Tour Poitou-Charentes: Wærenskjold sprints to opening stage victory

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First leader's jersey goes to Uno-X rider with Scott McGill second and Giovanni Lonardi third overall

MATHA FRANCE AUGUST 22 Søren Wrenskjold of Norway and Team UnoX Pro Cycling celebrates at finish line as stage winner ahead of Giovanni Lonardi of Italy and Team EOLO Kometa during the 36th Tour Poitou Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine 2023 Stage 1 a 1952km stage from Confolens to Matha on August 22 2023 in Matha France Photo by Dario BelingheriGetty Images
Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine: Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Pro Cycling) wins stage 1 (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
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Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Pro Cycling) won the bunch sprint on stage 1 of Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle-Aquitaine on Tuesday. From a trio of riders to cross the line in Matha and separated by only half a wheel, Giovanni Lonardi (Eolo-Kometa) took second and Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ) followed in third.

The 23-year-old Norwegian’s victory on the 193.1km opening stage replicated his start a week ago at the Tour of Denmark, where he took the leader’s jersey on that first day of racing, finishing fourth overall. 

Tuesday’s victory was the fifth victory of the year for Wærenskjold, who took the first GC lead for the four-day race, one second over Scott McGill (Human Powered Health) and four seconds over the Eolo-Kometa duo of Lonardi and Diego Sevilla. McGill and Sevilla were part of a five-rider breakaway, McGill taking the total amount of points at the three sprints at Rouhénac, Foussignac and Les Touches-de-Périgny to give him the time bonuses for a GC position and the sprint classification jersey.

"I knew that if I focused on the sprints with time bonuses instead of the KOM, I would be able to climb the GC. I was able to win all three and so I’m really glad to have put the plan into reality and be second overall,” he said after stage 1.

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Jackie Tyson
Jackie Tyson
North American Production editor

Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).

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