A powerful acceleration of the Italian helped him make his way to the podium in Cevio.
Matteo Trentin showed great bike handling skills and nerves of steel in the chaotic bunch sprint which concluded an equally tensioned stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse (Bex – Cevio, 222 kilometers), one which needed nearly two hours for a breakaway to form. Earlier, Jack Bauer tried to go up the road together with six companions, but they were reeled in by the charging peloton, before a handful of riders were eventually allowed to snap the elastic and open a six-minute gap before Simplonpass, the day's main difficulty.
The peloton splintered on the long and tough HC climb, but this didn't stop the yellow jersey group from bringing back the escapees, albeit late, in the final seven kilometers, and see this stage conclude in a bunch sprint.
As the road narrowed and the riders fought for a better position, it became more and more difficult to find some space, but multiple Grand Tour stage winner Matteo Trentin managed to take a good line with the help of teammates Philippe Gilbert and Zdenek Stybar and finished third, behind Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Michael Albasini (Orica-Scott).
Trentin's podium marked the 57th time this season that Quick-Step Floors – the most successful team in the peloton and also the leader of the World Tour rankings – finished a race in the top 3, a staggering performance for the squad managed by Patrick Lefevere.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
