One month after winning the Tour of Norway overall, Pieter Weening (Roompot) continued his dream season by taking the first WorldTour victory for Roompot on a very wet and miserable sixth stage of the Tour de Suisse. Emerging as the strongest from a 15-rider breakaway, he rode to a solo win, holding off Maximilano Richeze (Etixx-QuickStep) and Maciej Paterski (Roompot). Wilco Kelderman (LottoNL-Jumbo) was the best in the GC battle and moved into the race lead on a day that saw Geraint Thomas (Sky) and Tejay van Garderen (BMC) crack.

 

Pieter Weening: At Roompot I have the freedom to take my own chances

With two victories in one day, including the first in the UCI WorldTour, Roompot - Orange Peloton had a unique moment in its young history. Pieter Weening got a victory in a tough mountain stage in the Tour de Suisse and Wesley Kreder won the second stage in the Ster ZLM Toer. Moreover Antwan Tolhoek was on the attack for a fourth day in a row and retained the lead in the mountains classification of the Swiss race.

 

"Of course it was mainly the plan to go to the Klausenpass to get KOM points for Antwan but personally I chose the attack to get a good result," said Pieter Weening. The two teammates were part of a leading group of fifteen riders which broke up on the descent from the main obstacle. 

 

"Due to the harsh weather it was a dangerous descent where Antwan unfortunately was dropped. In the valley, we cooperated well and at the bottom of the final climb I started riding my own tmpo. It was not even an attack, but to my surprise I had an immediate gap. Then it was about giving everything for 8km and I am happy to have the victory as a result, "said a satisfied Weening. The veteran has already won a stage and the overall classification at the Tour of Norway.

 

“It is very nice to win a WorldTour race. We have a strong field of riders who are preparing for the Tour and others who have the legs after the Giro. This is a very important victory for me and for the team.

 

"It does not really matter for which team you win. But I'm very happy with the freedom that I get at Roompot. I can ride my own race here.

 

"In fact, if you have circumstances like these, with bad weather and cold, sometimes it seems best to go up the road and stay warm. However, these are stages that suit me well. During the last days, I lost time. On the back of my mind, I knew that this stage was coming, so I lost some time in the early stages. Yesterday, I was also in the breakaway. Today, it worked out.”

 

Roompot - Orange Peloton now has six wins. Moreover Atwan Tolhoek has a good chance to keep the mountains jersey in Switzerland. The 22-year old Dutchman was in the break for the fourth consecutive day and brought his total to 84 points. If Tolhoek again grabs points tomorrow, his main rival Atapuma (BMC) will not be able to beat him. Teammate Weening is second in the mountains classification. 

 

Fantastic Maximilano Richeze takes second place and points jersey in Swiss mountains

If there was still a doubt, it has now gone up in smoke: Max Richeze is in the form of his life and the Tour de Suisse turns out to be one of the best and most rewarding stage races in his pro career. In the first five days of the event, he took a win and notched two more top 5 finishes, and as if all these weren't enough, at the start of stage 6, Richeze decided to go in the huge break that formed at the 20-km mark, together with teammate and 2015 Giro d'Italia stage winner Iljo Keisse.

 

Nicknamed "Atomico" for the fast sprint he displayed since his early years in cycling, the South American brought his contribution to the front group's big lead, which at one point hit the 8-minute barrier.  The heavy rain, cold temperatures and thick fog didn't stop Maximiliano Richeze from getting another spectacular result in the Tour de Suisse, as he crossed the finish line in second place, for his fourth top 10 at the 2016 edition. As consequence, Richeze made a visit to the podium once the stage was over to don the black jersey, which rewards the leader of the points classification, where he amassed 42 points, 16 more than the next rider in the rankings, Peter Sagan.

