Reusser, Niewiadoma, and Le Court give hilarious interview after final stage: "Go away Kim!"

With her stage victory in the final stage of the Tour de Suisse, Marlen Reusser also won the overall classification, but it wasn’t easy. Kasia Niewiadoma gave her a very tough time on the Col de la Croix, and Kim Le Court, who was closing in, also posed a threat. After the finish, the trio gave a delightful interview together.

Niewiadoma collapsed to the ground after finishing third in the day’s results, behind Reusser and Cédrine Kerbaol. “It was definitely a tough stage, but I was looking forward to this one the most,” she gasped during the flash interview. “I felt really bad on the opening climb. I thought: if this is how the day is going to be, it’ll be over quickly. But luckily, sometimes you just need a little push, and then you find your legs again. On the long climb, I managed to find my rhythm.”

The Polish champion pushed hard at the front on the final climb, but couldn't shake the yellow jersey off her wheel. The conditions made it especially difficult for her. “The heat is a beast. I don't think anyone was ready for this kind of exposure, but we were really suffering.”

There was no real strategy involved, but there was a reason for that. "Right now, I just wanted to give it my all. This race is great preparation for the Tour. I came here to push myself outside my comfort zone. I didn't win—I finished third—but this effort will only make me stronger and faster. I'm really happy about that."

At that moment, Niewiadoma was joined by Reusser. The eventual winner plopped down next to her rival and gave her a hug. “You were super strong; I couldn’t have gone any faster than this,” she told the Polish rider. “I was a little desperate, too,” the Polish rider laughed in response. “That was a really good final sprint on your part.” The two then high-fived each other.

Kim Le Court also put in a top climb. The Mauritian rider came back from the chasing group and closed the gap by nearly a minute. She fell just short. When Le Court caught up with Niewiadoma and Reusser, the latter laughed out loud. “We saw you coming from behind, and we thought: Kim? We don’t want her here. Go away!”

Niewiadoma compares the AG Insurance - Soudal rider to a rising shark. She finds it amusing. “I saw you attacking, and I thought: Come on, Kasia... Let me catch up.' It was to no avail: Le Court ultimately finished fourth, 37 seconds behind.

So Reusser took the overall victory. “It’s really cool,” he said later in an individual interview. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better; I’m really happy with how it went. I didn’t go into the race feeling very confident. But when we took a wrong turn in stage three, I thought: this is impossible. So I’m really glad it worked out after all. I was able to take advantage of the situation in the standings today.”

Reusser came under pressure from her competitors early on, but managed to weather the storm. “It wasn’t that I was superior. Kasia put in a lot of work, and that helped me a great deal.” The victory gives the Swiss athlete a big boost of confidence after a difficult period.

"This one is special because I’ve always been in top form here in previous years," she explains. "This year, I arrived here with quite a few issues. Compared to the Giro, we’ve worked a lot on my physical issues, and that worked well. But my back is still bothering me quite a bit. My legs, however, were much better. With the Tour coming up in August, it’s giving me back the confidence I lost during the Giro.”