After a wild Stage 2 which saw Tadej Pogačar go for it and try and catch the break, Friday’s stage should be a little different. Then again, who knows anymore. Pogi could very well have taken it easy on Thursday, but then again since the Tour de Suisse is only five days, why should he? Sitting in the bunch all day is hardly great prep for the Tour, which explains his aggressive ride yesterday.
The breakaway finally held off the peloton on Stage 2. It was French rider Romain Grégoire who took the dub after Pogačar came within touching distance in the closing kilometres. For a while. It almost looked like the world champ may catch the escape. Not sure what would have happened if he did, there were some fast finishers in the group, but he does like a challenge.
The UAE Team Emirates rider also strengthened his grip on the yellow jersey, gaining even more time on his overall rivals.
Stage 3 Tour de Suisse preview
Friday’s route finally gives the puncheurs and tougher sprinters something to aim at after two demanding opening days. The loop around Bad Ragaz packs most of its climbing into the first half before easing into a much flatter run to the finish.
With roughly 70 km left after the final climb, teams have plenty of time to organize a chase if they decide the stage is worth controlling.
Arise, van der Poel?
Mathieu van der Poel has been pretty quiet through the opening two stages, but this could be the sort of parcours that wakes him up. The route is hard enough to distance some of the pure sprinters without creating the kind of finish that usually suits Tadej Pogačar. Van der Poel is also racing in Switzerland to prepare for the Tour de France, so it’ll be interesting to see where his form is at.
Urška Žigart medical update after horror crash
Should it come down to a reduced sprint, maybe some like Matthew Brennan could take it. But if nobody wants to do the chasing, the attackers could make everyone pay again.
And again, as far as yellow jersey Pogačar… he may try something again today. Hopefully he had a good night’s sleep. His partner and fellow pro Urška Žigart suffered a terrible crash on Thursday. Thankfully, despite hitting the deck at high speed, her injuries were limited to a broken jaw. Pogačar left the race as soon as he finished to be at her side.
What’s next at the Tour de Suisse
Saturday is a flat time trial, and Sunday finishes with three categorized climbs. Then it’s only a few weeks until the Tour de France begins. The summer is flying by!
You can tune into Friday’s stage on FloBikes.com at 9:20 a.m. EDT. Canadian Cycling Magazine will have reports on both the men’s and women’s races after.
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