EF Education-EasyPost's sprint plan with Mihkels falls short as Albanese wins stage 2 in Switzerland

"I felt good from the start," Albanese said in the flash interview after the stage. "My role was actually to provide the lead-out for Madis Mihkels. But in the last kilometer, several riders attacked, and I decided to follow." Albanese jumped behind Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), with Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ) and Fabio Christen (Q36.5) also in pursuit.

Albanese then sprinted at the right moment and saw no one pass him. “I saw the signs for the last few hundred meters and then went full throttle to the finish line." After that, the rider, who claimed his last victory in the 2022 Tour du Limousin, could celebrate with his hands in the air.

EF Education-EasyPost's plan was actually to play Mihkels. The fast Estonian has shown several times this year that he can compete at this level, with a podium place in Bruges-De Panne and two fourteenth places in Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix. In recent years, the 22-year-old rode for Intermarché-Wanty in his first years as a professional. Mihkels finished thirteenth in the second stage of this Swiss stage race.

Albanese will also ride his first year in the EF Education-EasyPost jersey in 2025. In previous years, he rode for Arkéa-B&B Hotels, EOLO Komeet, and Bardiani, among others. In those years, he never won at the highest level until the second stage of the Tour de Suisse. "My first in the WorldTour, in such a beautiful race as here in Switzerland. I am thrilled and want to thank the team. They did a great job in the last kilometers. I am very happy," Albanese concluded.