British cyclist Adam Yates maintained his lead in the Tour de Suisse after securing second place in a shortened stage six, trailing behind Portugal’s Joao Almeida.
Initially planned as a 151.1km route from Locarno, the stage was reduced to a 42.5km race due to impassable snowpack on Nufenen Pass and the alternate Furka Pass. Despite the shortened distance, the competition remained intense.
Yates’ lead was trimmed from 35 seconds to 27 seconds by his UAE Team Emirates team-mate Almeida. Fellow Britons Tom Pidcock and Oscar Onley are positioned seventh and eighth respectively in the general classification standings.
The stage concluded with a challenging 7km climb. Yates launched an attack with 3km remaining, but Almeida caught up in the final kilometre to win the stage, with Denmark’s Mattias Skjelmose finishing third.
“I think we were both really strong,” Almeida remarked. “He [Yates] attacked quite far from the finish and I was just on the wheel of Skjelmose, so it was perfect for me. In the end, I could catch him without bringing the other riders back. Of course, I want to win all the time, but I would also respect my team-mates as well so I’m happy for him also.”
The penultimate stage on Saturday presents a tough 118.1km circuit featuring three significant climbs. Both Yates and Almeida will soon focus on the Tour de France, where they will support UAE team-mate Tadej Pogacar starting on 29 June.
Stage Six Result:
- Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates) 55 mins 13 secs
- Adam Yates (GB/UAE Team Emirates) +4 secs
- Mattias Skjelmose (Den/Lidl-Trek) +9 secs
- Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos Grenadiers) +15 secs
- Lenny Martinez (Fra/Groupama–FDJ) +35 secs
- Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +40 secs
- Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +47 secs
- Matthew Riccitello (US/Israel-Premier Tech) +47 secs
- Pelayo Sanchez (Spa/Movistar) +54 secs
- Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale) +54 secs
General Classification:
- Adam Yates (GB/UAE Team Emirates) 16 hrs 39 mins 46 secs
- Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates) +27 secs
- Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos Grenadiers) +1 min 28 secs
- Mattias Skjelmose (Den/Lidl-Trek) +2 min 24 secs
- Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +2 min 38 secs
- Matthew Riccitello (US/Israel-Premier Tech) +2 mins 42 secs
- Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +3 mins 28 secs
- Oscar Onley (GB/Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +3 mins 37 secs
- Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale) +4 mins 1 sec
- Pelayo Sanchez (Spa/Movistar) +4 mins 28 secs
