Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) warned his rivals that he will be very hard to beat in the sprints at the Giro d’Italia when he took a surprise victory in the hilly first stage of the Tour de Romandie. The German showed great form by surviving the fast pace set by Movistar on the climbs and then narrowly held Niccolo Bonifazio (Trek) off in the reduced bunch sprint, with Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEDGE) completing the podium. Ion Izagirre (Movistar) finished safely in the bunch and retained the overall lead.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Marcel Kittel: To win in such a mountainous race boosts my confidence for the Giro

On the last ascent, Movistar and Orica-GreenEdge went full gas and stretched out the peloton in order to drop the sprinters, and although it wasn't an easy task, Marcel Kittel managed to stay there and make it over the top.

 

Then, as soon as the day's lone escapee was caught inside the final 14 kilometers, it became obvious that the stage will end up in a bunch sprint. As a result, Etixx – Quick-Step moved to the front of the peloton with two kilometers remaining and with the likes of Maxime Bouet, Davide Martinelli, Bob Jungels and Lukasz Wisniowski pushed a very hard tempo in order to bring Kittel in an excellent position and to make sure there wouldn't be any late attacks.

 

With 400 meters to go, Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge) tried to anticipate the sprint in Moudon, but Marcel Kittel didn't give the Swiss any chance and opened his trademark sprint, which helped him outpace both Albasini and Niccolo Bonifazio (Trek-Segafredo). For Kittel it was the first career win in the Tour de Romandie and number eight of the season, while for Etixx – Quick-Step it was the 23rd victory since the beginning of the year.

 

"I am very happy for getting this win, but also for having good legs today and staying with the peloton when Movistar and Orica-GreenEdge began to ride hard on the climb. The team was with me there and helped me find my rhythm. Then, in the final kilometers, I had four guys with me, and although it isn't my regular team for the sprints, the guys did a fantastic job for which I can only thank them. Albasini attacked with 400 meters left and I decided to go immediately and overtook him; then, after noticing Bonifazio came from behind, I sprinted to the line and got this victory which gives me a lot of confidence for the Giro d'Italia", said Marcel Kittel after he capitalized on the flawless teamwork of Etixx – Quick-Step, taking not only the win, but also the points jersey in the World Tour race.

 

“This is a special win because it [Tour of Romandie] is not a good one for me as a sprinter. I came here to work on my condition and to try on the difficult days like today. It was in my favour that the first climb at the beginning was not in the race, but anyway, I just tried to hang on and fight, and got good support from the team. In the end, it was a very nice victory.

 

"Bouet, Martinelli, Wisniowski: it was a surprise to see them prepare my sprint, they are not part of my usual train but they did good work. This is a good sign before the climbs tomorrow. Maybe if it snows again tomorrow, we will not do the mountains (laughs).I hope to have a second opportunity on Sunday in Geneva but it is already a great success.”

 

Niccolo Bonifazio had the feeling that he could have beaten Kittel

Snow forced a shortened stage one at the Tour of Romandie, Wednesday, but a reduced bunch arrived at the finish as predicted and Niccolo Bonifazio sprinted to a close second behind Marcel Kittel (Etixx-Quick Step).

 

"I anticipated the sprint well," explained Bonifazio. "I was in the wheel of (Michael) Albasini; it was a good spot, and then I waited a bit because it was still far from the finish. When Kittel started his sprint on the right, I quickly jumped to his wheel but wasn’t able to pass him. I am happy; I would prefer to win, but I will have another chance this week with another sprint stage coming."

 

With over 60 kilometers knocked off the start of the stage and the elimination of the tough Col d’Etroits climb, the category three climbs stacked at the end were enough to reduce the numbers of the peloton, but not enough to shed the fast legs of Kittel. 

 

Playing off the Etixx-Quick Step lead out train, the agile Bonifazio danced around in the last one thousand meters, jumping from Michale Albasini (Orica GreenEdge) to Ramunas Navardaskus (Cannondale) to Kittel's wheel. Bonifazio was gaining fast on the German sprinter until Kittel shifted into an extra gear to beat him by a half-wheel.

