Going into the final stage of the Tour de Suisse, Steve Morabito was sitting in 12th overall but instead of riding conservatively, the Swiss gambled it all by going on the attack from afar. It paid off as the home rider ended sixth in one of the biggest races in the world.

BMC Racing Team's Steve Morabito was part of the decisive breakaway Sunday at the Tour de Suisse on his way to a season-best, fourth-place result that shot him up to sixth in the final standings. Morabito and teammate Silvan Dillier were part of what eventually became an escape of nearly two dozen riders that included world road champion and two-time defending Tour de Suisse winner Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida).

As the 156.7-kilometer race made its way toward a pair of finishing climbs and the breakaway's advantage was still sizable, it was clear race leader Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) would have difficulty keeping the yellow jersey.

"I was more the joker. I took my shot from far away," Morabito said. "It was a little bit of a gamble, but that worked well. I tried to go in the first break, but we got caught. To still do top 10 in GC is kind of a nice thing."

Morabito's group benefited from the presence of the riders sitting third, fourth and fifth overall: Costa, Mathias Frank (IAM Cycling) and Bauke Mollema (Belkin Pro Cycling Team).

"With three teams pulling in the front with their leaders – that was key to making a change of the race," BMC Racing Team Sport Director Fabio Baldato said. "To be sixth after this stage when we were 10th and 12th this morning, I am really satisfied."

Costa soloed away to win the stage and the overall. Previous race leader Martin dropped to fourth while Morabito wound up 2:47 behind and notched his best overall finish since being runner-up at the 2012 Tour of Austria. BMC Racing Team's Cadel Evans was 19th on the day to finish 11th overall, 4:07 back.