The Belgian was on the attack in the first part of the day.
Louis Vervaeke will enter the penultimate stage of the month’s last World Tour race as leader of the KOM classification, after he won the first climb of Friday, Wildhaus. The points he scored at the top from the first breakaway of the day elevated him to the top of the climbers’ competition, which will be decided on Sunday, when a total of four classified ascents will be on the menu.
In the valley, Louis and his companions were caught, which opened the door to another group to ride away. This time, Soudal Quick-Step had Max Schachmann there, but also the former German Champion was reeled in by a peloton keen on having a bunch sprint in Bad Ragaz. Unfortunately for the fast men, two riders managed to stay clear and fight for victory, which went to Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates).
In the overall standings, Ilan Van Wilder is seventh and will have a chance to cement his position after the 23.7km individual time trial, one of the most important stages of this Tour de Suisse.
“I knew there was a chance to score points on the first climb, as it came early in the stage, so I went with that group. The peloton wasn’t far behind, but we had just enough for me to make it first over the top. It’s nice to have this jersey and wear it for the next two stages. I will see what I can do on Sunday, when there’s a lot of climbing on the menu”, Louis said at the finish.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
