18 June 2017, Schaffhausen (SUI)
The Tour de Suisse drew to a close in Schaffhausen today with Rohan Dennis taking his second victory of the race ahead of teammates Stefan Küng and Damiano Caruso, who also secured second overall on the General Classification.
As Rohan Dennis rolled off the ramp he made his intentions clear quickly, setting the provisional best time at the first and second intermediate checkpoints before powering across the line in 36’30”.
The current Australian national time trial champion had a long wait in the hot seat and ultimately his impressive effort would see him secure the final stage win in Switzerland.
Stefan Küng also showed why he is fast becoming known as one of the world’s best time trialists, crossing the line 29 seconds back to mirror the results from the prologue and take second.
Damiano Caruso was the penultimate rider to start his 28.6km effort and after proving his form on the race’s three summit finishes, the Italian rider looked equally impressive out on the course.
Caruso posted a time of 37’17” which saw him secure a BMC Racing Team 1-2-3 on the stage and also second overall on the General Classification, 48 seconds behind Simon Ŝpilak (Team Katusha – Alpecin).
Tejay van Garderen also put in a solid performance and stopped the clock at 37’32” to finish ninth.
The Winner’s Interview with Rohan Dennis
Congratulations, Rohan. Talk us through today’s time trial.
“It was 28.6km of pain. The first 4km felt okay and then it was all about switching off and telling myself that the top of the climb was the finish. From there, it was just 5km to go. I tried to save something in the little valley and stay as aerodynamic as possible before going as fast as I could on the climb. I’m not a climber but I am also not too heavy so, I could try and hold the climbers on the ascent.”
You haven’t had many race days since the beginning of May. How have you felt in terms of your form, particularly after you crashed on stage 2?
“It hasn’t been an easy run for me. I haven’t felt too good and I think I have been lacking a little bit of form. My body was in a bit of shock after the first road stage and the crash. After crashing out of the Giro d’Italia and then crashing here, I think I was a little bit down about it. It was obviously good that nothing was broken and there were a couple of days where I thought I should’ve gone home. But, there was something good at the end of it.”
Coming into the race your main objectives were the two time trials and to regain your race form. Would you say it is job well done?
“Definitely. We arrived here with the objective to try and win with Damiano Caruso and we came very close so, I think we can happy with how we have raced this week. It’s been a successful week for us.”
Quotes from the Finish Line
Damiano Caruso:
“It was a really good week for me and for the team. I felt really good this week but I was surprised with how I rode today. I knew my shape was really good but I never thought that I could take third place today. Plus I am really happy that I could finish second on the General Classification. I want to say thank you to my teammates because they have been amazing this week. They supported me every step of the way and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Sports Director, Jackson Stewart:
“It’s been a super day for the team. Even if you go deeper than the 1-2-3 on the stage, all our guys did respectable time trials. At first, I thought it was going to be Rohan Dennis, Stefan Küng and Tejay van Garderen but then, Damiano Caruso did a great ride. Even after losing his chain at the top of the climb, he did an amazing job. It was a pretty impressive display from us and I think it shows that all the work behind the scenes has paid off. We have a big team that does a lot of good work on the technical side of things so it is nice to see it all coming together.”
“If we came into this race knowing that we could make the podium, we would have been happy so, to finish second is a great result. Damiano has been super impressive all week and I think everyone can be really happy after this race.”
Race profile
Tour de Suisse
Stage 9 / ITT: Schaffhausen > Schaffhausen, 28.6km
Top 3: 1. Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing Team) 2. Stefan Küng (BMC Racing Team) 3. Damiano Caruso (BMC Racing Team)
