Eneco Tour stage 1: Viviani takes first scalp in Bolsward

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Elia Viviani (Team Sky) came through a frantic sprint on stage 1 of the Eneco Tour to win the stage and pull on the first leader’s jersey of the race.

The Italian came over the top of Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) inside the final 200m with the German eventually fading to a disappointing fourth. Danny van Poppel (Trek Factory Racing) finished second with Jempy Drucker (BMC Racing) in third.

Viviani made use of his team inside the final 10 kilometres, using his teammates to keep him in contention as Lotto-Soudal, Etixx QuickStep and Orica GreenEdge fought for supremacy.

Even when Viviani found himself isolated inside the final kilometre he had enough power and nous to move onto Griepel’s wheel. The German opened his sprint early but his Tour de France legs appeared to still be in Paris, and he faded as the line approached. There were no such problems for Viviani who came through to win by a clear margin, and pick up his first victory on the road since stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia.

“This was the perfect sprint for me. With 500 meters to go I could see which was the perfect wheel for me to follow,” a jubilant Viviani told reporters at the finish.

“The team were amazing for me. We stayed in the front to avoid the crashes and then in the final kilometre Andy Fenn took me to the best wheel. I took Griepel’s wheel and he started fast but I waited a second and then I went. He started too early maybe but I had good legs. After a long break after the Giro this was a good start to the second part of the season.”

How it unfolded

The Eneco Tour began with a pancake-flat 183.5km test around Bolsward. Nathan Haas (Cannondale-Garmin), Frederik Veuchelen (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), Laurens de Vreese (Astana), Jesper Asselman (Team Roompot), Nico Denz, a trainee with Ag2r-La Mondiale, and David Boucher (FDJ) formed the early day’s break and built up a sizable advantage of over 7:30. The expected crosswinds that often buffer this part of the world failed to materialize, giving much of the stage a predictable feel.

Any thoughts of a gentle day in the saddle where blown away when the peloton began eating to the break’s advantage, which was suddenly reduced to less than three minutes with just over 40km of racing left.

The introduction of a "Golden Kilometre" livened up proceedings with three intermediate sprints measured out in the space of one kilometre. The break soaked up the bonus seconds available but the peloton were within touching distance.

Inside the final 10 kilometres and with the break reeled in, Lotto Soudal and Team Sky set about controlling the peloton. Orica GreenEdge, who had also been working on the front, saw their chances of success disappear when Jens Keukeleire slid out on a roundabout but Sky looked to have got their tactics wrong when Viviani was left with only Fenn for company.

However, the Italian received a world-class leadout, with the young British rider dropping off his captain with 500m to go. The Italian is not your typical sprinter who thrives off a standard leadout and he expertly sat on Griepel’s wheel until picking his moment to perfection.

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