A breakneck chase all the way to the line by Tadej Pogačar could not stop breakaway rider Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United) from sprinting to victory in Locarno on stage two of the men's Tour de Suisse.
The Frenchman was part of a 14-rider escape that dominated the day. With a brace of small but tricky climbs immediately preceding the finish the break split apart and was almost caught as Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and his fellow GC riders began their inevitable rampage.
But six riders held on to contest the win, with Pogačar, accompanied by Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) and Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious), finishing just four seconds back. The Slovenian held on to his yellow jersey, and now leads EF Education-EasyPost's Richard Carapaz by 2:50, with Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek) a further 17 seconds in arrears.
Afterwards Grégoire described the day as "really hard", and said that there was little he and his breakaway companions could do as Pogačar's trio ate up their lead from behind.
"We couldn't do anything," he said, "we were just full gas, we couldn't accelerate. We just had to wait and wish that he won't be able to come back. And finally it was [close] but we did it."
Today was the 23-year-old's second Tour de Suisse stage win – he took one last year too. It was a race that suited him, he said: "It's a race I like a lot – the [stage] profiles are really good for me and it's a moment of the year when I have good legs."
The 157.7km stage started and finished in Locarno, and featured the same double-climb finish as the stage two of the Tour de Suisse Women, which was held this morning and won by Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ). Just like the women's race the final quarter of the men's stage was an all-action affair in which numerous protagonists knocked seven bells out of each other without relent.
Up until then the race had been set steady, with a 14-rider break maintaining a small gap for much of the day. It was a solid looking group, featuring among others Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek), Julan Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling), Giro d'Italia star Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious), Fred Wright (Pinarello-Q36.5) and of course Grégoire.
As the first of the back-to-back climbs approached, the break was all together and more than two minutes ahead. But with UAE Team Emirates-XRG stepping up the pace behind, the gap began to fall. By the time the 3.5km ascent was crested, the peloton had been strung out to breaking point, led by Pogačar, teammate Jhonatan Narvaez, and Vacek, the breakaway had split in two, and its lead had been halved.
After a short descent the race hit the steep, 1.4km slopes of the Via Consiglio Mezzano. With the reduced breakaway pounding the pedals ahead, shedding riders here and there, Pogačar attempted to launch Narvaez for the stage win. But it was without success: the Ecuadorian blew up. And so the Slovenian did what any win-hungry champion would do – attacked himself.
With Vacek somehow holding on, the pair picked up breakaway dropout Eulálio as they sliced into the time gap of the leaders. All of the front runners stayed upright down a technical urban descent and then it was into the centre of Locarno, wide roads giving hunters a glimpse of quarry, quarry a glimpse of hunters.
Going into the final kilometre the gap was just 10 seconds and the result hung in the balance. But the leaders had enough in the tank, and enough will to win, to pull off one final surge to the line, from which Grégoire walked away with the spoils.
ResultTour de Suisse, stage 2Locarno > Locarno, 157.7km
1. Romain Grégoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United, 157.7km in 3:26:25
2. Marcel Camprubí (Spa) Pinarello-Q36.5
3. Bart Lemmen (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike
4. Filippo Zana (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step, all s.t.
5. Finlay Pickering (Gbr) Jayco AlUla, +2s
6. Mathias Vacek (Cze) Lidl-Trek, +4s
7. Emiel Verstrynge (Bel) Alpecin-Premier Tech
8. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, both s.t.
9. Afonso Eulálio (Por) Bahrain Victorious, +9s
10. Jhonatan Narvaez (Ecu) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +32s
General Classification after stage 2
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in 6:55:02
2. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost, +2:50
3. Andrea Bagioli (Ita) Lidl-Trek, +3:07
4. Mathias Vacek (Cze) Lidl-Trek, +4:16
5. Finlay Pickering (Gbr) Jayco AlUla, +4:41
6. Ilan van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, +4:44
7. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates-XRG
8. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike, at s.t.
9. Matthew Riccitello (USA) Decathlon CMA CGM, +5:11
10. Jhonatan Narvaez (Ecu) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +5:12
