Realini returns to take second at Tour de Suisse

Gaia’s smile at the finish line was the first sign of the good result on Stage 1 of the Tour de Suisse. ‘It was a good test, I’m happy,’ she said on the finish line.

Gaia finished in second place on a short and tough stage, 22″ behind Demi Vollering (SD Worx). The top two did the final climb together, with Gaia setting the pace to catch Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM), who had been in an early breakaway.

When they found themselves alone in the lead, the Dutchwoman launched a decisive and powerful sprint that created a gap with Gaia. A clear but minimal gap, because the Italian did not let up for a moment, minimizing the loss.

“I had good feelings the whole race and that was what I was looking for so,” Gaia said. “The result is a bit of icing on the cake. I had some question marks after the crash at the Vuelta, the recovery and then the long altitude camp. I wanted to test myself and I am happy to have passed it.

“It was not an easy day. It was a cold day, a short stage but with a big difference in altitude. Maximum focus was needed right from the start given the difficulty of the first part of the race. The final climb was the crucial point.

“With less than 5km to go, I thought I would make my move and see what happened behind. I expected Vollering to follow and she did. She’s probably the worst opponent to have on my wheel, but I stayed focused on myself more than racing tactically against her. Hearing from Ina over the radio that the gap to the rest of the peloton was growing was a nice confidence boost. Catching Chabbey was the first goal, then I continued at my own pace to the end, even when Demi forced her way solo to the finish. Finishing 22″ behind Vollering is a good account for today” she added.

Gaia will be at the start of stage 2, an ITT with the same climb of today at the end, wearing the white jersey as the best young rider.