Tour de Suisse 2024: Yates cements lead with uphill triumph

foto: Cor VosAdam Yates finishes off UAE Emirates' powerplay with a victory in the mountain village of Carì. His teammate João Almeida comes home in second place, while Egan Bernal emerges as the best of the rest. These finishing positions correspond to their places in the general classification. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 5th stage 2024 Tour de Suisse

1. Adam Yates (gbr)
2. João Almeida (por) + 0.05
3. Egan Bernal (col) + 0.16
4. Matthew Riccitello (usa) + 0.18
5. Enric Mas (spa) + 0.22
6. Oscar Onley (gbr) + 0.54
7. Tom Pidcock (gbr) s.t.
8. Sergio Higuita (col) + 1.03
9. Felix Gall (aut) + 1.13
10. Cian Uijtdebroeks (bel) + 1.20

13. Mattias Skjelmose (den) + 1.41
15. Wilco Kelderman (nld) + 1.45

GC after stage 5
1. Adam Yates (gbr)
2. João Almeida (por) + 0.35
3. Egan Bernal (col) + 1.11
4. Enric Mas (spa) + 1.49
5. Matthew Riccitello (usa) + 1.53
6. Mattias Skjelmose (den) + 2.17
7. Oscar Onley (gbr) + 2.21
8. Tom Pidcock (gbr) + 2.46
9. Cian Uijtdebroeks (bel) + 3.01
10. Sergio Higuita (col) + 3.05

Race report
The route climbs from the start. Axel Laurance, Simon Gugliemi, Alexey Lutsenko, Simone Velasco, Ben Zwiehoff, Johan Price Pejtersen, Lawson Craddock, and Damien Howson join forces and quickly establish a lead of 1 minute. However, as other riders realise they also want to join, the gap starts to shrink. Gugliemi, Price Pejtersen, and Craddock are dropped, while Nans Peters and Louis Vervaeke take their places on the second climb of the day.

The dust has not settled yet, and the peloton keeps chasing until Lutsenko is the only remaining leader. The Kazakh is caught just after the summit by a group of around 20 riders.

Lutsenko is determined, though, and he goes again, this time with Einer Rubio, Stephen Williams, and – once again – Nans Peters. Johannes Staune-Mittet rejoins them on the valley floor, and the five open up a lead of 2 minutes.

Rubio is the last attacker to be reeled in early on the finishing climb.

As João Almeida ups the pace in the final 6 kilometres, Mattias Skjelmose, Wilco Kelderman, and Cian Uijtdebroeks are the first riders to get dropped. Tom Pidcock, Oscar Onley, and Felix Gall follow suit. And Almeida keeps pushing…

Five riders remain at the front in the last 2 kilometres: yellow jersey Adam Yates, Egan Bernal, Enric Mas, Matthew Riccitello, and Almeida himself.

When Yates takes over at 1.7 kilometres to go, Mas and Bernal are still hanging on his wheel. The Colombian is the first to drop off, but when Yates accelerates again in the final 900 metres, Mas also cracks. And he cracks harder, as it turns out.

Yates secures the win, although his teammate Almeida comes close. The Portuguese rider overtakes Mas and Bernal to finish second, 5 seconds behind Yates.

Yates now leads the general classification by 35 seconds over Almeida, with Bernal trailing in third place, twice as far back.

Another interesting read: route 5th stage 2024 Tour de Suisse.