Sprint Nys falls short in GP Gippingen, as smart move secures impressive victory for Powless

If you're into cycling, Switzerland is the place to be in mid-June. Besides the Tour de Suisse for both men and women, there's also the GP des Kantons Aargau, a one-day race that many teams use on Friday as a warm-up for the Tour de Suisse.

Former winner Nys, Powless, and home favorite Jan Christen (Swiss selection) were among those on the start list, which saw a last-minute withdrawal. Jayco AlUla announced that Michael Matthews had shown signs of a pulmonary embolism, which will keep him off the bike this summer, so there is no Aargau for him, but more importantly, no Tour either.

In the opening phase, the 'smaller teams' were allowed to earn their visibility. Simon Pellaud, who finished second in Unbound Gravel last week, was the biggest name. Morné van Niekerk, Jermaine Zenke, Silas Koech, Emanuel Zangerle, Adrin Züger, and Davide Baldaccini joined him, while Q36.5, EF Education-EasyPost, and Lidl-Trek controlled the large group.

Seventy kilometers from the finish, the race broke open, led by local brothers Christen. Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) and Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla) could join the battle. That adventure did not last long, as the peloton quickly caught the attackers.

Another acceleration by Simmons allowed the American to open up a gap, after which Harry Sweeny (EF Education-EasyPost) started the chase. When the Australian joined Simmons, they were caught up again soon. It was a chaotic phase on the local lap around Leuggern.

Several riders tried their luck, but it was not until 38 kilometers from the finish that we saw another successful acceleration. The riders stayed away from the increasingly thin peloton for a longer period of time. Once again, Fabio Christen succeeded, although the home rider never gained more than twenty seconds.

However, Fabio Christen could not escape the favorites, so a new group broke away. With Nys, Schmid, Jan Christen, Powless, and Clément Champoussin (XDS Astana), this was a group that could go all the way. The chasers seemed to realize this, too, as they were certainly not far behind.

However, the five riders at the front on Friday seemed to be the strongest in the race, although Powless had to give it his all to avoid being dropped in the final. Jan Christen accelerated again with four kilometers to go, something the Swiss rider had been doing all afternoon. Schmid seemed to have the strongest Swiss champion's jersey, although Powless appeared to have timed his late attack well with his last bit of energy with 3.4 kilometers to go.

The American was not seen again, and the other four attackers were left to chase the EF rider. It was Powless' second victory of the year after Dwars door Vlaanderen. Behind him, Nys took second place in the sprint, ahead of Christen (third), Schmid (fourth), and Champoussin (fifth).