Cycling: Omar Fraile (Astana) has won the first stage of the Tour de Romandie. The Spaniard was the fastest in the decimated peloton in the final sprint. Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-hansgrohe) was caught shortly before the finish after an attack. The new overall leader is Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo).
Nobody helps Sunweb
After the pros completed the Tour de Romandie in Friborg yesterday with a Prolog started rolling, today we went from that very place over 166,6 kilometers to Delémont. The Lignières and Col de Pierre Pertuis climbs within the first 107 kilometers were followed by two laps of 29,5 kilometers each. So the Le Sommet climb had to be crossed twice. However, with a length of 6,2 kilometers and an average gradient of 6,4 percent, the mountain shouldn't make for a great pick. Especially since it was then another 18 kilometers downhill and flat to the finish. With Alexis Gougeard (AG2R La Mondiale), Remy Mertz (Lotto Soudal), Antoine Duchesne (Groupama-FDJ), William Clarke (EF Education) and Marco Minnaard (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), five riders made life difficult for the peloton. The breakaway group of five had a lead of just over three minutes with 30 kilometers to go. The Sunweb team was left alone with the tracking work.
Fraile wins, Buchmann tried
Only in the last lap did the Sunweb team get support, so that the lead of the escapees collapsed. Due to the increased tempo, Gougeard and Minnaard shook off their companions. There were several attacks in the main draw. Among others, Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), Daniel Martin (UAE Team Emirates) and Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-hansgrohe) attacked. But in the end everything came together again. However, some pros couldn't keep up with the pace, including overall leader Michael Matthews (Sunweb). A decimated group sprinted at the finish after the last attack by Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) was thwarted. Omar Fraile (Astana) secured the day's win ahead of Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida). The new overall leader is Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgsvgFOC5IA