The first day at the 2015 Amgen Tour of California was targeted for the sprinters, and when the peloton hit the fast, wide finishing circuits in Sacramento the last remnants of the original four-man breakaway were quickly snuffed.

The fast criterium-like ending to the 203-kilometer stage gave an exhilarating climax to a lengthy, flat and relatively insipid day. The wide boulevards kept the speeds high as the riders wound their way around the Capital State building; the peloton was strung long, and moving up was an almost impossible feat.

For Trek Factory Racing one mistake in the first corner at the start of the final three-kilometer lap would prove costly; the wicked fast finale offered no room for error.

“Markel [Irizar] and Laurent [Didier] did an excellent job to keep us in the front,”explained Jasper Stuyven about the frenzied finishing laps. “The corner after the finish on the last lap we lost our position, but luckily we had Stijn [Devolder] to bring us back, but in the last lap they are going full, full gas in the front. So you know if you have to make up places there, even if you are in a wheel, you lose too much energy.

“We lost almost 30 positions, and it’s really, really hard when it’s all strung out to make that back. We tried and after that I was pretty stuffed. I still tried to bring Danny as far as possible to the front. It’s too bad, we were there, but we will have more chances and I think Danny can get close to the win later in the week.”

The last-ditch team effort propelled Danny van Poppel forward enough to squeeze him into 10th place, a result that doesn't show his true capabilities. 

In the sprint Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick Step) took a convincing win after a strong lead out, and also pulled on the first leader’s jersey for the eight-day race.

All of Trek Factory Racing finished safely with the peloton in the same time.

This was Stijn Devolder’s first race back after a battering Classics season and after he sustained injuries in a crash at Paris-Roubaix, but in true Devolder fashion he showed his strength in the critical moment of the fast race when all seemed lost:

“On the start of the last lap we didn’t cut the turn very well,” explained the soft-spoken Devolder. “I then had to take a big pull to bring Jasper and Danny back to the front, and then we only had Jasper left with Danny. It was a moment that cost us a better result. But for me, I am happy because my knee is much better, and I could help out the team. I don’t feel any more pain on the bike, only when I walk down the stairs –it’s a good feeling to be able to race again.”