It was Stage 1 of the 2025 Tour de Suisse Women, featuring a tough early climb up Jaunpass (8.07 km at 8.28%) in very hot conditions.
The Jaunpass came early in the stage, starting already above 800 meters above sea level, which made the climb even more demanding. Sarah Gigante attacked early on the climb with 3 km to go but was quickly caught by Reusser pacing the small GC group. Gigante won the QOM ahead of Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Niamh Fisher-Black, Marlen Reusser, Demi Vollering, and Urška Žigart. The leading group did 4.96 ᵉW/Kg for 28:23 minutes, equivalent to 5.17 ᵉW/Kg at sea level, an impressive performance.
After the climb, Reusser and Vollering attacked on the descent, possibly taking better lines in the technical sections. Fisher-Black, Žigart, and Niewiadoma remained in the second group, while Gigante was dropped and finished in a group further behind.
Reusser, who has been in fantastic shape since February, outsprinted Vollering for the stage win. It will be interesting to see how the Swiss rider performs on the longer climbs of the Tour de France Femmes, which typically do not suit her, but given her current strength, anything is possible.
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