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Domenico Pozzovivo rides away with 6th place on GC at Tour de Suisse

The final stage of the Tour de Suisse was one last very difficult stage in the Swiss Alps

The Tour de Suisse has been a confirmation of my shape, which I am very happy about

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, June 14, 2021/APO Group/ --

Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) won the Tour de Suisse overall with Gino Mader (Bahrain-Victorius) taking out the final stage victory. Team Qhubeka ASSOS (www.TeamQhubeka.com) had Domenico Pozzovivo ride away with a very good 6th place overall.

The final stage of the Tour de Suisse was one last very difficult stage in the Swiss Alps, with an ascent of the famous Gotthard Pass being the last major test for the UCI World Tour peloton.

A fast start saw a big early break go clear, but all attackers would be caught on the foot of the Gotthard Pass, a 12km climb that peaked over 2000m altitude with a road surface that is primarily cobbled.

Team Qhubeka ASSOS worked well to look after Pozzovivo ahead of the final climb, with local rider Kilian Frankiny seen doing a lot of work at the front of the peloton for his Italian teammate.

Ineos Grenadiers set the pace on the climb, which saw the main group whittle down drastically, but Pozzovivo never seemed to be in difficulty at any stage. Even as the attacks from the favourites came near the top of the climb, Pozzovivo was equal to his competitors and summit-ed the climb with 6 others, including the yellow jersey while Mader and Michael Woods were a few seconds ahead.

A fast 15km downhill followed to the finish in Andermatt, where Mader took a good stage win. Pozzovivo's group of favourites came in just 9 seconds down, with the Italian crossing the line 8th on the stage.

In the final overall standings, Carapaz claimed the victory while Pozzovivo rode away with a good 6th place. Following on from his 11th place at the Giro d'Italia last year, this is now Pozzovivo's best World Tour result since his life-threatening crash in 2019. A remarkable achievement by the 38-year-old.

Domenico Pozzovivo 
"I am happy with the result of 6th place at the Tour de Suisse. It was disappointing to crash out of the Giro this year, with the good form I believe I had but was not able to show it. The Tour de Suisse has been a confirmation of my shape, which I am very happy about. Thank you to the team for the support this week."

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka ASSOS.

Media Contact:
Jean Smyth (Head of Communications)
Email: jean@ryder.co.za
Mobile: +27 63 4701 1710 or +31 625 739 033

About Team Qhubeka ASSOS:
Team Qhubeka ASSOS is a purpose-led, high-performance team, fighting to win on the world's biggest stage, to inspire hope and create opportunity. Founded in 2007, Team Qhubeka ASSOS (formerly NTT Pro Cycling) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a UCI WorldTour license, in 2016.

We achieved our first major win in 2013 when Gerald Ciolek won Milan-San Remo, one of the five Monuments of cycling. We have competed in six Tour de France’s and notched up 7 stage wins, with Mark Cavendish wearing the coveted Yellow Jersey at the 2016 Tour de France.

We are a multicultural, diverse team with bases in South Africa, the Netherlands and Italy. There are 19 nationalities represented across our World Tour and continental feeder team rosters. Our focus on developing African cycling has resulted in more than 55 riders from the African continent be given the opportunity to race on the world stage, since the team's inception.

We race to help people to move forward with bicycles through our relationship with Qhubeka Charity. Through our work with Qhubeka, we have contributed to the distribution of over 30 000 bicycles in communities in South Africa.

About Qhubeka:
Qhubeka is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles. People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.

A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go. 

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