Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma) has won the opening stage of Critérium du Dauphiné after using the Ineos Grenadiers lead-out train to his advantage and seeing off the challenge of its favoured rider, Ethan Hayter.
Ineos Grenadiers did much of the riding in the run in to the finish in the hopes that Hayter could claim victory. However, in the final kilomtere as Filippo Ganna did a monster turn on the front with Hayter on his wheel, Van Aert and Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) were queuing up behind them.
It was Van Aert who won the battle for Hayter's wheel and when the British rider went early in the gallop, Van Aert briefly slipstreamed behind him before choosing his moment and passing to win comfortably.
Hayter, who went a bit too early in the sprint, took 2nd place after 191.8km of racing from La Voulte-sur-Rhône to Beauchastel. Sean Quinn of EF Education-EasyPost claimed 3rd place, after an impressive turn of speed by the 22-year-old.
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Van Aert's task was made a little easier today when some of the pure sprinters - including Bike Exchange-Jayco's Dylan Groenewegen - were dropped after Trek Segafredo took it up on a late climb.
And while Rémi Cavagna (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) went for a flier coming to the finish - gaining a small gap when the front of the bunch stalled - Van Aert's team mate Christophe Laporte took it up and easily closed down the French champion.
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Once the recapture was made, it was Ineos Grenadiers who took on the pace making on the front in a bid to position Hayter and then launch him for the final sprint.
Eddie Dunbar of Ineos Grenadiers, the sole Irish rider in the race, finished safely in the main field, in 41st. He was near the front, keeping himself out of trouble, during the finale.
More to come.