 

"This morning we decided to go in the break, because there were no more opportunities left for the sprinters. Thanks to Iljo, the break formed and we worked really well together. At the top of the first climb, Davide Bramati informed me that we were 6 minutes ahead, so we began to believe there's a strong chance to go all the way. We rode full gas, and despite the weather conditions, I felt good. Bramati told me to pay attention to Weening, but when he went, I couldn't follow. Still, I am happy with this result and I must thank Iljo for the role he played and for pulling hard for me, it's a real pleasure to ride with him", the 33-year-old said before jumping into the team bus.

 

"It was strange to come second on a summit finish. It was a day of firsts for me: first time I joined a break on a mountain stage and first time the break in which I was made it", Richeze continued. “It's been a great Tour de Suisse for me so far, I now have the points jersey and although it will difficult, I'll try to take it home. It caps off an excellent week for me, in which I also got the news that I've been selected for Rio de Janeiro. The course is very hard, but to be there, at the Olympic Games, it will be a big honour and I'll give it my all to support my teammates."

 

Maciej Paterski surprises himself with third place in Swiss mountains

Maciej Paterski survived in the breakaway all the way to the finish and claimed 3rd place on one of the hardest stages of Tour de Suisse.

 

”I felt very well right from the start. I broke away early on and later everything went according to the plan. We had many riders in the break, we all collaborated well together and we managed to build a solid advantage before of the final climb,” Maciej Paterski said afterwards. “There were some quality riders in the escape and I didn’t expect I would be able finish in the top 3. Especially because I caught a cold few days ago due to rain and bad weather. My morale was down and I even considered abandoning. Thankfully today I felt much healthier and that resulted in a podium spot.”

 

”I’m really satisfied with Maciej’s performance and how the stage unfolded,” Piotr Wadecki, sporting director o CCC Sprandi Polkowice, added. “That was the plan to get in the break, because we expected that it might survive. I’m impressed with Maciej’s result – claimed on the climb, which is not his specialty – and how fast he came back to his top form after some health issues in the spring. 

 

”I’m also very happy with the Polish teams’ performance in Tour de Suisse. Both – we and Verva ActiveJet – are putting up a fight against all the best teams in the world. We’re among the strongest in the mountains and we occupy 4 spots in the top 25 of general classification. I also have to admit that Verva’s Paweł Cieślik impressed me a lot, as he came in with the best climbers today.”

 

The second best rider in orange on the stage was Victor de la Parte who claimed 22nd place (5:50 back) and elevated himself to 14th overall. Felix Grossschartner sits 19th in GC.

 

Talansky: It’s a humbling feeling to have Dombrowski do what he did today

It was a big day for Cannondale. Kristijan Koren put himself into the break of the day 10 kilometers after the start. On the final climb to Amden, the lead group of 15 riders completely shattered. Koren was the last survivor from the initial break as the rest of his companions were swallowed up by the chasing GC contenders. He finished an impressive fourth.

 

Behind Koren, Joe Dombrowski took control of the chase on the slopes to Amden to put Andrew Talansky in ideal position to continue his bid for the overall lead. His effort helped launch Talansky to a sixth place finish on the stage and third overall. Dombrowski continued his fight to the line for 11th place.

 

“What a pleasure to be supported by this whole @Ride_Argyle crew! Humbling feeling having someone like @JoeDombro do what he did today,” Talansky tweeted.

 

"Andrew told me before the climb he was feeling good, so I was committed to staying with him, and we would just see how it panned out. He seemed confident, so when Boswell swung off I decided to take it up and work to bring back Izagirre and Spilak," Dombrowski said.

 

"Over time we heard that some of the favorites like Tejay [Van Garderen] and G [Geraint Thomas] were dropped so I thought it best to keep pressing on. Overall a great ride by Andrew, the team, and Koren as well for sticking it out in a tough day in the breakaway."

 

Wilco Kelderman: Geraint Thomas is still the favourite

Wilco Kelderman took over the leader's jersey today in the Tour de Suisse stage six. The LottoNL-Jumbo rider finished fifth in the stage and took the yellow jersey from Frenchman Pierre Latour (AG2R). Pieter Weening (Roompot) won the stage after escaping on the last climb from the leading group.

