Nicolas Roche (Team DSM) and Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) finished safely in the main peloton on the opening stage of the Tour of the Alps today as Gianni Moscon (Ineos Grenadiers) took victory and the race lead.
Martin's team mate, and four-time Tour de France winner, Chris Froome has continued to look well off his best and he shed minutes today on what was the stage of the race with the least amount of climbing.
On the 140.6km stage 1 from Brixen to Innsbruck, Moscon made the most of his local knowledge - as he lives in Innsbruck - to attack on a small narrow climb. He made his move just as a group, which had counter-attacked when the day's early breakaway was caught, was being caught with 3km to go.
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The Italian raced clear with an impressive show of power and though he eked out a gap of just a handful of seconds on the peloton, he made it all the way to the finish to win his first race in over two years.
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In the final kilometre Idar Andersen, a 21-year-old from Norway and riding for Uno-X Pro Cycling Team, managed to bridge the gap from the peloton to Moscon with a really impressive effort. He then went to the front and gave the Italian rider and break just when he was lagging and the bunch was closing in.
Within sight of the finish line Moscon jumped from Andersen's wheel and sprinted to victory. Andersen was caught by the front of the bunch right on the line but still took 2nd place, on the same time as Moscon.
Roche and Martin, who are both using the race as tune-up for the Giro d'Italia finished in the near 90-rider peloton, in 24th and 49th respectively. Froome was one of the many riders out the back today, on a stage with three cat 2 and cat 3 climbs, and lost 5:13.
Tomorrow's stage is a short but very hilly 121.5km from Innsbruck to Feichten im Kaunertal, with a cat 2 and a cat 1 climb in the second half of the race followed by a summit finish.
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