German sprinter hoﷺlds off Trek's Bꦇonifazio at the line
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Marc🐟el Kittel celebrates after winning stage 1 of the Tour de Rom♔andie (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Marcel Kitte𓂃l🦩 ad Bob Jungels celebrate Kittel's win after stage 1 at Tour de Romandie. (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Ma๊rcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) wins st✱age 1 at Tour de Romandie (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) win🧜s the slightly uphill sprain to the finish line at stage 1 Tour de Romandie (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
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Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) on the podium 𒊎at Tour de Roman🍨die (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Wednesday’s 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:stage 1 win at the Tour de Romandie has given 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Marcel Kittel (168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Etixx-QuickStep) a boost of confidence✤ heading into the Giro d’Italia. That was the German sprinter’s takeaway after a thrilling stage win in which he powered past Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge) in the finishing straight but then had to hold off Niccolo Bonifazio (Trek-Segafredo) at the line.
“I am very happy for getting this win, but also for having good legs today and staying with the peloton when Movistar and Orica-GreenEdge began to ride hard on the climb,” Kittel said after the stage. “The team was with me there and helped me find my rhythm. Then, in the final kilomeඣters, I had four guys with me, and although it isn’t my regular team for the sprints, the guys did a fantastic job for which I can only thank them.”
Stage 1 at the Tour de Ro🔴mandie was intended to start with immediate climbing, but race organisers were forced to shorten the route because of snowfall on the Col d’Etroits, the day’s first and most significant ascent.
The stage instead started in Mathod, reducing the length from 167km to 109km and leaving the day with only three Cat. 3 climbs: Arri🅷ssoules, Surpierre and between Vauderrens ꧂and Romont.
Movistar and Orica-GreenEdge went full gas on the🅠 last ascent to try and drop the sprinters, but Kittel made it over the top. From there, the field raced predominantly downhi🦩ll for the final 10km toward the finish, where there was a short uphill drag to the line.
When the peloton caught the final breakaway rider and a bunch ꧒sprint looked imminent, Etixx-QuickStep went to the front in the final kilometres to keep Kittel in pos☂ition and to discourage any attacks.
As the finish line neared, Albasini attacked first, but Kittel quickly caught and swept past the Orica-Gr🤡eenEdge rider who was second on Sunday in the finale of Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Kittel looked assured of victory, but with a late surge Bon🍎ifazio challenged him at the line.
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“Albasini attacked with 400 meters left and I decided to go im🅠mediately and overtook him; then, after noticing Bonifazio came from 🅷behind, I sprinted to the line and got this victory, which gives me a lot of confidence for the Giro d’Italia,” Kittel said.
