Rojas 5th within chaos
18 June 2014

Tour de Suisse (st. 5)

Crash at final double turn into Büren ruins Lobato's chances at last predictable sprint in Tour de Suisse. Ion Izagirre stays in 7th overall

A very fast, double corner left-right with just over 300m from the finish of Büren on stage five of the Tour de Suisse conditioned the Movistar Team’s chances -and most sprinters- after a crash which saw Brit Mark Cavendish (OPQ) hitting the tarmac hard. José Joaquín Rojas and Juanjo Lobato tried their luck again after good results in the two days prior to this stage, coming into the final, urban kilometer in good position.

The incident was saved by Rojas, but completely blocked Lobato, who saw several rivals crashing few meters after him and yet was able to avoid them with skill, looking for a sprint that was ultimately neglected to him. Italian Sacha Modolo (LAM) claimed the day’s honours, with Rojas in 5th and the other Movistar Team riders -including Ion Izagirre, still 7th overall- safe and sound after the last mass sprint of the race. Tomorrow’s stage six -193km en route to Délemont, including the côtes of Rangiers (Cat-3) and Le Rond-Pré (Cat-3) in the finale- will bring more demanding terrain, before a brutal final weekend.