Pablo Lastras (Illes Baleares) won the second-to-last stage of the Tour of Switzerland on Saturday after a brutal climb to the high ski town of Verbier. The general classification did not change substantially, as race leader Michael Rogers (Quick Step) and his two closest challengers – Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) and Bradley McGee (Française des Jeux) – finished in a group, 1 minute, 20 seconds behind Lastras Garcia.

“I rode 100 percent today,” said a sweaty Ullrich, who trails Rogers by 20 seconds going into the tour’s final stage Sunday. “The last mountain was hard, with lots of attacks. I was happy to keep up with Rogers and the others.”

Rogers said that everyone in the peloton is tired, and that Sunday’s grueling mountains will see lots of attacking. “I think everyone’s in the race,” said the Australian. “I think we could see a group of 20 on the first climb.”

After the stage, Rogers predicted he will win the Tour of Switzerland on Sunday, and Saturday’s stage winner, Lastras, agreed. “He is climbing quite well right now,” said the Spaniard, who spent 45 days off the bike earlier this year with a herniated vein in his hip.

Quick Step and Rogers clung to the overall lead

Photo: AFP

Lastras has won some big stages before. He won the ninth and 11th stages of the Vuelta a España in 2002, the19th stage of the Tour de France in 2003 and the 12th stage of the Giro d’Italia in 2001.

The eighth stage of this nine-day tour covered 162 kilometers, from Lenk to Verbier. Those two towns are much closer as the crow flies, but a glacier-laden mountain range and a deep river valley succeed in separating them.

A group of 13 non-threatening riders broke away early in the race, and by the time they summited the day’s biggest climb – a Cat. 2 haul up over the Col du Pillon, a quarter of the way through the stage – they were more than five minutes ahead of the rest.

In that group of 13 were Lastras, Thorwald Veneberg (Rabobank), Niki Aebersold (Phonak), Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner), Daniele Righi (Lampre), Walter Beneteau (Bouygues Telecom), Daniele Nardello (T-Mobile), Mathew Hayman (Rabobank), Allan Johansen (Team CSC), Angel Gomez (Saunier Duval), Carlos Barredo (Liberty Seguros), Rene Haselbacher (Gerolsteiner) and Kjell Carlstrom (Liquigas-Bianchi).

“When we escaped we looked around amongst ourselves to see who was good in the GC,” said Lastras. “None of us were very strong there, so we had good cooperation. Our goal was to lead by three minutes by the last climb.”

They rocketed down one of the steeper downhills of the entire tour, dropping more than 1100 meters in just 10km. The next 60km had them weaving up the relatively flat valley of the upper Rhône River. By the time the group reached the foot of the day’s final climb – a Cat. 4 and Cat. 2 hike up the 20-kilometer road to Verbier – they were six and a half minutes ahead.

The day before the stage, Rogers described the plan of attack for his Quick Step team. “Tomorrow we are going to control the race until the last climb,” said Rogers, “and then whoever is the strongest will go ahead.” His Quick Step team certainly did that, leading the peloton in tight formation in the wind, with T-Mobile and Saunier Duval–Prodir right behind.

During the final climb, the group of 13 fractured, leaving Lastras, Carlos Barredo (Liberty Seguros) and Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner) out in front during the steepest part of the climb – the last 8km. There was also a bold escape from the peloton by Aitor Gonzalez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), who caught most of those riders who had been dropped from the breakaway group, and finished fourth, just 19 seconds back.

That allowed Gonzalez to shake up the general classification more than any other rider, going from seventh at the start of the day (1:38 back) to fourth at the end of the stage (just 36 seconds behind Rogers). Chris Horner (Saunier Duval), the underdog American who won the sixth stage of the race, is now seventh in the GC standings, 1 minute and 40 seconds behind.

Sunday’s course – the final stage of the tour – is far more difficult than the eight preceding courses. Riders will make a 100km circuit around the 3100-meter high Pizzo Rotundo. They will climb three separate hors categorie climbs: the Nufenen Pass, the Gotthard Pass and the Furka Pass. In between these three spikes are sprint bonuses.

“I’m happy tomorrow is not a mountaintop finish,” said Ullrich after the stage. “It will probably be easy on the first two mountains, and then we’ll see what happens.”

Ullrich won the Tour of Switzerland last year by just one second. No rider has won the race in back-to-back years since American Andy Hampsten did it in 1986 and 1987.

After three hours of agony, the day’s competition will end in the same town where it is set to begin – a small village with the unlikely name of Ulrichen.

Results
1. Pablo Lastras (Sp), Illes Balears, 4:09:09
2. Carlos Barredo (Sp), Liberty Seguros,: at 0:16
3. Fabian Wegmann (G), Gerolsteiner, s.t.
4. Aitor Gonzalez (Sp), Eustaltel-Euskadi, at 0:19
5. Walter Beneteau (F), Bouygues Telecom at 0:56
6. Daniele Righi (I), Lampre-Caffita, at 1:00
7. Koldo Gil Perez (Sp), Liberty Seguros, at 1:17
8. Frank Schleck (Lux), Team CSC, at 1:21
9. Daniel Atienza (Sp), Cofidis, s.t.
10. Michael Rogers (Aus), Quick Step, s.t.
FULLRESULTS
Overall
1. Michael Rogers (Aus), Quick Step, 30:04:33
2. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, at 0:20
3. Bradley McGee (Aus), Française des Jeux, at 0:22
4. Aitor Gonzalez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 0:36
5. Frank Schleck (Lux), Team CSC, at 1:27
6. Koldo Gil Perez (Sp), Liberty Seguros, at 1:38
7. Chris Horner (USA) Saunier Duval, at 1:40
8. Beat Zberg (Swi), Gerolsteiner, at 2:32
9. Georg Totschnig (A), Gerolsteiner, at 2:41
10. Tadej Valjavec (Slo), Phonak, at 3:12
FULLRESULTS