Ilan Van Wilder took his best result of the season by finishing fifth on the GC.
Louis Vervaeke capped off the last World Tour race before the Tour de France by taking home the green jersey which rewards the winner of the mountain classification - a remarkable achievement for Soudal Quick-Step’s 32-year-old.
Going into the final day of the competition, Louis had a small margin in the standings, but was determined to fight for it, and as soon as the flag was waved, he jumped from the peloton and went in the breakaway. The points he scored on the first ranked climb gave an important morale-boost to Vervaeke, who continued to put in a strong rhythm out there as the leading group padded out their advantage to more than two minutes.
On the first ascent of the legendary Col de la Croix, Louis emerged from the group to take again maximum points, which made him virtual winner of the ranking provided he would finish the stage. Not only did he accomplish this, Louis was among the last riders from the move to get caught by the yellow jersey with only a few kilometers to go. Several minutes after the stage concluded, Vervaeke arrived home and went to the podium to receive his well-deserved award.
My lead in the mountains classification wasn't huge going into the final stage, so I knew I couldn't just defend it.
“When the break went, I followed the move and tried to help build the gap. I felt good all day and made sure to take the points on the first two climbs, which was enough to secure the jersey. To win the climbers classification at a race like the Tour de Suisse means a lot. It's one of the biggest stage races on the calendar, so it’s a result I'm really proud of”, said Louis, the first Belgian rider in eleven years to win the Tour de Suisse KOM classification.
It ended up being a good day also for another Soudal Quick-Step rider, Ilan Van Wilder. The 26-year-old started the day in seventh, but a consistent and spirited ride on the grueling final stage - which took in four climbs and an elevation gain of 4400 meters - helped him jump to fifth overall for his seventh top ten in a World Tour stage race.
“It was a hard day, but we managed it really well. The team pulled for me and I could do a good effort on the climb to move up in the final ranking, which is a big confidence-boost after the last couple of months. I’m delighted to be at this level, back where I belong, and I’m happy with the week the team had here”, Ilan explained in Villars-sur-Ollon.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