"It’s nice that I have the jersey.” said Kelderman. “I felt good today, the team put me in the perfect spot at the beginning of the final climb and I was then able to follow. I was able to accelerate in the last hundred metres.”

During the rainy sixth stage a group of 15 escaped early.

"Today was not in itself a hectic stage,” said Sports Director Jan Boven. "AG2R had everything under control, it wasn’t exciting until the descent of the Klaussenpass. It was wet and twisty, and Izagirre benefited from it. He quickly took a lead of 4'30”.

"It was mainly another cold day,” added Kelderman. "Especially, on the Klaussenpass, it was really cold, foggy and wet. I did not even realise Izagirre was away. Only in the valley, where it was clear, was I warm again. "

On the final climb, Izagirre was caught and the group with Kelderman became increasingly small. Kelderman won the sprint from his elite group with Andrew Talansky and Warren Barguil. They are now the only two within 30 seconds of Kelderman in the standings.

"It's nice that Kelderman now has the lead. We're going to do everything to defend the jersey,” Boven added.
 

"Tomorrow is a special day, we climb up to 2700 metres. And above 2000 meters, it’s always exciting. We saw that Kelderman is good and hopefully, he can hold that level in the coming days."

“The higher the better,” said Kelderman. “I am back from altitude training so I'm used to the altitude. And then, of course, I look forward to the time trial. A good classification should definitely be possible by the end of the race.

 

"I did not expect this. I was not sure what the differences were with the leader. I was not quite at 100% because it was so terribly cold on the descent.  I was just going to follow on the climb and went full gas in the last section.  It's great that I have the jersey. I was surprised that riders like Van Garderen and Thomas who were not as good as they were yesterday, got dropped.

 

"I did not really think about Latour. I just did my own race. I think Cannondale, with Dombrowski, set a fast pace, so it was also difficult to follow. I think a lot of riders got dropped with this tempo. I could stay with them until the last 200-300 meters where I went at my own pace.

 

"My level is very good and I have trained very well. Now I have to a very good shape. Tomorrow comes the most difficult stage so it remains to be seen what will happen. Saturday’s time trial should suit me. I like the idea of winning there. The Tour of Switzerland would be a very nice bonus.

 

"I am proud to wear the leader's jersey at such an important race like the Tour de Suisse. And together with the teammates I will do everything possible to defend this 1st place overall .

 

"For me, Geraint Thomas remains the favorite for overall victory.”

 

Warren Barguil: I didn’t have my usual punch

It was a strong performance from Warren Barguil who finished in the main GC group in 7th place as he moved up to 2nd overall, 16″ behind the new leader Wilco Kelderman (Team LottoNL – Jumbo).

 

Coach Morten Bennekou said: “It was again a good day for the team, except for the fact that we wanted to have a rider in the breakaway. But after that, Warren was still well protected by the team and when Izaguirre attacked during the descent of Klausenpass we decided to work at the front of the peloton.

 

“On the last climb, Warren had once again strong legs and good patience. In the end, it paid off again with a good result. We are now looking forward to another hard day tomorrow.”

 

Warren Barguil added: “The day ended being very wet with the tricky weather conditions. It was quite difficult especially on the long downhill section, I felt cold but there was a guy with me and we managed to do really good teamwork together and that made me stronger until the end of the race.

 

“On the last climb, I felt good. I attacked a few times but I didn’t have my usual punch and the guy who was with me didn’t want to collaborate to gain some time.

 

“In the last meters Cannondale set a good pace and I finished in the main group of the GC contenders. Tomorrow is again another hard day and I hope my legs will be good.”

