2008 champion Roman Kreuziger is lining up at the Tour de Suisse with a dual objective. He wants to use the race as important training for the Tour de France but also wants to target the GC and today he got his race off to a solid start when he finished 15th in the opening time trial.

Roman Kreuziger finished 15th on the opening Time Trial in Tour de Suisse after being away from racing since April. He returned today in Tour de Suisse to build race shape ahead of the much-anticipated Tour de France but also to aim for success in the overall classification of the prestigious one-week race.
 
“I had almost forgot how hard it is to race at full speed. Now today’s stage is done but Tour de Suisse still has to start properly. I will stay focused”, says Roman Kreuziger, who is in Switzerland to regain the overall victory that he won in 2008.

The 9,4 kilometer time trial in Bellinzona featured a 2 kilometer climb that naturally presented the riders with a serious challenge if they wanted a good result. Roman Kreuziger finished the stage as the best rider from Tinkoff-Saxo – in 15th position, 33 seconds after stage winner Tony Martin. But Tinkoff-Saxo’s sport director Tristan Hoffman noted that the Czech captain is still very much in contention for the overall classification and supported by a strong and motivated team.
 
“Tony Martin was clearly the best today on a difficult stage. Our team did fairly well. We are here to train so we will improve during the stages and I believe that we will be able to support Roman and his ambitions in the GC. Tour de Suisse is an important race and it will be tough in the mountains. Roman is our captain and we trust he will perform well. But we will also try to get in the breakaways and give some of the guys that are fighting for a spot in the Tour a chance to prove themselves", concludes Tristan Hoffman.
 
We will already see serious action again tomorrow, where the riders will need to tackle four categorized climbs.