The second stage brought the riders up to Lachen, but it seemed like the heavens were crying. The rain made for a dangerous and also nervous final.
The peloton broke into pieces earlier in the descent than on the first climbs in this Tour of Switzerland. BikeExchange had a plan with Matthews, but he would stand out due to his absence in the final.
Of the escapees, it was local hero Claudio Imhof who could last the longest, although he was abruptly silenced on the Poggio-like climb in the last 10 kilometers.
On the climb, Alaphilippe showed himself eager and active. Van der Poel had to leave a gap, but was able to go over the top with the best in character. An elite group that also includes Carapaz, Schachmann, Woods and Fuglsang.
Van der Poel was able to drive away from his competitors with 3 kilometers from the finish. Schachmann was able to join with great difficulty just before the red rag. In the sprint he was no match for the Dutch champion.
Yellow jersey Küng came in 22 seconds after Van der Poel and thus has 1 second left over Alaphilippe in the standings. Schachmann is now 3rd at 2 seconds.
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In every stage race that Mathieu van der Poel has started this year, he has already been able to win a stage. “That was also my goal here in Switzerland, but because the stages are getting more and more difficult, I knew I had to be quick.”
“I had asked my team to make the race hard at 50 kilometers from the finish and they did an excellent job. I knew that this final had to suit me.”
“If you see who I beat here, you can still call this a great victory. I also enjoyed that I could ride my road bike again.”
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