First real key stage for the GC, as we have a very challenging hilly stage today: the 193km parcours from Neuchatel to Chateau d'Oex features several tough climbs and an uphill finish, where the better climbers amongst the puncheurs will surely fancy their chances to shine.
Top GC favorite Sicard definitely with a crucial day, as guys like Kwiatkowski, Roche or Zardini can be dangerous on such a hilly stage with a mountainous touch. For some other GC contenders like Henao Montoya, Marquez/Nazaret or Duarte, this may be a tricky challenge, as they need to limit the losses on the better puncheurs here.
Speaking of puncheurs, there's guys like Juul-Jensen or Bratashcuk, who hope to deliver in particularly this stage, even though they should fear the mountainous note of the route.
Five riders attacked early into the stage and they got company from two more riders, including the KoM leader, on the descent from the first big Cat1 climb. The break of the day:
Solis Manulang Rosa Prado (GC's 76th, + 1.17, KoM 8pts) van der Poel (GC's 93th, + 1.39) Thill (GC's 84th, + 1.25 and KoM leader with 22pts) Maillet
Rosa took the Cat1 climb ahead of Maillet, while Thill was one of those two jumping behind the early break to collect two more points towards his points account.
Maillet would then take the Cat4 and the Cat2 climb, as the breakaway group would already went into pieces at this point, where we have 43km remaining.
Thill did just enough to hold on to his KoM lead so far, but he got dropped with only Maillet/Manulang left in the leading group:
KoM: Thill 28, Maillet 27, Rosa 25
Just at the top of this Cat2 climb, we see the first big name trying to break clear from the peloton, that has been reduced to only 27 riders in the meantime! This group is about 3 minutes behind Maillet/Manulang with 42km left:
Talansky with his move and he's opening a gap on the main group!
At the bottom of the descent, the US boy is brought back by the group of GC favorites, that is now 28 riders strong and just one minute behind the leading duo (and Rosa as the only other early escapee left in between them)!
We notice some first notable names not making this major split:
Schelling Pantano Gómez
as the biggest name being dropped by the main group! Schelling with some support from his team, but over a minute in arrears, being in the same small group with Pantano Gómez. Still 32km to go, so those two will surely face a hard time to limit the losses here!
Even more, since the pace in this group is pretty fast now. The last three breakaway riders Maillet, Manulang and Rosa have been swallowed by the main group of favorites and with now 22km to go, we see the group getting smaller and three big guns breaking clear to take the lead in the race:
Sicard Kwiatkowski Roche
with a 22" advantage, as they cross the penultimate mountain sprint!
Just 10 riders left in the group behind them, as we see some more notable names being dropped:
Henao Montoya Marquez Nazaret Duarte Kolesnikov
couldn't follow the pace!
The 10-men chasing group is led by Potocki and they are just 14" behind group Sicard with now 18km remaining:
Potocki Brajkovic Roglic Van den Broeck Barguil Chiarello Cunego Sanchez Gil Talansky Kebede
A group with Duarte/Kolesnikov now a further minute behind the first chasing group, Henao Montoya/Marquez in real danger to give up on GC hopes with another minute disadvantage!
So obviously, Schelling way further behind, but still fighting to limit the losses somehow..
Henao Montoya and Marquez on their mission to survive the stage, now more than two minutes behind the leading trio with still 18km to go.
A group with Nazaret is another one and half minute in arrears, with also Zardini and Elissonde as some notable names being dropped earlier!
No more attacks until the penultimate climb, where Roche leads Kwiatkowski and Sicard into the final 7km of the stage.
The trio now with a minute on the chasing group, where we still have the same 10 riders fighting to hang on..
On the last descent, we see some action in the chasing group. Three riders attacked and try to bridge across the leading trio - or at least gain some valuable time on the other GC contenders:
Brajkovic Van den Broeck Roglic
with a promising move, as they quickly established a 38" gap on the group with Sanchez Gil, Talansky and Barguil!
They are still a minute behind group Sicard though and we now have just 4.5km to go. The finish climb ahead now.
Still a similar race situation behind those two new leading groups: group Talansky more than a minute ahead of a next chasing group with Duarte as the biggest name. Nazaret/Henao still struggling to close up to this group, with all the other before mentioned GC contenders even further behind.
And the stage win will definitely go to one of those three in leading group, as they still hold on to 1'12" gap with now just a kilometre remaining. No one tried to pull away in the meantime and the trio is now shadowing each other for the decisive sprint moves:
Kwiatkowski at the front, with Roche and Sicard yet sitting behind him..
..and here they go for the sprint to the line!
Kwiatkowski probably had the worst position and it's Roche, who goes past him with an impressive kick! Sicard now also trying to follow Roche..
..but Roche was too strong! He takes the stage, that he definitely was aiming for. Following the crucial attack earlier on, the premium puncheur amongst the GC contenders delivered big time today. Well done.
+ 7" for Kwiatkowski, who was stronger than Sicard at the end. A key result for another climber, who had to take an advantage from this stage today.
+ 18" for Sicard, who might just have done enough to claim the race lead (as he had a minute advantage on Roche prior to the stage and twenty seconds on Kwiatkowski). So also Sicard delivered a strong result here.
+ 1'38" for Brajkovic, Roglic and Van den Broeck
The first chasing trio finishes clearly ahead of the next group, which should be crucial for the GC battle. Definitely a strong result for former race-winner Brajkovic and Van den Broeck in particular!
+ 3'02" for the group with U25 leader Potocki, who finishes ahead of Barguil, Talansky and Cunego
A strong result also for Kebede, who finishes in the same time!
Some notable losses for Duarte (4.41), Nazaret (5.50) and Marquez (6.43) or Henao Montoya (6.03). Those climbers obviously suffered on the mainly hilly parcours. The same goes for local favorite Schelling (6.43), who got dropped earlier in the stage, but at least recovered to finish 31st on the stage eventually. No surprise to see race leader Beukeboom losing yellow, so that ain't a big deal today.
And it's indeed Sicard, who slips into yellow! Just 2 seconds ahead of Kwiatkowski and 19 seconds on Roche in the GC now. Brajkovic and Van den Broeck earned themselves good positions as 4th and 5th, with a notable gap on Potocki and Roglic, who's 7th at this point. The premium climbers (namely Duarte, Henao Montoya and Nazaret/Marquez) will have to make up some ground now. It's still possible to bounce back for at least a decent GC finish though.
Thill succesfully defended his KoM lead thanks to Maillet being caught right in time before the crucial mountain sprint. And also Matthews retains the points jersey for another day.
