It was a strong start for Team Katusha in Tuesday’s opening stage at the 69th Tour de Romandie.  The initial effort against the clock in the team time trial went well for the Russian squad, earning the third spot on the podium at only five seconds behind Team Sky and Orica-GreenEdge, who tied on time at 21.19 for the 19,2 km course. 

"This is a super good result. I expected our guys to perform this well. They are strong guys and good TT riders. Moreover the TTT is a popular discipline in Russia and they all have that extra experience too. We would have preferred a more hilly course today, especially when you see that we were 3 seconds faster than Orica and Sky on the climb, but the course is the course. For our leader Simon Špilak this is good in view of what will come later in the week. I am very happy. All our guys come from altitude in preparation for the Giro d'Italia. We prepared for the Giro TTT. This TTT came too early for us, but I don't want to complain. Team Katusha continues to perform well," said team director Dmitry Konyshev. 

The special discipline of the team time trial took place along the shores of Lac de Joux in the Romandie region of Switzerland with 18 teams rolling out of the start house at five minute intervals. At 19,2 km the course from Vallée de Joux to Juraparc featured a climb at the end that required patient planning on the part of the riders.

With the clock stopping on the fifth rider of each squad, it was important to measure the effort on course to arrive at the climb with enough riders, plenty of reserves for the climb and a fast time to be competitive. Team Katusha hit the climb with six riders and arrived at the finish line in good condition, only five seconds behind Orica-GreenEdge and eventual winners Team Sky. The 5-second gap is a perfect start for team leader Simon Špilak who won this race in 2010. Sky’s Geraint Thomas earned the first yellow jersey.

The six-day Tour de Romandie continues Wednesday with a road stage. The stage (166,1km) begins in Apples and ends in Saint-Imier. It features four rated-climbs on course.