Tour de Romandie 2018 Stage 1: Sprint victory Omar Fraile, Primoz Roglic new leader

The 1st stage on the Tour de Romandie features four passes before the race ends with a descent. The peloton regroups with 2 kilometres to go before Omar Fraile sprints to victory ahead of Sonny Colbrelli. Primoz Roglic is the new leader on GC. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 1st stage Tour de Romandie 2018

1. Omar Fraile (spa)
2. Sonny Colbrelli (ita) s.t.
3. Rui Costa (por) s.t.
4. Rudy Molard (fra) s.t.
5. Gorka Izagirre (spa) s.t.
6. Egan Bernal (col) s.t.
7. Pierre Latour (fra) s.t.
8. Xandro Meurisse (bel) s.t.
9. Merhawi Kudus (eri) s.t.
10. Eros Capecchi (ita) s.t.

GC after the 1st stage
1. Primoz Roglic (slo)
2. Rohan Dennis (aus) s.t.
3. Geraint Thomas (gbr) + 0.04
4. Diego Rosa (ita) + 0.05
5. Pierre Latour (fra) s.t.
6. Gorka Izagirre (spa) + 0.08
7. Egan Bernal (col) + 0.10
8. Jonathan Castroviejo (spa) s.t.
9. Pierre Rolland (fra) s.t.
10. Richie Porte (aus) + 0.13

12. Ion Izagirre (spa) + 0.14
15. Rui Costa (por) + 0.16
17. Emanuel Buchmann (ger) s.t.
19. Steven Kruijswijk (nld) + 0.18
21. Daniel Martin (irl) s.t.
25. Simon Spilak (slo) + 0.19
26. Tejay van Garderen (usa) + 0.20
34. Jakob Fuglsang (den) + 0.24

Race report
Alexis Gougeard, William Clarke, Antoine Duchesne, Marco Minnaard and Rémy Mertz make it into today’s breakaway. Minnaard takes most KOM points at the first climb, something he repeats on the second KOM, Col Pierre Pertuis, and the third and fourth, Le Sommet. So the Dutchman takes the mountain jersey.

The second time over Le Sommet Minnaard and Gougeard are the last men standing with a lead of 1 minute, while leader Matthews has been dropped in the peloton.

With 10 kms to go Dan Martin bridges across to the two leaders before the rest of the peloton appears. Gougeard pushes on alone, but he is brought back 2 kms before the line.

In the ensuing sprint Omar Fraile outguns Sonny Colbrelli and Rui Costa. As Matthews drops on GC Primoz Roglic moves into the overall lead.