Andrea Bagioli claimed an impressive third place on Stage 1 of the Tour de Suisse on home roads in Valtellina, while teammate Mathias Vacek secured fifth place and the White Jersey in a strong opening-day performance for Lidl-Trek.
It was a special day for Bagioli. With the opening stage starting and finishing in the centre of Sondrio, just ten kilometres from the house where he grew up, the Italian enjoyed tremendous support from family, friends, and local fans from the moment he arrived at sign-on and during the team presentation the evening before.
“It’s incredible to race in front of my friends and family, and on my home roads,” said the 27-year-old.
Bagioli rewarded that support with a standout ride, finishing third, 2:29 behind stage winner Tadej Pogačar. He crossed the line just 15 seconds behind second-placed Richard Carapaz and 1:33 ahead of the next chasing group, where Lidl-Trek teammate Mathias Vacek sprinted to fifth place.
Vacek’s strong performance also earned him the White Jersey as the race’s best young rider. The Czech champion was quick to praise his teammate’s tactical move on familiar terrain.
“Bagio knew the roads perfectly, so he attacked on the descent. It was a really good move,” Vacek said. “He immediately opened up a significant gap, which was beneficial for both of us. It allowed me to stay calm, conserve some energy for the final climb, and save something for the sprint in our group. I’m really happy for him to achieve such a great result in his hometown.”
Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images
Bagioli and Vacek were among the strongest riders in the first chase group after Pogačar launched his decisive attack with 72 kilometres remaining on the climb to Berbenno di Valtellina. But as the gap to the Slovenian continued to grow, the Lidl-Trek duo shifted their focus to the battle for the remaining podium places.
“Already on the first climb, when Politt and Wellens were setting the pace, it was really, really hard,” Bagioli explained. “I thought Tadej would attack soon, and then he did. After the sprint, he just kept going. We tried to follow, but his pace was incredibly high. After that, we had to race for second and third place.”
Vacek echoed his teammate’s assessment.
“Bagio and I were both having a good day, so we were able to play our cards a little,” he said. “After a while, we knew it made no sense to chase Pogi, so we focused on racing for second and third place.
In the end, he finished third and I was fifth, so we’re very happy with that. We showed that we’re in the race, and it’s always special to wear any jersey. Of course, I’m happy to have the White Jersey again. It’s a good sign for the next stages as well.”
The hero of the day, however, was undoubtedly Bagioli. When he arrived in Piazza Garibaldi after the finish in Sondrio, the cheers from the crowd were even louder than they had been two minutes earlier when the stage winner crossed the line.
The people of Valtellina were celebrating one of their own. Bagioli poured water over his head before embracing his girlfriend Letizia, their two-month-old daughter Ginevra, and their dog Maya in the finish area.
For a rider racing on home roads, it could hardly have been a more memorable day.
In Andrea’s words:
"I'm super proud. I told you before the start, it's incredible to ride in front of my friends, my family and at home. I knew the roads super well and I always train here in summer. I wanted to do a good stage and I think I did quite well. Okay, it's not a victory, but I think with a third place behind Tadej and Richard i can be proud."
"I knew the downhill, where I attacked, pretty well. So I thought I try, and it worked. Unfortunately I didn't catch Richard on the last climb. But i can be proud!"
"Now that I'm third, for sure I will give it a try. But for me it's the first time, that I would go for GC in a stage race. So for sure I try, and then we'll see in the TT, which is not my speciality – it's quite long. But first we think about tomorrow and then day by day."
