With our eyes already set on the decisive weekend, the Tour of Switzerland gave the last opportunity for the brave. The route, which was developed around Bad Ragazpresented a first section of notable demand, with two first-class ports and perfect terrain for the escape, and a final 55 kilometers ideal for the chase. In the canton of St. Gallen, a region located in German-speaking Switzerland, Jhonatan Narváez imposed his law on the eve of an individual time trial that will serve as a litmus test for Tadej Pogacar and the rest of the contenders for the general classification of the Tour de France.
As the profile of the day indicated, the first two hours of the race were pure chaos. The attacks and escape attempts were constant from the starting flag to the point that the first serious attempt of the day was neutralized before reaching the port of Wildhaus (8.9 km at 6.8%). However, this was nothing more than an incentive for several runners, including Narváez, Tiberi or Vlasovended up forming two groups, one of eight runners and the other of two, whose cooperation had a single goal: the stage victory.
The battle at a distance between the platoon and the breakaway was fierce. At the halfway point of the test, Narváez and Meurisse reached 4’00”; Meanwhile, in the platoon, Lidl, Visma, EF, Movistar and NSN They decided to take responsibility with the aim of reducing an income that was becoming dangerous for the interests of the sprinters. As the torrential rains began to water the green fields of Swissthe leading duo began to see a small sliver of being able to defeat the peloton.
With 10 kilometers to go until the finish line, The two leading runners were still one minute apart. that made them continue dreaming of stage victory. The tension was a constant in the peloton, with the UAE trying to disturb the ‘trains’ of the sprinters with the aim of benefiting the chances of Narvaez. Finally, the work was rewarded and the Ecuadorian, who arrived after abandoning the Turnraised his arms again. Tomorrow, turn for the general men.