 

"Niccolo did a nice sprint, he said he was very close and that he thought he could pass him, but Kittel accelerated," explained director Alain Gallopin. "But in front of you, you have the best sprinter in the world eh? It's not easy to beat him.

 

"Niccolo is here because he had a chance to win today, and also again on Sunday. Anyway, it is not a win, but it is a good result for this young guy. The team worked for him today, especially Ryder (Hesjedal) who helped him to come back because there was a big explosion in one of the climbs."

 

 "A sprinter is always disappointed when he is second," replied Gallopin when asked why Bonfizio was not satisfied with the result. "But he did a perfect sprint – he was alone in the end - and he took a good wheel and he did not pass Kittel because it's Kittel: the best sprinter in the world."

 

"He will be happy tonight," smiled Gallopin.

 

Michael Albasini: In a head-to-head battle with Kittel, I had no chance

After finishing second in Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège and crashing in yesterday’s prologue Michael Albasini has today produced another storming performance for ORICA-GreenEDGE by finishing third on stage one of the Tour De Romandie.

 

After race organisers decided to shorten the length of stage one due to heavy snow a fairly uneventful 100kilometres unfolded before the peloton came back together in the last ten kilometres in anticipation of a sprint finish. Albasini has been a multiple stage winner here over the years and used all of his strength and experience to hold off the chasing bunch as he sprinted to third behind stage winner Marcel Kittel (Etixx-Quickstep).

 

Sport director Neil Stephens complimented Albasini and the team’s performance.

 

“It was a sensible decision by the race organisers to adapt the stage route today,” said Stephens. “It was obviously the safest option although it meant that we had to change our race plan with the absence of the harder climbs.

 

“Nevertheless the team were outstanding with the way they rode especially Michael (Albasini) in the finale. We decided to commit ourselves to bringing back the breakway which we did very well and then Michael was our man up there for the final kilometre and he came very close to taking the stage win.”

 

“Having a crack at stage results is our priority here,” continued Stephens. “We haven’t come with any ambitions for the overall but Damien (Howson) has ridden himself into a good position in the general classification.”

 

“We are realistic about our chances over the rest of the race of the race but it will be a valuable experience for Damien to test himself in the mountains against the big grand tour guy’s.”

 

"I attacked with 300 meters to go because head to head with Kittel, it's impossible to beat a pure sprinter. To keep 3rd place is good. Kittel was dropped but managed to come back.”

 

Sander Armee: With 40 km to go, I thought I had a chance

Immediately after the start signal Sander Armée decided to attack, no one reacted. A few moments later two riders tried to bridge the gap but they were unable to join the leader because Armée already had obtained a nice gap on the peloton. The Belgian took all the KOM points on the route. Therefore he’s the new leader in that classification. At 13 kilometres from the finish Armée was caught, because of his effort he became the most combative rider. After that, the reduced peloton prepared itself for a bunch sprint. Tosh Van der Sande finished fourth.

 

Louis Vervaeke is seventh on GC and remains leader in the youth classification.

 

Sander Armée saud: “Because the stage was shortened today, I thought that I might possibly have a chance in a breakaway. So from the start of the race, I decided to go for it. However, no one ended up joining me. After a few kilometres, some other riders managed to escape from the peloton, but by that time, I already had a one minute advantage on them. I thought I would go at my own speed from then on, and see if they could catch up with me, however they never managed to do that. So I ended up riding on my own.

 

”At 40 kilometres to the finish, I thought that perhaps I was in with a chance, if the peloton wasn’t able to organise itself well. However, Orica-GreenEDGE started to come to the front with Movistar, and they went all out for the sprint, so in the end it was impossible to stay ahead by myself. Particularly due to the headwind, my speed wasn’t as high anymore towards the end of the stage, and riders in a large bunch can of course always reach higher speeds than a rider who is by himself, so I was ultimately caught.

 

”However, I picked up the combativity award as well as the king of the mountains jersey today, so my efforts were rewarded, and now we have a nice jersey to wear on tomorrow’s stage.”

 

Navardauskas: When Kittel is there, we are sprinting for second place

Here is what Ramunas Navarduaskas had to say about his 5th place.

