The Dutchman finished seventh on the opening stage.
Victorious last year in two stages, Fabio Jakobsen returned at the start of the five-day race with the aim of featuring in the bunch sprints, and the European Champion was present in the first one, but couldn’t properly fight for the win. The reason for that was a massive crash that took place just under the flamme rouge, fragmenting the peloton and leaving only a small group in contention on the roads of Szentgotthard.
Due to the incident that saw also Yves Lampaert hit the ground – fortunately, without any serious consequences – Fabio found himself at the back, and despite his best efforts to make up ground and find the space to launch his sprint, he concluded outside the podium, in seventh place. The win on the opening day went to Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-Alula), after a photo finish.
The second stage of the Tour of Hungary will travel from Zalaegerszeg to Keszthely, where despite the presence of two classified climbs on the course, the sprinters are expected to be again in the spotlight.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
