Tour de Suisse (st. 6)

Catalan up to 6th overall in Switzerland - 41" behind Bernal (INS) - as he stays inside first group of favourites behind the Colombian; Tolhoek (TJV) wins stage from 24-man break, featuring an excellent Lluís (leader of the race until last 3km).

Dutch youngster Antwan Tolhoek (TJV) took a solo victory atop the Flumserberg to crown a fast-paced, demanding stage six of the Tour de Suisse -120km with a Cat-1 climb at the end-, the last survivor of a 24-man early breakaway which featured one of the most prominent names – by his team-work and also individual merits – of the Movistar Team in 2019: Lluís Mas.

The Mallorca native stayed until the last 3km into a leading trio with Tolhoek and New Zealander Paddy Bevin (CPT), ahead of a peloton from which also jumped across another member of the Giro squad -Spaniard Héctor Carretero– and which included a fine Marc Soler, 11th at the finish – just under half a minute behind top GC contender Egan Bernal (INS).

The Colombian now has 41″ on Marc, who jumps onto sixth overall as he seeks for a good GC result in the three tough stages remaining. Friday’s finish will be another mountain climb, the San Gottardo; Saturday offers an ITT in Goms, which suits Marc’s characteristics; and to cap things off on Sunday, a brutal mountain trek around Ulrichen, with three HC ascents.

Cover picture (c): BettiniPhoto