Tour of Slovenia: Dylan Groenewegen continues to gain momentum with powerful stage 1 victory
Dutch national champion takes important win one month before the Tour de France
Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla) won stage 1 of the Tour of Slovenia, launching a powerful sprint to the line in Škofljica for just his second victory of the season.
The Dutch champion was perfectly led into the final corner by his teammates in purple, however, he could sense it was too early. He then latched onto the final two riders of UAE Team Emirates-XRG's train for the final sprint, before holding on to the line after kicking out of Ivo Oliveira's slipstream with 150 metres to go.
Groenewegen was able to celebrate just past the finish, before sitting down in the shade, exhausted from his effort, with Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) taking second and Manuel Peñalver (Polti VisitMalta) finishing third a bike length behind.
Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek) was perfectly placed to challenge the big Dutchman in his wheel, but couldn't match his kick in the final, with Groenewegen adding to his win last month from the Tour of Hungary.
He leads the race overall by one second from Fabio Christen (Q36.5 Pro Cycling), whose day in the early breakaway saw him take nine bonus seconds on the road. Groenewegen will likely have a chance to double his win tally Thursday on the undulating stage to Rogaška Slatina.
"The best position was in the wheel of Max [Walscheid], but these long straights into the last two corners were really important to have a good position," said Groenewegen as he recalled the finish.
"We were fighting a bit with UAE. Max took the perfect corner, but I was a little bit in between the UAE guys, so they let a gap go in the last corner. I went to the wheel, continued my sprint, and luckily it was enough.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"It was not my best day on the bike, because I was a bit sick three days before, but I recovered well, and I think it will be better every day now.
"I'm really happy with how we did as the team, and really happy with the victory."
Results
Results powered by FirstCycling

James Moultrie is a gold-standard NCTJ journalist who joined Cyclingnews as a News Writer in 2023 after originally contributing as a freelancer for eight months, during which time he also wrote for Eurosport, Rouleur and Cycling Weekly. Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert, Lizzie Deignan and Wout van Aert. Outside of cycling, he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby, football, cricket, and American Football to name a few.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
'A free mind equals fast legs' – How my mental state helped me wear the yellow jersey for two days at an unforgettable Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
In Luke Tuckwell's latest column for Cyclingnews, he recalls his memorable week in France, and how he went from tears in training to his first yellow jersey -
Tour de France prize money explained: What is at stake for the 2026 edition?
Over €2.5 million in prize money up for grabs this July, and plenty of ways to earn a slice of it -
American Criterium Cup: New Zealand riders sweep elite races at Downer Classic in Wisconsin and hold off series leaders in tight sprints
Bryony Botha and George Jackson win second stop of ACC and score titles across 11-day regional racing calendar at Tour of America's Dairyland -
Giant overhauls gravel range with two new bikes and a suite of gravel components
Just when we thought the gravel releases were over for the year, Giant has released a slew of new gravel products



