Welcome to Colombia! The first of six total stages is on the menu today and it’s also the first of two flat ones. The first mountain points and a couple of intermediate sprints entice breakaway riders, but the stage should ultimately belong to the sprinters. Let’s get into it.
Main opens proceedings only a few hundred meters after the start. Feng follows instantly.
A bunch of riders try to break away, too, including Croes, Bjerg, Akhmaevi and Norbert, but the peloton is hesitant to give them much room.
Indeed, as we leave the starting city, all previous escapees had been caught, but three of them try again and gain some seperation: Feng, Akhmaevi and Bjerg.
Many riders try to bridge across over the next few kilometers, including Kron, Walsleben and Campbell pictured here, but no one ends up making it. We’re left with the aforementioned trio for the rest of the day.
The three leaders work together well, but the pace behind remains high. They have just above 1’30 as they come closer to the mountain sprint. Feng and Akhmaevi are better uphill, but Bjerg is the quickest of them.
The Dane also has the best position in the slipstream of Akhmaevi. Feng attacks early, from 2 kilometers out.
Akhmaevi blows up and leaves a gap to Feng. Bjerg sprints past the Red Bull rider, but will he have enough road left to catch up?
It’s very close, but Feng remains in the lead and secures himself the first mountain jersey of this race. With Bjerg in tow, they have around 25 seconds on Akhmaevi and, after this sprint, around 3 minutes on the peloton, which has relented by now.
Akhmaevi made it back after a brief chase and he’s leading the trio towards the first intermediate sprint. Feng is already trying to go past him, but as we’ve established earlier, Bjerg is the favorite for this.
But he seems to struggle here and can’t get past the others. Akhmaevi takes six points and six seconds, which is notable since both he and Bjerg are eligible for the white jersey. Still one more sprint to go though, and the finish of course.
Their gap has hovered around 3 minutes for a long while now, and it’s getting smaller rather than bigger. That’s because Binance (for Guardini), MOL (for Petit) and Los Pollos Hermanos (for Maksimov) set a good pace at the front of the peloton. It’s the teams we would expect to do so.
Fast forward to the second intermediate sprint and Bjerg shows his chops here, winning it pretty handily. But with a second place, Akhmaevi takes a total of 10 bonus seconds compared to the Minion’s 8. Akhmaevi is now in line to take white at the podium ceremony, unless a young sprinter finishes at least 2nd - Hodeg being the main one who we’d realistically expect to be able to do so.
The same three teams have been working to reduce the gap further and with just over 10 kilometers to go, it’s down to 30 seconds. Feng wants to extend his time in the spotlight and attacks. Bjerg follows, Akhmaevi seems content with what he’s done.
Akhmaevi is being caught on the left side of the road, but Bjerg still has one more acceleration left in him. 25 seconds with 8 kilometers to go!
Meanwhile, sprint preparations are in full swing in the peloton, but the sprinters still keep themselves out of the wind. Guardini (#131) follows teammate Antunes on the left, Petit has Brozyna in front of him on the right. Most other sprinters are bunched behind them:
Russian Champion Maksimov follows Räim, to his right are Hodeg, Stepniak and Hayakawa.
Young is the Zwift rider in Hodeg’s wheel, while Zariff, Willwohl and Santos are a few rows behind just outside the frame. Dakteris and Lavoine are far behind, Carrefour’s leadout strategy is not panning out so far.
Los Pollos Hermanos and Binance, mostly Ulloa and Almeida, were simply relentless, and Bjerg’s adventure is over with around 6 kilometers to go. All eyes on the sprinters now.
But there’s still not much cohesion with 4 kilometers to go. Petit, Guardini and Maksimov vaguely follow a teammate, but a bunch of domestiques are still spread across the road ahead of them. Hodeg, Räim and Hayakawa are still with them, most other sprinters have fallen a few rows behind.
This is a bit more like it: On the left, Quispe and Ruiz bring Maksimov to the front. To their right, Dina leads out Petit.
On the right, Antunes is the last man ahead of Guardini. Hodeg and Räim are in his slipstream. Hayakawa lost touch but isn’t far off, all other sprinters are seperated from these guys by at least two or three dozen domestiques.
Actually, I missed someone: Young has made his way to the front at the very last moment and jumps on Maksimov’s wheel on the left! Petit ditched Dina and aligned himself behind Guardini. At the end of that train, we have Niu who decided to join the fun - then there’s a gap, so everyone else is likely out of contention, including Hayakawa.
Quispe is the first to drop back, but soon after, so does Antunes, leaving Guardini unprotected with 1,3 kilometers to go! This can’t end well!
900 meters. Maksimov still hasn’t left Ruiz’s slipstream, but to his right, Petit does just that and tries to go past Guardini. Räim and Niu have trouble staying with Hodeg.
As you can see, the road actually rises a little here, between 1,5 and 2%. This might favor those not in the wind just yet. Other than Niu, there’s no one in here who’d have a significant advantage, puncheur-wise.
Ruiz is done, but Maksimov isn’t at top speed just yet. Hodeg and Young in the middle of the road are currently the fastest.
Guardini is struggling now, paying the price for his early release. Petit jumps into the lead, but this is wide open still!
Hodeg attacks, he still has some speed left! On the right, Räim surges, possibly on his way to a podium spot!
Hodeg has this, he’s not going to be beaten! Petit vs Räim for second, Maksimov vs Niu vs Young for fourth!
Congrats to Hodeg, who wins the stage and takes yellow, green and white! Räim finishes second, a spectacular effort, capitalizing on perfect positioning following Hodeg all the way. Petit is third …
… then Niu actually beats Maksimov! Again, positioning was key here but the slope, culminating at 2,3% at the line, was definitely in the young Puma rider’s favor as well.
Young finishes sixth ahead of Guardini, who suffered from the mess that was Binance’s leadout. Ruiz holds on to finish 8th before grandmaster Pluchkin leads the peloton home. None of the previously distanced sprinters apparently cared much after the win was out of reach, which might lead to some tense conversations in the team buses or hotels tonight.
With Hodeg’s win, Akhmaevi is relegated to second in the young riders classification, he will wear white in the Minion’s stead. He’s also 3rd in the GC behind Hodeg and surprise 2nd place Räim. None of them will keep those positions after tomorrow’s mountain stage, of course, but it’s a good result for now. Speaking of, the climbers will take over for the next two days before the sprinters get a chance again on stage 4. See you tomorrow!
Vuelta a Colombia 
