It was a tough start for the riders at the Tour de Suisse Women, as the four-day stage race got underway with a short mountain stage in the Swiss Alps. It was a familiar sight on the final climb to Villars-sur-Ollon, as we once again saw Demi Vollering and her SD Worx-Protime team dominate the race with an emphatic victory on the opening stage.
After her team finished their final pull in the closing kilometres of the climb , the Dutch rider was hesitant to instantly go on the attack and it was Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek) who forced the issue with a move of her own. Vollering followed the Italian rider and they worked together to close the gap to Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM), who was the lone breakaway rider at the head of the race.
