With the Tour de Suisse canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic, cyclists instead took part in the Digital Swiss 5 which kicked off five days of virtual racing on Wednesday (April 22).
Cyclists "suffer alone" in virtual Tour de Suisse
Tour de Suisse: The virtual cycling race Location: Naters, Switzerland Pro-cyclist Kilian Frankiny is competing on a stationary bike at home among 57 cyclists from 19 teams (SOUNDBITE) (English) SWISS CYCLIST FROM GROUPAMA-FDJ, KILIAN FRANKINY, SAYING: "It's completely different.
You don't see the other opponents, the other riders.
You don't see the other riders.
You don't see their faces, how they suffer.
You suffer alone.
It's more kind of like a time trial effort, I think.
You're really on your own and you see the others on the computer and it's not like in a real race, but it's fun for one time and I liked it.
It was a good idea of the Tour de Suisse." The 16.5-mile virtual course featured over 3,600 ft of climbing and descending on the first day of racing