It was really tough to win today, it’s been a while since I claimed a WorldTour victory in Europe.
On June 4th, 2024, at around 11 p.m. Beijing Time, the 2024 Tour de Suisse Stage 3 (Sulzberg – Siesteblie) concluded with a thrilling finish. After a 178-kilometer breakaway, the main peloton caught up with the escapees just 3 kilometers from the line. A mountain sprint ensued, and Drakeki (Israel Bike Academy) launched a late attack to secure the stage victory and the yellow jersey. Let’s review the race.
Withdrawals
Tibéri. Before Stage 3, Tibéri, having raced through the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de Suisse for a total of 23 days, showed signs of severe fatigue, affecting his performance. With the team’s permission, he decided to withdraw.
Race Route
The 181-kilometer course started in Sulzberg and headed south, featuring five climbs and one sprint point. The first half was relatively flat, encouraging breakaways. However, in the second half, climbers attempted to bridge the gap to the breakaway using the second climb, but GC contenders would not let the escapees go easily, possibly catching them before the ascent to Siesteblie for a battle.
Amidst the cheers of the crowd in Sulzberg, the race began. After the neutral start, a breakaway group formed with Swyn (EF Education), Rogaš (FDJ), and Proudhomme (AG2R). The main peloton, focusing on the final 20 kilometers, allowed the breakaway some freedom, and the gap quickly grew to around three minutes.
▲Breakaway group
As Kort won the yellow jersey in Stage 2, Uno-X had to take on the responsibility of leading the peloton. They maintained a manageable gap to the breakaway in the first half to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.
In the last 40 kilometers before the finish, Madus (Jayco) took advantage of an uphill section to launch a solo attack, catching up with the breakaway after six kilometers.
During this time, several incidents occurred within the peloton. First, Bevin (Team DSM) was forced to withdraw due to a mechanical issue. Then, a crash occurred at a junction, involving Roglič and Harper; fortunately, both riders sustained minor injuries that wouldn’t affect their continuation in the race.
As the peloton entered the final 20 kilometers and picked up speed, the breakaway’s lead evaporated, and they were eventually caught within 2.5 kilometers of the finish.
Approaching the climb to Siesteblie, teams tried to accelerate to drop weaker climbers for a better position. In the final kilometer, Nield (Israel Bike Academy) attacked, only to be caught by the peloton 300 meters later. Then, Drakeki attacked from the left, followed by Gregor (FDJ). Gregor, pushing hard to overcome the short steep climb, was overtaken by Drakeki who had paced himself, creating a 20-meter gap to the rest of the peloton. Drakeki then launched a second attack to overtake Gregor and win comfortably. With a 3-second advantage over the peloton and an additional 4 seconds for the stage win, he surpassed Kort in the general classification and claimed the yellow jersey.
In a post-race interview, Drakeki said, “Winning today was incredibly difficult. It’s been a long time since I won a WorldTour race in Europe. Today, I felt good, so I tried my luck and it paid off – time to celebrate!”
After the race, Drakeki took the yellow jersey, Chiconi won the green jersey, Bardet claimed the polka dot jersey, and Gregor secured the white jersey. Stage 4 of the Tour de Suisse, a time trial in La Val, takes place on June 5th – stay tuned!
