Tom-Jelte Slagter (Cannondale) took the victory on stage 1 of the Tour du Haut Var-matin Saturday in Bagnols en Foret, finishing ahead of FDJ's Arthur Vichot and AG2R's Mickael Chérel.
Slagter slipped away in the final 400 meters of the finishing climb to take the win. The peloton approached the final climb together, quickly stringing out in single file as Movistar's Antonio Pedrero attacked and gained a slight advantage.
Cofidis rider Anthony Turgis was the first to make contact with Pedrero and soon left the Movistar rider behind as he forged on alone. Turgis' advantage proved insufficient, however, as multiple counter attacks in the final 500 meters soon saw his gap disappear.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was Slagter who eventually moved clear with enough of a surge to hold his advantage all the way to the line ahead of the FDJ and AG2R riders. Jésus Herrada (Movistar) was fourth, followed by Julien Simon (Cofidis).
“It was a great day," Slgater said. "The victory is always nice. I knew the final would suit me. It was all about positioning. I was in good position with five, six kilometers to go, so I could move up. I went over the top in third or fourth, full gas downhill so there was a gap behind me. Once I saw the gap was there, we came into the last kilometer and I thought if I waited they would probably catch us, and you’ll never know what could have happened. I surprised myself a little bit."
For Slagter, the win is a validation that he’s beyond the knee injury that hampered his last season.
“Last year in this period, I was still trying to get better and better with the injury," he said. "I am happy at the moment with the form. Today I showed I can go for the win again. And that’s a great feeling. Completely different than last year."
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://ift.tt/1QSdHbJ
No comments:
Post a Comment