"Completely broken" Thomas Gloag proves himself against pure climbers at Tour de Romandie

Jumbo-Visma are a team full of high-end talent, but they are simultaneously developing several of the biggest talents in the sport. One of them is Thomas Gloag who's gotten an opportunity to be leading the team at the Tour de Romandie and is making the opportunity worthy.

“Tom has done a very good job. When the speed went up on the final climb, the group of favorites broke in two. Tom chose his own pace and picked up a lot of riders in the last eight kilometers," team DS Merijn Zeeman said following the tough day. "He gave everything and crossed the finish line completely broken. A tenth place is a good result for a first-year professional.”

Gloag had finished sixth in the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana earlier in the year, in what was his first race for Jumbo-Visma as a full-time rider. A puncheur, the high mountains didn't initially seem to suit him as well but the Briton has put on a strong performance in the 21-kilometer ascent to Thyon 2000 last afternoon that has decided the overall classification. Compatriot Adam Yates put on the yellow jersey, but a Top10 for Gloag at the end of such a brutal day showed he's a more complete rider.

With Tobias Foss abandoning the race and Steven Kruijswijk far from his best form, the 21-year old got the opportunity to give it his all in search of a result. He ended up surprising to a tenth place on the road 54 seconds down on Yates, arriving together with the likes of Egan Bernal, Eddie Dunbar and Rafal Majka. This result saw him rise to 11th in the overall classification where he is expected to finish, a strong sign for the future of a team that heavily focuses in the mountainous races.