Success for Aqua Blue Sport at Tour de Suisse

Aqua Blue Sport finish triumphant Tour de Suisse

Lasse Norman Hansen sealed victory in the King of the Mountains prize as the curtain fell on a triumphant Tour de Suisse for Aqua Blue Sport.

Hansen was the de facto victor after a stunning ride on Stage 7 making the time trial stage only a formality for the Danish rider.

The day was a perfect bookmark for the team after Larry Warbasse took a heroic victory on Stage 4. It was Hansen who led the mountain classification from day two when he and teammate Conor Dunne broke clear of the peloton. Hansen hoovered up the points and followed it up with another dash on stage three. The points he gathered saw him hang on with a flurry of activity on the penultimate stage to ensure that he retain the blue jersey.

The time trial was the battlefront for the General Classification hopefuls. The course was a tough superfast, and at times frenetic route, around the general Schaffhausen area. An ascent, in the closing quarter, was the ultimate strength sapper but the 28.6 kilometres turned out to be one for the TT specialists.

The day belonged to Rohan Dennis as he took victory by 29 seconds over his teammate Stefan Kung. Damiano Caruso of BMC closed the gap to Katusha’s Simon Spilak but was unable to overcome the yellow jersey wearer’s lead. Dennis won with a stunning 36’30”.

For Aqua Blue Sport the week took its toll – Larry Warbasse was the fastest finisher in 38th some 2’28” back from Dennis. But it was Lasse Norman Hansen’s occasion as he claimed the blue jersey of the mountain classification. He also won the Fou Pédalant prize in honour of Swiss cycling legend Ferdy Kubler who died recently at the age of 97.

After the race Hansen hailed the work of the whole team.

He said: “It has been a fantastic month – we have had a great time here at the race and I am really happy that I can take the jersey for the team. We came here hoping to do well but we did not expect to win a stage and perform in every stage. We participated in everything. I just want to thank the organisers for inviting Aqua Blue Sport and to the fans for their support. The effort yesterday really made me tired today but I am happy with my race.”