Gregoire wins Tour de Suisse stage 2 as break holds off late Pogacar charge

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United) won stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse in Locarno, winning a sprint from the remnants of the break as Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) bore down upon them with a desperate last effort.

Grégoire beat Marcel Camprubí (Pinarello Q36.5) and Bart Lemmen (Visma) to the line, while Pogačar ultimately had to settle for eighth at four seconds, after sitting up once he realised the break was just out of reach.

Pogačar retains the yellow jersey, now with a lead of 2:50 over Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)

Grégoire was part of the early break of 14 riders that broke up over the two climbs in the finale. He was one of five riders with a 30-second advantage over the top of the final ascent of Via Consiglio Mezzano with 8km to go, which ordinarily would have sufficed to stay clear.

But there is nothing ordinary about a bike race with Pogačar, and the world champion launched himself onto the offensive on the climb, bringing a game Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) with him.

They caught Alfonso Eulalio (Bahrain Victorious), dropped from the break, over the other side, and they set off in fierce pursuit of Grégoire, Camprubí, Lemmen, Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step) and Finlay Pickering (Jayco-Alula).

Pogačar and Vacek fell just short, with Grégoire’s decision to launch his sprint early possibly the key factor. 

After Pogačar’s exhibition on the opening day, the peloton was braced for more from UAE Team Emirates-XRG on stage 2, but there was no shortage of early attackers hoping that the break would be granted some clemency by the world champion here.

The early climb of Monte Ceneri saw plenty of accelerations, but a move didn’t gain any traction until the race was over the side, when Emiel Verstrynge (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious), Ewen Costiou, Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United), Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek), Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step), Finlay Pickering (Jayco-AlUla), Chris Hamilton (Picnic-PostNL), Bart Lemmen (Visma Lease a Bike), Marco Schrettl (XDS-Astana), Milan Vader, Marcel Camprubí, Fred Wright (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) forged clear.

On the long valley road towards Locarno that followed, the 14 leaders stretched their lead out to 2:45 but UAE began winding up the pace behind in the final 50km, with Belgian champion Tim Wellens prominent on Pogačar’s behalf, while EF Education-EasyPost also contributed with the aim of protecting Richard Carapaz’s second place overall.

The gap was down to 1:45 by the foot of the climb to Fanghi with 17km to go. Out in front Pickering raised the tempo with a view to riding his way up the overall standings, but Brandon McNulty was setting a brisk pace on behalf of Pogačar in a rapidly shrinking peloton.

The break splintered near the top of the climb when Eulalio sprang onto the offensive, with Verstrynge and Zana responding, but the McNulty-led yellow jersey group was moving inexorably closer to the leaders, with the gap dipping inside a minute with 12km to go.

Pogačar took up the reins over the top of the climb, seemingly on behalf of Jhonatan Narváez, and his effort saw the 30-strong group pick up some of the remnants of the break, including Alaphilippe as they sped towards the final climb of the day, the Via Consiglio Mezzano.

Lemmen, Pickering, Gregoire, Zana, Vader, Verstrynge and Eulalio held a 30-second lead into the foot of the climb, where UAE were again to the fore. 

Pogačar was initially content to let Narváez go on the offensive, but when the Ecuadorian’s effort petered out, the world champion launched an acceleration of his own. Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) came with him, and they crested the summit with 8km to go still with 30 seconds to recoup on the leaders.  

Pogačar and Vacek were fully committed, catching Eulalio along the way, and they closed to within 10 seconds beneath the flamme rouge but were too late to catch the chase.