A stage win and 2nd on GC for Neve Bradbury at Tour de Suisse

Australian climber Neve Bradbury (CANYON//SRAM Racing) has capped off a stellar Tour de Suisse finishing second overall in the general classification after claiming the first professional win of her career in Stage 3 of the tour.

The 22-year-old from Melbourne defended her podium spot on the fourth and final stage in Switzerland to secure second on GC, just two seconds ahead of Italian Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) and 1:28mins behind overall winner Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime).

Bradbury’s first win as a pro after attacking from the breakaway with her teammate Kasia Niewiadoma.

The victory saw her fight her way into second on GC, just four seconds ahead of Longo Borghini, setting up an exciting finale in the battle for the overall podium.

“It’s wild. It’s not just a victory, but it’s a team victory. We went into the stage wanting a hard stage. We tried to make the action, and the other teams work. We did exactly that and worked well together as a team. We’re so happy with the result. To finish one-two on a stage like that is just wild,” Bradbury said after her Stage 3 victory.

“We were always thinking about the stage win but later we saw the opportunity that I could move up on GC.”

The final stage was set for a thrilling duel between Bradbury and Longo Borghini for second, with Vollering already well ahead in the lead on overall GC by more than a minute.

A select group including Bradbury, Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma and Vollering were in front with just over 10km to go, before the attacks started.

Teammates Bradbury and Niewiadoma took turns attacking, leaving it to Longo Borghini and Vollering to close the gaps.

The stage would be decided in a sprint with Vollering taking her third win of the tour, Longo Borghini in second, followed by Bradbury just two seconds behind in in third, successfully defending her second place on GC.

Bradbury also won the young rider classification.