 

"Fifth place is nice, but it can always be better. For me to beat Kittel is very hard, so I would like to say the sprint was for second place.

 

"However, it was a hard race even if it was short. When it is that short everybody is fresher and everybody is more aggressive in the finale."

 

No second WorldTour win for Cimolai in Romandie

For Lampre-Merida, David Cimolai tried an acceleration to counter Kittel but had to settle for sixth.

 

In the overall standings, Rui Costa is 31st.

 

"Short stages can lead to treacherous surprises, but it was not the case today,” said the sports director Simon Pedrazzini. “Movistar and Orica Greenedge worked in the lead. We wanted to protect Cimolai and to give the right support to Rui Costa . 
 

”In the end, the work to help our sprinter was good, Davide tried to do his best. He can be even brighter with each passing day.”

 

Samuel Dumoulin frustrated after seventh place in Romandie

Samuel Dumoulin finished 7th.

 

”I thought it would be hard to beat Michael Albasini on the first stage of the Tour de Romandie. I thought the climb in the early part would tire the sprinters including Marcel Kittel, but the Swiss is in great shape. Well, in the end, the climb was removed from the course because of the weather. It was a total change of situation. But afterwards, I admit that it was a wise and good decision, Marcel Kittel might have been there for the same win with this climb. So there not too many regrets!

 

”Etixx could prepare the sprint easily without anyone to challenge them in the lead. He easily won even if Niccolo Bonifazio eventually got close. I am seventh. I did not have excellent feelings. They were already bad in the prologue, after the long car trip and the victory in Tours. As the kilometers went by, it got better. I tried to best position myself for the climbs and the windy sections. I was there. I saw Albasini, who like me was very annoyed by the presence of Kittel, try something by anticipating. It was too bad for him, he lacked something, but he was in the spotlight. If I could follow him, it would have been a good shot too. But no one could beat the German.

 

”I also lacked support. This is a group of riders with whom I have somewhat lost the habit of riding with. It will improve. I now have the stage to Geneva on the last day in mind. We'll have to be patient. Until then I will help the team whenever possible. I want to do better in this second opportunity and it will be decided on fatigue. I said I wanted to be there inRomandie and a seventh place is not enough.”

 

 

 

Kristian Sbaragli left frustrated by shortened stage in Romandie

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka were looking to the punchy Italian sprinter for the finale, Kristian Sbaragli. The few short sharp climbs near the finish certainly suited Sbaragli but unfortunately the big name sprinter, Kittel, was able to regain contact in the final few flatter kilometers to contest and eventually win the sprint. Sbaragli was well positioned on the wheel of the German going into the final kilometer but in the end it would be 9th place for the African Team rider on the line.

 

Kristian Sbaragli said:
 

“It was a good stage but it was cut short because of the snow and this made it a lot easier. Kittel got dropped on the last climb but he was able to come back to the main group. Honestly I am not happy with my result but I know I am looking ahead to the Giro. Romandie is great preparation so I am staying focused.”

 

Sports director Oli Cookson added:
 

“The stage was shortened in order to take out the high level altitude roads and the main 2nd category climb, which would have played a part in the race and tired a lot of legs out. It was a very fast and short day at only 2 and half hours.

 

”The plan was to go full gas for Kristian to take the win. The final climb in particular was where we looked to see which teams were pulling and then to try and make it as hard as possible and drop guys like Impey and Kittel. It wasn't quite hard enough though and both Impey and Kittel got back.

 

”Jaco Venter did a great job dropping Kristian off on the wheel of Kittel for the final kilometer. Kristian had to make a bit of an effort before that so he was a bit tired. Youcef Reguigui who is coming back from a knee injury was also up there which is good. Songezo Jim was super helpful, going up and down all day with jackets and bidons.

 

”After rain, sleet and later some sunshine, it was a pretty mixed day but Kristian can still be happy. With the big climb the stage would have suited him better but we look forward to the next stages now.”