 

Gorka Izagirre almost turns the Tour de Suisse on its heads

Trying to turn things upside down in a Tour de Suisse which wasn't going as well as the Jaimerena / Laguía-led squad would have liked to, Gorka Izagirre and the Movistar Team made a strong gamble to go for the race overall. And they were incredibly close to wearing yellow at the end of the day. Gorka Izagirre, the hero from the 2014 Giro's amazing stage over the Stelvio, went on another move during stage six, which featured the HC-climb of Klausenpass followed by a Cat-1 finish atop Amden.

 

The move, under grim conditions in fog and rain, took all favourites by surprise and granted Izagirre a four-minute advantage over the field, progressively approaching a big, early breakaway which included team-mate Jasha Sütterlin. After waiting to help his teammate, the German left Izagirre at the foot of the final ascent with about two-and-a-half minutes over the main field, which soon started to take back time. It wasn't the rivals, but unfortunately the grueling final slopes, which devoured his chances and brought him back to the yellow jersey group  - the attempts by brother Ion, with a great performance today, to keep them on a leash were futile.

 

Weening (ROP), part of the day's escape, took the stage win as Ion crossed the line 4'35" down, four seconds behind new race leader Wilco Kelderman (TLJ). The younger from the Ormaiztegi saga now sits fourth in the GC, at 34" from the Dutchman, as Gorka, who reached the finish half a minute later, remains 9th at 59" after a move which only deserves praise from cycling fans.

 

Another hard day, probably the Queen stage of the Tour de Suisse, is scheduled for tomorrow with the finish on top of the Rettenbachferner in Sölden (HC; 2,669m above sea level), following a marathon route (224km) into the Ötztal valley in Austria. The ever-dependable Izagirre brothers will be back for some more fighting.

 

Miguel Angel Lopez feels great, Michele Scarponi suffers in the cold

"I got so cold today but my condition is growing and I was with the best without much effort,” said Miguel Angel Lopez Moreno.

 

"Tomorrow we get to 2,700 meters above sea level. It will be a great contest between those who want to win the Tour.”

 

Miguel Angel Lopez Moreno continues to climb positions in the overall standings and is now fifth at 39 seconds.

 

"Despite the really tough day, Miguel Angel held on and arrived with the top GC riders. I am very sorry for Michele Scarponi who suffered a lot in the cold and heavy rain, said sports director Dmitri Sedoun.

 

"Tomorrow we have another finish in the mountains in Solden; it will be another test for our young Colombian. The GC is still open and we can do well".

 

Simon Spilak benefits from bad weather to go on the attack in Swiss mountains

As last year’s defending champion, Team KATUSHA’s Simon Špilak eyed Thursday’s stage 6 as an opportunity to do something in the 80th Tour de Suisse. Showing good form and calculating the moments to use his energy, Slovenian Špilak attacked several times on the final climb to Amden and moved himself into seventh place on the general classification with three stages still to race.

 

”It was another hard stage and the weather today was really an important factor. But, for me this weather was like an advantage. I felt really good today, and my legs responded well. The pace on the final climb was high, but I knew I had to try something, so I attacked a few times. Finally, the group became small, only a few GC contenders remained, and I was among them, so I am pretty happy with today's stage. I moved up in GC and tomorrow is another hard stage, the key one of this race. Let's see what will happen tomorrow,” said Simon Špilak.

 

”To see Simon there today was really nice. He’s moved into seventh place on this very, very hard Tour de Suisse. I’m very happy for him,” said team director Torsten Schmidt.

 

Špilak moved up from 13th into seventh place on the classification at 52-seconds behind the leading time of 22:43.12. Team KATUSHA also hold third place in the Teams competition at 1.59 behind leaders Lotto Soudal.

Unfortunately, Tiago Machado was forced to abandon the race due to illness.

 

Jarlinson Pantano to sacrifice GC for a stage win in Switzerland

Jarlinson Pantano remains in a good position as tenth place on the overall classification after the stage victory of Peter Weening (Rompoot).

 

“I hope we can have a rain-free day at some point during this Tour de Suisse, because today it only rained once.”

