The Tour de Suisse seems more French than ever. After four days of racing with Romain Gregoire leading the general classification, the yellow jersey has now passed to another French rider who is setting fans' hearts on fire. Kevin Vauquelin can be considered one of the great French hopes for stage races, excellent climber, strong, determined and performant even in one-day races. In 2024, he had given an excellent demonstration of his abilities at the Flèche Wallonne, finishing behind Stephen Williams, but this year he seems to have made giant strides, already winning two stage races in his home country.

The lineup of the Swiss stage race is certainly of a different level compared to the races he has won, but seeing him in the yellow jersey at the end of the fifth stage is a very important fact that should not be underestimated. "It's really beautiful, I'm very emotional. This yellow jersey represents for me the recognition of all the work I've done in recent months. I tried to improve as much as possible, doing a lot of altitude training also in view of the Tour de France. I needed to test myself on climbs and understand my fitness level. I'm happy with all the sensations. The fact that I won the jersey at the end of the toughest stage gives me even more morale, and I manage to find my place even against very strong opponents."

What strikes about Kevin Vauquelin is the freshness with which he crossed the finish line in Santa Maria. While his rivals were gasping on the ground exhausted, he was already heading to the awards zone with an evident smile. He congratulated everyone, with continuous hugs and handshakes almost to celebrate the beautiful spectacle. "Climbing the Castaneda climb twice was very helpful. I always tried to climb steadily and keep calm. When Oscar Onley and Joao Almeida attacked during the second ascent, I lost some ground. I knew I could never win the stage, but after Gregoire had dropped, I was the best positioned in the general classification, and this gave me a lot of morale. I'm sorry I lost Felix Gall's wheel in the finale, but I tried to mark Julian Alaphilippe closely, who was the opponent that worried me the most. I managed to gain some precious time on him and I'm satisfied," explained the French rider from Arkea B&B Hotel, who during the stage never panicked, but by climbing steadily, he also managed to make his calculations for the general classification.

Today Kevin Vauquelin will restart from Chur with a 29" advantage over Julian Alaphilippe and 39" over Joao Almeida, a good margin against his rivals that might not be sufficient. Tomorrow there will be another mountain finish, just 3.9 km, but with an 8.3% average gradient. What worries the young Frenchman most, however, is the final time trial where he feels at a disadvantage. The road will tell if the Frenchman will manage to keep the leader's jersey. One thing is certain: he will be one of the athletes to watch at the Grand Boucle.