Tour de Suisse: Atapuma wins stage 5

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Darwin Atapuma (BMC) must have had a sinking sense of déjà vu when he looked over his shoulder 400 metres from the top of the climb to Carì and saw Warren Barguil (Giant-Alpecin) bearing down upon him, but the Colombian summoned up one final effort to hang tough and claim victory on stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse, while French youngster Pierre Latour (AG2R-La Mondiale) moved into the overall lead after placing an impressive third on the day.

Atapuma had been denied in similar circumstances on the Giro d’Italia’s Dolomite tappone to Corvara three weeks ago, when he was the lone survivor from the day’s early break but was overhauled in the finishing straight with the win within his grasp.

This time, however, Atapuma was not to be denied. The Colombian was part of the day’s early escape that formed ahead of the mighty Furka Pass and stayed clear on the following Gotthard, but he bided his time as the remnants of that move attacked one another on the lower slopes of the final haul to Carì.

Atapuma unleashed a crisp acceleration of his own with 6.5 kilometres remaining that only Natnael Berhane (Dimension Data) could follow, but he too was distanced when the Colombian kicked again and forged clear alone.

At that point, Atapuma was a minute clear of the reduced group of favourites, which was being led by Team Sky. His fellow escapee Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal), meanwhile, was his most persistent pursuer, but the Belgian never got closer than 20 seconds and faded closer the summit.

When the favourites for overall victory began to attack one another in the final three kilometres, however, Atapuma’s advantages dwindled accordingly. Barguil and Mathias Frank (IAM Cycling) were the first to break ranks, but Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) was the first to gain any real purchase on an acceleration, dancing clear with three kilometres to go.

That move provoked a determined response from three-time Tour de Suisse winner Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida), Geraint Thomas (Sky), Wilco Kelderman (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Tejay van Garderen (BMC), and they were soon joined by Latour, Barguil and Andrew Talanksy (Cannondale).

All the while, seconds were being shaved off Atapuma’s lead, and to that end, it was perhaps surprising that his teammate van Garderen saw fit to turn the screw in the chasing group with a shade over a kilometre remaining – though the American is here, of course, as BMC’s outright leader, targeting the grander prize of final overall victory.

Beneath the flamme rouge, with the gap at 17 seconds, Barguil bounded clear of the elite chasing group and set off in lone pursuit of a visibly flagging Atapuma. Officially, the Colombian had already passed the summit of the climb at that juncture, but the road continued to rise in the final kilometre and he continued to flail.

With 400 metres to go, Barguil could see that he was inching ever closer to Atapuma and seemed inspired by the fact. As Atapuma looked over his shoulder, he might well have felt despondent with his Giro experience in mind, but he rose from the saddle one final time to take the win, four second ahead of the Frenchman.

“It was a very hard stage but I tried in the finale and I’m very happy to win. I want to dedicate it to my mother, who died last year, and to my team for all their support,” Atapuma said. “It’s the biggest win of my career and I’m very happy to able to claim a victory in a big race like the Tour de Suisse.”

When overnight leader Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) was dropped before the final climb, Thomas or Kelderman looked to most likely inheritors of the yellow jersey, but the 22-year-old Latour – best young rider at the Tour de Romandie – gauged his effort well to bridging back up to them in the finale, before he unleashed a fine acceleration to fragment the group and claim third on the stage, 7 seconds down.

Van Garderen finished strongly to take 4th ahead of Kelderman, a further two seconds back, while Thomas and Talansky came home at 12 seconds. Rui Costa crossed the line with Astana pair Michele Scarponi Miguel Angel Lopez, 16 seconds down.

In the general classification, Kelderman lies second, in the same time as Latour, while Thomas moves is 5 seconds down in third. Barguil is fourth, at 16 seconds, with van Garderen a further two seconds back in fifth.

Early break

Though just 126 kilometres in length, the first mountain stage of the Tour de Suisse was a demanding one, featuring the mighty Furka Pass and Gotthard Pass before the 11-kilometre climb to the finish line at Carì.

The stage was animated by a sizeable early break that included a number of strong climbers including Atapuma, Wellens, Berhane, Winner Anacona (Movistar), Joe Dombrowski (Cannondale) and Laurens ten Dam (Giant-Alpecin), and it duly stayed clear over the day’s first two climbs.

Just seven of their number remained in front after the long descent off the Gotthard Pass – Atampuma, Anancona, Wellens, Berhane, Kanstantin Siutsou (Dimension Data), Hubert Dupont (AG2R La Mondiale) and Jan Polanc (Lampre-Merdia), and they began the final climb with a lead of 1:07 over a reduced peloton, led by Team Sky.

Once on the climb, Berhane, Wellens and Anacona all exchanged early accelerations, quickly shedding Polanc, Dupont and Siutsou, but it was Atapuma who ultimately launched the telling attack, punching his way clear 6.5 kilometres from the line. It was a closer-run thing than he would have liked, but it was to be the day’s decisive move.

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