On the opening stage of the race, the 33-year-old Argentinean came close of finishing in the top three.
Glasgow gave the riders a warm welcome on Sunday, cheering for them and showing its huge support at the start of Tour of Britain stage 1, which took the peloton to Castle Douglas, a small town located in the Dumfries and Galloway area, that was returning to the race after a ten-year hiatus. The parcours was a flat one, perfect for sprinters, who sent their teams to the forefront in order to control the escape of Jasper Bovenhuis (An Post-Chain Reaction), Jonathan McEvoy (NFTO), Thomas Moses (JLT-Condor), Emiel Wastyn (An Post – Chain Reaction) and Peter Williams (ONE Pro Cycling).
The group was reabsorbed inside the last 20 kilometers, thus giving the fast men of the bunch their first opportunity to fight for a win at this edition. The sprint wasn't a quiet one, being disrupted by a crash which occurred in the final corners, when many riders hit the ground or got caught behind. André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) was first on the line, followed by Caleb Ewan (Orica-BikeExchange) and Ramon Sinkeldam (Giant-Alpecin).
Etixx – Quick-Step was represented in the sprint by Maximiliano Richeze, who made his return to racing after a well-deserved break he took following the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The 33-year-old Argentinean, one of the 17 riders of the team to get a victory this season, came fourth in Castle Douglas, a promising result for the next stages, in which Max will be sure to get involved again, if everything will go to plan.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
