The second day of the Tour de Romandie was already a difficult one. The riders had to tackle four climbs along the route of 168.1km, with the last one at 18km to the finish line.

None of Team Giant-Alpecin was able to follow the first group of 40 riders. Michael Albasini (Orica GreenEDGE) was the fastest of the reduced bunch and won the stage.

It was Tobias Ludvigsson to be home first at 62th, finishing 3’13” behind the first group, shortly followed by a small group that included Georg Preidler, Chad Haga, and Carter Jones. Also part of this group was Geraint Thomas (Team Sky), who wore the yellow jersey, but punctured on the final ascent. Albasini is also the new leader in the general classification.

Coach Christian Guiberteau after the stage: “The plan was to protect Tobias and to make the first step for a good general classification. Unfortunately he could not handle the pace during the final climb as he dropped 1km before the top and could not return in the descent.

“The teamwork of positioning Tobias in the front was satisfying today and we are confident that the performance will improve along the upcoming days.”