Slagter wins opening stage at Tour du Haut Var

Tom-Jelte Slagter (Cannondale) took the victory on stage 1 of the Tour du Haut Var-matin Saturday in Bagnols en Foret, finishing ahead of FDJ's Arthur Vichot and AG2R's Mickaël Chérel.

Slagter slipped away in the final 400 meters of the finishing climb to take the win. The peloton approached the final climb together, quickly stringing out in single file as Movistar's Antonio Pedrero attacked and gained a slight advantage.

Cofidis rider Anthony Turgis was the first to make contact with Pedrero and soon left the Movistar rider behind as he forged on alone. Turgis' advantage proved insufficient, however, as multiple counter attacks in the final 500 meters soon saw his gap disappear.

It was Slagter who eventually moved clear with enough of a surge to hold his advantage all the way to the line ahead of the FDJ and AG2R riders. Jésus Herrada (Movistar) was fourth, followed by Julien Simon (Cofidis).

“It was a great day," Slagter said. "The victory is always nice. I knew the final would suit me. It was all about positioning. I was in good position with five, six kilometers to go, so I could move up. I went over the top in third or fourth, full gas downhill so there was a gap behind me. Once I saw the gap was there, we came into the last kilometer and I thought if I waited they would probably catch us, and you’ll never know what could have happened. I surprised myself a little bit."

For Slagter, the win is a validation that he’s beyond the knee injury that hampered his last season.

The first stage took riders over 155km from Le Cannet des Maures to Bagnols en Foret, finishing with two short 8.2km circuits that included three climbs: the Vinom and twice up the Blavet, plus to short walls with grades of up to 20 percent.

The UCI 2.1 race concludes Sunday with the 206.8km stage on a circuit around Draguignan.

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