LIVE stage 7 Tour of Switzerland | Will Almeida take control in this explosive mountain stage?

Although the Tour of Switzerland has already been tough, a grueling final weekend still awaits the riders, starting with Saturday’s stage to Emmetten. In total, riders will have to cover over 207 kilometers, including a fair amount of elevation gain. Right from the start in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, the terrain goes up and down, with several nasty uncategorized climbs — perfect conditions for a strong breakaway to form.

Midway through the stage, the first major climb appears: the Schwändi. At just three kilometers, it’s not long, but with an average gradient of 9 percent, it will certainly do some damage to the riders’ legs. After the summit, the route continues uphill in stages.

After the descent and a longer flat section, the riders will tackle the second-category Bürgenstock. This penultimate climb is 5.5 kilometers long at an average gradient of 7.9 percent. The second kilometer is the toughest, averaging over 10 percent. Following a fast descent, the final climb to Emmetten begins (3.9 km at 8.1 percent). It starts off brutally steep — the second kilometer kicks up to nearly 13 (!) percent — before easing slightly toward the end, with the last kilometer coming in at just under six percent.

Climbs
111.5 km: Schwändi (3 km at 8.9 percent)
189 km: Bürgenstock (5.5 km at 7.9 percent)
207.3 km: Emmetten (3.9 km at 8.1 percent)

Times
Start: 11:45 AM local time (5:45 AM EDT)
Finish: 5 PM local time (11 AM EDT)

The riders will face considerable heat on Saturday. At the start, the temperature will already be around 25°C and could rise to 30°C during the first few hours of the stage. In the finish town of Emmetten, it will reach a maximum of about 26°C. Riders shouldn’t expect any refreshing showers to fall from the sky either — it’ll be dry throughout.

João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has closed the gap to leader Kevin Vauquelin to just 39 seconds, after needing to make up significant ground following stage one. The question now is: will Almeida gamble everything on Sunday’s final mountain time trial to bridge the gap? If not, stage 7 presents an ideal opportunity to reduce the deficit further. Almeida has shown in recent stages that he’s the best climber in the race and also packs a decent sprint — useful for picking up bonus seconds at the finish.

Despite being the strongest climber, Almeida was beaten in stage 5 — which also had an uphill finish — by Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL). The British climber will likely be hoping to repeat that on Saturday, and the explosive final climb suits him perfectly. Felix Gall (Decathlon-AG2R) is another rider eyeing the stage win. Currently seventh overall, he’ll also be looking to move up in the standings. Being a little further back may give him more freedom to go for the stage win.

Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) is feeling the pressure from Almeida and Onley, but he might also be able to gain time himself. The climbs in stage 7 are shorter and more explosive — just the kind of terrain that suits the two-time Flèche Wallonne runner-up. The same goes for Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor), who is currently second in the general classification and seems to be getting close to his old top form again. Other GC contenders expected to be near the front include Lennard Kämna (Lidl-Trek), Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla), Pablo Castrillo (Movistar), Matthew Riccitello (Israel-Premier Tech), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-Quick Step) and Clement Champoussin (XDS Astana).

Whether a GC team will work hard enough to reel in the breakaway and allow their leader to fight for the stage win remains to be seen. There are certainly opportunities for attackers to strike. One to watch is Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious). The experienced Basque rider has already been very active this week and looked strong. Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) has also made it clear that he’s targeting a stage win, as he’s no longer a GC threat. Another rider who has been very active lately is Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost).

Other candidates for the stage win include Bart Lemmen and Thomas Gloag (both Visma | Lease a Bike), Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana), George Bennett and Joe Blackmore (both Israel-Premier Tech), Movistar’s trio of Will Barta, Nairo Quintana, and Javier Romo, Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Wanty) and Warren Barguil (Picnic PostNL).

Top favorites: João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL)
Outsiders: Felix Gall (Decathlon-AG2R), Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels),  Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) and Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Longshots: Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla), Neilson Powless (EF Education EasyPost), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-Quick Step), Clement Champoussin (XDS Astana), Will Barta (Movistar), Warren Barguil (Picnic PostNL), Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) and Thomas Gloag (Visma | Lease a Bike)