Amber Kraak won the second stage of the Tour de Suisse on Friday. The Dutch rider proved to be the strongest from a group of escapees and achieved her first stage victory in the stage race. Katarzyna Niewiadoma dealt a blow to Demi Vollering in the final phase.
The 161-kilometer stage took the peloton from Gstaad over three categorized climbs towards the finish in Oberkirch. Early in the stage, a leading group emerged, including Kraak, who was given space by the peloton.
On the last climb of the day, the Buechenhübeli, Kraak left her fellow escapees behind. She built a comfortable lead and soloed convincingly with a margin of over two minutes to her third professional victory.
In the peloton, the battle for the leader’s jersey was limited to following each other’s movements. Vollering and leader Marlen Reusser, who had finished well ahead in the first stage, kept a close eye on each other. Katarzyna Niewiadoma took advantage of the conservative race and rode away from the duo on the climb.
The Polish rider gained thirty seconds and reduced her deficit in the standings. Reusser retains the leader’s jersey with a four-second lead over Vollering. Niewiadoma follows at 1.21 minutes.
Vollering won the Tour de Suisse last year with three stage wins. Reusser was the best in 2022. The tour lasts until Sunday.