American Tyler Farrar of the Garmin-Slipstream team won the 185km first stage of the Eneco Tour on Wednesday taking the overall race lead from yesterday’s prologue winner Sylvain Chavanel.
“I’m in the best form of my life. The team was totally behind me. I couldn’t disappoint,” said Farrar, winner of Sunday’s Hamburg Cyclassics.
“I was already very good in the Tour de France. And now after a little rest I feel even better. I’m very fast,” he added.
Farrar was the fastest in a crash-marred sprint finishing in front of Tom Boonen (Quick-Step) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-HTC). Boonen’s bad luck for the year continued with an untimely flat tire with around 10 kilometers to go forcing him to chase back onto the charging peloton. Fifth place finisher Robert Forester (Team Milram) also had to get a wheel change in the closing kilometers.
Belgian rider Gorik Gardeyn of the Silence-Lotto team and Frenchman Yoann Offredo from Française des Jeux were both taken to hospital to treat injuries from the final sprint.
Thursday’s 178km second stage will take the riders from Ardooie to Brussels.
Stage 1 Results:
1. Tyler Farrar (USA) 4hr 18min 30sec
2. Tom Boonen (BEL) s.t.
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) s.t.
4. Graeme Brown (AUS) s.t.
5. Robert Forster (GER) s.t.
6. Jevgeni Hutarovitch (BLR) s.t.
7. Tom Veelers (NED) s.t.
8. Roy Sentjens (BEL) s.t.
9. Matthew Hayman (AUS) s.t.
10. Juan Jose Haedo (ARG)