Stage two of the Swiss stage race featured a lively opening phase. On the first climb of the day, riders battled fiercely for a place in the break of the day. Lemmen was attentive and eventually joined a group of fourteen riders that managed to escape from the peloton.

The breakaway built up a solid advantage heading into the finale. On the climbs, Lemmen showed he was in excellent form, staying with the strongest riders in the front group. He entered the final kilometre with a small select group but just missed out on the victory, eventually taking third place.

“I felt really good today,” the 30-year-old said afterwards. “I rode a strong race, but it’s a shame I couldn’t finish it off. To be competing for the win in this field is very special, but in the final three kilometres I started getting cramps, so I knew it would be difficult to win today.”

His performance gives Lemmen confidence for the coming days. “The feeling is really good and today’s performance only confirms that. Tomorrow we hopefully get a chance to go for the win with Matthew, and on Sunday there is an important day coming up for Wilco. I hope to contribute in both stages.”