Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) moved into second place overall after a late charge on stage 6 of the Tour de Suisse, despite without gaining any time. The Welshman finished ninth after being pursued by Bora-Sergio Hansgrohe’s Higuita and Israel-Premier Tech’s Jakob Fuglsang (who was leading the race).
After a “tough” winter and a mediocre first half of the season, Thomas is currently just one second behind Fuglsang in the GC, and it looks like Suisse could be a turning moment in his year. Because of all of the off-course issues the Tour de Suisse peloton has faced, it is safe to assume that the 2018 Tour de France winner is thinking about the race in July, despite his failure to mention it in a post-stage interview this week.
This Year’s Opening Stage.
“I think everyone was a little more careful,” Thomas said after the week they’d experienced because of the altitude and heat. As a team, “everyone is a few men short, but Dani Martnez did an excellent job.” This year’s opening stage of the Tour de France will begin in Denmark. This year’s Tour de France route spans from northern France all the way down to the southern tip of France. The 2022 race will start in Copenhagen on July 1 and travel the entire length of France.
A strong headwind made it more difficult for Thomas to get a space on Martnez after the latter had worked hard on the penultimate hill. The only thing I could do was a sprint at the end – but isn’t that just wonderful training? Thomas uttered these words with his trademark deadpan wit. It was great to be back, he said, according to reporters. “Everyone has had their ups and downs, but it’s wonderful to be back in the thick of things, whether it’s leading out or battling for the overall GC. Keep your body on its toes by keeping it guessing!”
Saturday’s Second Mountain Stage.
Thomas leads Ineos Grenadiers after Martnez had already lost time and Adam Yates had to withdraw with COVID-19. While Saturday’s second mountain stage has a more tough finish climb, the 12.8-kilometer Malbun, it is impossible to foresee what will happen. According to him, the last time trial on Sunday, a 25-kilometer test, would be a different scenario. “There could be a little gap or splits tomorrow. Regardless of how you look at it, there will be two significant days.”
Cyclist Magazine reports that at least one team official has asked the race organizers to reinstate COVID-19 protocols, such as a tight bubble. More than 30 million instances of COVID-19 have been documented in France, the European country with the most cases. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, transmission rates across Europe have increased this month, while mortality rates have continued to decline.
Tour De Suisse 2022 Stage 6 Results.
| 1 | DENZ Nico | Team DSM | 5:11:14 |
| 2 | CHAMPOUSSIN Clément | AG2R Citroën Team | 0:00 |
| 3 | HERRADA José | Cofidis | 0:00 |
| 4 | SIMMONS Quinn | Trek – Segafredo | 0:00 |
| 5 | MASNADA Fausto | Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team | 0:11 |
| 6 | PACHER Quentin | Groupama – FDJ | 1:33 |
| 7 | THALMANN Roland | Switzerland | 1:46 |
| 8 | THOMAS Geraint | INEOS Grenadiers | 2:14 |
| 9 | HIGUITA Sergio | BORA – hansgrohe | 2:14 |
| 10 | FUGLSANG Jakob | Israel – Premier Tech | 2:14 |
Tour De Suisse 2022 Standings.
| 1 | FUGLSANG Jakob | Israel – Premier Tech | 27:30:30 |
| 2 | THOMAS Geraint | INEOS Grenadiers | 0:01 |
| 3 | HIGUITA Sergio | BORA – hansgrohe | 0:10 |
| 4 | POWLESS Neilson | EF Education-EasyPost | 0:26 |
| 5 | GROßSCHARTNER Felix | BORA – hansgrohe | 0:34 |
| 6 | LEKNESSUND Andreas | Team DSM | 0:46 |
| 7 | KÜNG Stefan | Groupama – FDJ | 0:49 |
| 8 | KRON Andreas | Lotto Soudal | 1:00 |
| 9 | POZZOVIVO Domenico | Intermarché – Wanty – Gobert Matériaux | 1:07 |
| 10 | REICHENBACH Sébastien | Groupama – FDJ | 1:29 |
