A regained strength Maximilian Schachmann sprinted to second place at the start of the Tour de Suisse.
The German road cycling champion only had to give way to British rider Stephen Williams in the final of a 15-strong group after 177.6 kilometers around Küsnacht. The Dane Andreas Kron took third place.
Even if it didn’t work out with the first win of the season, Schachmann presented himself in good form three weeks before the start of the Tour de France. Already on Friday, the Berliner, who was severely thrown back due to illness in the spring, took second place at the Aargau GP.
“The day was very hard. I looked into a few faces, everyone suffered. There was a selection on the last mountain. Everyone gave it their all. Nobody had the legs to start alone. It was a little poker game,” said Schachmann.
The Tour of Switzerland continues on Monday with the second stage over 198 kilometers from Küsnacht to Aesch. The overall winner will be determined next Sunday after the individual time trial in Vaduz.