Jo༒sef Cerny wins t🅘he prologue of the Tour of Romandie (Image cred🌱it: FABR🐼ICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
Josef Cerny of Soudal-QuickStep celebrates ♏at podium as st🌠age winner(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Josef Cern (Soudal-QuickStep) takes the fi🐼rst Yellow leader jersey(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ITT World Champion Tobias Foss of Jumbo-Visma just mis🃏sed the victory onꦺ Tuesday, finishing one second behind Josef Cerny(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Remi Cavagna of Soudal-Q﷽uickStep finished third in the pr🥃ologue(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Switzerland's Joel Suter of Tudor Pro Cycling Team finishe༺d with 🤪a stellar time of 7:30 in fifth place(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Chris Froome of Israel-Premier Tec🌟h rides at Tour de Romandie, looking for a third overall title(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Adam Yates of UAE Team Emirates rides on the flat opening stage, 19 seconds off the ﷺwinning pace(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Ethan Hayte🔴r of Ineos Grenadiers finished in fast time of 7:30, good for sixth place(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Thibau Nys of Trek-Segafre�꧋�do rides in the second half of the 154 prologue starters(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Ivo Oliveira of UAE Te𝕴am Emirates set second-best prologue time prior to favourites takin🅺g the course(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Fernando Gaviria of Movistar 🍷Team hheads to fini🐎sh in Port-Valais(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Romain Bardet of Team DSM during 6.82km prologue(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
One of the first♍ starters in the prologue was Luc Wirtgen of Tudor Pro Cycling Team(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Arthur K🍌luckers of Tudor Pro Cycling Team recorded a fast tౠime of 7:35(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Lawson Craddock of Team Jayco-AlUla rides in the stars-and-stripes ꦏUS ITT national champions jersey(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Eg🍸an Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) returns to action at the Tour de Romandie(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
The fastest among the US riders was Matteo Jorgenson of Movistar Team,ౠ 19 seconds back in 33rd(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Josef Cerny (Soudal-QuickStep) took victory by the slimmest of margins at the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de Romandie prologue in Port-Valais, the Czech time trial specialist setting a time of 7:25 to edge out World Champion Tobias F🦋oss (Jumbo-Visma) by🍰 just 0.29 seconds at the end of the 6.82km stage.
The Norwegian just missed out on his first win in t💎he rainbow b🍌ands, his effort concluding a minute of late drama after Cerny’s teammate Rémi Cavagna crossed the line at 0.97 seconds down to take third place.
Cerny’s win is his first ever at a WorldTour time trial, and his second at a WorldTour race after his solo effort in Asti at the 2019 Giro d’Italia. The 29-year-old wa🔯s the only man to average over 50 kph on the out-and-back course along the Rhône River, putting him into the first yellow jersey of the race.
“In the end I did quite a nice prologue, but the result was in one second for three guys, so it was really tight,” Cerny said after🐓 the stage. “I’m super happy that I’m the lucky one today and that I can enjoy this win.
“I work hard so it’s not really a surprise. But it’s good teams and good names starting here so I wasn’t really the favourite, but I was very confident, and I was thinking that I can be in the top 10 or top five. Victory is something really nice for me. It was really quick, really painful, but now I’m r𒀰eally satisfied, and I will enjoy it.
“I think it will be hard for a𝓡 sprint [tomorrow], but I think we can keep [yellow] and we’ll see for the other days.”
How it unfolded
Cerny had been in the leader’s hot seat for almost an hour by the time the final riders headed down the start ramp and onto the course. As the 107th rid൲er of 154 to take on the prologue, he had few real challenges to his time ahead of the finꩲal runners.
Before Foss and Cavagna set out, Joel Suter (Tudor Pro Cycliꦓng) and Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) had run Cerny the closest, setting times of 7:30, while Matteo Sobrero (Jayco-AlUla) was a🦂lso fairly close at 7:34.
Earlier in the day, Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) had set the early running, also with a time of 7:34. Nico Denz (Bora-Hansgrohe) was the only rider to edge him out before Cerny came along, the German recording a quick time of 7:29 to end up🃏 fourth at the end of the day.
In the last gasps of the prologue, Cavagna and Foss sped home, but their efforts fell agoni🐟singly short of the win, leaving Cerny to enjoy an 11th career vict༒ory.
“It’s always painful,” Foss said of his time trial effort. “I also haven’t had the best last weeks, struggling w🐓ith some bug in the stomach. It was a proper long opener today. I found a good rhythm and had good coaching from the car. I know I can always compete up there so that gives motivation. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that extra percentage.
“It’s never nice to lose when it’s so close but I g🧸ave my all today. I’m happy with that. There’s a time trial later in the week that will suit me better.”
In terms of the GC favourites, the standings remain close after the short opener. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) came off best on his seas🌳on debut following a long battle with a nerve injury in his leg. The young Spaniard lies 13th at 12 seconds down.
Fausto Masnada (Soudal-QuickStep) and Romain Bardet (Team DSM) follo🍨w at three and four seconds further back, while Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Vꦺictorious) lies at 18 seconds down.
British twins Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) and Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla) came home 19 and 20 seconds down, while Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe) is a further 🃏six seconds down.
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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributoඣr and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publicati🍷ons in the cycling world, including Cycling Weekly and Rouleur.
