Stage 6 of the race had the riders travel from Locarno to La Punt, over 167 kilometers.
A Tour de Suisse edition without sizzling rain and low temperatures? It's something unheard of, and this year's edition wasn't going to be any different, so that added extra spice to a stage already made difficult by the presence of the San Bernardino and Albulapass, doubled by a treacherous descent to the finish in La Punt.
On a stage in which Gianluca Brambilla, David De La Cruz and Matteo Trentin all tried at one point to make it into the breakaway, but they were reabsorbed by a bunch who took the foot off the pedal 50 kilometers from the start, allowing nine men to go clear.
The escapees had a maximum gap of three minutes over the chasers, which wasn't enough to go all the way to the line, especially with Albulapass featuring on the course. Philippe Gilbert – sixth in the World Tour standings – was again the best Quick-Step Floors rider on the stage won with a late attack by Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R), the new overall leader of the race which tomorrow will take the riders to Sölden.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
