A little over a month after his crash in the Giro (May 11), Domenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r) finished fifth in the Tour de Suisse.

"This is the best way to come back. I'm happy with this final result and my second place in the 5th stage with the finish on the glacier in Sölden. I am confident before the Italian Championships on Saturday (between Milan and Turin)," he said.

"In this final stage, the time trial was not really for me, very twisty and with lots of climbs. I knew that with Dumoulin behind me, it would be very complicated to do better.

"Throughout the week, I had a great team around me. Whenever it was difficult, I had a friend with me to help me. Now I will rest before the championships. What this represents? Just the culmination, the dream of a professional career."