Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) has won stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse Women, in doing so taking over the lead in the general classification. The Italian made the difference in the finale of the 105.3-kilometre circuit around Locarno and crossed the line with a 30-second advantage over Sarah Van Dam (Team Visma | Lease a Bike). Steffi Häberlin (Team SD Worx Protime) finished a strong third, with Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) following in the same time in 4th.
After a controlled first half of the race, Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Lidl-Trek) and Carlotta Cipressi (Human Powered Health) broke away from the peloton. The duo extended their lead to just under two minutes at one point, but were brought back before the decisive climbs in the finale.
There, the favourites took control of the race. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) accelerated around 15 kilometres from the finish, and shortly afterwards Häberlin also tried to move to the front before the descent. On the second climb it was ultimately Longo Borghini who launched the decisive attack. She dropped the group containing Reusser, Niewiadoma-Phinney and Van Dam and tackled the final flat kilometres with a small advantage.
Shortly before the finish, a costly misunderstanding occurred within the chase group: Reusser and Niewiadoma-Phinney took a wrong turn around 2.5 kilometres from the line. Longo Borghini was not caught again and celebrated the stage win in Locarno. In the general classification she now leads by 27 seconds over Ailish Lauren Dickson (FDJ United – SUEZ). Van Dam is third at 34 seconds.
Häberlin on the podium, Reusser frustrated
From a Swiss perspective, Steffi Häberlin delivered the best result of the day with 3rd place. The young Swiss rider was aggressive in the finale and moved up to 4th in the general classification. Reusser, 4th on the stage, now sits in 5th, 57 seconds behind Longo Borghini.
Marlen Reusser was understandably disappointed after the race. “This is really incredibly frustrating,” she said in a TV interview, referring to the wrong turn just before the finish. At the same time, the Bernese rider remained defiant: “Everything is still possible.”
