Soudal Quick-Step’s 23-year-old Belgian remains in the battle for the overall victory at the prestigious World Tour race.
Albulapass, one of the Tour de Suisse’s iconic climbs, was the hottest point of the fifth stage, featuring in the final 30 kilometers of the day and giving the signal to a plethora of attacks coming from the general classification group, which counted only 20-odd riders on its early slopes.
Remco Evenepoel was once again in the mix, even after the small peloton split following a series of brutal accelerations on the steepest part of the ascent. The Belgian didn’t have the smoothest of days, but just as on the previous stage, he carried on and fought hard, emptying himself as he tried to limit the damage before the top. On the descent, the World Champion even managed to make up some ground and eventually finished tenth as Juan Ayuso (UAE-Team Emirates) took a solo win.
“I can be quite satisfied with what I did today on that long and hard climb, especially as I came to this race with just a couple of days of training under the belt. The legs are feeling better with each day, and even though I lost some time, I can be content and remain optimistic for the coming stages”, said the World Champion, who sits fourth overall.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
