After back-to-back one-two finishes on the earlier two levels, Adam Yates and João Almeida did the three-peat on stage 7 of the Tour de Suisse. The UAE Group Emirates duo as soon as once more reaffirmed their standing as the 2 strongest riders within the race, as they dropped the remainder of the GC contenders within the closing kilometres of the ultimate climb.
The pair crossed the road collectively, with Yates taking the stage win and the bonus seconds to increase his lead within the basic classification over Almeida. With practically two minutes now again to Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) in third place within the standings, it’s clear that these two will end first and second general, however with an uphill time trial nonetheless to come back on the ultimate stage, it’s unclear in what order they may end the race in.
With the Tour de France quick approaching on the finish of the month, they’re each seeking to be in good kind forward of the Grand Départ, as they may each be using in help of their staff chief and two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar. Nevertheless, with the situation of a number of the different contenders nonetheless doubtful going into the race, it may current a possibility for the likes of Yates and Almeida to get a powerful outcome for themselves.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stage 7 of the Tour de Suisse began and completed within the hilltop city of Villars-sur-Ollon, with the route that includes a double ascent of a cat-1 climb to the end, as they did two laps of a circuit across the mountain upon which the city is located.
The riders have been climbing from the beginning with the Col de la Croix coming only a few kilometres into the stage. The cat-2 climb supplied the proper launchpad for early assaults, with an eight-man group forming on the head of the race.
Included in that group have been Maxim Van Gils and Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto Dstny), Harold Martín López (Astana Qazaqstan), Finlay Pickering (Bahrain Victorious), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Einer Rubio (Movistar), Johannes Staune-Mittet (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Jan Christen (UAE Group Emirates).
Moniquet took the utmost factors excessive of the climb, however the breakaway had not been allowed a lot of a bonus by the peloton as they went onto the descent. Nevertheless, their hole did start to exit to round two minutes within the valley street forward of the primary ascent of the ultimate climb.
On the decrease slopes of the ascent to Villars-sur-Ollon, the hole to the breakaway sat at simply over a minute and a half, however because the peloton hit the climb Ineos Grenadiers got here to the fore in the primary group and started to regulate the hole to these on the entrance.
Van Gils took the utmost factors excessive of the climb and as they went by the primary passage of the end line within the city of Villars-sur-Ollon, a few the breakaway riders started to check their legs with a few small assaults.
Christen was the primary to strive with Paret-Peintre marking the transfer, however they have been swiftly introduced again. Staune-Mittet then launched an assault of his personal, which no one tried to observe and he shortly fashioned a bonus on these behind.
The peloton had regularly begun to shut the hole to the remainder of the breakaway as they started the second ascent of the Col de la Croix and the group began to fracture with a few of them attacking in an try to remain clear.
López and Moniquet have been the primary to be caught by the peloton and it was not lengthy earlier than the remainder of the breakaway had been caught, leaving Staune-Mittet as the only chief on the head of the race.
He took the utmost factors excessive of the climb and the Norwegian’s hole went again as much as properly over a minute on the descent, because the tempo within the peloton eased, which allowed some riders who had been distanced to get themselves again into the primary group.
With UAE Group Emirates coming to hitch Ineos Grenadiers on the entrance of the peloton, Staune-Mittet’s hole regularly started to be whittled down. He took most factors on the intermediate dash and with 10km to go his hole had been decreased to round a minute.
Onto the ultimate climb to the end, Staune-Mittet held on for so long as he may to take the Tissot KM dash earlier than being caught by Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), who had launched an assault from the peloton in quest of the stage win.
João Almeida (UAE Group Emirates) then made the primary transfer from the GC contenders within the peloton, with Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech), Wilco Kelderman (Visma-Lease a Bike) and the general chief Adam Yates (UAE Group Emirates) on his wheel.
Kelderman and Riccitello have been then dropped as they caught and handed Gall, leaving the UAE Group Emirates duo of Almeida and Yates alone on the head of the race.
Going into the ultimate few hundred metres, the 2 teammates determined to not dash for the end and so they rode throughout the road collectively, with Yates taking his second stage win of the race. This marked their third one-two end in a row and they’re now firmly first and second within the general standings going into the time trial on the ultimate stage.
Behind them, Riccitello held off Kelderman to take third place forward of a bunch of different GC contenders, containing Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers).
RESULTS: TOUR DE SUISSE 2024, STAGE SEVEN, VILLARS-SUR-OLLON › VILLARS-SUR-OLLON (118KM)
1. Adam Yates (GBr) UAE Group Emirates, 3:05:41
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Group Emirates, at identical time
3. Matthew Riccitello (USA) Israel-Premier Tech, +14s
4. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike, +16s
5. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek
6. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers
7. Oscar Onley (GBr) dsm-firmenich PostNL
8. Tom Pidcock (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, all at identical time
9. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Group, +32s
10. Enric Mas (Esp) Movistar, +35s
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE SEVEN
1. Adam Yates (GBr) UAE Group Emirates, 19:45:17
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Group Emirates, +31s
3. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, +1:51
4. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek, +2:50
5. Matthew Riccitello (USA) Israel-Premier Tech, +3:02
6. Enric Mas (Esp) Movistar, +3:23
7. Tom Pidcock (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, +3:54
8. Oscar Onley (GBr) dsm-firmenich PostNL, +4:03
9. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Group, +4:41
10. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike, +4:59
