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| - Swiss rider Stefan Kung won his 12th time trial on Sunday in the opening stage of the Tour de Suisse in Frauenfeld. French star Julian Alaphilippe, fifth at 19 seconds, impressed in his comeback less than three weeks before the Tour de France which starts on June 26. Kung, the bronze medallist in the discipline at the last world championships and wearing his European time trial champion's jersey, led an impressive display by home riders. Another Swiss time trial whizz 22-year-old Stefan Bissegger was second, only four seconds back. Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz, a favourite to win the race and continue the recent Team Ineos triumphal streak, which includes victories by Egan Bernal in the Giro and by Richie Porte on Sunday in the Criterium du Dauphine, was a solid 15th at 31 seconds. His Australian team-mate Rohan Dennis, the world time trial champion in 2018 and 2019 was a disappointing 10th at 23 seconds. Tom Dumoulin of Jumbo Visma, racing for the first time since his brief retirement following the Tour of Spain in the autumn, finished 16th at 32 seconds The Dutch rider, who is targeting Olympic gold in the speciality, can see how far he has to go until July 28 in Japan. The hilly 173km second stage on Monday between Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Lachen on the shores of Lake Zurich crests a short, steep climb less than two kilometres from the finish. It promises another explosive battle between French world road race champion Alaphilippe of Deceuninck and Dutch classics specialist Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin. bur/clv/fbx/pb/nr
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