Leipheimer Snatches The Tour De Suisse Win

Last updated : 19 June 2011 By Kev Monks

Levi Leipheimer snatched the Tour De Suisse on a day where Fabian Cancellera won the final time trial.

This time trial was 32.1kms long and centred around the Swiss town of Schaffhausen.

Favourite for the stage was Fabian Cancellera and he did not disappoint setting the early fastest time of 41 mins and one second, some one minute and twenty nine seconds ahead of Team Sky's Ian Stannard.

Thomas De Gendt put in a good time to come in third whilst Andreas Klodden was beating Cancellera's time out on the course. The German came in 9.74 seconds down on the Swiss riders time to go second, although the top riders on the general classification were still to ride.

Team Sky's Chris Froome came in a highly creditable minute and two seconds down to eventually finish ninth.

At 15.43 UK time, race leader Damiano Cunego went off the ramp, knowing that this was his race to lose. Radio Shack's Levi Leipheimer was the man who could challene Cunego, a minute and fifty nine seconds back in the General Classification. 

Leipheimer came home in 41 minutes and 14 seconds, meaning that the yellow jersey wearing Cunego had to finish in a tme of 43mins and 13 seconds or better.

Cunego rounded the last turn and and was out of the saddle but finshed in a time of 43 mins and 17 seconds to give the American Leipheimer the overall race win and Fabian Cancellera the stage win.

Top Five Final Standings

Final overall standings

1 Levi Leipheimer RadioShack 31:45:02
2 Damiano Cunego Lampre  0:00:04
3 Steven Kruijswijk Rabobank  0:01:02
4 Jakob Fuglsang  Leopard Trek 0:01:10
5 Bauke Mollema Rabobank 0:02:05