Welcome to New York, or more precisely to Manhattan, where the Tour of America 2022 is about to start! The riders have a roughly six kilometers long prologue to ride, just to warm up their legs for the three weeks to come!
Given that it's day one, and that fatigue shouldn't be an issue yet, the stage favorites are the top prologue specialists - so first of all we'd definitely expect Schomber to be in the mix. The bookmakers also see Groselj and the top prologue rider among the GC contenders, Faglum Karlsson, do well today.
Van Aert and Frame match the two latter riders' prologue skills though, with Campenaerts and sprinters Boudat and Stash just a tad weaker. Lunke and Stoltz round off their list - so out of the Top 10 we named in our preview, only Cruz is missing from the "official" favorites list.
But we also know that prologues often see surprise winners on top - and given that there's quite a lot of wind today (currently blowing at 21km/h), changing conditions could have a big impact on this short course as well.
Before we'll give you a short overview of what happened so far - with five riders per team having finished their race against the clock already - let's discover today's route with the first contenders who were out on the track today. Thanks a lot for {{McCormick} manager Ulrich Ulriksen for showing us around!
Redy had the honour to open the race, with the start line on the 5th Avenue, next to the Marble Collegiate Church. And pretty much right in front of the Empire State Building, whereof we'll see another shot soon.
Local hero Rhim is about to finish the initial roughly 2km long straight road, leaving the Empire State Building behind. It's the one that is black and white on top, slightly to the left of the launchpad.
The riders then turn left and eventually reach the bank of East River, in the "three bridges area". In the last 2.5km, they pass under all three of them; here we can see Vine reappearing after passing under Williamsburg Bridge.
Reddish has just reached the red kite, which is right under the Manhattan Bridge - number 2 out of 3.
A few more impressions from the last kilometer, with Perez riding alongside East River, about to reach the final bridge of the day...
...which is Brooklyn Bridge - with the finish line right after. Van den Berg is done with all of those bridges, putting all he's got left into sprinting up that short incline to the line.
And just because we didn't see much of the bridges from below, here's another picture with both Manhattan Bridge (left) and Brooklin Bridge, with the distance in between almost exactly one kilometer.
We've already thrown in a couple of names - now let's take a look at who has done well on this course so far!
What happened so far
Looking at the startlist shows that most teams actually gave the #1 bib to their sprinter - meaning that several GC contenders are already done with their prologue. Eenkhoorn could be one of them - and should also be one of the strongest U25 contenders - but he's rather here as a helper. Nonetheless, he did a good race today and currently sits in 10th place with a time of 6'50", which is 12" off the best time.
Frame was one of today's stage favorites, so he'll be a bit disappointed by his provisional 9th place. He posted the same time as Eenkhoorn.
Papanov - another rider eligible for the white jersey, but not a serious contender - was one second faster, in 6'49". And he's actually the virtual leader in the U25 standings, as no other young rider was able to beat him so far!
Jallays did beat him by some fractions of a second, currently 7th place for one out of only two non-North-Americans in McCormick's lineup.
From 6th to 4th we then have Kraftwerk in a Xero sandwich - but who is who? On the left, there's Tesfaye Heyi, who was the fastest of those who finished in a time of 6'49".
Defending champion Nerz was one second faster - 6'48", which is just 10" slower than the current best time. And it's definitely a good result for him - at least he made a strong case for being the team leader again, beating Ranaweera by 8 seconds today.
While one German can be happy about his result, another one clearly won't, as Schomber currently is only 4th. He was 2" faster than Nerz, but his time of 6'46" still means that he lost 8" to the current leader.
Also some seconds behind the current best time are these two Belgian Vans. Van Aert is currently 3rd in 6'44" - an expectedly strong ride by the prologue specialist.
On the other hand, Van Asbroeck performed at least one level above his usual standard, being in virtual 2nd place and losing just 4" in 6'42"! He's been clearly the strongest sprinter so far - but as said before, many more will come later in the race...
So, who is the one who was four seconds above the rest so far?
It's the legend, it's Pluchkin! His time of 6'38" is looking really strong after about 2/3 of the riders are done with their race - can he launch his mission "Winning the 4th GT" in the best possible way?
Let's find out!
But first, let's take a look at the current standings - including the time gaps of some presumed GC contenders!
New York - Finish Line
1.
Pluchkin
6'38"
2.
Van Asbroeck
+ 4"
3.
Van Aert
+ 6"
4.
Schomber
+ 8"
5.
Nerz
+ 10"
6.
Tesfaye Heyi
+ 11"
7.
Jallays
+ 11"
8.
Papanov
+ 11"
9.
Frame
+ 12"
10.
Eenkhoorn
+ 12"
12.
Kuss
+ 13"
19.
Ranaweera
+ 18"
21.
Ratiy
+ 18"
28.
Kritskiy
+ 23"
30.
Spilak
+ 24"
34.
Carapaz
+ 26"
45.
Senni
+ 30"
46.
Campero
+ 30"
55.
Mannion
+ 36"
75.
Manfredi
+ 46"
95.
Zimmermann
+ 51"
106.
