Euskal Emakumeen Bira: Guarnier wins stage 1 in Arrasate

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Newly crowned US road champion, Megan Guarnier, won stage 1 at the Euskal Emakumeen Bira on Thursday. The Boels Dolmans rider won from a small sprint of four riders ahead of runner-up Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS), third placed Ashleigh Moolman (Bigla Pro Cycling Team), while Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Rabo-Liv Woman Cycling Team) finished fourth on the day.

The time that Niewiadoma gained by being in the successful breakaway has pushed her up into the overall race lead with the same time as Moolman and two seconds ahead of Johansson. Niewiadoma was seventh in the opening prologue held the previous day, only five second behind the winner of that stage, Annemiek van Vleuten (Bigla).

Van Vleuten finished in the main field 1:37 down and has now slipped to seventh overall.

Stage 1's 96.8km race started and finished in Arrasate. A breakaway of six riders included Guarnier, Johansson, Moolman, Niewiadoma, Tetiana Riabchenko (Inpa Sottoli) and Anna Sanchis (Spain). 

Moolman and Niewiadoma gained time on the breakaway riders, however, Johansson and Guarnier were able to bridge up to them on the climb with 35km to go. 

The four leaders were taken in the wrong direction, however, officials neutralized the race to get the breakaway back on track and in the right direction. The four riders sprinted for the stage win with Guarnier taking the glory by a whisker.

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