Wednesday, at the end of the fourth stage of the Tour de Suisse, Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech) mentioned that the form was there and that he was waiting for the right opportunity to take a breakaway. The Quebecer didn’t have to wait long when the opportunity arose on Thursday, at the very start of the fifth stage which linked Fiesch to La Punt.
After about fifteen kilometers, Houle fled with about thirty cyclists, including his teammates Krists Neilands and Daryl Impey. The group was eventually reduced to 19 moments later with Houle and Neilands as survivors at Israel–Premier Tech.
The pace was difficult to maintain within the small peloton due to several breaks. Also, the Spaniard Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), a member of the breakaway, was well ranked overall, which dampened the enthusiasm of some.
“It was going very, very fast in the breakaway, but we had to push very hard to distance ourselves from the peloton. With Gorka Izagirre in the squad, some teams, like AG2R Citröen, were aggressive and didn’t give us the chance to play for the stage win,” Houle explained in an interview with Sportcom.
“I was happy to be part of the action in one of the biggest stages of the Tour de Suisse. The legs were good, but the breakaway was quite chaotic. We got caught up, but I’m proud of my day and my form. »
The Sainte-Perpétue cyclist crossed the finish line at 26e rank (+4 minutes and 56 seconds), along with his Australian teammate Nick Schultz and the Italian Mattia Cattaneo (Soudal-Quick Step).
“Our teammate Dylan Teuns also finished 11e, it was really excellent. It’s an excellent day for the whole team, we raced well. It’s only a postponement for a stage victory,” added Houle.
With 10 kilometers to go, the Spaniard Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates) forged a small lead which he maintained until the very end, winning the fifth solo stage at the same time.
Dane Mattias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo) finished second (+54 seconds) and regained the yellow jersey he had lost the day before to Austrian Felix Gall (AG2R Citröen), eighth of the day (+ 58 seconds).
Ayuso for his part moved from sixth to third place in the provisional general classification, 18 seconds behind Skjelmose.
Also in action at the Tour de Suisse, Nickolas Zukowsky (Q.36 Pro Cycling) took 113e row Thursday.
The sixth stage of the Tour de Suisse will take place on Friday on a 215.3 kilometer course between La Punt and Oberwil-Lieli.
