Over the last few years Geoffrey Bouchard has consolidated himself as one the most reputable breakaway specialists in the peloton, and he has taken another strong result. Only this time, in the opening day of the Tour of the Alps, the AG2R Citroën Team took his first professional win, and is also the first leader of the race.
The breakaway of the day in the opening day of the race consisted of Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroën Team), Ben Zwiehoff (BORA - hansgrohe), Mattia Bais (Drone Hopper - Androni Giocatolli), Emanuel Zangerle (Tirol KTM Cycling Team), Vinicius Rangel (Movistar Team) and Asier Etxeberria (Euskaltel-Euskadi). It was a group that threatened the stage, with a favourable profile and no true favourites for the stage win.
With some strong climbers in the group they sustained a gap that remained over two minutes in the final categorized climb of the day, where Bouchard went solo in the front with 25 kilometers to go and on the way to a possible win. INEOS Grenadiers and Bahrain - Victorious put on a chase in an attempt to eye the stage win and bonus seconds.
The gap slowly came down, and in the final hilltop with two kilometers to go the gap shortened further as the peloton was breathing down the AG2R rider, however he just barely managed to survive and take the win. Pello Bilbao and Romain Bardet sprinted towards second and third place in the peloton.
LA PREMIÈRE VICTOIRE PRO DE GEOFFREY BOUCHARD ! Parti dans l'échappée matinale, le Français (30 ans) a décroché ses adversaires et résisté au retour des favoris pour remporter la 1re étape du Tour des Alpes. Succès mérité pour le grimpeur d'AG2R-Citroën, passé pro à 26 ans. #TotA