 

Ilnur Zakarin: When I am sprinting like this, my form is good

With cold weather, including snow, factoring in this week in the 70th Tour de Romandie, race organizers were prudent in shortening Wednesday’s stage 1 by removing the first climb and avoiding the most severe of the storm. With a shorter stage at 100,5 km, there was plenty of energy left in the peloton to sprint, including the effort that came from Team KATUSHA’s Ilnur Zakarin, who took tenth on the day.

 

”The team helped me a lot today. So in the final, I decided to try to be as close to the front as possible, because there was a possibility of some late crashes and it could provoke any splits in the group and as a consequence there could be time gaps. I think this result gives me more motivation. Normally if I sprint well, my form is ok,” said team captain Ilnur Zakarin.

 

Tom Dumoulin: I never had any problems

The front of the race came back together with 13km to go and Tom Dumoulin was well positioned at the front of the bunch with Georg Preidler and Chad Haga supporting him.

 

Preidler sprinted to just outside the top ten placing as Tom Dumoulin finished safely in the reduced bunch.

 

Ion Izagirre (Movistar Team) keeps his yellow jersey as Dumoulin is still second in the general classification at 6″.

 

Georg Preidler said: “We did a good job in protecting Tom D today and we always kept him at the front of the peloton. In the finale, I had the opportunity from the team to sprint but got boxed in. I am pretty happy with my form and I look forward to the upcoming stages.”

 

“It was a good decision from the race organisers to do only the last 100km,”explained Tom Dumoulin. “For me the day went according to plan, the guys supported me very well and in the finale it went quite fast but I never had any problems.”

 

Coach Arthur van Dongen gave his thoughts: “The aim was to protect Tom Dumoulin during this short stage. It was the right decision from the organisation to start at the 60km mark because there was a lot of snow at the original start. The stage was very straightforward with a one-man breakaway and the peloton was always in control.

 

“In the reduced bunch sprint there was only around 100 riders left with Tom D, Chad and Georg. In the sprint, Georg just missed out on a top 10 but there were no troubles for Tom as he crossed the finish line safely in the bunch.”

 

Moreno Hofland after missed opportunity: I am fed up with this

Moreno Hofland finished 12th in the first stage of the Tour de Romandie this afternoon. The organiser shortened the stage due to snow, which increased the chances for Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s sprinter. It did not happen, however, and Marcel Kittel (Etixx - Quick Step) took the victory.

 

Without the hard starting climbs, the riders faced only 100.5 kilometres.

 

“This is a missed chance,” Sports Director Frans Maassen said. “He was on his own in the final, but he had to blame himself. This should have ended up better.”

 

Hofland end the day “fed up” with his 12th place.

 

“These are opportunities for me,” he added. “It was a tough stage, not many top sprinters are competing in this race and I previewed the final kilometres beforehand. I made a mistake. I chose the right side instead of following Jos van Emden. I was blocked in and ended up in bad position. This was my first sprint in a while and it didn’t go automatically for me. I made the wrong choice and I’m really fed up with that.”

 

Wilco Kelderman will be the main gun for Team LottoNL-Jumbo on Thursday, when the second stage of the Tour de Romandie finishes uphill.

 

“I think that Wilco is ready for tomorrow,” Maassen continued. “He climbed strongly in yesterday’s prologue. It’s going to be a man-against-man-fight tomorrow and I think that an early breakaway won’t have any chance to make it to the finish ahead of the favourites.”

 

Luis Leon Sanchez: I will do good things in Romandie

“After Liege and yesterday’s prologue, it was another day in very difficult weather conditions with cold and some snow,” explained Luis Leon Sanchez. “I think it was a good decision by the organizers to cut the first part of the stage and reduce it to the last 100 km.”

 

“Even as a consequence of the short length, the speed was quite high and I preferred to stay in the bunch because it was really probable that the finish would be with a bunch sprint,” continued the European Champion. “Actually it went this way and I stayed in the front positions until the sprint to avoid any risk of being involved in any crashes.”

 

“Looking at the weather forecast, the situation should get better from tomorrow, so I’ll see how the race will develop. My condition is good and, if the temperature will increase a little bit, I’m sure I shall do some good things in the next stages,” concluded the Spaniard of the Astana Pro Team.

