Skoda Tour Luxembourg

Taking in four classified climbs and many other short but sharp hills, the first day of the Tour de Luxembourg was quieter than expected, a four-man breakaway animating it from kilometer zero until the final hour of racing.

Soudal Quick-Step was among the teams controlling the gap of the escapees, which reached a maximum of six minutes before the peloton began chewing into it. Riding one of his final races as a pro, Dries Devenyns put in a huge amount of work at the front of the group, which caught the attackers on the run-in to the 2km-long Côte de Stafelter.

Another attempt was quickly shut down on the descent, our riders remaining prominent as the bunch began climbing one more time. The finale proved to be a hectic one, due to the presence of a tight corner just 200 meters from the line, but even so Fausto Masnada and Ilan Van Wilder did well, both concluding the stage won by Corbin Strong (Israel – Premier Tech) in the top ten, thus helping Soudal Quick-Step take the lead in the team classification.

“We did a great work today. Things didn’t turn out quite how we wanted in the sprint, but both the legs and the confidence are there, and with four stages still to go, we’re determined to do a good race here”, explained Andrea Bagioli.

Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images