Tour de Suisse 2022: Leknessund solos to triumph, Williams still leader

foto: Cor VosAndreas Leknessund attacks from the breakaway on the last climb, Challpass. The 23 year old Norwegian solos to triumph, while Stephen Williams remains the leader on the Tour de Suisse. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 2nd stage 2022 Tour de Suisse

1. Andreas Leknessund (nor)
2. Alberto Bettiol (ita) + 0.38
3. Michael Matthews (aus) s.t.
4. Andrea Pasqualon (ita) s.t.
5. Matteo Trentin (ita) s.t.
6. Nikias Arndt (ger) s.t.
7. Stefan Küng (swi) s.t.
8. Edoardo Zambanini (ita) z.t
9. Daniel Oss (ita) s.t.
10. Stefano Oldani (ita) s.t.

GC after stage 2
1. Stephen Williams (gbr)
2. Maximilian Schachmann (ger) + 0.04
3. Andreas Kron (den) + 0.06
4. Andreas Leknessund (nor) + 0.07
5. Stefan Küng (swi) + 0.10
6. Alexey Lutsenko (kaz) s.t.
7. Sepp Kuss (usa) s.t.
8. Marc Hirschi (swi) s.t.
9. Aleksandr Vlasov (rus) s.t.
10. Domenico Pozzovivo (ita) s.t.

Race report
After 25 kilometres of relentless attacking the breakaway emerges. Michael Schär, Andreas Leknessund, Leonardo Basso, Matthew Holmes, Matteo Badilatti, Jonas Rutsch, Joel Suter and Mathieu Burgaudeau initiate the move before Claudio Imhof and Simon Vitzthum track them down.

Imhof, Basso and Vitzthum lose contact on the first KOM of the day, while the others reach a maximum lead of 6 minutes.

Leknessund takes a time bonus of 6 seconds in the intermediate sprints.

At the foot of the last climb the lead group is down to Michael Schär, Matthew Holmes, Jonas Rutsch, Matteo Badilatti, Mathieu Burgaudeau and Andreas Leknessund. Halfway up Leknessund heads out alone en he reaches the summit 1 minute ahead of the first chaser, Rutsch, while the peloton is 1.30 minutes in arrears.

Andreas Leknessund solos to victory. Meanwhile, the peloton is racing for the win. Alberto Bettiol crosses the line in celebration, 38 seconds behind the stage winner. But obviously, there is only one victor and his name begins with an L.

Because the peloton keeps pushing Lekenessund misses out on the leader’s jersey. Williams keeps it with a margin of 7 seconds.

Another interesting read: route 2nd stage 2022 Tour de Suisse.