Cycling: 22-year-old German Nico Denz (Ag2r) conquered the mountain jersey on the 1st stage of the Etoile de Bessèges. He placed himself cleverly in the breakaway group and won both mountain classifications. The French sprinter Arnaud Démare (FDJ) secured the stage win.
It was two kilometers too much for Nico Denz
On the way from Bellegarde to Beaucaire, Nico Denz and his breakaway colleagues pulled away from the field early on. He already proved his early form on the short climbs and secured both mountain classifications of the day. Even just before the finish line, his fellow combatants were unable to counter him. Nico Denz shook off his companions and had his first professional victory in mind. Only two kilometers before the finish he was finally caught by the peloton. The FDJ and Katusha-Alpecin teams in particular were interested in a mass sprint. Unsurprisingly, it was their two best sprinters who fought for victory. Arnaud Démare finally got the better of Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) and celebrated a win in his first race of the season. A mass arrival is expected again tomorrow.
Arnaud Démare: “Today's result is very encouraging for the rest of the season. The team did a great job the last few kilometers and when I passed Kristoff I knew I was going to win.”