The 24-year-old Spaniard ignited the fireworks on the last summit finish of the World Tour race.
Summer solstice brought not just the longest day of the year, but also the longest stage of the 83rd Tour de Suisse, which started from Unterterzen and took the peloton over two classified climbs before the final showdown on the Gotthardpass. The iconic ascent and its 24 hairpins – located not far from Montagnola, the former residence of Hermann Hesse, which the legendary Corto Maltese visited back in the spring of 1924 – was primed for a proper GC battle and the first to show his intentions there was Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s Enric Mas.
Built at the beginning of the 19th century and climbed on Friday via the cobbles of the Tremola, the 12.5%km-long Gotthardpass averaged 7.2% and quickly whittled down the peloton to just a handful of riders as soon as the remnants of the breakaway were brought back. With 4.6 kilometers to go, Mas burst away from the group and established a 15-second lead which he carried until the last two kilometers, when he was overtaken by yellow jersey Egan Bernal (Team Ineos), who went on to win the stage.
Despite being distanced and then caught by the chasers, Mas didn’t stop from putting in a valiant effort and limited the losses as the road continued to tilt upwards, coming home 40 second behind the victor, in seventh place, a result that helped him continue his rise in the general classification with just two stages left.
“I felt much better than yesterday and seeing that the group was severely reduced in the last kilometers I thought about giving it a try. I was a bit on the limit as I still miss some sharpness, but the legs were good and I was keen on attacking”, said Enric, who’s now seventh in the overall standings. “The Tour de Suisse is a hard race and today’s result makes me happy and builds my confidence. The week isn’t over yet, two challenging days lie ahead and we’ll see what they will bring, but I have faith that I can come out of the race with a strong result.”
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
