Route d'Occitanie (st. 1)

Young German on the move through last 30km at lively stage, with Vendrame (ACT) winning from late attack. Lluís Mas, Pedrero and comeback boy Mühlberger into GC group.

Andrea Vendrame (ACT) took the day’s honours at the lumpy opening stage of the Route d’Occitanie, over 156km between Cazouls-lès-Béziers and Lacaune-les-Bains. The Italian jumped from one of the final splits into a very lively stage, with no big teams in control, where the Movistar Team also tried to take advantage to move.

Juri Hollmann notably featured today with a long escape, through the last 30 kilometers, as part of a seven-man group he tried to keep alive after the first passage through Lacaune with a further move alongside Carlos García (EKP), which was also caught. The subsequent moves from Lluís Mas and other Blues led to a decisive break with Brambilla (TFS), Márquez (EKP) and eventual winner Vendrame. The Italian put 4″ on a main peloton of 40 riders, the ones left to fight for the GC, with three from the Movistar Team Team: Mas, Antonio Pedrero and Gregor Mühlberger, back to racing today with good level within the overall contenders.

The French race will witness its predictably only sprint finish in Auch -over an otherwise twisty, uphill finish, after several little climbs in the final part of the 198km route-, prior to two tough Pyrenean stages on Saturday and Sunday.

Cover picture (c): Photo Gomez Sport