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Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) sprinted to victory on the opening stage of the Tour Colombia, a lot to the delight of the native commentators.
Mark Cavendish’s Astana workforce labored essentially the most to regulate the race however the Manxman did not have sufficient velocity and completed third on the stage behind Davide Persico (Bingoal WB).
Astana appeared to have all the pieces lined up, reeling within the final two riders from the breakaway, Cristian Muñoz (NU Colombia) and Lauro Moro (Swift Carbon) with 8km to go and setting a fast tempo to discourage attackers.
Nevertheless, the run-in to the end acquired messy as Astana appeared to expire of gasoline within the last kilometre. Gaviria got here to the fore as Cavendish misplaced place and held on to snag the stage win and first chief’s jersey.
The way it unfolded
On the signing-on podium in Paipa, there was a heat welcome for the visiting Mark Cavendish and for Colombian favourites like Egan Bernal and Rigoberto Urán, however the longest acclaim on the opening morning of the Tour Colombia, inevitably, was reserved for native favorite Nairo Quintana, who hails from close by Cómbita.
Throughout the Atlantic, it was reported on Tuesday that Quintana’s erstwhile physician Fredy Alexander Gonzales Torres would go on trial in Marseille in September for an alleged doping offence on the 2020 Tour de France. Right here, within the coronary heart of Quintana nation, the information scarcely appeared to register. Quintana was heartily cheered as he units off on his second act in Movistar colors after a 12 months on the sidelines following his optimistic check for Tramadol on the 2022 Tour.
Though the stage befell amid the cloud-flecked peaks of the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes, the opening day of the Tour Colombia lent itself very clearly to the sprinters. The route averted climbs on the street from Paipa to Duitama, whereas the ending circuit gave the quick males an in depth have a look at the finale.
There was a speedy begin to proceedings as soon as the flag dropped, with an enterprising break of seven riders urgent clear within the opening kilometres. Brayan Sánchez (Staff MedellÃn), Ignacio Prado (Canel’s-Java), Lauro Moro (Swift Carbon Professional Biking), Diego Ochoa (Staff Saitel), Cristian Muñoz (NU Colombia), David Gómez (Staff Sistecrédito) and Iván Ojeda (Colombia Potencia de Vida-Strongman) rapidly constructed up a lead of a minute or so over the bunch.
The peloton, nevertheless, was reluctant to grant the escapees a lot leeway. Regardless of the two,500-metre altitude, the typical tempo an eye-watering 48.57 kph within the first hour of racing, and the break’s benefit by no means nudged a lot past the 1:20 they’d on reaching Sogamoso early within the day.
Out in entrance, Gómez picked up two of the three intermediate sprints because the break started to splinter, however the day was edging inexorably in direction of the anticipated dash duel between Cavendish and Fernando Gaviria, with Astana-Qazaqstan and Movistar to the fore in dragging the peloton alongside the ending circuit round Duitama.Â
With 30km to go, the hole was all the way down to 38 seconds and the scenario appeared below management, although the persistent rain showers would inevitably complicate the run-in. Astana took cost on the entrance of the peloton to chase down the escapees, who ran out of gasoline and luck with 8km to go.
Outcomes
Outcomes powered by FirstCycling
