Circuit de la Sarthe got off to a fast start, as stage 1 finished in a sprint decision with Nacer Bouhanni taking the win. Tinkoff-Saxo, led by Michael Valgren and Manuele Boaro, focused on saving the power for Wednesday’s dual stage, where the team is eyeing possibilities in the intensive 6.8k afternoon time trial.
 
After the conclusion of stage 1, Tinkoff-Saxo DS Nicki Sørensen noted that the team followed the strategy set for the 188km stage to Varades in Pays de la Loire.
 
“The stage evolved as we had expected. For our part it went all right. A three-man break went away at the start and the peloton allowed it to get a decent gap, before the sprinters teams started dragging it back in again. All the while, we were focusing on maintaining a good position in the bunch and saving energy for the stages to come. Our guys supported the team captains as they should, and we’re ready for the dual stage tomorrow”, says Nicki Sørensen.

Stage 1 spanning 188km from Sablé-sur-Sarthe to Varades featured rolling terrain for the duration of the stage. Going into the final sprint, the fast men lined up behind their teammates and it was ultimately Nacer Bouhanni, who proved the fastest in the final burst for the line.
 
Another fast 84km stage to Angers awaits the riders tomorrow morning quickly followed by a completely flat, quite technical 6.8km time trial. Here, Nicki Sørensen expects to see team captains Manuele Boaro and Michael Valgren giving it their best.
 
“We didn’t lose time today and most importantly our captains Boaro and Valgren got through the day while conserving energy for the TT tomorrow afternoon. They are in good shape and it will be very exciting to see what we will be able to take away from the stage. Manuele Boaro is quite a specialist in this type of time trial, so this is of course a stage, where he wants to do well”, finishes Nicki Sørensen.