Visma | Lease a Bike DS has good impression after first mountain test: "Simon looked solid"

Not a perfect start to Giro d'Italia for Team Visma | Lease a Bike who are still on the look out for a first stage win after first seven stages. Even the first mountain-top finish of this year's Corsa Rosa didn't play out perfectly for the Dutch team, but Simon Yates still managed to cross the line in touch with the best.

It was a hard day for all riders with low temperatures and an exhausting battle for today's breakaway. "There was quite a battle to get into the break at the start of the stage," said sports director Marc Reef in a team press release.

"Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe quickly took control, so the breakaway never got much room. From then on, the race was mostly controlled. Our main goal was to protect Simon and position him well for the final climb. Bart and Wilco in particular played a key role in that. Simon looked solid. You never know exactly how the first real mountain stage will unfold, but we can be satisfied with what we saw today."

Yates ultimately crossed the line in 11th place, but only 8 seconds behind stage winner Juan Ayuso. Although the British leader of Visma didn't gain much with this result, he still remains in the contention as he sits 9th overall just 39 seconds shy of Primoz Roglic thanks to a strong time trial in Tirana.