A difficult time trial with an uphill finish in the first stage of the Tour de l’Metropole proved to be a challenge for Team Giant-Alpecin today. Fredrik Ludvigsson (SWE) was the top finisher, coming in as 38th at only 48 seconds down. The 7.8km course finished atop the Mont Saint Aubert (Tournai) with a gradient up to 15%.

Team Giant-Alpecin coach Addy Engels said, “Everybody was motivated to go for it today, but it was a difficult time trial with mostly climbing and a strong headwind. Fredrik started well but couldn’t hold it until the end. Nobody came close to a top finish today.”

The race continues Thursday with a 164 km stage from La Louviere to Chievres. There are some climbs along the way leading into a rolling finish.