Rhim
+ 1'01"
We've also seen some varying wind speeds - as Eenkhoorn crossed the line, we were down at 8km/h. So those who had strong wind on the first and weak wind on the second half clearly had an advantage - but the legs still have to be there, otherwise a positive result won't be possible anyway.
So, let's jump into the live action now - 3 riders per team are left!
LIVE +++ LIVE +++ LIVE
Jacobsen is the first of those setting a notable time - and it's definitely a rider we didn't expect to do so, so we almost missed him! The Norwegian even gets a provisional Top 5 finish!
6'47"
(5th, + 9")
De la Cruz should be Gjensidige's backup option in case Kritskiy fails - and at least he did clearly better than his leader today:
6'50"
(12th, + 12")
Yet another rider nobody expected to fight for a top stage position - but Bellan must have ridden the prologue of his life, and comes short of the best time by just a couple of seconds!
6'48"
(7th, + 10")
Cruz won the last Tour of America time trial - stage 19 in the 2021 edition. He has declined since, but is still looking for a top stage result - which he doesn't quite get, though:
6'53"
(18th, + 15")
Belgian TT champion Campenaerts, pictured here approaching the Manhattan Bridge, was one of the stage favorites - and he does disappoint. Same time as Cruz before him, but one spot behind.
6'53"
(19th, + 15")
By the way, Alexander posts the same time as well - but for the Trinidadian it's definitely a great time! Unfortunately our cameras missed him - as nobody expected him to do that well... Apologies!
It's finally time for another strong GC contender - the top prologue rider among them, in fact! And Faglum Karlsson doesn't disappoint - at least not too much! He's not quite able to take the lead, but provisional 5th place should put a great base to his GC quest!
6'46"
(5th, + 8")
Barta is another great domestique for Philips - and another rider doing a good job today! He matches teammate Eenkhoorn's time, but slips in behind.
6'50"
(14th, + 12")
And with that, there's only one single rider left per team. Pluchkin is still holding onto the lead, with most of the prologue riders having crossed the finish line already - but there are still some specialists left! And we obviously also want to know what our remaining GC candidates can do - and which sprinters will end up within reach of getting the leader's jersey tomorrow!
Let's again take a look at the provisional Top 10, in case you weren't able to follow everything that happened:
New York - Finish Line
1.
Pluchkin
6'38"
2.
Van Asbroeck
+ 4"
3.
Van Aert
+ 6"
4.
Schomber
+ 8"
5.
Faglum Karlsson
+ 8"
6.
Jacobsen
+ 9"
7.
Nerz
+ 10"
8.
Bellan
+ 10"
9.
Tesfaye Heyi
+ 11"
10.
Jallays
+ 11"
Another view between Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge, as we can spot Norbert on his way to the finish line. He's a decent prologue rider, and he should be pretty satisfied with his performance:
Next up is Dulanjana - definitely a far stronger prologue rider than the two before him! However, prologues are often strange races, and so he drops behind both of them - despite a +12 prologue skill advantage over Fenn!
7'08"
(62nd, + 30")
Berger is Eddie Stobart's man for the flat stages, and an OK-ish prologue rider. His goal definitely was to stay within 20" of the lead, to be able to take over yellow with a stage win tomorrow - goal failed, unfortunately.
7'04"
(47th, + 26")
Stash's sprint skills match Berger's, but he's a far better prologue rider - he's even pretty high up on today's favorites list! The Russian clearly stays within that 20" margin - but he still won't be overly happy to miss out on the Top 10.
7'52"
(19th, + 14")
And the next sprinter - we told you there are a lot of them in that final group! Itami has a higher top speed than the two previous candidates, but he's weaker in TTs. But on top of that, he must have had a horrible day:
7'45"
(154th, + 1'07")
He's just 2 points weaker than Fenn, but 40 seconds down - a huge difference between a good and an awful day!
Oh, we have a GC rider for a change! However, given his miserable performance today, Aru will likely be the team's backup choice behind Ratiy.
7'33"
(141st, + 55")
We continue in GC mode, as Vasyliv approaches the finish line! A decent prologue rider - but on a fantastic day it seems, as he has almost caught Aru! It's a provisional Top 10 for the German, very well done! He finishes with the same time as his compatriot Nerz, but is some fractions behind.
6'48"
(9th, + 10")
Back to the sprinters, with McCormick's fast man Feiereisen - the other one of the "foreigners" in the local team. But unlike Jallays, his skills against the clock are pretty limited, and so he finishes far off the 20" boundary as well. At least he could enjoy the ride alongside East River some seconds longer than others.
7'17"
(95th, + 39")
Lunke again belongs to the GC rider category - and like the last one we saw, he does a great job today, being even 2" faster! It's an almost perfect start for the Norwegian - it would have been even better had he been ranked ahead of Schomber and Faglum Karlsson who posted the same time, though.
6'46"
(6th, + 8")
Next up is a German-speaking sprinter - but unlike the defending points champion, Krieger is one of the weakest prologue riders in the peloton. And it shows:
7'34"
(147th, + 56")
Aniolkowski isn't that much stronger against the clock, though, and so the Pole's chances of taking yellow tomorrow are close to zero as well:
7'09"
(73rd, + 31")
For once, Amaysim aren't among the top favorites in a PCT race, and so Power's best chance to shine will probably going for stage wins. He obviously can't do that today, though.
