Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) won the 7th and penultimate stage of the Tour de Suisse on Saturday, 195 km in the mountains between Ambri (Tessin) and Malbun in Liechtenstein, while Colombian Sergio Higuita (Bora) took the lead in general.
The Frenchman, who won alone at the top of the Malbun (hors category pass), offers his second success this season, after that during the 5th stage of the Tour of the Alps at the end of April.
He is ahead of Spaniard Oscar Rodriguez (Movistar) and Kazakh Alexey Lutsenko (Astana).
Colombian Sergio Higuita (Bora), 4th in the stage, stole the leader's yellow jersey from Dane Jakob Fuglsang (Israel-Premier Tech), 7th on arrival in Malbun.
A group of fourteen breakaways, including Thibaut Pinot, formed at the start of the stage and counted up to almost 8 minutes ahead of the peloton.
Pinot deposits Lutsenko and Izaguirre on the side
Still in the lead before the ascent of the Malbun, a non-category pass (12.4 km at 8.4% average), the group gradually split up leaving two men alone in front, the Kazakh Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) and the 'Spaniard Ion Izaguirre (Cofidis), pursued by Thibaut Pinot.
The Frenchman finally joined and then let go of the two men to take off for the stage victory.
The 85th edition of the Tour de Suisse, disrupted by the abandonment of riders positive for Covid, ends on Sunday with a 25.6 km time trial in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein.
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