Esteban Chaves scored his second win of the season in style. The Colombian soloed to victory in Verbier with a perfectly-timed attack on the hors categorie Alpine climb that featured in the closing kilometres of Tour de Suisse stage eight. Reminiscent of his win atop Mountain High at the Amgen Tour of California in May, the result on the queen stage of the Swiss tour demonstrates what ORICA-GreenEDGE has believed from day one. Chaves is amongst the best climbers in the bunch.
“This is my most important victory,” said Chaves. “It’s my first WorldTour win. It comes at a really important race. Everyone here has the legs for the Tour de France. I don’t have the words for what this means to me. Thanks to all my teammates, the team and the people that support me. I am so happy.”
“We are proud to put our faith in a young, talented rider like Esteban,” said Sport Director Neil Stephens. “He dealt with some very serious health issues last year, but we knew he had the character and the talent to come back from his injuries. We’ve invested in his development, and it’s bloody fantastic to see his progression. A win is always a good thing, but with everything Esteban has gone through, it makes this one extra special.”