 

Manager Rik Verbrugghe added:

 

“We will aim for a stage win with Jarlinson Pantano even if that causes him to lose his place in the top-10 of the overall classification in the final stages.  But we’re not going to sell out.”


 

A non-starter in Weesen following a decision by the team’s sports management and the sports manager, Rik Verbrugghe, Mathias Frank returned to his home to care for a complicated cold that is a mix of bronchitis and a sinus infection, which he contracted after the recent Tour de Luxembourg.  Priority is given to the Tour de France.

 

With Frank out of the race, his teammate Martin Elmiger went on the attack

 

“I did not feel good all day,” commented Martin Elmiger, who had spent the whole day in the breakaway before mounting the ceremonial podium to receive a new jersey for the best Swiss rider.  “We were a good group and harmony reigned, up until that last climb.”

 

“My back was sore already on the Klausen climb, and I suffered from cramps in the final,” Elmiger, the IAM Cycling’s road captain, explained.

 

Pierre Latour: This was a very special day for me

"It was a special day for me,” said Pierre Latour who lost the leader’s jersey. “It was a bit strange and unusual to be in the peloton with the yellow jersey on my shoulders. Nobody fights with you and it is quite a pleasant feeling. The guys set the tempo until the penultimate climb. Then we were passed by the big teams. The guys really did a great job to position me ideally at the foot of the last climb. Given the work they had done, I could not let go until the finish line. I fought all the way the end in this really difficult stage with a rotten weather. I do not want to set myself specific targets for the end of the week. Tomorrow, the stage looks terrible and there is still a lot of difficulties. Everything is still possible.

 

"The team made sure that there was not too dangerous guys in the break. At the bottom of the last climb, we were still many, with Sébastien Turgot and Sébastien Minard who positioned me in a good position. I tried to on myself, but that I was on my limit. I got dropped. I gave everything I could.

 

”The team was on top. At the bottom we still had me, Sébastien Turgot, Sébastien Minard, Jicé (Péraud), Hubert (Dupont), Christophe (Riblon) ... We were still many in the group. Damien (Gaudin) and Jesse (Sergeant) were not there because they had worked earlier. We'll see tomorrow how it goes. At the moment I want to recover and we will see tomorrow.

 

"The team did a good job until the top of the penultimate climb to control the breakaway. Then we were passed by the other teams that go for GC. Pierre was able to follow the best until four kilometers from the finish,” sports director Arturas Kasputis said.
 

“With a very difficult weather, he suffered. He gave everything he had. He even showed a warrior attitude and fought all the way to the finish. The Tour of Switzerland looks daunting until the last day. Nothing is finished yet. "

 

Sky hope to see Geraint Thomas bounce back at the Tour de Suisse

Geraint Thomas endured a tough day at the Tour de Suisse as he slipped to eighth overall in gruelling conditions, 56 seconds behind new race leader Wilco Kelderman.

 

Thomas lost touch with the general classification contenders a kilometre from the finish in Switzerland, but he dug in to limit his losses on the final climb and finished 16th, 51 seconds behind Kelderman (LottoNL-Jumbo), who won the uphill sprint from the drastically reduced bunch.

 

Pieter Weening (Roompot-Oranje) produced a fine solo effort to take the stage win, four minutes and 31 seconds ahead of Kelderman, after attacking from the day's break at the foot of the final eight kilometre climb to the line.

 

Sport Director Gabriel Rasch admitted that the second half of the stage was pretty wild.

 

He said: "The break got four minutes on the descent - how, I don't know, but we didn't hear anything on the radio. It was the same for all the teams - BMC, Lotto etc so we had to start riding really hard then. The guys had to ride bang, bang, bang to get as much time back before the climb. Christian [Knees] and Michal [Golas] did a great job, but it meant we had less guys to help G."

 

Rasch remains upbeat though, and believes that Thomas can still fight back.

 

He added: "It's a really hard stage tomorrow. Everything is possible still."

 

 

Christian Knees did a great job of dragging the break back ahead of the final climb, before Ian Boswell took up pace making duties at the front of the pack.

