Cycling: Aleksandr Vlasov leads Tour de Suisse after stage five win

Alezsandr Vlasov — Aleksander Vlasov of Team Bora outsprints Neilson Powless to win stage five in Novazzano

Aleksandr Vlasov has taken the Tour de Suisse leader's yellow jersey with three stages to go.

The Russian rider outsprinted Neilson Powless to claim victory on stage five.

Vlasov has a six-second advantage over Jakob Fugslang in the overall standings, while the previous leader, Wales' Stephen Williams, dropped out of contention after finishing 99th on Thursday.

Geraint Thomas finished fourth and is third overall, seven seconds adrift.

Thomas' fellow Team Ineos Grenadiers rider Adam Yates was forced to abandon the race before the start of the stage after testing positive for Covid.

His withdrawal came on the same day that the entire Jumbo-Visma team pulled out of the race after an outbreak of Covid.

"In line with team and UCI protocols, Adam Yates has this morning withdrawn from the Tour de Suisse after experiencing mild symptoms and returning a positive lateral flow test," Ineos Grenadiers said in a statement.

Yates had been using the Tour de Suisse as preparation for next month's Tour de France, but his premature withdrawal means he has now not finished a stage race since Paris-Nice in March.

Former Tour de France winner Thomas, 36, is now expected to lead the line for Team Ineos.