Ast it happened: Italian National Champion goes for broke in hilly finale of Tour de Suisse Women stage 2
Duo of late climbs prove crucial for stage victory and overall lead change
Tour de Suisse Women - Everything you need to know
Wide open Tour de Suisse Women - Analysing the contenders
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Results
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse Women
Racing is due to get underway at 0932 CET for the 92 riders in the race.
A reminder of the classification leaders:
GC: Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Points: Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Mountains: Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike)
BYR: Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly)
Teams: FDJ United-SUEZ
And here's how the overall classification is looking right now, courtesy of FirstCycling
Riders are moving onto the neutralised section, 4.1 kilometres before racing proper gets underway.
The men's and women's stages of the Tour de Suisse have a near-identical finale, by the way, although the men also have to face a Cat.2 climb early on.
Racing underway
And stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de Suisse Women, Locarno-Locarno, 105.6km is officially underway
On the day's menu:
Km 60.5: Bonus Sprint: Lodrino
Km 61.4: Bonus Sprint: Lodrino
Km 82.5: Sprint: Cugnaso
Km 91.9: Climb: Fanghi (Cat.3, 3.5km, 7%)
Km 97.2: Climb: Via Consiglio Mezzano (Cat.3, 1.4km, 9%)
Km 105.6 Finish: Locarno
If you want to catch up with what happened in yesterday's dramatic race opener...
Tour de Suisse Women: Femke de Vries outsprints Lauren Dickson to claim first professional victory on hard-fought stage 1
Meanwhile the first attacks are beginning on stage 2, but nobody's clear yet. Bunch still together.
Race organisation website is reporting an abandon for unspecified reasons: Linda Zanetti (Swiss National Team).
Race leader Femke de Vries has a quick chat this morning with CyclingPronet before the start, and she had this to say about her first pro win and race lead in the Tour de Suisse:
"I had a bit of trouble falling to sleep because I was so happy with the win, but I had a good night and I feel ready for today."
"We have a small squad but a really strong squad and I'm really looking forward to today. This leader's jersey in a WorldTour race is something else."
As for whether she'll be tested today by the rest of her rivals, she points out the route "is a bit less hard than yesterday, easier in the beginning. It could get a bit tactical."
"Also I have Sarah [Van Dam] in the finale and yesterday she showed she was really strong. So we have good cards to play."
With just three teammates, it's going to be interesting to see how race leader De Vries and Visma handle the other GC riders and their attacks.
"We will see, we will see, I don't think we have to control it, we have to be sharp and follow the right moves," De Vries says. "And we'll be good."
Looking further ahead and her prospects of winning overall, De Vries points to Marlen Reusser (Movistar) as one key challenger. "I really don't know, the time trial is really Marlen's speciality and she can gain a lot of time on me then so we just have to fight and give everything on that day and then we'll see how we approach the final stage. I think I have a good gap and that's a really nice position to start from. It's too soon to say if I can win it."
Still no break, by the way, with a brisk average speed of nearly 45km right now.
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A shot of the race leader before today's start
It's a very sunny day in southern Switzerland and the peloton is rolling along a typically broad, well-surfaced road. To judge by the first TV images not much wind.
Despite the relentlessly fast pace as we get deeper into the race, two rider break tries to go clear on a rising road at 68 km to go: Carlota Cipressi (Human Powered Health) and Margot VanPachtenbeke (Lidl-Trek).
The gap is now up to 20 seconds. This is the one unclassified climb before the finale, so it makes sense for moves to try to go here.
And there are three counter-attackers, but they're brought back.
Yet more attacks from the bunch, and the gap's dropping again, back to 10 seconds.
Here's a first photo of the breakaway. They're hovering between the 10 and 15 second mark right now.
The yellow jersey could get back on her bike pretty fast and supported her teammates is quickly back in the bunch.
Not clear how the crash happened in the middle of the peloton, maybe a touch of wheels.
20 second gap for the two breakaways,
And now it's doubled to 40 seconds. Seems like we've got our break of the day.
The two-up break is over the top of the unclassified descent and speeding down the far side towards the bonus sprint.
The gap continues to rise, now up to 55 seconds. Neither rider represents any kind of GC threat, as Cipressi started the day 12:01 down whilst Vanpachtenbeke is at 18:27.
A shot of the peloton in pursuit mode
And the gap is now up 1:40
Vanpachtenbeke takes the first sprint of the day ahead of Cipressi without too much difficulty.
And Vanpachtenbeke takes the second sprint as well: 2:22 the gap
The remaining second on offer at the Tissot sprints was much more disputed, with Lauren Dickson (FDJ United-SUEZ) picking up the third place on both occasions.
The battle for the sprints has produced some large counter-attacks, but nothing sticking for now.
Second yesterday, that reduces Dickson's gap on the race leader on GC to just two seconds.
There's a lone counter-attacker, Josie Talbot (Liv AIUa Jayco), the bunch is easing back again, making it easier for the Australian to bridge across.
Talbot's now reach the half-way point between the bunch and the break. She has a gap of 45 seconds on the two ahead, Carlotta Cipressi (Human Powered Health), Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Lidl-Trek), who have 1:30 on the main peloton.
Still to come
Km 82.5: Sprint: Cugnaso
Km 91.9: Climb: Fanghi (Cat.3, 3.5km, 7%)
Km 97.2: Climb: Via Consiglio Mezzano (Cat.3, 1.4km, 9%)
Km 105.6 Finish: Locarno
Talbot is also 18:27 down on GC so definitely not a threat to De Vries.
Here's a first shot of Talbot
Just 500 metres of vertical climbing remain of a day's total of 1,248 metres incidentally, but they are the two Cat.3 climbs that will likely decide the stage, so they're the ones that count the most.
