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World Champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) secured his first victory since profitable Paris-Roubaix in April on stage 1 on the Tour de Luxembourg.
Van der Poel began his dash with roughly 300 metres to go on the uphill end and crossed the road forward of runner-up Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike) and third-placed Andreas Kron (Lotto Dstny) in Luxembourg.
Van der Poel now leads the general classification into the 155km stage 2 race from Junglinster to Schifflange on Thursday.
His efficiency bodes properly for his prospects in defending his highway race world title on the upcoming UCI Highway World Championships on the finish of the month in Zurich.
“It is at all times good to win the primary stage and it has been some time since I may elevate my fingers,” Van der Poel stated. “I loved immediately. It was an exquisite stage and I stay up for the subsequent phases of the race.”
The way it Unfolded
The peloton tackled 158km in the course of the opening stage of the Tour de Luxembourg which included 4 categorised climbs: Montee de Niklosbierg (4.6% at 6.1%), Cote de Bourscheid (3.4km at 7%), Cote de Eschdorf (2.5km at 8.6%) and the ultimate climb over the Cote de Stafelter (1.8km %8.6%) situated 10km from the end line.
Within the first 30km of the stage, a four-rider breakaway set off, together with Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal-QuickStep), Vincent Van Hemelen (Flanders-Baloise), Mattia Bais (Polti Kometa), and Alexandre Kess (Philippe Wagner/Bazin).
The quartet prolonged their result in greater than six minutes because the race reached the midway level, whereas UAE Staff Emirates, Visma-Lease a Bike, and Lidl-Trek led the chase from the peloton behind.
The breakaway break up aside after the back-to-back hors class climbs; Cote de Bourscheid and Cote de Eschdorf, lowered to only three riders as Van Hemelen fell off tempo.
Kess was the subsequent to drop off the again of the break, briefly caught between the leaders on the sector and the peloton, which had slashed the hole in half to only over three minutes 30km to go.
As Alpecin-Deceuninck, Bahrain-Victorious and Lidl-Trek joined the chase that led the sector, they reeled in Kess and minimize the hole to Reinderink and Bais down to 2 minutes on the flatter roads heading towards the final climb of the day, Cote de Stafelter.
The sector ate into the hole, down to 1 minute, as they raced into the bottom of Cote de Stafelter. The duo appeared over their shoulders close to the highest of the climb to see the primary area looming simply 10 seconds again. Bais was reeled in first adopted by Reinderink, and the lowered area was again collectively excessive of the climb and on the descent again into Luxembourg.
Lidl-Trek and Lotto Dstny led the sector into the ultimate 2km with Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) pulling into the ultimate kilometre because the roads kicked up towards the end line. Visma-Lease a Bike took over on the ultimate climb with Wilco Kelderman main out his teammates within the final 500 metres.
But it surely was Van der Poel who launched his dash first and opened a spot on his rivals, crossing the road along with his first victory since he gained back-to-back Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix this spring.
Outcomes
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