The 2015 Critérium du Dauphiné kicked off with a 131.5-kilomter circuit race around Albertville with the principal difficulty on paper a short but steep 1.2-kilometer climb.

But the circuit, navigated six times by a jittery peloton on opening day, proved to be more than a walk in the park, explained Trek Factory Racing's leader Bauke Mollema:

“It looked like an easy stage on paper, but it was a really hard day because the circuit had a lot of corners, speed bumps – it was a crazy circuit and we had to do it six times.  It’s always nervous the first day, everyone is fresh - it turned out to be a really hard day.”

A four-man breakaway wrote the script for most of the undulating parcours with one defiant soul holding out from their inevitable catch until four kilometers to go when he was swarmed by a five-man late escape group and a hurtling peloton breathing down their necks, seconds behind.

A last ditch flyer from Peter Kennaugh (Sky) just before the peloton was about to latch onto the six leaders was audacious with just under two kilometers remaining, but the lack of sprinters in the predominately vertical eight-day race resulted in a disorganized pursuit behind, and the move proved successful: Kennaugh held off the peloton to steal a nail-biting win.

Trek Factory Racing's key GC men finished safely in the bunch - not an easy feat in today’s hectic local loops - as they look toward the team time trial on day three and the final stages where the numerous summit finales will decide everything.

Mollema added, “I am feeling good. The next two, three days are little bit flat, and the team time trial of course - so that’s a nice day for the team - and then the last four days it's always an uphill finish so it will be a hard ending to the week.”

The eight-day race offers an abundance of altitude and the team has brought a strong contingent of climbers in support of Bauke Mollema, including newly crowned USA National Champion Matthew Busche, who rode his first race in the prestigious star and stripes.

“A lot of people were congratulating me and saying they like the jersey, so that’s always fun,” said Busche. “There was definitely a time at the start where I felt all nervous [in the new jersey] but then when I got into the race it was back to business as usual - game on! 

“I think the team rode very well today, but for me I lost position in the last lap when everyone slammed on their brakes because of a center island, and then I had to fight for my life to stay with the first group.  But overall it was good, and I think I kicked the jetlag now.”

The Critérium du Dauphiné continues with a 173-kilometer stage two tomorrow that boasts a category one climb around the midway point, which may not prove anything more than a small stretch of the legs as it arrives too far out from the finish.