Marlen Reusser wins the final stage and the overall classification in Switzerland

Marlen Reusser won the fifth and final stage of the Tour de Suisse. The Swiss rider struck in the final stage while wearing the yellow jersey and sealed the deal, leaving Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) behind her. It was the third time Reusser had won her home race.

What an incredible final stage the women were in for at the Tour of Switzerland. Yes, the final stage was only 100 kilometers long, but it featured no fewer than 3,000 meters of climbing, including a three-part ascent of the Col de la Croix. Race leader Marlene Reusser would undoubtedly come under pressure in this grueling queen stage.

And from kilometer zero, it was all uphill. It was a battle right from the start: on the first ascent of the Col de la Croix—which would be only a short climb from the start and finish in Villars-sur-Ollon—we saw Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike), Kim Le Court (AG Insurance - Soudal), and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) already in action. And so Reusser responded as well.

This caused a brief stalemate on the descent. Franziska Koch (FDJ-SUEZ) managed to break away there. Nienke Vinke (SD Worx-Protime) and Nina Buijsman (Human Powered Health) responded, along with Jasmin Lichti (Swiss national team). They began the longest and toughest section of the Col de la Croix, but the favorites were not far behind.

There, we saw UAE Team ADQ working for Longo Borghini, with Maeva Squiban. The first attack came from Longo Borghini, but it wasn’t full throttle: after all, there were still more than fifty kilometers to go to the finish. Koch was overtaken while riding below the pace. The next breakaway came from De Vries, and that one caused much more damage.

Reusser took the mountain jersey holder and winner of Stage 1 with her, and Niewiadoma joined them as well. Behind them, we saw two young riders catch up: white jersey holder Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) and the stunning Megan Arens (Picnic PostNL). The 19-year-old Dutch rider became the junior world time trial champion last year, but she really showed off her phenomenal climbing ability.

Top riders like Longo Borghini, Le Court, and Juliette Berthet (FDJ-SUEZ) couldn’t keep up. They lost a lot of time on the Col de la Croix. Arens kept up brilliantly with the leaders and even launched an attack just below the summit; however, once on the descent, her weaknesses became apparent. The top talent struggled considerably on the descent and had to let her breakaway companions go.

After the descent, it became clear that she would have to wait for the chasing group. They were 1.10 minutes behind the four remaining favorites, who together began a long, gently descending stretch toward Ollon. That’s where the final climb would begin. There, Arens—who was clearly struggling—had to let the second group go as well. It was a shame, because she was one of the best climbers.

At the foot of the final climb, the gap had remained the same. It wasn’t long before Niewiadoma picked up the pace in her quest for a podium finish. Kerbaol had to let a gap open, and not long after, De Vries began to struggle. The two best climbers were showing their stuff—that much was clear. Longo Borghini had been dropped by the chasing group and watched as Arens, climbing brilliantly once again, flew past her.

Niewiadoma couldn’t shake off Reusser, but Kerbaol wasn’t far behind either: De Vries saw her chances of a podium finish fade after she had to let the Frenchwoman go. On top of that, she was overtaken by Le Court. The two leaders hesitated slightly, which meant that Kerbaol—and the fast-closing Le Court—quickly closed the gap.

Under the windbreak, Kerbaol rejoined the leaders, who immediately launched an attack. She couldn’t break away and was caught on a counterattack by Reusser. The yellow jersey wearer opened up a small gap, while Niewiadoma put up a valiant fight. Still, it was the Swiss rider who prevailed once again, capping off her efforts by securing the overall victory. Kerbaol finished second, ahead of Niewiadoma.