 

Thomas couldn't replicate his form from stage five after Boswell had swung off though, but the Welshman did well to limit his losses ahead of the race's queen stage.

 

Thomas found it tough to hold on. After slipping back from the group he fought bravely to regain contact, but was eventually distanced again as the bunch went under the flamme rouge.

 

Rui Costa: Today was one of those days

Rui Costa had a defensive attitude and, thanks to his determination, his experience and the big support from a very inspired Polanc, he could limit the loss. Costa reached the finish in 18th position and is now 11th overall.

 

”Today was one of those days ... a lot of rain and extremely cold. I spent part of the stage shaking. The legs were average. They did not have more than this. By the end of the first climb I was fine, but the descent was too long and made me too cold. With the rain and the speed, we were frozen. This was not an easy day. In addition to the cold, I notice that I am not yet at the peak of my physical form as I have said and that's the goal: to become better to the best condition for the Tour. There were many riders who did less good, perhaps because of the great effort yesterday. I'm part of this group, and like me, van Garderen, Thomas, the yellow jersey suffered,” Costa wrote in his diary.

“I want to leave a word of thanks to my teammates for the work, especially my brother Mario, and Jan Polanc who helped me in the end. Tomorrow we have the queen stage and everything can change ... we'll see who will pay for today. It is a stage that does not decide everything but decides much of this Tour of Switzerland.”

 

Impressive performance by Team Roth at the Tour de Suisse

„Who’s that, that’s Nico Brüngger from Swiss Team Roth“, shouted Sven Montgomery enthusiastically in the microphone of Swiss Television, as the 27 year old from Illnau suddenly appeared as leader of the bunch on the brutal final climb just eight kilometers from the finish in Amden. The local hero wanted to show himself on the sixth stage of the Tour de Suisse and Nico Brüngger did complete his mission impressively.
 

But not only that: “Good to see that the Team Roth really deserves the spot with a rider in the breakaway every day“, was the official Tweet of the Tour de Suisse.

Nico Brüngger crossed the finish line in Amden as 20th and best Swiss rider. The attitude of the whole Team Roth has already conquered the fans. Despite cold and steady rain, none of the eight athletes have given up so far. Or as Stefan Blaser, CEO of the main sponsor Roth Gruppe, said in the title of a major report in the Swiss daily newspaper „Tages Anzeiger“: “They rock!“

 

Disappointed Tejay van Garderen: It must have been the cold conditions

It was a disappointing day for Tejay van Garderen who lost contact with the GC group on the final climb to come home 6’22” behind stage winner Peter Weening (Roompot-Oranje Peloton) and 1’59” behind new race leader Wilco Kelderman (Team LottloNL-Jumbo).

 

Van Garderen now sits in 13th place on GC, 2’09 behind Kelderman.

 

He said:

 

“Today’s result is a bit disappointing. I used to be a specialist in cold and miserable days and now I seem to struggle more than others when it comes to the cold. To be honest, it’s the only thing I can put my finger on. I was feeling good all race up until today, so I don’t think it’s so much a question of form. At the top of the first climb I froze up. I don’t know if there is anything else I can attribute it to. It was generally a pretty bad day for a lot of guys and the fact that I wasn’t the only GC guy dropped shows that I wasn’t the only one suffering.

 

“The fitness is still good. It’s better to have a bad day now than in the Tour de France. Of course it would be nice to have a good result here heading into the Tour de France too. But the race isn’t over, there’s still a lot of climbing and the time trial to come. When it comes to the Tour de France you can’t have any weaknesses no matter what the weather is like. I’m going to speak to the medical team and see what I can do to better deal with the cold and days like today heading into the Tour de France.”

 

Sports director Fabio Baldato added:

 

“When Izagirre went we knew it was a dangerous move. So we started pulling hard at the front of the bunch and were then joined by some of the other GC teams. At the bottom of the final climb we told Darwin [Atapuma] to go full gas and try and bring the gap down.

