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds each.
Another interesting read: results 8th stage & final GC 2021 Tour de Suisse.
Tour de Suisse 2021 stage 8: route, profile, more
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Underneath you’ll read about the original route:
At 118 kilometres and featuring 3,608 vertical metres, the final stage of the Tour de Suisse includes the passes Furka, Grimsel and Susten before descending into Wassen. The riders then climb through the picturesque Schöllenen Gorge to Andermatt.
After a few kilometres on the flat the riders tackle the Furka climb, an ascent of 12.3 kilometres with an average gradient of 7.3%.
The alpine pass was imortalised by the Aston DB5-Ford Mustang car chase in James Bond’s Goldfinger (1964). The riders reach the summit – at an elevation of 2,429 metres – at kilometre 19.2.
The Tour de Suisse plunges down a 10 kilometres drop to enter the Grimsel Pass. At 5.3 kilometres, this climb is much shorter, although the average gradient is more or less the same: 7.4%.
A 27 kilometres downhill leads into Innertkirchen, situated at the base of the Susten Pass. This is a massive ascent, 27.7 kilometres long and averaging 5.8%.
The riders fly down the mountain to enter the valley of the Reuss River. Following the river upstream, the climb to the line is 8.4 kilometres long and the average gradient sits at 6.2%. Roughly 2 kilometres before the line the route moves through the impressive Schollenen Gorge, where a waterfall lends a stunning backdrop to a hopefully equally impressive finale.
Tour de Suisse 2021 stage 8: original route & profile
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