This edition of the Tour de Romandie will be the setting for the only pre-Tour de France duel between two of the 2015 favourites Froome and Quintana. At the start will also be the winning trio of the 2014 Tour de France Nibali-Péraud-Pinot! A concentrated grand tour, starting with a team time trial, the race through Romandie will serve up a platter of champions! Will it be a hat trick for Chris?

The sharpest observers wasted no time noting that the Tour de Romandie 2015 from 28 April to 3 May will be the setting for the only pre-Tour de France confrontation between Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana and will also gather the podium finishers of the 2014 Tour de France: Nibali, Péraud and Pinot. A unique duel between the two phenomena at the top of this year’s list of favourites. The British rider, double winner of the TdR 2013 and 2014, who also wore the yellow jersey on the Champs Elysées two years ago, will do all he can to maintain this momentum in Romandie. As for the Columbian prodigy, he will do everything he can to intimidate Froome, Nibali and the others. A three-part match: starting with the team time trial (a speciality also featuring on the TdF menu this year), then the mountain stage to Champex-Lac, and finishing with the final time trial through Lausanne.

Other champions will be there to determine the duel: podium regulars such as Simon Spilak (winner TdR 2010, 2nd in 2012 and 2013), Rui Costa (3rd for the past three years), Mathias Frank or even Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet. And anyone who manages to finish in Lausanne ahead of Froome and Quintana will be on a high for the whole season!

The Tour de Romandie is a WorldTour event and a compulsory stage for the best 17 world teams. This year they will be joined by the Europcar pro continental team thanks to a wildcard! New crack cyclists will thus be lining up to get a spot on the podium, like Rigoberto Uran, 3rd in the Tirreno-Adriatico, or even Simon Yates.

The Swiss and Romand audience will be following the progress of the Swiss IAM Cycling team in particular, with Mathias Frank, who finished 4th last year, aiming for the top three this year, or Jonathan Fumeaux. And let’s not forget Steve Morabito, now racing with Française des Jeux.