 

“Yesterday Tejay was feeling super strong so we really wanted to go hard today and see what could happen. It was so cold and that definitely had an impact on his legs. It’s clear when there are multiple GC contenders dropped that it’s a tough day. The day before he was feeling super good so we wanted to go hard today. Tomorrow is such a hard day that anything could happen. It’s not over yet.”

 

Philippe Gilbert: I had probably not eaten enough

Philippe Gilbert was in the break.

 

He said:

 

“I think on a day like today it is better in front. I was trying to get in the breakaway with Danilo Wyss. We almost made it on one attempt but the peloton was chasing hard and they pulled us back. On the next attempt we were successful at getting away. It was a good group and we quickly organised ourselves and developed a good gap. The bunch was still riding pretty fast but everyone was pulling so once the gap was out to two minutes, we slowed down a little.

 

“On the descent of the Klausenpass, Van Der Sande (Lotto Soudal) and I were alone. He was riding full gas but I knew it was so far from the finish, and the guys were just behind so I knew we would come back together. At the bottom of the final climbs I was really cold, and probably hadn’t eaten enough so I wasn’t feeling good. I found my rhythm again but the GC guys passed me in the last kilometer.”

 

Kanstantsin Siutsou abandons the Tour de Suisse

A large break of 15 riders went clear before the first big climb, no Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka riders were represented in the move. TheAfrican Team had Natnael Berhane as the highest placed rider, in 29th and 6’22” behind Weening.

 

Sports director Jens Zemke said:
 

“Today we had some of the worst conditions possible with heavy rain, cold and fog also on the downhills. Jay Thomson and Kanstantsin Siutsou both stopped today. After the Giro, Tour de Suisse was just one step too far. For the stage we were hoping for Natnael to go well, he was around 2 minutes behind the GC guys at the finish. We will make a cross over this stage and put it behind us very quickly because tomorrow we have another really hard stage coming up. We will try for a good result tomorrow.”

 

Gregory Rast: I said that it made no sense for me to join the breakaway

Two big climbs highlighted the 162.8-kilometer stage six, a lengthy hors catégorieKlausenpass (23.3km, 6.2%) and a much shorter but brutally steep uphill (8.2kms, 10.2%) to the finish in Amden. 

 

Like each day, Trek-Segafredo had one goal: get in the breakaway and fight for a stage result.  

Yesterday, Riccardo Zoidl joined the move off the front, and today the team's workhorse, the big engine of Gregory Rast, was in the mix of a 15 strong group that cut away from the peloton in the early part of the race. 

 

And the rain fell. 

 

It never let up as the leading group gained almost nine minutes' advantage to a miserable and soaked peloton that only reared its head ahead of the climb to Amden.

 

The breakaway arrived at the bottom of the last ascent with sufficient time to fight out the stage win, and the steep road quickly sorted out the victor as Peter Weening (Roompot - Oranje Peloton) left the rest of the group behind and soloed the eight kilometers to glory. 

 

Gregory Rast, a Classics specialist to the core and not known for his climbing ability, rode a brilliant race to crest the Klausenpass with his breakaway compatriots, but the final steep climb tailored even more to the lightweights and ill-suited his powerful, large frame. 

 

Rast said: "We talked about me going into a breakaway today, and I said it really makes no sense. But Kim (Andersen, director) said it is better we go in the breakaway then stay in the bunch the whole day. Of course, he was hoping that one of our climbers could join the breakaway, but the breakaway went on the flat. It was not that easy to go, and I was there in the right moment. 

 

"So then I was in the break, but I was sure it was going to be difficult with this mountaintop finish. I know this climb – I train here once in a while – and I knew it is way too steep for me."

 

Rast was caught by the peloton and rode across the line with teammate Fränk Schleck as Peter Stetina finished a couple of minutes later. It was a miserable day in the saddle for all, but the team came safely through, ready to spar again in the final three days.

