2022 Tour of the Alps Stage 1 Results & Recap
Stage 1 of the 2022 Tour of the Alps is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Geoffrey Bouchard conquers the first stage of the Tour of the Alps 2022. The Ag2r Citroen rider, who was part of the initial six-man breakaway who had up to 7'45 "advantage, managed to break away from the other forwards and hold on in the final for only five seconds at the return of the group, thus imposing himself alone at the finish line in Primiero / San Martino di Castrozza. The sprint of the beatings was instead won by Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) in front of Romain Bardet (Team DSM) and Vincenzo Albanese (Eolo-Kometa), first of the Italians on arrival. Bouchard, of course, is also the first leader of the race with an advantage in the general classification of 9 "over Bilbao and 11" over Bardet. official, among the most active there are riders from Ag2r Citroen, Astana Qazaqstan, Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli and Bora-hansgrohe, but no one can make a difference. The group travels compactly and at speed. sustained in the first part of the race, effectively preventing any attempt to take off. After about 35 kilometers from the start, however, six men finally manage to take advantage: they are Geoffrey Bouchard (Ag2r Citroen), Ben Zwiehoff (Bora-hansgrohe), Vinicius Rangel (Movistar), Mattia Bais (Drone Hopper-Androni Toys), Asier Etxeberria (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Emanuel Zangerle (Tirol KTM Cycling Team). Israel-Premier Tech and Bahrain Victorious lead the group to try to contain the delay, which in the intermediate sprint of Pergine Valsugana, where Zangerle passes first, has already dropped to 6'27 ", remaining constant in the following kilometers. After the half stage, the fugitives then approach the first uphill stretch towards the first GPM of the day, Passo Brocon, which soon sees Zangerle lose contact from the lead. Behind, it is always Bahrain Victorious and Israel-Premier Tech to alternate in the pursuit, but the delay does not decrease significantly in this first phase of the ascent. delay which at that point drops below five minutes for the first time. Starting the climb again, however, the pacemakers still manage to maintain a good pace, which allows them to continue to have more than 4'30 "advantage even though Rangel also raises the white flag and takes off. The Ineos leads the pack. Grenadiers to increase the pace a little and return to gain, but also in front there is a new change of pace thanks to Bouchard, with whom only Zwiehoff remains. While the group goes to catch Zangerle and Rangel, the two remaining forwards they pass through the GPM with a margin of almost a minute on Bais and Exteberria and with 3'35 "on the platoon, but the next downhill stretch sees the Italian and the Basque return to the leading couple and the group recover another 30". next GPM of Passo Gobbera the same script seen in the previous climb is repeated almost the same: this time it is Zwiehoff who stretches, followed only by Bouchard, but shortly after the transalpine detaches the German, climbing over the top with a handful of sec ondi on him and with about 50 "on Bais and Etxeberria, while the delay of the platoon drops to three minutes. However, the kilometers to the finish, twenty, also decrease, as well as the possibility of the group (almost always pulled at this stage by the Ineos Grenadiers) to go and resume the solitary pacemaker, which manages to maintain more than two minutes of margin along the next descent. Precisely in this section there is a slip by Zwiehoff, who gets up immediately but is joined shortly after by Bais and Etxeberria, now one minute from the head of the race. Martino di Castrozza, thus starting the only lap of the final circuit with 1'09 "on the most immediate pursuers and 1'45" on the group, where there is not much agreement. Right on the finish line, in fact, Eddie Dunbar (Ineos Grenadiers) accelerates, who manages to take three riders with him before being caught up by an Astana Qazaqstan that has taken in the first positions. Once this attempt is canceled, however, the platoon widens and slows down, which is to Bouchard's advantage, who maintains more than a minute of margin with ten kilometers to go. The three pursuers of the transalpine, on the other hand, are caught shortly after by the group, where it is the Bahrain Victorious who resumes operations again.
This is the most difficult moment for Bouchard, who finds himself having a headwind until five kilometers from the end , with the pursuers who thus return to gain by taking them to 50 "from him. Even the snatch from -3000 to -2000 meters does not help the transalpine, who sees the platoon ever closer and now less than 30"; However, the Ag2r Citroen rider manages to reach the top of the tear with another 15 "advantage, while behind him various accelerations occur, which lead the platoon to break into two sections. The final stretch, however, is all to Bouchard's advantage , who also has time to celebrate in the last few hundred meters before crossing the finish line with a 5 "lead over the group, ruled by Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious).
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