How Jonas Leib and his team conjure up a sporting festival from scratch, day after day
Of course, a start straight and a finish straight are always just a stretch of road, Jonas Leib laughs. But the actual circumstances surrounding that “stretch of road” could not be more different. And that is precisely where the great challenge and fascination of the Technical Director’s role at the Tour de Suisse lies. Long before the Tour de Suisse caravan sets off and the country’s biggest annual sporting spectacle transforms village centres, ski resorts and Alpine passes into temporary cycling stadiums, Jonas Leib meets with interested parties from local organising committees, politics or clubs to discuss and plan a potential Tour de Suisse start or finish.
Many places approach the Tour de Suisse proactively, because they have already hosted a stage in their region in previous editions, because they would like to welcome Switzerland’s national tour for an anniversary, or out of touristic interest. But it also happens regularly that Jonas Leib has to seek out host locations himself. This is because the daily stages are limited in length, and the entire Tour caravan and staff cannot cover unlimited distances between start and finish locations during transfers.
Jonas Leib sees it as an opportunity when the exchange begins more than a year in advance. This way, the people from the local organising committee can get a picture of the requirements regarding space and infrastructure during a current edition of the Tour de Suisse. Alongside the start and finish straight, which is cordoned off on race day with barriers and fencing, additional space is needed for the finish arch, the timing and broadcast vehicle, a VIP truck, various TV cameras, as well as space near the finish for the podium, facilities for the media centre and the stands of sponsors and the fan zone. Not too far away, parking is also required for the more than 20 team buses and team and event vehicles. In addition, some organising committees provide marquees for music, food and drink. Since every host location offers different and individual spatial conditions, a great deal of improvisation is required from everyone involved.
Once the Tour de Suisse has started, the largest part of Jonas Leib’s work is done and set in motion. On the stage day itself, he primarily takes on coordination and supervisory functions. He checks that everything is running and set up according to plan, is on hand when problems arise, helps to find spontaneous and improvised solutions, and coordinates between the various teams involved. After the finish, things get hectic once again in the podium area. While the stage winner, overall leader and all leaders of a special jersey are guided into the cordoned-off area, a well-rehearsed team prints the team sponsors onto the respective podium jerseys, the sponsor representatives are briefed once more on the procedures during the podium ceremony, the order of the award ceremony is adjusted, and coordination with Swiss television, which broadcasts live interviews and the award ceremony, is in full swing. Jonas Leib enjoys this hectic bustle and the brief interactions with the happy winners. Above all, he finds it a wonderful feeling when, just before the finish or the start, he can see that everything has worked out as planned in advance, and that a village, an Alpine pass or even a city centre has been transformed into an epicentre of cycling, where young and old alike enjoy the festive, sporting atmosphere of a true public celebration!
