In his first race with Team LottoNL-Jumbo, Danny van Poppel came out swinging with a sprint victory Wednesday in stage 1 of Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.
“I was very nervous at the start of the race because everything is new; the team, the teammates, but everything immediately fell into place. The lead-out was perfect,” said van Poppel
Luka Mezgec (Mitchelton-Scott) was second, and Jurgen Roelandts (BMC Racing) was third in Peñiscola, Spain.
The 191.4km stage featured one climb at the halfway point, the category 2 Banderata. That wasn’t enough to break up the peloton. The race’s early four-man breakaway was caught just inside the final 20 kilometers.
Sky’s Gianni Moscon tried a late attack with two kilometers remaining, but LottoNL controlled the bunch and delivered its Dutch sprinter to the front for the win.
“After six months out of competition, it’s nice to be back in the game,” said Roelandts, referring to his 2017 injury, “I think I still have the skills to do a sprint. I didn’t have the kick yet because I was a bit surprised when van Poppel went so early today.”
Thursday’s stage 2 will be a hillier race, 153.9km from Bétera to Albuixech with four categorized climbs along the way. However, the final 30 kilometers are downhill to the finish.
Top 10, stage 1
- 1. Danny Van Poppel, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, in 4:34:13
- 2. Luka Mezgec, MITCHELTON – SCOTT, s.t.
- 3. Jurgen Roelandts, BMC RACING TEAM, s.t.
- 4. Daniel Mclay, TEAM EF EDUCATION FIRST – DRAPAC P/B CANNONDALE, s.t.
- 5. Clement Venturini, AG2R LA MONDIALE, s.t.
- 6. Hugo Hofstetter, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, s.t.
- 7. Michal Kwiatkowski, TEAM SKY, s.t.
- 8. Oliver Naesen, AG2R LA MONDIALE, s.t.
- 9. Marco Canola, NIPPO – VINI FANTINI – EUROPA OVINI, s.t.
- 10. Angelo Tulik, DIRECT ENERGIE, s.t.
Top-10 overall
- 1. Danny Van Poppel, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, in 4:34:03
- 2. Luka Mezgec, MITCHELTON – SCOTT, at :04
- 3. Jurgen Roelandts, BMC RACING TEAM, at :06
- 4. Daniel Mclay, TEAM EF EDUCATION FIRST – DRAPAC P/B CANNONDALE, at :10
- 5. Clement Venturini, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at :10
- 6. Hugo Hofstetter, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at :10
- 7. Michal Kwiatkowski, TEAM SKY, at :10
- 8. Oliver Naesen, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at :10
- 9. Marco Canola, NIPPO – VINI FANTINI – EUROPA OVINI, at :10
- 10. Angelo Tulik, DIRECT ENERGIE, at :10
The post Valenciana: Van Poppel wins stage 1 sprint appeared first on VeloNews.com.