The final meters of the GP Gippingen 2026 were nothing short of incredible. Having reached the finish line to contest the victory in a sprint alongside Aleksandr Vlasov and Richard Carapaz (who finished second and third respectively), Liam Slock crossed the finish line in first position while sliding on the asphalt after losing control of his bike during his celebration.

Well done to the Belgian from Lotto Intermarchè for distancing the Russian and the Ecuadorian in the final meters with his explosive acceleration. He thus secured the 62nd edition of the Swiss classic by crossing the line in rather unconventional fashion, ending up on the ground with a move that almost certainly, in addition to some unavoidable bruises, will have also caused him considerable embarrassment. The twenty-five-year-old from Ghent, who had never won among the professionals before today, will surely remember this finale when he finds himself celebrating again in the future, where he risked squandering everything in the most banal of ways.

Far from banal, however, was the performance of Thibau Nys (fourth in his seasonal debut after being forced away from racing for the first part of the season following his March knee surgery), Jarno Widar (sixth after 105 days away from competition) and Diego Ulissi, who appeared in the thick of the action in the final stages and managed to secure a seventh-place finish that, like last year, earned him the title of best Italian at the finish line.

FINAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Liam Slock (Lotto Intermarchè) 4:15:24

2. Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull BORA hansgrohe) s.t.

3. Richard Carapaz (EF Education EasyPost) +0:01

4. Thibau Nys (Lidl Trek) +0:03

5. Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) +0:03

6. Jarno Widar (Lotto Intermarchè) +0:03

7. Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana Team) +0:03

8. Lukas Nerurkar (EF Education EasyPost) +0:03

9. Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco AlUla) +0:03

10. Marcel Camprubí (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) +0:03