PREVIEW | Tour de l'Ain 2023 stage 1 - Marit, Stewart and Bouhanni among favourites for opening sprint stage
Cycling
Preview stage 1. From the 31st of July to the 2nd of August the French peloton see one more of it's stage-races. This time the riders take on a race within the Jura mountains in the Southeast of France, a race with opportunities for several kinds of riders.
Stage 1 of the race will see the riders travel from Loyettes to La Plaine Tonique. It's a short day on the bike with only 154 fast kilometers, and it should end in a bunch sprint which will attract some fast men.
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Stage 1: Loyettes - La Plaine Tonique, 154 kilometers
Prediction Tour de l'Ain 2023 stage 1:
*** Arne Marit
** Jake Stewart, Jason Tesson
* Hugo Hofstetter, Emils Liepins, Nacer Bouhanni, Clément Venturini
** Jake Stewart, Jason Tesson
* Hugo Hofstetter, Emils Liepins, Nacer Bouhanni, Clément Venturini
Pick: Arne Marit
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- Shocking really. That any team, never mind an American one, would have that degree of selflessness in their squad. Both Matteo or Quinn would have been equally deserving as champions. And maybe the original plan was teeing it up for them.MavicMoto01-10-2026
- Perhaps Piddy knew Onley didn’t have it but outside of messages getting passed along from the sides of the road, I’m not sure how he would know that without radios. And yes…Quinn finished 4th but (maybe I’m wrong here) before Sunday how many would have thought that he would be head and shoulders above Onley on what was widely considered a climbers course, with riders like VdP (let alone Simmons) only considered to have an outside chance? So my point is that yes, context was considered. Both BMc and Piddy were more-or-less playing the same cards. BMc played it to perfection and won. Piddy came up short. But somehow, according to Piddy, that’s on del Toro for not contributing to the chase at the end…a chase that Piddy might not have been involved with had he played his cards differently, saved his matches and bridged later. I think that is the greater context rather than complaining that del Toro (who was working all day) quit working once his trade teammate went up the road, which should be expected in that scenario.classicsrock01-10-2026
- Perhaps IDT did help, but what I saw was a group of riders that waited 60 seconds before responding to McNulty's acceleration. A whole minute! Really? I said to myself WTF are they thinking? Did physical exhaustion impair their judgement, or was it just chess games? No one wanted to burn their last match? To blame IDT for their lack of response is farcical. If Pidcock and Mathews only took 30 seconds to respond or responded immediately I think McNulty would have been caught.Botch25001-10-2026
- I guess if there wasn't/isn't a grassroots culture that he sprang from or was fostered during his career, then he's just someone who was lucky to get to where he is despite where he's from, rather than because of it. Plus, is cycling popular in Slovakia overall? Sometimes you get these folks who do a sport that no-one at home cares about back home so they are sort of successful in obscurity.wrsty01-10-2026
- Wout was good, and he was good on Sunday trying to drag Remco back, but I watched the olympics. Remco seemed exception on a course perfect for him, and MVDP was a step behind.mij30-09-2026
- Why would Del Toro help pull back McNulty just to be out sprinted by Matthews, VDP, Simmons... He fired his bullets on his terrain and couldn't get away. Only way he was going to have a chance is in a 2 or 3 up sprintbreckvelo30-09-2026
- Hey Lance, Go away in a reproductive manner!Lobz7730-09-2026
- Context matters. From the way Onley blew up, it was clear that he knew he was struggling and probably told Pidcock that. Simmons finished 4th. Of course, Pidcock could have and should've taken the gamble
Rafionain-Glas30-09-2026 - Great story. Surprises me though that Sagan’s amazing career hasn’t produced more of a legacy of young Slovak talent.Lozza30-09-2026
- Del Toro did a LOT of work in that group, riding on the front and pulling it along. By the time McNulty attacked I should think he was mostly cooked!Lozza30-09-2026
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