Julian Alaphilippe remains on the GC podium ahead of the first summit finish.
Fausto Masnada was the “engine” of the breakaway on stage 1 of the Tour de Romandie, a hilly one punctuated by several climbs, the last of which came inside ten kilometers to go. The experienced Italian attacked right from the off, drawing a response from five other riders, who joined him, opening a maximum gap of four minutes.
Masnada, a Giro stage winner and Il Lombardia runner-up, drove a strong tempo on the many hills of the 165.7km stage, helping the group stay away until after the final ascent. There, they were joined by Julian Alaphilippe, who in the meantime had attacked over the top of the climb, and Fausto moved to the front to help the move gain momentum, but the peloton reacted and shut down the move on the descent.
Alaphilippe tried another roll of the dice, with the same result, and the stage came down to a bunch sprint, won by Dorian Godon (Decathlon AG2R). Kasper Asgreen got involved and finished fifth, while Ilan Van Wilder concluded with the peloton and moved up to eighth on the general classification. After the stage, Fausto took to the podium, where he was rewarded with the trophy for the most combative rider of the day.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
