“All that remained was to hope he wouldn’t come back” - Romain Grégoire on top of the world as he holds of Pogacar to claim Tour de Suisse victory

Romain Grégoire reaffirmed his affinity with the Tour de Suisse - after his resounding win last season - by taking stage 2 after surviving the break and resisting Tadej Pogacar’s ferocious late charge.

The Slovenian launched from the bunch with 8 kilometers to go, but couldn't reel him in. Moments after the finish, the Groupama - FDJ United rider underlined the day’s demands and the team’s collective effort.

“It was a very hard day. We managed things really well as a team. We made the break and we’re very happy with this win,” he said after the stage. The decisive moment came when Pogacar kicked clear of the chasing group and began to claw back seconds on the escapees.

Grégoire explained that, at that point, there was almost nothing left to respond with: “There was nothing we could do. We were flat out, but we couldn’t go any faster.” The only option was to hold the pace and hope the Slovenian could not complete the chase: “All we could do was wait and hope he wouldn’t come back.”

In the end, the margin was enough: “It was tight at the finish, but we did it.”

The Frenchman recalled he had already won a stage here last season and admitted the route suits him particularly well.

“It’s a race I really like. The profiles are very good for me.” He also noted that he usually reaches this point of the calendar in some of his best form of the year: “It’s always a time of the season when I have good legs, so that’s good.”

Already looking to the next day, Grégoire predicted a highly tactical race: “Tomorrow will be an interesting day.”

In his view, the win will hinge on the duel between the attackers and the sprinters’ teams: “I think there will be a big battle between the break and the sprinters’ teams. We’ll see tomorrow. It will be a good day.”

After withstanding the favorite’s attack and adding another win in Switzerland, Romain Grégoire confirms his excellent relationship with a race that consistently brings out his best.