Moreno Hofland finished eighth in the first stage of the Eneco Tour on Monday. Italian Elia Viviani won the bunch sprint, making the Team Sky sprinter the first leader in the Dutch-Belgian World Tour stage race.

The opening 183-kilometre stage of the 2015 Eneco Tour started and finished in Bolsward. The peloton crossed Friesland and rode a route similar to the Elfstedentocht, a grueling ice-skating contest. An early breakaway of six riders was caught with about 15 kilometres to go, and then the pack rumbled into Bolsward.
 
“I was not able to fully compete with the other sprinters,” a disappointed Hofland said afterwards. “In the final kilometres, it was difficult to maintain my position, as it was a flat straight. When there are corners, the peloton doesn’t get so wide, and that makes it easier to stay in the front. I got boxed in during the final two or three kilometres. Robert Wagner brought me back to the tenth position or so, but I got trapped again. After that, I needed to start my sprint too early. I’m already looking forward to tomorrow, I want to get near the podium.”
 

“The beginning of the stage went as expected,” Sport Director Nico Verhoeven said of the first day. “After a break was formed, together with Lotto-Soudal, Sky and Trek, we brought down the eight-minute gap. It was a shame that Moreno got boxed in, because I think there was a better result in his legs. The last 20 kilometres we were in the right place, but in the end, it all went wrong.”

Tuesday’s 180km second stage around Breda sees another chance for the sprinters.

 
“Sky leads the race, I expect them to control even more than today,” Verhoeven said. “The sprint will look different in Breda, because there are more corners in the final kilometres, and so it it’s easier to control. We want to do better than today with Moreno.”