Andrew Talansky became the lead American in the Tour de Suisse on Thursday as a sixth place finish allowed him to move into third place, just 19 seconds behind the new leader, Wilco Kelderman of the Netherlands. Talansky, along with Kelderman, was 4:31 behind the winner of the stage and finished sixth. Joe Dombrowski, who had not had a finisher higher than 39 until this stage, was 4:42 back in 11th and jumped up 18 spots to 32nd, 14:31 back.

Tejay Van Garderen slipped out of the top five and fell to 13th overall, 2:09 back, after a 28th place finish 6:22 back. Peter Stetina was the fourth American in the top 50, 10:18 back in 42nd, and improved his standing by five spots to 30th, 13:48 back overall. Stetina in 30th and Dombrowski in 32nd are separated by a 3rd American, Ian Boswell, who is 14:22 back after finishing 51st on Thursday.

The race continues with the longest stage, a 139.4 mile mountain stage, on Friday and continues through Sunday with only mountain stages and a 10 mile time trial on Saturday to come.

Previous Tour de Suisse Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Recap
Stage Two Recap
Stage Three Recap
Stage Four Recap
Stage Five Recap

Tejay Van Garderen and Andrew Talansky continue to rise as they both stepped up in the most difficult stage of the Tour de Suisse so far. Van Garderen was fourth, nine seconds behind winner John Darwin Atapuma of Colombia while Talansky was seventh and 12 seconds back. The two Americans moved into the six overall with Van Garderen in fifth, 18 seconds back, and Talansky in sixth, 19 seconds back.

The good finishes didn’t stop there with Peter Stetina 2:17 back in 24th and Ian Boswell three minutes back in 27th. Those finishes really helped them in the overall with standings with each moving up at least 45 spots, Boswell to 33rd and 7:38 back and Stetina to 35th and 8:01 back. Joe Dombrowski was 58th and moved back to 50th overall but is now 14:20 behind the leader.

The race continues with a 101.2 mile mountain stage on Thursday and continues through Sunday with only mountain stages and a 10 mile time trial on Saturday to come. Van Garderen and Talansky look to be real contenders.

Previous Tour de Suisse Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Recap
Stage Two Recap
Stage Three Recap
Stage Four Recap

Tejay Van Garderen and Andrew Talansky finished 40th and 49th in the fourth stage of the Tour de Suisse but only were two seconds behind the stage winner as they continue to be in the top 20 overall and both gained a spot. Talansky is now 16th, 39 seconds back, while Van Garderen is 41 seconds back in 18th. For the first time in the event the US had six in the top 100 with Kiel Reijnen in 75th, Joe Dombrowski in 79th, Tyler Farrar in 94th and Peter Stetina in 99th. Dombrowski is now 39th overall, 1:35 back, with Boswell 78th and Stetina 95th.

The race continues with a 78.5 mile mountain stage on Wednesday and continues through Sunday with only mountain stages and a 10 mile time trial on Saturday to come. Lots of potential for movement as the stages to come challenge the riders.

Previous Tour de Suisse Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Recap
Stage Two Recap
Stage Three Recap

Tejay Van Garderen and Andrew Talansky both finished three seconds behind the top three in 23rd and 24th place in the third stage of the Tour de Suisse as the two Americans started to move up the overall standings. Talansky is the top American in 17th, 33 seconds back, while Van Garderen is both two seconds and two spots behind him. Joe Dombrowski made it three Americans in the top 40 when he finished 17 seconds back in 40th. The Americans managed to get five in the top 100 as Ian Boswell was 67th and Peter Stetina was 93rd. Dombrowski is now in 37th, a minute back, with Boswell (67th) and Stetina (97th) also in the top 100 overall.

The race continues with a 119.9 mile flat stage on Tuesday and continues through Sunday with four mountain stages to come and a 10 mile time trial on Saturday.

Previous Tour de Suisse Coverage:
Preview
Stage One Recap
Stage Two Recap