Onboard Video: Pros barging each other for position in Tour de Suisse bunch sprint

Check out this fantastic clip for an insight into the chaos of a pro race bunch sprint.

It provides a rare close up look at how hard the pros work to fight for position and barge each other out of the way for a chance of victory.

Much of the action is not obvious during traditional TV coverage.

But with Shimano trialling onboard cameras this season on the bikes of the Giant-Shimano squad, all of the pushing, pulling, leaning and shouting that unfolds inside the peloton as it hurtles into a sprint is captured in all its glory.

In the clip featured just below, the bunch is intact inside the last 1.5km on a very technical finish of stage 5 at the Tour of Suisse; a finale that was later criticised by the riders.

It saw a number of riders crash including former world champion Mark Cavendish and his Omega Pharma-Quickstep team mate and race leader Tony Martin.

The Giant-Shimano team is working here for its German sprinter John Degenkolb.

While they fought well, it was Peter Sagan of Cannondale who let rip in opening the sprint, though he went too early and was overtaken by Sacha Molodo (Lampre-Merida).

Degenkolb ended the day in third place.

As well as the clip of the intense sprint in Switzerland, we’ll also included similar footage of Giant Shimano working for Degenkolb in a sprint finish at the Tour of California last month.