Serrano takes stage 1 at Romandie
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Spaniard Ricardo Serrano (Fuji) won the first stage of the Tour de Romandie on Wednesday, a shortened 91 kilometer stage between the Swiss towns of Montreux and Fribourg.
Lars Bak (Saxo Bank) was second, while Swiss rider Gregory Rast (Astana) was third and took over the leader's yellow jersey. The stage was shortened because of snow fall on the Jaunpass.
The three attacked at the 22-kilometer and managed to stay in the front until the end, finishing less than half-a-minute ahead of the main field. A three-time Swiss road champion, Rast said he was elated when it became clear the day’s break would last until the finish.
“It was hard. In the end the peloton came so close,” he said. “I had to work hard to stay in the front as I knew that I could take over the leader’s jersey from (prologue winner Frantisek) Rabon.”
Snow in the Alps deprived the six-day tour of western Switzerland of its biggest climbs, as the stage was cut from a scheduled 176km and rubbed out the 1,504 meter Jaunpass.
That deprived the climbers of their thunder and the trio quickly took advantage of the wet conditions by opening up a lead of nearly four minutes 50 kilometers from the finish line.
Twenty four year-old Californian Steven Cozza failed in a lone attempt to reel in the breakaway trio and the peloton only woke in the final half of the race.
Rast took advantage of bonus points on the way to take over the yellow jersey from prologue winner Czech rider Frantisek Rabon and open up a five second lead over Serrano in the overall standings followed by Bak.
Frenchman Sandy Casar was lying in wait just 35 seconds behind in fifth place, just ahead of race favorite Alejandro Valverde in seventh. Rast said the work to fend off the charging peloton took its toll, but was obviously worth it.
“Those efforts cost me the stage win, but I am happy with this jersey,” he said. “It will be difficult to keep it, but you never know.”
Rast added said he was pleased to take over the jersey, particularly after crashing in the final meters of the Tour of Flanders, which he said cost him a shot at the strong classics season he had hoped for.
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