7'20"
(107th, + 42")
Boivin is another candidate for the bunch sprints, but his prologue skills suggest that he'll also finish outside the 20" boundary. He does, by a good margin.
7'26"
(122nd, + 48")
Someone who should be well inside those 20" is Groselj - not a top sprinter, but a top prologue rider! And it's bee quite a while since Pluchkin was really challenged - but he surely is now!
6'38" is the best time, and the Slovenian is going to be very close - or can he even beat it? 6'32" ... 6'33" ... 6'34" ... 6'35" ... 6'36" ... 6'37" ... 6'38" ...
6'39"
(2nd, + 1")
No, he can't! He loses out on the hot seat by the smallest of margins, just one tiny second slower than the Moldovan!
After this almost dead race, we can breathe a bit, as Haller surely won't be challenging for the stage win, will he?
Well, no. And it might even be a worse than expected time for him, as he'll very likely not get a chance to wear yellow tomorrow, either!
7'04"
(51st, + 26")
7 riders left, thereof 5 more sprinters! Mareczko is next - and he delivers what's needed today! Losing just 12", a 2nd place finish tomorrow might be worth the GC lead for one day!
6'50"
(19th, + 12")
But the sprinter with the highest hopes for today must be Boudat - also mentioned by the bookies as a stage win candidate! However, it looks like he suffered more than he should have - the stage probably was a tad too long for him. He just barely makes it within 20" of the lead.
6'54"
(34th, + 18")
Coutinho is pretty much the Frenchie's opposite when it comes down to stage ambitions today - but someone must be the red lantern, right? Well, the Portuguese doesn't quite achieve that, but he's still in the bottom 10.
7'51"
(172nd, + 1'12")
Emerald jersey means a team from Emerald Isle - and even the rider himself is Irish. S. Bennett might be Glanbia's biggest hope to achieve a stage win in their fourth participation in a row - but definitely not today.
7'22"
(117th, + 44")
The final sprinter out on the road isn't exactly a prologue specialist, either. Eislers will be looking forward to tomorrow and other flat stages, for today he's just happy it's over.
7'35"
(158th, + 57")
So, we're just waiting for two of the biggest GC favorites now - with the third top climber holding the current best time! G. Bennett's goal for today will be to limit the time loss as much as possible - and he actually does a great job! The Kiwi only concedes 20 seconds and will even finish the stage in the Top 40!
6'58"
(39th, + 20")
So the final rider who could take away the stage win and first yellow jersey from Pluchkin is Choi! The Hong Kong native is a very solid time triallist and likely the best allrounder present here - but today it doesn't pay off! In fact, he also loses 20" and is even ranked behind G. Bennett! That's definitely disappointing - but at least the race is not lost by any means yet!
6'58"
(40th, + 20")
And so the stage ends like it often did during Aleksandr Pluchkin's career - with the Moldovan on top! If our data is correct, today was his first ever stage in Tour of America - winning it outright is a fantastic start for the MGUCI legend! Congratulations on what is a rather surprising win - yet a very important one!
Matic Groselj came really, really close, eventually missing out on the stage win by a single second. Of the pre-stage favorites, he was the one who did the best job - but in prologues anyone on a great day can beat the specialists. Which happened again today.
Tom Van Asbroeck almost confirmed that rule as well, as the Belgian is by no means one of the top prologue riders - but he did a great job to take 3rd, and he's clearly the best placed sprinter now, only 4" off the lead. A 3rd place tomorrow could net him a day in yellow - if Frame, Mareczko or Stash don't win the stage. Boudat is the only other sprinter within reach of the GC lead.
When speaking of GC lead, we obviously have Aleksandr Pluchkin on top of those standings. I'm not sure if he is the first rider to achieve it, but he has now been wearing the leader's jersey in all four Grand Tours - what a career milestone!
Among the GC riders, Faglum Karlsson, Lunke, Nerz and Vasyliv are the ones within 10". Two of the top favorites, Choi and G. Bennett, both lost 20" today - and are currently behind the likes of Kuss, Ranaweera or Ratiy. Will we still be talking about those 20" in three weeks? We'll find out!
It's Aleksandr Pluchkin all over the place, as it's often the case after a first stage. Given the GT points scale, it's more than likely that he'll lose that jersey tomorrow, but he also has one of those for his collection now!
Not seen enough Team Popo4Ever pictures yet? Well, here's Martin Papanov! The Bulgarian had a strong prologue and is leading the U25 standings - one second ahead of Pascal Eenkhoorn, four seconds ahead of Nathan Alexander!
Last but not least, we get to see a different jersey, as Philips - Force India were the strongest team today! They have a 7" lead over Team Popo4Ever, while Xero Racing are 9" down.
And that's all for today, folks! I hope you enjoyed the prologue as much as I did - big thanks again to Ulrich Ulriksen for giving us some hints about what to include in the live pictures! See you tomorrow for the first out of 7 flat stages - with start and finish again here in New York!
Tour of America 
