The Briton from the Ineos Grenadiers team Tao Geoghegan Hart won the 1st stage of the Tour of the Alps, ahead of the Austrian Felix Gall and another Briton, Hugh Carthy. First Frenchman, Pavel Sivakov took sixth place.
Seventh career victory for Tao Geoghegan Hart, and the sixth in Italy! Winner of the Giro in 2020, the 28-year-old Briton offered himself a new success this Monday, on the occasion of the 1st stage of the Tour of the Alps, of which it is the 46th edition and where Aleksandr Vlasov, Geraint Thomas or Thymen Arensman are the favorite to succeed Romain Bardet, absent this year, since he is preparing the Tour de France this time and not the Giro.
For this introduction, the runners were entitled to 127 kilometers, a third category climb, a second category climb, and a bumpy finish with a peak of 13%. And it was the Ineos Grenadiers rider who proved to be the strongest, winning with two seconds ahead of the Austrian Felix Gall (AG2R-Citroën) and four over another Briton, Hugh Carthy ( EF Education EasyPost). He therefore takes the leader’s jersey in this race which has five stages. Note the fine sixth place of Frenchman Pavel Sivakov, another runner from Ineos Grenadiers.
The good work of Ineos Grenadiers
The day was marked by a breakaway of six riders: Valentin Paret-Peintre (AG2R-Citroën), Alex Martin (EOLO-Kometa), Moran Vermeulen (Vorarlberg) and Sergio Samitier (Movistar), then joined by Mulu Hailemichael (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA) and Andrea Garosio (EOLO-Kometa). Ineos Grenadiers and Bora-Hansgrohe drove to catch up with them, and the junction was made 17 kilometers from the finish. Geraint Thomas worked for Geoghegan Hart by picking up the pace of the peloton in the last kilometers, then it was Hugh Carthy who attacked 900m from the line, before the former Giro winner came to beat him on the line. Tuesday, a stage of 165 kilometers will be on the menu, with a new arrival at the top.
ALPS TOUR (ITALY)
Classification of the 1st stage (Rattenberg – Alpbach, 127.5km) – Monday April 17, 2023
1- Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR / Ineos Grenadiers) in 3h18
2- Felix Gall (AUT/AG2R-Citroën) at 2″
3- Hugh Carthy (GBR/EF Education EasyPost) at 4″
4- Ivan Sosa (COL/Movistar) at 6″
5- Aleksandr Vlasov (RUS / Bora-Hansgrohe) at 7″
6- Pavel Sivakov (FRA / Ineos Grenadiers) at 8″
…
ALPS TOUR (ITALY)
General classification (after 1 stage out of 5)
1- Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR / Ineos Grenadiers) in 3h17’50
2- Felix Gall (AUT/AG2R-Citroën) at 6″
3- Hugh Carthy (GBR/EF Education EasyPost) at 10″
4- Ivan Sosa (COL/Movistar) at 16″
5- Aleksandr Vlasov (RUS / Bora-Hansgrohe) at 16″
6- Pavel Sivakov (FRA / Ineos Grenadiers) at 16″
…