Talbot's lone effort doesn't look to be paying off. Just 20 seconds between the Australian and the bunch now.
Meanwhile, breakaway duo Carlotta Cipressi (Human Powered Health), Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Lidl-Trek) plough on determinedly. 1:39 the gap on the bunch with 26 kilometres to go.
Talbot is caught
Third sprint of the day at Cugnaso: Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Lidl-Trek) gets the first place, undisputed by Cipressi. The bunch don't fight for the remaining bonus second, picked up by Minke Anderson (EF Education-Oatly).
A shot of the main peloton as they bear down on the two breakaways.
Break caught
The two riders ahead, for the last 51 kilometres Carlotta Cipressi (Human Powered Health), Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Lidl-Trek), have been caught with 19 kilometres to go.
Riders getting dropped at the back as we move onto the first and easier Cat.3 climbs of the two.
This is the Fanghi (3.5km, 7%)
And then straight after it's the Via Consiglio Mezzano ( 1.4km, 9%) and then a fast descent to the finish
The peloton is fracturing completely on the first of these climbs.
EF Education-Oatly and Movistar doing a lot of the work, but De Vries is hovering on the left-hand side and looking good.
Less than 20 riders in the front group now.
Marlen Reusser (Movistar) and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) are piling on the pressure on the climb.
But now it's Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon SRAM) who's making a pronounced acceleration.
De Vries is resisting well for now, Longo Borghini in third place. Dickson, second overall, is reportedly struggling.
Just five riders on the front now: Niewiadoma, De Vries, Longo Borghini, Reusser and crucially for De Vries, her teammate Sarah Van Dam.
An attack by Niewiadoma and Longo Borghini and De Vries has not been able to respond
Then Van Dam locks up on a corner, allowing Niewiadoma and Longo Borghini to gain a few more metres
Onto the fast descent and Niewiadoma and Longo Borghini still have an advantage.
Niewiadoma has been caught, meanwhile, by chaser Reusser as Longo Borghini quickly opens up a gap of nearly 17 seconds.
De Vries, incidentally, is now over a minute back on Longo Borghini. She'll likely be out of the lead after today's stage.
Over the summit of the second Cat.3 and Longo Borghini is maintaining the gap on a small group of chasers.
The three chasers are Van Dam, clearly recovered from that lockup earlier on the climb, Niewiadoma and Reusser.
Six kilometres to go
Elisa Longo Borghini retains her advantage of 16 seconds. She could get the stage and the lead.
Italian National Champion Longo Borghini is giving it everything now and opens her margin to 19 seconds. Reusser doing a lot of the chasing.
Longo Borghini is relentless, though, the Italian National Champion knows that this is a great opportunity for a double triumph.
That leaves Van Dam as a sole chaser on Longo Borghini as Niewiadoma and Reusser try to get back to the course.
Longo Borghini was 48 seconds down on GC, but that gap will evaporate in this breakaway.
Longo Borghini moving closer towards the finish for her first ever Tour de Suisse stage win
Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) wins stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse Women
Sarah Van Dam reaches the finish 30 seconds back.
Steffi Häberlin (SD Worx-Protime) claims third ahead of Marlen Reusser (Movistar) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), around 47 seconds back.
Here's a first shot of the day's winner
And here's a breakdown of the stage results, thanks to FirstCycling. Some big gaps already here before the crucial weekend stages
Overall Longo Borghini's move has had a serious impact, with Lauren Dickson (FDJ United-SUEZ) still in second but now 27 seconds back, while Sarah Van Dam (Visma-Lease a Bike) is in third at 34 seconds.
Stage 1 winner and race leader Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike) finished 22nd, 2:15 down, after a brave struggle. She could follow initially but then as Niewiadoma and then Longo Borghini pushed on hard, it proved too much.
Probably what will be the most talked about moment, though, of the stage, will be how Reusser and Niewiadoma missed a turn and went straight on at a lefthand bend in the closing kilometres, leaving Van Dam as sole chaser of Longo Borghini. It didn't affect the stage win or new lead, but the gaps will have widened considerably more than they wanted on GC as a result.
For Longo Borghini, winning the final stage of the Giro d'Italia then getting the second of the Tour de Suisse, this was part 2 (so far) of a tremendous comeback after a spring blighted by illness.
"I followed on the first climb, but on the second I blew up." Femke De Vries pulls no punches in her post stage interview with CyclingProNet
"But luckily Sarah was second on the stage, I'm really pleased for her. I'm a bit disillusioned but I gave it everything I had."
"I thought I could keep the yellow jersey," she continues, "but I was not strong enough today."
And now some words from the winner and new race leader Elisa Longo Borghin (UAE Team ADQ):
"I felt ok [in the last kilometres], I didn't understand why Kasia (Niewiadoma) was not working with me but then I saw she was suffering a bit and I wanted to try something."
"And then I just found myself with a gap and I went for it. It was all or nothing. I just went straight to the finish line."
"I'm super happy to have won here, as I don't live too far from this place. My family was here."
"Tomorrow we'll think about tomorrow. I just want to enjoy the yellow for now."
And talking of tomorrow, what does tomorrow's stage hold?
Essentially the Tour de Suisse Women stage 3 has bunch sprint written all over it. 120.8 kilometres and starting and finishing in Bad Ragaz, there's just one classified climb, the short but steep Cat. 3 Kobelwald (1.3 k at 8.3%) at km 50, and it shouldn't prove too difficult for the peloton to regroup.
A quick look at the leaders of the different rankings after two stages of the Tour de Suisse Women
GC: Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
Mountains: Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Points: Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike)
BYR: Sarah van Dam (Visma-Lease a Bike)
And that wraps it up for for stage 2 live, but we'll be back tomorrow with more live coverage with stage 3.
