Cycling star Tadej Pogacar mercilessly dominated the first day of his dress rehearsal for the Tour de France and sent a clear signal to the competition with one of his inimitable solo victories. In the women’s race, Femke de Vries won the opener in Sondrio.
Pogacar won the opening stage of the Tour de Suisse with a huge lead two and a half weeks before the start of the Tour of France and was in top form after a month and a half break from racing.
After 144 kilometers with start and finish in Sondrio, the Slovenian world champion (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was 2:14 minutes ahead of the second-placed Tokyo Olympic champion Richard Carapaz (Ecuador/EF Education-EasyPost). The Italian Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek) in third place was 2:29 behind, the nearest pursuers crossed the finish line more than four minutes apart.
In his ninth victory in the twelfth race of the season, Pogacar, who is taking part in the traditional tour in Switzerland for the first time, approached the first, more demanding mountain of the tour around 70 km from the finish and literally left his pursuers standing. The exceptional driver quickly pushed his lead over the two-minute barrier and drove towards an unchallenged success.
Pogacar before record victory at the Tour
After his victory in the Tour de Romandie at the beginning of May, Pogacar took a break from racing at the end of an outstanding spring season in order to prepare specifically for the Tour. At the Grand Loop, which starts on July 4th in Barcelona, the 27-year-old can catch up with the record winners with his fifth victory.
None of his biggest rivals like Jonas Vingegaard or Florian Lipowitz, who starts in Slovenia, are at the start of the Tour de Suisse, but the five-day tour is the best-attended of the traditional preparation races for the Tour de France. The second stage of the Tour de Suisse with start and finish in Locarno on Thursday covers 157.7 km in classic style with lots of hills – once again Pogacar terrain.
Femke de Vries celebrates her stage victory.
First professional victory for de Vries
In the women’s race, Femke de Vries took the opening win. The 32-year-old Dutchwoman from the Visma – Lease a Bike team prevailed in the sprint duel ahead of the British Lauren Dickson (FDJ United – Suez) on the 109-kilometer opening stage around Sondrio. De Vries celebrated the first professional victory of her career.
The two leaders had broken away about 30 kilometers from the finish. The Frenchwoman Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education – Oatly / +0:29), who broke away from her pursuers in the last few meters, came third.