Isaychev Outsprints Breakaway to Win Tour de Suisse Stage Five

Katusha’s Vladimir Isaychev rode 180 km in a breakaway before outpowering the remaining five riders to take the win in Stage Six of the Tour de Suisse.

The breakaway crossed the finish line ten minutes ahead of the peloton, which used the stage as a bit of rest day.

This was a big day for the Katusha rider; when a reporter asked him if this was the most important win of his career, he replied, “No, this is my first win.”

“I´m so happy about this victory,” he said on the Katusha website. “It´s the first one of my professional career, and it came in such an important competition such as the Tour de Suisse. Moreover, the way it came was extraordinary: I felt in a great shape during the whole stage, and my motivations were high because I knew that, in a sprint against the riders which were in the breakaway with me, I was the favorite. And, in fact, I managed to win quite easily. Really, it was a great day for me: I´ve always imagined my first victory in pro races, but I would have never thought of such a great win.”

The weather was miserable for the 193-km stage from Olten/Trimbach to Gansingen, with its six Cat 3 climbs: rainy, windy, and not even 60 degrees. None of the riders could have been eager to be on the road, and in the end, most of the peloton didn’t do more than ride from one town to the next to get warm and dry.

That made it a perfect day for the young riders out to make names for themselves, Vladimir Isaychev first among them.

Ischayev initiated an attack three kilometers into the 193-km stage, but this and the next two attempts were caught, before the Russian rider joined a group started by Astana’s Daniel Oss and Saxo Bank’s Karsten Kroon, including Salvatore Puccio (Sky,) Klaas Lodewyck (BMC,) Ruben Perez (Euskaltel-Euskadi,) and Sebastien Minard (Ag2R.)

The peloton let the group go as none of the riders near the top of the General Classification; none of the leaders felt like pushing the issue on yet another cold and rainy day just to see Peter Sagan win another sprint. Also, most of the main teams were represented; why chase down one’s own teammates?

The breakaway cooperated over six categorized climbs (all cat 3) and right up until 23 kilometers from the finish line, when attacks began.

BMC’s Klas Lodewyck made the first attempt; he knew he was running out of energy and hoped to get enough of a gap to coast home. It was much too soon; Iasychev and then the rest of the break caught and dropped him within three kilometers.

Perez attacked next, and was caught. Isaychev tried again, and was caught. Perez tried again, Kroon and Minard attacked, then Kroon again.

Six km from the end, Kroon, Perez, and Isaychev opened a few hundred meters gap on the other three. Danial Oss helped bring this back, which proved to be important. The Liquigas rider was by far the strongest sprinter in the break, and he had not done much work in the final twenty K, wanting to save his legs. The gap closed, but Oss was getting tired.

The final kilometers loped slightly upward, putting even more strain on the riders who had been pushing on for 190 km. Minard tried an attack two km out; Oss and Perez chased him down with a kilometer to go.

Everyone slowed down in the final 1000 meters, wanting to force someone else to lead. Daniel Oss got stuck up front, unable to see who was coming, but it didn’t matter. When Isaychev launched his sprint, Oss couldn’t respond; he ended up finishing sixth. Perez had the best shot at catching the Russian; indeed, when Isaychev sat up to celebrate a meter from the line, the Euskaltel rider nearly snuck by him on the outside.

Stage Six looks to be another one for Sagan; the real action comes with the Stage Seven time trial, when the first real gaps will open between the GC leaders.