Andermatt, Switzerland
Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz of the Ineos Grenadiers team won the Tour de Suisse after Sunday’s eighth and final stage claimed by home rider Gino Mader (Bahrain-Victorious).
Carapaz, who won the Giro d’Italia in 2019, finished fifth on the stage that featured a steep climb 15km from the finish line.
The result was enough for the Ecuadorian maintain his 17-second lead over Colombian Rigoberto Uran, his closest rival in the race for the yellow jersey.
The Ineos team had ridden hard as a unit to keep the race together during a fractured opening to the stage, and when the big attacks came on the cobbled Gotthardpass, Carapaz looked comfortable as he shut down each move.
Eddie Dunbar put in a towering performance in support of his teammate in the closing stages, setting a big tempo to pull back attackers, before re-joining to help on the descent and the final run-in.
Dunbar, who ended up fourth place on the stage and 12th overall, said: “The team rode really super today. Even at the start we controlled it very well.
“We got to the climb and we rode our tempo – in the end it was a very strong tempo. “We expected the favourites to attack and they did. Thankfully we were able to respond and bring it home.—AP
