Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën Team) has won stage 4 of the Tour de Suisse in Leukerbad and narrowly moved into the overall race lead.
The Austrian went long, attacking on the steepest gradients of the long, decisive climb to Höhenweg with 22 kilometres to go. He shot past the remaining breakaways and soloed to victory.
There was a lack of impetus in the chasing group of favourites on this 152.5km stage. While the pace chopped and changed with accelerations and lulls, Gall comfortably held off the disjointed pursuit.
A WorldTour rider since 2020, it is Gall’s first victory as a pro. The 25-year-old already showcased his climbing ability on stage 3, finishing second to Mattias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo).
Finishing 1:02 down, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) won the sprint for second place from ahead of race leader Skjelmose. Thanks to ten bonus seconds gained, Gall leapfrogged the Dane into the lead by two seconds, with Evenepoel in third.
“I’m a little bit overwhelmed with the situation, I still cannot really believe it,” Gall said after the finish. “I think I’m in the shape of my life.
“Yesterday, I felt super good. This morning, we said if I feel the same today on the last climb, I have to give it a try. I didn’t really think it would be possible because it was still a long way to the finish line … if I have the best legs in my life, I’m not going to wait in the bunch and look at the others.”
Third overall at the start of the day, Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) lost over a minute to his fellow contenders and fell to sixth place overall.
How it unfolded
There was a fierce fight for the break around the opening circuit in Monthey and the valley roads of Valais. After a red-hot opening hour ridden at 53km/h average speed, ten riders got away: Nikias Arndt (Team Bahrain-Victorious), Lilian Calmejane (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Stan Dewulf (AG2R Citroën Team), Pascal Eenkhoorn (Lotto Dstny), Daryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech), Lluís Mas (Movistar), Luca Mozzato (Team Arkéa Samsic), Jhonathan Narváez (Ineos Grenadiers), Kristian Sbaragli (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM).
Crans-Montana, the scene of Einer Rubio’s recent Giro d’Italia stage victory, put an end to the opening 80 kilometres of flat progress. Bahrain-Victorious rider Gino Mäder bridged the gap, joining the leaders halfway up the climb.
Dutch champion Eenkhoorn got the jump for points at the top of the first-category ascent. Calmejane, part of the escape yesterday, took second to move into the Mountains competition lead. It was the same one-two result on the third-category climb of Varenstrasse, 35km from the finish.
As the break’s lead headed north of two and a half minutes, Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates rider Jay Vine helped Trek-Segafredo with the tempo.
The climb to Dorben moved up in three steps; the first eight kilometres, averaging 7.8%, would prove the hardest and most decisive.
Lilian Calmejane attacked as the breakaway group disintegrated. Behind, AG2R-Citroën Team tried to get the jump on rivals. Mikaël Cherel accelerated with in-form leader Felix Gall in his wheel. Third-placed overall Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) started to lose ground.
Gall was on a special day, catching the four remaining escapees in a matter of kilometres. Only Narváez could briefly hold his wheel as his lead headed toward the minute mark.
That was due to a combination of Gall’s impressive climbing and a lack of cohesion behind. Race leader Skjelmose sat back and let Wilco Kelderman (Jumbo-Visma) and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious) keep the pace high, followed by Romain Bardet (Team DSM), Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto Dstny), Skejlmose and Bora-Hansgrohe duo Cian Uijtdebroeks and Max Schachmann. Remco Evenepoel struggled to stay on terms a couple of times.
As the speed and impetus dithered, Bardet shot out of the group at speed but was pegged back. As Bilbao pushed the pace, Evenepoel was distanced again and chased hard on the short descent to catch them.
The road rose again for a shorter second section of the climb. Showing his attacking spirit, Bardet hit the gas again and moved clear. With six kilometres to go, Kelderman joined him up the road.
Gall was in no danger of being caught, briefly extending his lead to 1-30. Behind, with Skjelmose unwilling to set the pace, it was a free-for-all, with accelerations from Schachmann, Bilbao and Astana Qazaqstan rider Harold Tejada.
World champion Evenepoel had refound his rhythm and set the pace to bring back Bardet, Kelderman and Bilbao over the top of the first-category climb at Höhenweg, four kilometres from the finish. The day belonged to Gall, who rode to solo glory.
Just over a minute behind, Evenepoel finished best of the rest, sprinting away powerfully at the 200-metre mark to finish a second ahead of Skjelmose. The superior bonus seconds for the winner meant the leader’s jersey moves onto Gall’s shoulders – apparently satisfying Skjelmose’s desires.
“I hoped he would take the leader’s jersey, with me losing a minimum amount and not being in it. And that was what happened, so the day was successful,” Skjelmose said afterwards.
Tomorrow sees the race’s queen stage, 211 kilometres between Fiesch and La Punt. There are over 4,000 metres of elevation gain, with the Furkapass and Oberalppass tackled inside the day’s opening third. The long, high-altitude Albulapass, topped 10km from the finish, will be pivotal.
“Albula tomorrow is much more important and can make a lot bigger difference than today. We wanted to lose the jersey to a guy I believe I can beat in the TT,” Skjelmose said. “Let’s see: Felix looks strong, but I still believe I have a better time trial.” In the race-opening 12km TT, the Dane was a minute faster than Gall.
Skjelmose is keeping a beady eye on Remco Evenepoel, who he regards as his main rival: “Remco is still up there, and even though he may be dropped sometimes, I know he’s a smart rider and also did some strong pulls today.”
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