Cycling: Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) and Switzerland? That just fits! The world champion from Slovakia celebrated for the 16th time today at the Tour de Suisse. He won stage two of the week-long Tour ahead of rising top sprinter Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors). Stefan Küng (BMC) defended the yellow jersey in a hectic final phase.
Küng extends his lead
On the second day of the Tour de Suisse, the riders once again started in Frauenfeld. Since the stage consisted of only four laps of a 39-kilometer circuit, it was also scheduled to finish in the same town. On the undulating route, the numerous spectators along the roadside initially witnessed three, then four, breakaway riders. Perrig Quemeneur (Direct Energie), Calvin Watson (Aqua Blue Sport), and Filippo Zaccanti (Nippo Vini Fantini) formed a leading trio before – much to the delight of the Swiss – Michael Albasini (Mitchelton-Scott) launched himself from the peloton with a powerful surge to join the breakaway group. This move, of course, did not go unnoticed by the rival teams. Team BMC, in particular, ensured that the peloton was regrouped with 30 kilometers to go. Leader Stefan Küng (BMC) promptly secured a sprint classification, increasing his overall lead by three seconds.
Surprising attacks by Porte and Landa
For much of the second stage of the Tour de Suisse, the riders maintained a very slow average speed. But after catching the leading group, the pace naturally refused to drop. The German team Bora-hansgrohe, in particular, seemed motivated to make an attack on the nearly two-kilometer climb, which averaged an eight percent gradient. They aimed to make life difficult for the pure sprinters, especially for their captain, Peter Sagan . When the pace had settled at the summit, Richie Porte (BMC) surprisingly seized the opportunity to attack. Among those who followed him were Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain Merida) and Mikel Landa (Movistar), but they were quickly caught by the peloton. It was a very strange move by those involved, but perhaps they simply wanted to test the mettle of their rivals.
Peter Sagan celebrates his 16th Tour de Suisse
Thanks to Bora-hansgrohe's pace-setting and the surprise attacks of some general classification contenders, quite a few riders lost contact with the peloton. This also dropped several support riders, making a controlled main group virtually impossible. Numerous attacks ensured that the final 20 kilometers were highly entertaining for the spectators but hectic for the riders themselves. At times, even Stefan Küng positioned himself at the front to successfully defend his yellow jersey. He succeeded, although a late attack of his own failed just before the finish. A sprint ensued among the reduced peloton, with Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) once again set up by his well-organized teammates. However, the Colombian made his move too early, allowing Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) to perfectly position himself and overtake him. Incredible: This was Peter Sagan's 16th victory at the Tour de Suisse.
🇸🇰 @petosagan of 🇩🇪 @BORAhansgrohe wins stage 2 of 🇨🇭 @tds #tds #tourdesuisse (📺 @Eurosport_NL ) pic.twitter.com/gfJGjMRrgF
— World Cycling Stats (@wcstats) June 10, 2018