 

Thibaut Pinot well prepared for first mountain stage in Romandie
Thibaut Pinot and his FDJ teammates had a quiet day.

 

"There was snow at the start , says sports director Yvon Madiot, "and the decision to start the race after the first climb was justified. It seems that in the morning, the descent was icy, so it had to be skipped.

 

 

"In the end, it was good although the small climbs hurt the legs. The guys remained vigilant and tried to avoid splits. They did not leave the first places. For 80 kilometers Kenny Elissonde worked with its leader in his wake and finally, even if Thibaut does not like this type of stage, everything went well. Now we are ready for tomorrow.

 

 

"It ends with two climbs separated by a descent of three kilometers. Thibaut and his teammates know the route by heart, they have done a recon. We will pass through the village where Steve Morabito's family lives. He knows every meter of this stage."

 

IAM: Jarlinson Pantano needs harder stages to win a sprint

“The choice to shorten the stage was a wise decision," commented Dries Devenyns while he was recuperating from his day’s efforts.  “The cold and snow had already disrupted the prologue.  The forecasts were very bad for the first kilometers of today’s stage.  And even at the finish, the conditions were changing every five minutes.”

 

“We didn’t really bring a sprinter to the Tour of Romandie, at least not one able to compete realistically in a field of a hundred other riders,” Rik Verbrugghe, IAM Cycling’s sports manager, explained at the finish line.  “Jarlinson Pantano has a good kick, but needs a much harder stage that will shell many more riders in order to have the sort of sized group he would need to be able to shine.”

 

Reto Hollenstein the best placed member of the Swiss professional team at this World Tour event. The impressively tall rider from the Thurgau region in Switzerland is in 6th place after two days of racing.

 

The stage between Moudon and Morgins will give several IAM Cycling racers a chance to excel.  Mathias Frank in particular will be looking to prove himself on the 20 kilometer final climb to the resort in the Valais.

 

Thomas and Froome safely through shortened stage in Romandie

Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas finished safely in a reduced peloton as stage one came down to a bunch sprint at the Tour de Romandie.

 

Team Sky were present towards the front of race for much of the test as the weather again made its presence felt in Switzerland. The day's result saw Thomas jump up one place to third overall, remaining seven seconds back on leader Jon Izagirre (Movistar).

 

Snowfall necessitated a significant shortening of the stage by 60 kilometres at the start, and at the finish it was Marcel Kittel (Etixx - Quick-Step) who prevailed in the sprint.

 

The powerful German narrowly edged out Niccolo Bonifazio (Trek-Segafredo) on the line in Moudon, while Froome, Thomas and Salvatore Puccio all finished in the group after a selective finish. Froome remains 26 seconds back on the yellow jersey ahead of more selective stages to come.

 

Final climb too tough for Tinkoff sprinter in Romandie

On the race’s first road stage, the Tour de Romandie experienced an early setback, as poor weather at the start led to a shortened route. In spite of the shorter distance, the stage ended in the expected bunch sprint, with Manuele Boaro the first Tinkoff rider over the line in 25th position. The team’s focus now shifts to the mountains, where the team’s leader, Rafal Majka will find out who his GC rivals are.

 

With 13km left, there were five Tinkoff jerseys clustered near the front of the group, yet holding back and not dictating the pace, allowing the other teams to do the work. With several teams leading the way in pursuit of a sprint the situation remained stable until only 400m when an early attack came, but it was too close to the finish to have taken the win from the sprinters, as they followed soon after and the stage finished in a bunch kick. All Tinkoff riders came home safe, looking to the opportunities the days in the mountains would bring.

 

While the aim had been to position Adam Blythe for the sprint, the British rider lost contact on the final climb before the finish, as Sport Director, Patxi Vila explained.

 

“We knew it was one of the days that we didn't have a lot of chances but we wanted to give a try to Adam Blythe for the sprint. Unfortunately, he lost contact with the front group with about 250m from the top of last climb, and from there he wasn't able to get back on so the focus was just on staying at the front and around Rafal.”

