Home > News

Carapaz clings to Tour de Suisse lead after Uran bosses time trial

Woods keeps sixth place with one stage to race

June 12, 2021
Share on SMS

Rigoberto Uran bossed Saturday’s Tour de Suisse time trial to pull himself into second place, only 17 seconds behind Richard Carapaz. Carapaz’s closest rivals were slower than the Colombian and Ecuadorian, losing their podium spots. Michael Woods kept his sixth place and nobody dropped out of the top-10 after the rearrangements.

You can watch Sunday’s final stage of the Tour de Suisse on FloBikes.

The Course

Saturday’s 23-km time trial was similar to Friday’s mountain stage: all up and down. Actually, the riders got a kilometre of flat before the 9-km, 6.5 percent Oberalppass. After an even longer descent, the course ended with a short, flat, cobbled patch in Andermatt. Some would opt for a road bike.

The GC picture looked like this before the start:

1) Richard Carapaz (Ecuador/Ineos Grenadiers) 20:00:31
2) Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark/Astana-Premier Tech) +0:26
3) Max Schachmann (Germany/Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:38
4) Julian Alaphilippe (France/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +0:53
5) Rigoberto Uran (Colombia/EF Education-Nippo) +1:11
6) Michael Woods (Canada/Israel Start-up Nation) +1:32
7) Sam Oomen (The Netherlands/Jumbo-Visma) +2:19
8) Esteban Chaves (Colombia/BikeExchange) +2:22
9) Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy/Qhubeka-Assos) +3:10
10) Rui Costa (Portugal/UAE-Emirates) +3:37

In the early running Canadian Rob Britton was second place to Jonas Rutsch (Germany/EF Education-Nippo), who posted 37:37.

After 67 riders finished, there was an hour-long break to allowing cars to go back from Andermatt to the start town Sedrun before a second group of riders started. Hopefully Rutsch had something to read on the hot seat.

Søren Kragh Andersen (Denmark/Team DSM) relieved Rutsch of the hot seat with 37:06. Both Tom Dumoulin and Gino Mäder were going great guns on the course, the former setting the best intermediate time before the latter reset the high mark. The Dutchman from Jumbo-Visma was the first to break 37 minutes with 36:58 before the Swiss man posted 36:56.

Back in Disentis Sedrun it was time for the top-10. The gaps were two minutes between the riders. Woods had a 47-second buffer over Sam Oomen behind him on GC. Uran’s fifth place was within 21 seconds but would proof elusive.

Woods in the Disentis Sedrun start house.

Ninth place Pozzovivo set the new best intermediate time, but Uran cracked it by nearly half a minute. The Colombian caught and passed Woods soon after. However, Woods’ split time was faster than Oomen’s.

Third place Schachmann was having a bummer, +1:15 down on Uran’s best time atop the climb. Fuglsang was having a worse day, +1:34. Carapaz was +0:49.

Rigo took the stage lead with 36:02. Fuglsang not only lost his second place, but he also tumbled off the podium. Julian Alaphilippe’s second place vaulted him back onto the podium.

There’s plenty to race for on Sunday. There’s no summit finish, but the HC-rated Gotthardpass crests 15 km from the line.

2021 Tour de Suisse Stage 7
1) Rigoberto Uran (Colombia/EF Education-Nippo) 36:02
2) Julian Alaphilippe (France/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +0:40
3) Gino Mäder (Switzerland/Bahrain-Merida) +0:54
29) Michael Woods (Canada/Israel Start-up Nation) +2:32

2021 Tour de Suisse GC
1) Richard Carapaz (Ecuador/Ineos Grenadiers) 20:37:27
2) Rigoberto Uran (Colombia/EF Education-Nippo) +0:17
3) Julian Alaphilippe (France/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +0:39
6) Michael Woods (Canada/Israel Start-up Nation) +3:10