As it happened: Juan Ayuso wins closing time trial at Tour de Suisse

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the final stage of the Tour de Suisse.

We're counting down to the start of the closing time trial here in St Gallen. Around 40 minutes until the first riders set off to start their rides.

Czech rider Pavel Bittner (Team DSM) will be the first man to set off today.

A reminder of the GC picture heading into today's stage. Remco Evenepoel is the hot favourite to win the stage but surely a 46-second gap to Skjelmose is too big for the Belgian to overcome?

Yesterday Evenepoel soloed home after an attack 17km from the line during a largely neutered stage which saw GC times taken 25km out.

Tour de Suisse: Remco Evenepoel wins a muted stage 7

Evenepoel paid tribute to Gino Mäder as he crossed the line to win the stage.

Remco Evenepoel – 'This was the best way to honour Gino'

A look back at the stage result yesterday. Evenepoel finished around 30 seconds up on the chase group though GC times had been taken 25km earlier when the peloton was all together ahead of the final climb.

Meanwhile, Bittner is about to set off to start today's stage!

A handful of riders out on course at the moment, all the names at the lower end of the GC standings.

Time checks after 10.7km and 20.2km on today's hilly course.

Bittner approaching the first checkpoint now.

Meanwhile Kaden Groves, Peter Sagan, and Søren Kragh Andersen are starting.

Elsewhere, the riders are heading into the final 5km at the Tour of Slovenia.

13:08 for Bittner at the first checkpoint, an average speed of 48.883kph.

Bittner's time has now been bested by several riders. Groupama-FDJ's Samuel Watson now quickest at the first checkpoint with a time of 12:11.

Over in Slovenia the final stage has finished. Read our short report here.

Watson is 36 seconds up on the next rider at the check. Maciej Bodnar is second at 12:47.

Bittner is closing in on the finish now.

Kragh Andersen with a new second-best time at the first check, meanwhile. He's at 19 seconds down on Watson.

Kragh Andersen quickest at the second check now, 24 seconds up on Watson!

And now Kasper Asgreen has passed the first checkpoint at 10 seconds up on Watson.

Peter Sagan crosses the line to complete his final Tour de Suisse. He's fifth at the finish, 2:26 down.

33:36 for Kragh Andersen at the finish and he's now in the hot seat.

Kragh Andersen 26 seconds up on Watson.

26:48 for Connor Swift at the second checkpoint. He's 20 seconds up on Kragh Andersen there.

Swift coming to the finish now.

It's going to be tight!

He lost time in the final stretch but still goes quicker than Kragh Andersen. 33:33 and he's three seconds up!

26:39 for Asgreen at the second checkpoint. That's the quickest time so far, nine seconds up on Swift.

European time trial champion Stefan Bissegger sets off.

Jeremy Cabot of TotalEnergies now takes over the hot seat from Swift. He edges him out with a time of 33:31.

And here comes Asgreen...

He smashes the time. 30 seconds quicker! The Dane sets a time of 33:01.

Bissegger comes to the first checkpoint with a time of 12:03, just under three seconds down on Asgreen.

The five quickest riders at the finish so far...

Kasper Asgreen 33:01
Jeremy Cabot 33:31
Connor Swift 33:33
Søren Kragh Andersen 33:36
Simone Velasco 33:41

Jakob Fuglsang, Matteo Sobrero and now Wout van Aert head out.

Bissegger and Van Aert the riders to watch currently.

Bissegger passes his first man on the road, Michael Gogl, though Gogl actually start two minutes ahead of the European champion.

Bissegger passes Quinten Hermans just before the second checkpoint.

A 26:28 for him there and he's quickest by 11 seconds.

12:09 for Van Aert at the first checkpoint, eight seconds down on Asgreen.

Mattia Cattaneo also sets a time of 12:09 at the first checkpoint.

And now Bissegger is coming to the finish.

It's the quickest time for the European champion. 32:48 puts him 13 seconds up on Asgreen.

Finn Fisher-Black is going quickly. He's second at the second checkpoint, just under six seconds down on Bissegger.

An update on the top times

Stefan Bissegger 32:48
Kasper Asgreen 33:01
Jeremy Cabot 33:31
Connor Swift 33:33
Søren Kragh Andersen 33:36
Simone Velasco 33:41

Tom Pidcock 31 seconds down at the first checkpoint.

And now Fisher-Black comes home.

He's lost time on the descent towards the finish. 33:07 at the line sees him in third.

Van Aert less than a second down on Bissegger at the second checkpoint. He's taken time back.

Mattia Cattaneo five seconds down at the second checkpoint.

Van Aert and Sobrero soon to finish...

33:05 for Sobrero to slot in third.

It looks like it'll be close between Van Aert and Bissegger!

It looks like Bissegger will hold on.

He's five seconds down at the line! 32:53.

The top riders so far...

Stefan Bissegger 32:48
Wout van Aert 32:53
Kasper Asgreen 33:01
Matteo Sobrero 33:05
Finn Fisher-Black 33:07
Jeremy Cabot 33:31
Connor Swift 33:33

Belgian time trial champion Remco Evenepoel is ready to go.

