Tour de Suisse 2015: Sagan powers to uphill win in stage 3

Stage 3 is short and sharp. Starting with the climb up the partly cobbled Gotthard pass, the finale offers two climbs and a top-finish. Peter Sagan powers to the win with Dani Moreno second. Tom Dumoulin retains the overall lead. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results stage 3 Tour de Suisse

1. Peter Sagan (svk)
2. Daniel Moreno (spa) s.t.
3. Thibaut Pino (fra) s.t.
4. Julian Arredondo (col) s.t.
5. Tom Dumoulin (nld) s.t.
6. Geraint Thomas (gbr) s.t.
7. Jakob Fuglsang (den) s.t.
8. Esteban Chaves (cOl) s.t.
9. Sergio Henao (col) s.t.
10. José Joaquin Rojas (spa) s.t.

GC after stage 3
1. Tom Dumoulin (nld)
2. Daniel Moreno (spa) + 0.05
3. Peter Sagan (svk) s.t.
4. Geraint Thomas (gbr) + 0.07
5. Thibaut Pinot (fra) + 0.12
6. Jakob Fuglsang (den) + 0.14
7. Steve Morabito (swi) + 0.15
8. Kristijan Durasek (cro) + 0.18
9. Bob Jungels (lux) + 0.19
10. Simon Spilak (slo) s.t.

Race report
On the lower slopes of the Gotthard, Stefan Denifl and Marco Marcato get off the front of the pack and Branislau Samoilau opens the chase on his own. Denifl is the first to crest and in the downhill Samoilau joins the two leaders.

The trio races to a maximum gain of over 6 minutes and with 35 km’s left Tinkoff-Saxo opens the chase.

At the penultimate col only Denifl and Samoilau are left upfront with a tiny advantage, that’s gone when Alasini attacks with Bakelants at the last climb. With 6 km’s left the decimated pack in bunched again. Sagan and Matthews are still aboard.

Attacks are all over the place but with Majka setting the pace for Sagan they are all brought back. It’s only when Chaves attacks in the last kilometre the Terminator is forced to respond. He does so in the wheel of Dani Moreno, but in the final few hundred meters he thunders home to take a victory in the one and only Sagan-style.

Thanks to bonfication-seconds both Moreno and Sagan are now 5 seconds down on Dumoulin. Could be interesting tomorrow on a similar arrival…