 

As the first road stage of the race, the team was focusing on getting a feel for the conditions and the mood of the peloton, and in spite of the disappointment of today’s sprint, the team was looking to the days ahead, as Jesus Hernandez explained.

 

“The stage was a nice one for the team to get into the rhythm here. We worked well on the climb and covered Rafal well, and kept everything possible for tomorrow onwards. Now we're looking forward to tomorrow.”

Vila supported the Spanish rider’s comments, going on to praise the team's efforts on the day.

 

“The team showed good work at the front, and managed the objective well at the end of keeping Rafal out of trouble. There was no result at the end but overall I'm happy with how the climbers showed themselves ahead of the coming days.”

 

After a stage for the sprinters and all-rounders, there is no doubt about the classification for stage 2. With two second category climbs and a first category ascent to the finish over its 173.9km length, this is a stage for the climbers, and is one where the team will find out who the contenders for the GC are. Ahead of stage 2, Vila was looking forward to the first test of the mountains.

 

“Tomorrow will be a nice stage, and a good test where we will understand more about where we are and what we can expect from this Tour de Romandie. We will see tomorrow and we will push for a good result. I just spoke to all the riders and they're feeling good, so hopefully we can be up there at the finish.”

 

Izagirre: Quintana is ready to take over if I fail

Ion came to stay. The younger of the Izagirre brothers has kept the lead of the 2016 after his exhibition on Tuesday, with no fear against the main names of the peloton. As they've done already so many times during the early season, the telephone squad worked flawlessly - what the world's top-ranked team for the past three seasons is supposed to do - and retained the top spot overall ahead of the first mountains scheduled for tomorrow.

 

Due to snow and ice covering the roads early on today's route, the race organizers chose to shorten it to 100.5km from Mathod to Moudon, under sunny skies and on dry roads which still included some insidious ramps and three Cat-3 ascents. A solid Blue roster, formed by Andrey Amador, Winner Anacona, Jesús Herrada, Gorka Izagirre, Antonio Pedrero, Nairo Quintana, José Joaquín Rojas and Ion Izagirre, drove the pace through all of them. Pedrerp took care of the rhythm early to keep Brüngger (ROT) and Minnaard (WGG) under control - caught with 30km remaining - before Amador and Rojas pushed through the final Côte de Vauderens (Cat-3, slopes peaking at 16%) to bring back solo leader Sander Armée (LTS) with less than 13km to go.

 

Marcel Kittel (EQS) narrowly beat Niccolò Bonifazio (TFS) at the mass sprint, with all eight Movistar Team members safe and happy to reach Moudon, prelude of tomorrow's Cat-1 Morgins finish, in perfect condition with Izagirre and certain to find a competitive Nairo Quintana in the first big mountain showdown.

 

"Tomorrow is the first summit finish and there are many favorites. We have two leaders: Nairo (Quintana) who is very strong, and me. He is ready if I fail, but the goal is to keep the yellow jersey,” Izagirre said.

 

BMC: Our race in Romandie starts tomorrow

Extreme weather conditions forced Tour de Romandie race organizers to cancel the first categorized climb on Stage 1, re-routing the stage to start with just 100km to go.

 

The revised stage ended in a bunch sprint won by Marcel Kittel, while all of BMC Racing Team’s riders crossed safely in the peloton.

 

Tejay van Garderen currently sits in seventh on the General Classification, 11 seconds behind race leader Ion Izagirre (Movistar Team).

 

One rider who is no stranger to the Swiss conditions is Danilo Wyss, current Swiss National Road Race champion, who is racing his training roads.

 

Here’s what he had to say about the stage.

 

“The conditions were a bit bad but it was a good day for me because I passed only one kilometer from my house so it’s always nice to race on the roads you train on. And of course it’s a good advantage when you know every corner.

 

“It was snowing on the first mountain so they decided to cut this part of the stage out, which I think was a really good decision. As we have seen in the previous years the Tour de Romandie organizers have made some good decisions when they weather gets bad.

 

“For BMC Racing Team the race really starts tomorrow. We have a good team here with our two leaders, Richie and Tejay, so I think we are ready for it and we’re looking forward to this stage.”