Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) claimed his first win of the season in what was only his second race this year, outsprinting Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) and Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) in a bunch finish to win Stage 1 of the 2021 Tirreno-Adriatico. Speaking after the race, the Belgian ace made it no secret that his ambition is to win the Tirreno-Adriatico overall.
It’s also the 44th stage win at the Tirreno-Adriatico for Belgian riders. The 43rd was taken by Tim Merlier last year. The last Belgian to lead the race overall was Greg Van Avermaet after stage 2 in 2017. Among other previous Belgian leaders were Roger De Vlaeminck, Antoon Houbrechts, Walter Planckaert and Eddy Merckx.
For Caleb Ewan, it’s his second near-miss at victory at the Tirreno-Adriatico after he also finished second at Montalto di Castro in 2016. The Australian is yet to win a stage at The Race of the Two Seas.
“I’m surprised to win but it was the plan this morning to go for the sprint,” said Van Aert in the post-race press conference. “I specifically trained for it yesterday, and also in Tenerife. Cyclo-cross is good practice for the explosive finishes but I was a bit worried about a lack of speed in the legs. I will focus on the overall classification of the Tirreno-Adriatico, then I’ll have a few days to recover afterwards and of course, after last year’s win, I’m looking forward to trying to win Milano-Sanremo again. Coming here I was convinced that my shape was good. This win is good for the head and for the spirit of the team.”
2021 Tirreno-Adriatico: Stage 1 Brief Results
- Wout Van Aert (Team Jumbo-Visma), 156km in 3h36’17”, average speed 43.277kph
- Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) s.t.
- Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) s.t.
General Classification After Stage 1:
- Wout Van Aert (Team Jumbo-Visma)
- Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) at 4″
- Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) at 6″
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