Breakaway from the breakway and a lot of time lost on a difficult day with strong gusts of wind
45º Ronde de l’Isard
Stage 1: Castelsarrasin – Saverdun (157,1 km)
A chilly start, exposed to strong gusts of wind and at times also under water of a Ronde de l’Isard 2022 in which the riders of the U23 structure of the Contador Foundation ended up reaching the finish in a crumbling peloton that began to arrive more than ten minutes after the winner, and therefore the first leader, the Norwegian Johannes Staune-Mittet.
The Nordic rider of Jumbo-Visma was the winner of a great breakaway of fourteen riders that capitalized the vanguard of the day, backed by a lead of ten minutes in the last 50 kilometers. The weather conditions, quite adverse, conditioned the evolution of this first fraction. The first day of the French race was, orographically, the easiest and most suitable for fast men or adventurous sprinters. It ended up being the battleground for a breakaway of the breakaway.
The breakaway consisted of Gwen Leclainche (CC Etupes), Benjamin Marais (Vendée U), Maximilien Provost (VC Pays de Loudéac), Ramses Debruyne (Lotto-Soudal), Gil Gelders (Bingoal-Pauwels); Robin Skivild and Sakarias Loland (Uno-X); Enzo Paleni and Reuben Thompson (Groupama-FDJ); Max Walker and Oliver Rees (Trinity Racing) and Lars Boven, Loe Van Belle and winner Staune-Mittet (Jumbo-Visma). In the final kilometers, given their comfortable lead, this breakaway entered a phase of attacks and counterattacks in which Van Belle, Maris, Leclainche, Bruyne, Thompson and Staune-Mittet emerged above the rest.
When the winner arrived, the big group faced the last five thousand meters and a big fall with three meters to go would join the misfortunes and fatigues of the day. Gilabert (38th), Tercero (51st) and Uría (64th) crossed the finish line 10’20” behind. A little further behind came David Domínguez (68th), Ramón Fernández (72nd) and Antonio González (91st), who had to change bikes.
This Thursday the Ronde de L’Isard faces a second stage divided into two sectors. The first sector will be a short one under the formula of the team time trial and the second one of high mountains, with a lot of slope in a few kilometers of route, with a high finish in Gedré and a previous passage through a whole Col du Tourmalet. A day in which many unknowns will be resolved about what this first stage on Gallic soil had in store.
[📷 Mairie de Grenade sur Garonne (1)]
