Sagan tops Cunego in Grindelwald

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Peter Sagan (Liguigas-Cannondale) bested Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) to win stage three of the Tour de Suisse, a short and mountainous 107.6km route between Brig-Glis and Grindelwald. The 21-year-old Slovakian phenom earned his sixth win of the season while Cunego moved into the leader's jersey following a dramatic ascent and descent of the day's final mountain.

On the 16km Grosse Scheidegg climb, whose summit was situated 11km from the finish, Cunego rode alone across a two minute gap from the yellow jersey group of Mauricio Soler (Movistar) to the remnants of a large breakaway which had formed early in the stage.

Cunego caught and dropped the leaders just shy of the summit, but Sagan managed to regain contact on the technical descent to the finish and outsprinted the Italian for the stage win.

Jakob Fuglsang (Leopard Trek) outkicked Laurens Ten Dam (Rabobank) 21 seconds later for third while Giampaolo Caruso (Katusha) finished alone in fifth place a further 27 seconds back.

Tejay Van Garderen (HTC-Highroad) led in a six-man group for sixth place, 1:04 off the pace, which contained overnight race leader Mauricio Soler, who had climbed to victory and the yellow jersey on the previous day's stage.

Soler dropped to second overall, 54 seconds down on Cunego while Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) holds third, 1:16 off the pace.

"It's not a pleasant thing to be in a sprint with Sagan, since rarely he misses the target! So, compliments to Peter," said Cunego. "After yesterday's good stage, in accordance with my sport directors and teammates, I decided to try to win the race. I knew that the last kilometres of the Grosse Scheidegg could be suitable for my characteristics, so I attacked and I pedaled in an effective way.

"On the downhill I tried to increase the advantage, but Sagan followed me. The leader's jersey is satisfying, but maybe the victory could have been better. So, I'm willing to try to achieve the goal [of a stage win] if there's another chance."

What the stage lacked in distance it more than made up in drama as delivered by a pair of difficult ascents, the category 1 Grimselpass near the stage's midpoint and the hors catégorie Grosse Scheidegg ascent in the day's endgame. The climb's summit was situated only 11km from the finish, followed by the steep and treacherous descent into Grindelwald on roads still damp from the day's rain.

As the peloton approached the day's first climb a large group of 26 riders had formed and enjoyed a lead of nearly two minutes. The escape was comprised of Jakob Fuglsang, Andy Schleck and Jens Voigt (Leopard Trek), Michael Albasini (HTC-Highroad), Mads Christensen (Saxo Bank Sungard), Jan Bakelants and Francis De Greef (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing Team), Laurens Ten Dam (Rabobank Cycling Team), Jack Bobridge and Christian Vande Velde (Team Garmin-Cervelo), Giampaolo Caruso and Alberto Losada Alguacil (Katusha Team), Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil and Branislau Samoilau (Movistar Team), Peter Sagan, Dominik Nerz and Christiano Salerno (Liquigas-Cannondale), Enrico Gasparotto and Tanel Kangert (Pro Team Astana), Jorge Azanta Soto (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Kevin De Weert and Dries Devenyns (Quickstep Cycling Team), Ben Gastauer (AG2R La Mondiale), Wouter Poels (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team) and Daryl Impey (Team Netapp).

On the 12km climb to the Grimselpass summit, amidst dense fog and rain, the lead group splintered, with Poels, Ten Dam, Schleck, Fuglsang and Sagan crossing the KOM line together in that order.

An 11-man chase group made up of Albasini, De Greef, Bobridge, Vande Velde, Caruso, Rojas, Samoilau, Salerno, Kangert, De Weert and Impey followed just 20 seconds behind while the advantage over the peloton had increased to 3:05.

After a 25km descent into a valley leading to the day's final climb, the two lead groups merged and then Jan Bakelants went out on the attack.

Fireworks on the Grosse Scheidegg

The Omega Pharma-Lotto Belgian extended his lead to nearly one minute over the chasers as he began the 16km ascent of the Grosse Scheidegg while the peloton containing race leader Mauricio Soler trailed by three minutes.

While Bakelants made his way up the narrow, twisting ascent the chase group behind him shattered as the better climbers steadily made their way up to the lone Belgian. Bakelants would eventually be caught with 9km of climbing remaining by an elite selection containing Fuglsang, Andy Schleck, Ten Dam, Sagan, Caruso and De Greef.

Meanwhile, the peloton was rapidly decreasing in size with Soler tucked behind one Movistar teammate at the head of affairs, 2:30 behind the leaders.

Ten Dam and Fuglsang had started the day 1:06 and 1:26 respectively behind Soler and were attempting to re-shuffle the top of general classification, with Andy Schleck providing his services to Fuglsang as an elite mountain domestique.

For a moment it looked like the escape would fend off the advances of the dramatically whittled down peloton, but Damiano Cunego, who started the day only 16 seconds behind Soler on general classification, thought otherwise.

The 29-year-old Italian proved he's on scintillating form as he attacked the yellow jersey group approximately half way up the Grosse Scheidegg climb and bridged alone across a two-minute gap to the remnants of the 16-man escape, now containing only Fuglsang, Sagan and Christiano Salerno (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Laurens Ten Dam (Rabobank).

Cunego caught the leaders just shy of the summit and rode right through, cresting the KOM line alone several seconds ahead of Ten Dam.

Yellow jersey wearer Mauricio Soler had fought valiantly to defend his overall lead, but crossed the summit 43 seconds in arrears with his stint atop the general classification very much in jeopardy.

Cunego continued to apply pressure on the technical descent to the finish, although Sagan, too, put his descending skills on display, bridging to the Lampre-ISD Italian with 2.5km remaining.

Cunego led Sagan through to the finale, where the Slovakian jumped with 200m to go to secure the stage win while Cunego rode himself into the yellow jersey.

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