Strong winds, rain and low temperatures combined with a hard parcours in the Ardennes made for an intense race on the first day of Tour de Wallonie. Tinkoff-Saxo took part in the big breakaway of the day but the squad found itself chasing in the final part after the group had split.

Tinkoff-Saxo finished with the main bunch, while Niki Terpstra (Etixx-Quickstep) took the stage win from the breakaway. After the race, team sports director Lars Michaelsen tells that the stage forced the squad into race rhythm after a longer stint at altitude training camp in Livigno.

“The stage was 192km with rain, 14 degrees and very strong winds. Additionally the terrain was very demanding, which meant that our riders already today started to find their race rhythm. That’s important for the coming stages in this race and the races to come. The stage didn’t go quite as we had wanted but it’s visible that the guys are well-prepared and motivated”, says Lars Michaelsen.

Tinkoff-Saxo’s Pavel Brutt took part in the early breakaway of the day that ultimately made it to the finish line after the group had been fragmented by several attacks.

“We had Brutt in the deciding move that was initiated after 10 kilometers of riding. The group of 14 got a maximum advantage of 3’40” but Brutt was unfortunately not there going into the race finale. So with 20km to go, McCarthy, Mørkøv, Breschel and Juul-Jensen went to the front of the pack to reel the break back in but by then it was too late to close the gaps. In any case, the Tour de Wallonie is now officially kicked off and we will utilize the opportunities that arise during the days to come”, finishes Lars Michaelsen.