A reminder that he's 46 seconds down on race leader Mattias Skjelmose, 38 down on second-placed Felix Gall, and 28 down on third-placed Juan Ayuso.

He's off as his teammate Mattia Cattaneo comes to the line in a time of 33:04 to go fourth.

Now Juan Ayuso sets off.

Felix Gall is off and now Mattias Skjelmose is getting ready to go.

Not long until we get a sense of what Evenepoel is doing. He's closing in on the first check.

Tom Pidcock comes home in provisional 10th at 51 seconds down.

And a 33:11 for Neilson Powless puts him in seventh.

12 minutes dead for Evenepoel! He's a second up on Asgreen and three up on Bissegger at the first checkpoint.

Now Ayuso is closing in on the checkpoint...

12:05 for Ayuso. Just five seconds down on Evenepoel there.

Felix Gall is next up.

12:55 for Gall at the first checkpoint. He's well out of it and will certainly fall off the podium today.

Skjelmose is coming to the checkpoint and he's down on Evenepoel and Ayuso.

12:24 for Skjelmose. He's 24 down on Evenepoel, 19 down on Ayuso.

Ayuso is already in the virtual race lead!

Unless Skjelmose can recover on the climb of the mid-section then this looks like a battle between Ayuso and Evenepoel, though the Spaniard doesn't look like losing 28 seconds to the Belgian here...

Evenepoel flying towards the second checkpoint now.

Some of the GC also-rans at the second checkpoint – Uran at 26:58, Bardet at 27:12, Kelderman at 27:04.

Here comes Evenepoel...

Evenepoel goes 16 seconds quicker than Bissegger at the second checkpoint! 26:12 for him.

33:27 on the day for Uran.

Now Ayuso is coming to the checkpoint.

He's up on Evenepoel!

26:06 for Ayuso for the new quickest time at the second checkpoint!

Skjelmose passes Gall out on the course, meanwhile. Gall two minutes down on the race leader already today.

Romain Bardet finishes with a time of 33:46 in 25th place.

Evenepoel tackling the descent now.

Wilco Kelderman in at 33:27.

32 minutes and counting for Evenepoel as he heads for the line.

Evenepoel at 32:33 on the line, 15 seconds up on Bissegger.

26:16 for Skjelmose! He's 10 seconds down on Ayuso and back in the virtual lead.

Ayuso now closing in on the finish.

28:50 at the checkpoint for Gall. Almost three minutes down on Ayuso and Evenepoel...

Ayuso is going to take the stage.

32:25 for the Spaniard, just under eight seconds up on Evenepoel!

And now we wait for Skjelmose. He needs to finish within 18 seconds of Ayuso's time to hang on and win the overall title.

A tense wait for Ayuso as he recovers with his soigneurs.

The race leader tackling the final descent to the finish now.

A minute and counting to Ayuso's time.

32:43 or quicker is the goal.

Final kilometre for Skjelmose now.

500 metres to go!

Here we go...

32:34 for Skjelmose! He's won the Tour de Suisse!

Felix Gall is the last man to cross the line. He finished with a time of 35:51 and is well off the podium.

Skjelmose wins the time trial by nine seconds from Ayuso. Evenepoel is third overall at 45 seconds.

The final stage result...

Juan Ayuso at the finish.

Remco Evenepoel after his ride to second on the stage and third overall.

Skjelmose on the way to defending his yellow jersey and claiming the overall win.

The final GC.

Here's what Ayuso said after the stage...

"[My feelings are] a bit mixed. Of course, not because I won the stage, it's the second TT win this year so I'm happy that I keep improving in this type of racing style. The primary goal was to win the GC and I came second so it's a bit of a pity, but Mattias was super strong and we have to just congratulate him.

"Of course, I wanted to get the GC to Gino but also the stage he will be happy for me. Of course, this goes for him. Racing is a bit more on the side. You don't feel like celebrating. It's not what comes to you, but I think everybody here gave their best to Gino. Mattias is for sure thinking of him to give the GC for him and I'm happy to win to try and honour his memory."

A hug between Skjelmose and Ayuso after the finish.

And here's what Skjelmose said after winning the race.

"I thought it was possible. I always race to win and I think even if I had a disadvantage in the skinsuit I proved that my shape is good and that I'm ready for the Tour. I always believed in this," Skjelmose said after the stage before paying tribute to Gino Mäder.

"It's a lot of big emotions. It's a combination of a lot of sacrifice for me and of course Gino is dead, and I think everything combined just made me very emotional. It just needed to come out after the finish line.

"For me, the most important thing was that Gino's parents and family wanted the race to go on and for us to race as normal. That put my mind at rest."

The final podium of the 2023 Tour de Suisse.

Mattias Skjelmose wins Tour de Suisse

Juan Ayuso wins stage 8 time trial and moves up to second overall in Abtwil

That's all for our live coverage here at the 2023 Tour de Suisse. 

A final thought for Gino Mäder, who passed away this week after crashing on stage 5.

Obituary: Gino Mäder, a rider apart