Mathias Frank is going into the Tour de Suisse as one of the big favourites after he won the queen stage of the Bayern Rundfahrt. After doing a good time trial, he finished 9th in the first uphill finish of the race and claimed to have had very good legs.

The 203 kilometer third stage of the Tour of Switzerland from Sarnen to Heiden turned out to be the easy prey of the Slovakian Peter Sagan (Cannondale), who, in spite of a difficult final section, was able to take the day in a sprint.  There were no changes at the top of the overall classification with Tony Martin retaining the yellow jersey.  IAM Cycling’s Mathias Frank jumped to 9th overall.

Direcetur sportif Marcello Albasini warned his riders before the start of the stage that they should not be fooled by the relatively easy appearance of the official stage profile.  The latter part of the stage in particular was a series of difficult undulations through the beautiful Appenzell region. 

Mathias Frank, IAM Cycling’s team leader, still managed to finish strong and crossed the line in 9th place with the same time as Peter Sagan.  Accordingly, the 27 year old Swiss rider was very satisfied with his day. 

"It was a very tough final today.  Marcello was right, it was really a lot harder than expected.  I’m satisfied with my result especially since I did not feel very fresh today.  My position was not ideal for the sprint. 

"Luckily, my legs were very good otherwise, and the team did a lot of work to support me.  It was hectic at times, and the team kept me protected throughout the day.  In the end, I can say that it was a very good stage for me."

Wednesday’s fourth stage of the Tour of Switzerland from Heiden to Ossingen (160 km) will be the first time that the race will likely see a chance for the pure sprinters to show their form.