In the final kilometres of yesterday’s opening stage at Driedaagse van de Panne a group of 10 riders went on the attack, including Alexander Kristoff from Katusha. The leading group managed to get a 10-12 seconds advantage over the peloton, but it was enough to compete for the stage victory.

In the final sprint Kristoff finished in 3rd position, just behind Peter Sagan (Cannondale) who won the stage, and Arnaud Demare (FDJ), who came second.

“My shape is getting better day by day. I managed to jump into the decisive group, but as a result I spent some energy and perhaps I was not at 100% for the last sprint. So, I tried a long sprint, because it was a little bit downhill, but unfortunately it did not pay out completely. Anyway, I am quite satisfied with my performance today. Let’s see what will happen in the next days,” said Alexander Kristoff after the opening stage.

Starting at 14.45 you can follow the action from De Panne live here on Cyclingquotes.com