The Belgian gave everything on a hard day of racing.
Yves Lampaert retained the overall lead at the Tour de Suisse after concluding in the peloton the second stage of the stage, which had a hectic final ten kilometers. Victorious on the opening day of the prestigious race, Yves carried a small gap on the others going into the bunch sprint in Regensdorf, but that proved to be more than enough for him to remain at the top of the general classification.
Animated by a five-man breakaway, the stage was controlled by the Soudal Quick-Step boys, who made sure of bringing the escapees back before the Regensberg, the 3.5km climb averaging 5.7% which the riders tackled in the closing kilometers. Attacks flew left and right, whittling down the bunch and leaving only 35 riders in the lead, including Yves, who showed a great fighting spirit on those gradients, digging deep to stay with the main group.
On the descent, more riders put pressure by going clear and opening a small gap, but they were all caught by the peloton and the stage came down to a fast and furious mass gallop, won by Bryan Coquard (Cofidis).
“Today was a tough day. It was very warm and the last climb was harder than expected, with the peloton going full gas. I suffered a bit there, but did my best to remain in the peloton. I want to thank my Soudal Quick-Step teammates for their hard work, they did a great job the entire stage. I’m glad I could keep the yellow jersey and that I get to wear it for another day”, said Yves after the stage.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
