Tour of Valencia 2026: Girmay sprints to first leaders jersey

Tour of Valencia 2026: Girmay sprints to first leader’s jersey

foto: Cor VosA late attack by Giulio Pellizzari is neutralised as the riders enter the final kilometre, after which Biniam Girmay proves fastest in the sprint from a reduced peloton, ahead of Arne Marit and Giovanni Leonardi. Obviously, Girmay is the first overall race leader of the Tour of Valencia. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 1st stage 2026 Tour of Valencia

1. Biniam Girmay (eri) 3:25:41
2. Arne Marit (bel) s.t.
3. Giovanni Leonardi (ita) s.t.
4. Carl-Frederik Bévort (den) s.t.
5. Aleksandr Vlasov (rus) s.t.
6. Alberto Bruttomesso (ita) s.t.
7. Tomasso Nencini (ita) s.t.
8. Mikel Retegi (spa) s.t.
9. Dries Van Gestel (bel) s.t.
10. Clément Alleno (fra) s.t.

GC after stage 1
1. Biniam Girmay (eri)
2. Arne Marit (bel) + 0:04
3. Giovanni Leonardi (ita) + 0:06
4. Mats Wenzel (lux) s.t.
5. Diego Pablo Sevilla (spa) s.t.
6. Danny van der Tuuk (nld) + 0:07
7. Remco Evenepoel (bel) + 0:09
8. Carl-Frederik Bévort (den) s.t.
9. Aleksandr Vlasov (rus) s.t.
10. Alberto Bruttomesso (ita) s.t.

Race report
Diego Pablo Sevilla and Mats Wenzel launch the break of the day, while Danny van der Tuuk and Adam Lewis bridge across. The peloton is happy to let them go and is 3 minutes back in no time.

The gap on Puerto de los Madroños drops under two minutes as Lewis lets the others go. After Van der Tuuk crests the top first to take the mountain jersey, he loses contact on the descent. Meanwhile, the peloton has been whittled down to around twenty riders on the climb.

The remaining attackers are reeled in with 25 kilometres remaining, triggering a series of successive attacks. Giulio Pellizzari is the only one to make a successful move. The peloton regroups behind the young Italian. Mads Pedersen is missing, as he abandoned the race after a crash.

Pellizzari rides for kilometres with a roughly 20-second gap to the peloton, but they start to close in on him in the streets of Torreblanca.

Just before the flamme rouge, the peloton swallows up the lone rider, after which Biniam Girmay takes control of the sprint. Arne Marit and Giovanni Leonardi have to settle for second and third place. Unsurprisingly, the Eritrean becomes the first race leader.

Another interesting read: route 1st stage 2026 Tour of Valencia.