Vacek takes confidence from matching Pogacar on final climb in Tour de Suisse

The Lidl-Trek rider was the only rider able to respond when Pogačar accelerated on the Via Consiglio Mezzano. Together, they crested the final climb and launched a committed pursuit of the remaining breakaway riders on the road to Locarno.

They came close, reducing the gap to around ten seconds inside the final kilometre, but the escapees held on. Romain Grégoire won the sprint from the reduced front group, while Pogačar and Vacek arrived four seconds later.

For Vacek, however, the result was secondary to the manner of his performance.

“I felt good again from the start,” he said afterwards to CyclingPro.net. “The parcours suited me even a little bit better than yesterday, so I really believed in myself. I am happy that I could follow today on the climb. It is not every day that you can do that.”

Once he had joined Pogačar, Vacek immediately committed to the chase. The pair worked together as they tried to close down Grégoire, Marcel Camprubí, Bart Lemmen and the other surviving members of the break.

“It was nice to be up there with him at the front and to collaborate,” Vacek said. “In the end it was close, maybe two seconds or something, but the break was really strong.”

Lidl-Trek had initially been represented in the escape by Bauke Mollema, but after the Dutchman lost contact, Vacek knew he had to take responsibility in the finale.

“I knew I had to do my best to get the best possible result for the team,” he said. “It was a fast stage and it was also hard to catch the break, especially with only UAE pulling. Anyway, it was a good day.”

Vacek’s performance followed another strong display on the opening stage, continuing a clear development in his climbing since the spring Classics. Before the start, he told CyclingPro.net a dedicated training block had given him greater confidence on steeper terrain.

“After the Classics season I put in some work,” he said. “I had time to prepare for this race and also towards the Tour de France. This is probably the best climbing shape I have ever had. I am definitely more confident on the climbs than ever before.”

Despite his position in the general classification, Vacek played down the possibility of turning his strong start into a serious overall challenge. He believes the longest climbs later in the race may still expose the limits of his current development.

“We are not really here to go for GC,” he said. “The last stage is super hard with the long climbs, and I think I am still missing a little bit on climbs like that. I want to ride the time trial full gas and see how I perform. From there, we will see.”

“Yesterday I showed that I could be up there with the best, and today I tried again,” he said. “It is not easy to compete against UAE and Tadej, but we will keep fighting.”