 

Tomorrow the tour continues with another fierce mountain summit finish, the Rettenbachferner, which is known as one of the hardest climbs in Europe. The team website put the question to Rast if he will go in a breakaway again, and he was quick to answer; the suffering endured today still fresh and, even more so, last year's breakaway effort on the Rettenbachferner stage not forgotten.

 

"No way! I did it last year, on the same finish, and I am never going to do it again." 

 

Even Rast has limits.

 

Motorbike crash brings Christopher Juul down at the Tour de Suisse

Stage six of the Tour de Suisse was animated by a breakaway of 15riders and harsh weather conditions.  

ORICA-GreenEDGE completed the challenging stage safety in the main peloton, conserving energy ahead of three further difficult stages.

 

Former ORICA-GreenEDGE rider, Pieter Weening (Roompot-Oranje) claimed the stage victory after attacking solo on the final climb with six kilometres remaining. 

 

"It was another hard day today with the weather conditons," explained sport director Neil Stephens. "The boys had a few goes to get in the move, but once the break had gone they just had to sit in the bunch and try to not get too cold and look after themselves.

 

"At the start there were a few attacks going and Chris Juul-Jensen actually launched off the front but two motorbikes crashed in front of him and he went down with them. He went down hard on his shoulder but he's seen the doctor and it seems that he's ok.

 

"It was a good solid day for the guys, good to get some extra kilometres in the legs for the races coming up and one thing we were trying to do was to look after Luke Durbridge.

 

"After his great prologue, he's looking to have a hit out in the time trial which is in a couple of days. So once the breakaway had established itself it was just about conserving as much as possible today, getting through the day and looking after Luke."

 

Tinkoff lose three riders on brutal day at the Tour de Suisse

After days of inclement weather, it was to be another stage raced in the wet. Many riders were suffering from the conditions, and today Tinkoff lost three. Jay McCarthy did not start the stage due to some stomach problems, while Manuele Boaro and Ivan Rovny abandoned the race as the peloton neared the climb of the day. All three riders were not alone, as both today and the last few days have seen a slew of riders leave the race with illness and injuries – with a total of eleven riders today either abandoning or not starting the race.

 

From the finish, Sport Director, Patxi Vila assessed the day’s outcome.

 

“It was a pretty hectic start to the day. There was lots of stress with the breakaway, with it being a big one. The pace wasn’t so hard on the climb, but it was cold, and after six days the fatigue levels were so high. We lost two riders on the stage and one before, and they have all suffered a lot today and the last few days. We knew we didn’t have anyone for the GC, so just wanted to minimise the damage, and make it through to the TT on Saturday.”

 

For the rest of the team, the aim was simply to get through the day safely on this miserable stage. The rain falling heavily, while there were attacks in the breakaway group in the lead in to the finish, the mood was far less positive in the main group, some way down the climb.

 

Vila knew only too well how hard it was for the team today.

 

“It was a really, really hard day today. It was already hard with 3,000m of climbing but the fact it rained the whole day except maybe a 15-20 km gap just made it worse. On the top of the climbs it was around 7 degrees, and that’s the worst thing that could happen, it being cold and wet. If it snows, its ok because it tends to be dry, but if it’s cold and wet at the same time, that makes it so hard.”

 

Continuing, Vila explained that except for the few who were contesting the stage, the rest of the riders just wanted to finish and climb off their bikes.

 

“I can guarantee that more than half the bunch were thinking about stopping today. It was cold and wet and miserable. Days like these you realise how hard cycling is and how special bike riders are. The suffering was intense today. All you want is to get warm and survive to the finish – it was about survival.”

 

After today’s stage, the aim was simply to recover, Vila said.

 

“Right now we’re not even thinking about tomorrow. The guys just want to get warm and bring the body temperature up and recover. After that we’ll think about it, but for the moment they don’t want to go there. On the Queen Stage it’ll be more of the same tomorrow, but that’s cycling.”