Route du Sud (st. 2)

Big attack by Sütterlin, chased down with only 400m left after pushing into late break against full bunch. Coquard (EUC) wins in Saint-Gaudens; Queen stage coming tomorrow

Jasha Sütterlin was the Movistar Team's best performer on a short 2nd stage of the Route du Sud -140km from Auch to Saint-Gaudens, with some short slopes and a final kilometer steadily upjhill-. Absent into the early, five-man break of the day, the German attacked with 31km remaining, alongside Juul Jensen (TCS) and Le Gac (FDJ), and soon started to reach down the riders ahead, until getting to the fronf of the race with almost one minute's gap and 13km to go.

Despite Jasha's insistent pace, with strong turns that put his rivals to suffer, a late move by AG2R in collaboration with Europcar made ultimately impossible for the group to reach the finish, caught with 400m from the line as Dowsett and Soler set up Nairo Quintana for the end, the Colombian finishing safe and sound. Enrique Sanz was 9th into the bunch sprint, won by Coquard (EUC), prelude to the 181km set to decide the race over the Cat-1 ascents of Haut-Balestas, Val Louron and Balès.

Suisse: Rojas 10th in Düdingen's uphill sprint

Well placed though lacking energy to increase his speed into the final 300 meters, José Joaquín Rojas fought again without any fortune -yet with excellent support by Fran Ventoso, once again- for victory in the Tour de Suisse, as Alexander Kristoff (KAT) narrowly beat Sagan (TCS) into the final circuit of stage six in Düdingen. Another loop around the Swiss capital, Bern, will hold the penultimate day of racing, with four laps and 152km including the Cat-3 ascents of Liebewil and Aargauerstalder.

Results: Route du Sud | Tour de Suisse