Although he finished back in 80th place in Sunday’s time trial, AG2R rider Simon Gerrans said he was happy with how he fared in the Tour de Suisse. The Australian was prominent on the sixth stage to La Punt, making a bid for the win on the final climb and then finishing fifth across the line.
"The race has been really good for me," he told Cyclingnews after the final time trial. "I came into it probably just a bit underdone and I rode into it in the first few days. That was the plan. I decided to have a go on one of the mountain stages which I did, and it went pretty well. After that it was just a matter of getting the racing kilometres in for the rest of the week. That all went to plan.
"Unfortunately I got a little bit sick over the past couple of days - I came down with a head cold so I have been suffering for the past two or three days. Otherwise it went really well."
Gerrans said that the time trial was a means to an end. "It went okay, I guess. It was more a case of getting a time trial in before the Tour. That was the first one I did since the Tirreno Adriatico race, so it was just about getting back on the time trial bike, getting the routine right, warming up and all of that."
Gerrans has already been confirmed for AG2R’s Tour de France team and has a clear idea of what he expects from the race. "On an individual level, I would love to be able to get into a breakaway again and try to chase a stage win, like last year. But this year we are going to be focussed on trying to win the GC. Guys like Mancebo and Moreau are both going really well and so we will be working for them."
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