Clearly, the UAE Team Emirates showed itself to be uncompromising throughout the 87th edition of the Tour de Suisse. This Saturday, during the summit finish in Villars-sur-Ollon, Adam Yates and Joao Almeida once again showed themselves to be the strongest. If Felix Gall (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale) was the first to go on the offensive on the final climb, the Austrian saw the untenable Yates and Almeida pounce on him, who took off towards a new two-man number less than two terminals from the finish.
Finally, the Briton and the Portuguese, already winners of a stage each, crossed the line hand in hand. Symbolically, the stage victory went to Yates, more leader than ever with one day remaining, followed in the classification by his comrade Almeida.
However, before knowing the epilogue of this day and for this last stage in line judged at the summit, the Ineos Grenadiers team had visibly decided to take matters into their own hands during the second climb of the Col de la Croix. A maneuver which was undoubtedly intended to try to cast doubt on the untouchable UAE Team Emirates formation and suggest that Egan Bernal, third overall, was still capable of making Yates and Almeida tremble. A blow for nothing.
Lenny Martinez withdrawn
Because after having skimmed the peloton and caught up with the first escapees of the day, everything still remained to be done with more than fifty kilometers to go. It was almost forgetting that the Norwegian Johannes Staune-Mittet (Visma-Lease a Bike), who set off 57 miles from Villars-sur-Ollon and was the only survivor of the day’s breakaway, was prancing alone in the lead without worrying about tactics big names. After bravely trying his luck, his generous attempt ended 4 kilometers from the finish, leaving room as expected for a final explanation between the favorites.
For Lenny Martinez, nothing really happened as he hoped in the Swiss event. Coming to try to play the leading roles after having won five times since the start of the season, the young climber from the Groupama-FDJ team marked time throughout the week with the exception of the 6th stage (5th). This Saturday, with broken legs, Martinez even let go of the group of favorites in the ascent of the Col de la Croix 67 kilometers from the finish.
Finally, if everything seems to be decided, we will nevertheless have to wait for the final individual time trial on a bump drawn between Aigle and Villars-sur-Ollon (15.7 km) to officially know the winner of the 87th edition of the Tour de Suisse.
