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Tour of California 2018: Stage 1

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And the race is off! 

It was a calm neutral zone, 2.5km, but the race has started and the attacks are already rolling off of the front of the field on the Long Beach circuit.

Two riders have cleared the field on the opening lap.

The two riders in the breakaway are Andrei Krasilnikau (Holowesko) and Tanner Putt (UnitedHealthcare).

This Tour of California is going to be a treat for those who like to see world-class sprinting.

The sprinters headline the race this year with world champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin), Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates), Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors), and Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott).

The seven-day WorldTour race should provide three clear opportunities for the sprinters with today's stage, along with stages 5 and 7.

Katusha-Alpecin and Quick-Step Floors are taking up the reins at the front of the peloton in the early part of this stage.

119km remaining from 134km

The start and finish is held on Shoreline Drive. The peloton make a right turn to head east on Ocean Boulevard and then race along the coast before making a U-turn to head back along Ocean Boulevard.

There are two intermediate sprints located at the end of lap 4 and lap 8, for those riders looking for a special jersey.

106km remaining from 134km

With the exception of the stage 4 time trial in San Jose, all stages including today offer time bonuses to the top three finishers - 10, 6 and 4 seconds.

101km remaining from 134km

Putt is part of the UnitedHealthcare team, that came to the Tour of California with a goal of being in every breakaway.

Putt and Krasilnikau are holding a two and half minute gap on the field. When they cross through the finish line on the next lap, they will see the first intermediate sprint offering 3, 2 and 1 seconds in time bonuses for the top three places.

92km remaining from 134km

Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin) was in good spirits this afternoon. He spoke with Pat Malach at the start. Here is what he had to say about the flat stage in Long Beach.

If you know your history of the Tour of California, you already know that Long Beach has hosted a stage back in 2007.

And it's Putt who takes the intermediate sprint along with the three seconds.

Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) sprints for the one second offered to the third placed rider. That may have been a test sprint for what's to come.

Cavendish had a rough spring with crashes at Abu Dhabi Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo. He is hoping to put all that behind him here in California.

Cavendish picked up a point in that first of two intermediate sprints, along with the one second bonus second.

74km remaining from 134km

72km remaining from 134km

Sunweb and LottoNL-Jumbo have started with six riders each at the Tour of California.

There's a good crowd out to watch the race in Long Beach. World champion Peter Sagan of the Bora-Hansgrohe team was mobbed at the start, of course.

Putt's representation in the breakaway will take some pressure off of his faster teammates Travis McCabe and Sebastian Haedo, both looking for top places on the stage.

65km remaining from 134km

63km remaining from 134km

BMC Racing's director Jackson Stewart was frank at the start of the race, saying they wouldn't waste energy in a breakaway, given all the number of sprinters in the field looking for a stage win today.

Ian Boswell – Katusha-Alpecin told Cyclingnews at the start,

55km remaining from 134km

Ian Garrison, Hagens Berman Axeon is a 20-year-old, second-year rider from Decatur. He is competing in the Tour of California for the first time.

James Raia also spoke with Rally Cycling's director and a former racer Eric Wohlberg.

Although the sprinters will certainly shine this week, there will also be a heated battle for the overall classification.

91km remaining from 134km

Putt picked up the three-second time bonus at the second intermediate sprint, while Krasilnikau took two seconds.

Back in the peloton, Cavendish had some rivalry for the third-place bonus, as Alvaro Hodeg (Quick-Step Floors) jumped out of the field and took the one second available.

After winning both intermediate sprints, Putt now has six seconds, which will help place him higher up in the overall standings ahead of stage 2.

Trek-Segafredo have an overall contender in Peter Stetina, who told Cyclingnews that he would be looking to win stage 2 on the summit of Gibraltar Road tomorrow, especially after he was second on that stage two years ago.

102km remaining from 134km

104km remaining from 134km

Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) looks comfortable in the peloton, sitting slightly further back and surrounded by his teammates.

A Rally Cycling rider is off to the side of the road with a mechanical. His team car has driven up and a mechanic jumps out to help take care of that, and get him back in the race.

Mathew Hayman has done a lot of the work on the front of the field for Mitchelton-Scott's sprinter Caleb Ewan. 

25km remaining from 134km

22km remaining from 134km

Krasilnikau is pushing the pace at the front of the breakaway, Putt in tow at the moment, but the pair look back and see the shadow of the main field close behind.

The peloton is racing along six kilometres of beach, but there are few people on it. Many are watching the bike race today, while the weather is unseasonably cool at 60F and windy.

17km remaining from 134km

Quick-Step Floors are starting to see rivals from Dimension Data moving forward, as the lead-out trains for the teams with top sprinters start to assemble at the front.

Putt and Krasilnikau are still working well together. holding 35 seconds, but watch for them to start attacking one another in the closing kilometres.

13km remaining from 134km

The bell is ringing for Putt and Krasilnikau signifying one lap to go. The peloton now race under the finish line banner but they are still spread wide across the boulevard.

9km remaining from 134km

There are five kilometres to go, and Quick-Step Floors is still dominating the front of the field.

Holowesko has taken the lead, taking on the WorldTour teams, passing Quick-Step's lead-out men.

Katusha-Alpecin are now moving forward for Marcel Kittel and Quick-Step Floors for Fernando Gaviria, all at the front and preparing for a sprint.

One Holowesko rider is left on the front, they have burned all their lead-out matches and Murphy will now have to find his own way among the world-class field.

AG2R La Mondiale are also in the mix, but Katusha-Alpecin swings wide out to the left of the boulevard.

MItchelton-Scott are nowhere to be seen at the front of the field, and are sitting some 40 places back.

Bora-Hansgrohe have just shown their colours for the first time today, at the front of the field, Peter Sagan is there in the rainbow jersey as the world champion.

Mark Cavendish has moved onto Peter Sagan's wheel.

Quick-Step fly forward and take their lead-out to the front, passed Sagan and Cavendish, with Gaviria.

Caleb Ewan has found his way to the front.

Quick-Step have the numbers

Gaviria, Ewan are sprinting side-by-side for the line.

Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) wins stage 1 at the Tour of California.

Tour of California stage 1 - Top 10

Tour of California overall classification after stage 1 - top 5

Gaviria's victory marked the 30th season win for Quick-Step Floors. The Colombian will wear the overall leader's jersey at the start of stage 2.

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