Marijn van den Berg sprints to victory from reduced bunch in wind effected stage 1 of La Route d'Occitanie

Marijn van den Berg sprinted to victory on stage 1 of La Route d'Occitanie in a wind effected finale.

The opening stage takes place from Narbonne from Gruissan, it's an open day which should end in a sprint however it features a final circuit which includes a 1.3-kilometer climb at 5.4%, a hilly section which ends with just some kilometers to go.

With the breakaway caught relatively early on, almost by accident, the race entered the final 30+km with no one out in front of the peloton.

A counter-attack of two riders, Leo Danes and Celestin Guillon then got free, extending their gap to around 30 seconds with 15km to go and they were soon after joined by Anthony Turgis.

Once they were caught, the pace really upped at the front of the peloton and crosswinds began to play a part, with echelons forming throughout.

Many big names were missing from the lead group including Nacer Bouhanni, who started the day a potential stage winner.

Entering the final kilometre, a select group of around 20 riders lead at the front.

In an incredibly tight sprint finish, Elia Viviani made a massive effort but ultimately could not overcome Marijn van den Berg. The EF Education-EasyPost man taking the win.