He promised it at the start of the Tour de Romandie. Stefan Küng wasn’t on home soil just for the time trials. The Swiss rider also wanted to fight for a stage victory through the breakaways, and he did go all-in this Friday. On the third stage’s hilly course, the Groupama-FDJ cycling team rider first joined a small break, then went away on his own with nearly fifty kilometres to go. Unfortunately, a very organized peloton got the better of him before the final climb in Cossonay, where Rémy Rochas finished among the favorites (12th). Saturday, the riders will tackle the great mountain stage of Thyon 2000.
Before a busy weekend, with a major, summit-finish fight between the favorites and the closing time trial, the third road stage of the Tour de Romandie seemed to be the last opportunity for the attackers this Friday, around Cossonay. An elevation gain of nearly 2,500 metres was on the program over 183 kilometres, and a final two-kilometre climb averaging 6% was supposed to decide the day’s winner. “I thought it was a good opportunity today, on these roads,” explained Stefan Küng. “I know them; they’re quite winding and hilly.” The Swiss rider therefore wasted no time in getting into action, as he went off at kilometre 0 with three riders, before one of them quickly dropped back. He then kept on going together with Huub Artz and Bauke Mollema, while the peloton gave them a five-minute lead in the first part of the race. “I had two good riders with me, but I would have preferred to have more companions at the front, and unfortunately, Artz wasn’t far behind in the overall,” Stefan explained. The trio still managed to maintain a lead of around four minutes after passing through Cossonay for the second time, shortly after the halfway point, before they tackled the long and rolling Col du Mollendruz (15 km at 3.5%) with a three-minute lead over the pack.
“I wasn’t just there to put on a show,” Stefan Küng
Shortly after the first, and also the steepest, slopes, Stefan Küng decided to accelerate. “The guys in the breakaway told me they were at the limit, so I told myself I had to go for it,” he explained. “When the turns are no longer equally shared, you’re better on your own, and that’s why I attacked. I also thought that if I dropped Artz, some teams might stop chasing for the general classification.” This didn’t happen, but the former double European time trial champion still managed to reach the summit, forty kilometres from the finish, with a solid two-minute lead. “I believed in it, because you never know how the teams will manage behind, but I also knew it was going to be tough,” Stefan added. On the descent to Cossonay, several teams eventually joined forces in pursuit, in a peloton of about eighty units. “It would have been better for me if it was a flat sprint at the end, because not many teams would have pulled,” Stefan added. “Today, many guys believed in victory, and when I asked Philippe [Mauduit] who was chasing, he listed four or five teams. In these cases, it definitely becomes difficult, but you can’t control that.”
Despite a continuous commitment, Stefan Küng couldn’t match the bunch in the final part of the race and the Swiss rider was ultimately caught just before the final ten kilometers. “On the slight, descending portions, it was almost impossible alone against the whole peloton,” he said. “Unfortunately, I also started to get cramps and I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted, but when you’re in front, you can’t back down and you give it your all until the end. I wanted to give it a go. I wasn’t just there to put on a show; I really believed in it at certain moments. And then, if you don’t take risks, you never know.” “We had to try today,” confirmed Stéphane Goubert. “We also hoped that the sprinters’ teams would be more tired and get less help, but as Stefan said, on these courses, everyone thinks they can win, and so a lot of teams chase. Stefan had already won here, it would have been a nice symbol, but that’s how it is…”
“A good opportunity for David to see where he stands”, Stéphane Goubert
It all came down to the final climb in Cossonay, where Jay Vine rode away solo at the flamme rouge. In a small peloton of about twenty riders, two seconds later, Rémy Rochas took twelfth place. The Savoyard remains eleventh overall before the summit finish in Thyon 2000 on Saturday. “It’s a big mountain stage,” concluded Stéphane. “We won’t draw any conclusions, but it will be a good opportunity for David to see where he stands. It will also be a big challenge for Rémy. He has to continue to follow the best as he has done so far, ride freely, and go for the best possible result. It will also be a nice rehearsal for the riders heading to the Giro, and both Stefan and Rémi will have to manage their day with the time trial in mind.”
