Portuguese rider Joao Almeida put on an incredible display, powering through to win the fourth stage of the Tour of Switzerland!1 His victory comes just as former Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas had to withdraw from the race, less than three weeks before the start of the big event.2
Almeida, riding for UAE-Emirates, launched a decisive breakaway up the challenging Splügen Pass, which sits at a high altitude of 2,114 meters.3 He crossed the finish line a impressive 40 seconds ahead of Britain’s Oscar Onley, with Australia’s Ben O’Connor coming in third, 42 seconds back.4
The 26-year-old Almeida, who finished second overall in last year’s race, has now moved up to seventh in this season’s standings.5 He’s currently just over two minutes behind the leader, Romain Gregoire. French riders Kevin Vauquelin and Julian Alaphilippe round out the top three, with O’Connor in fourth. Almeida is expected to play a crucial support role for Tadej Pogacar as he defends his Tour de France title, which kicks off on July 5th.
Meanwhile, another former Tour de France champion, Geraint Thomas, pulled out of the Tour of Switzerland even before the day’s grueling 193.2km stage began.6 The Welshman had taken a fall on Tuesday and had complained of a “dead leg” after the third stage.7 With the Tour de France starting next month in Lille, and the 39-year-old set to retire after this season, his early withdrawal is a noticeable moment.
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