The 86th Tour de Suisse is proving to be one of the other most fascinating WorldTour stage races of the season. Juan Ayuso stomped all over the final mountain of Thursday’s stage to take his second 2023 win in only 11 days of racing. He came close to seizing the yellow jersey from Felix Gall, who grabbed the race lead with Wednesday’s victory, but in fact it was Mattias Skjelmose who yanked back the top spot by coming runner-up. Hugo Houle was in the day’s breakaway, placing 26th on the day.
The Course
Two HC-rated climbs loomed over Thursday’s parcours. Furkapass arrived soon after the start in Fiesch and Albulapass crested 10 km from the finish in La Punt. A Cat. 1 was hard on the heels of the Furkapass.
What a day awaits at the #TourdeSuisse2023!
Over 200 kilometers in the saddle, more than 4500 vertical meters and Albulapass, which will be topped just ten kilometers from the finish. pic.twitter.com/fcdige2RAR
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) June 15, 2023
Both Canadians in the race, Nick Zukowsky and Hugo Houle, were part of a huge breakaway that sprung loose on the Furkapass. Thirty-six riders strong, this platoon wouldn’t make it to the top with the same number, and Houle survived the decanting. It would be Pascal Eenkhorn who would take enough KOM points to assume the classification lead from Lilian Calmejean.
This merry band of fugitives carried on over Cat. 1 Oberalpass where Eenkhorn padded his lead. Before the 17-strong group made it to the foot of Albulapass, its members started to streamline the group. Houle and Eenkhorn were in the second group and Wout Van Aert and three-time winner Rui Costa were in the first. Van Aert then bolstered his lead in the points classification by winning the sprint in Surava.
Albulapass
It was time to climb again. Albulapass is 17.4 km of 6.8 percent with the steepest grades at its beginning. The leading group was still in flux as it approached, and Houle and Eenkhorn made it back. Now thirteen were 4:00 ahead of the yellow jersey bunch. Houle was the best placed on GC at 29th and +15:08.
Back in the peloton, Evenepoel’s Soudal-QuickStep dictated the pace. In the fugitive group Neilson Powless spearheaded a quartet that flashed off the front, Van Aert leading the pursuit. Every kilometer seemed to fragment the escapees more and more, and Houle was with a Spanish companion 15 seconds behind the Powless initiative….
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