Fernando Gaviria wins inaugural stage at Colombia Oro y Paz
Feb 07 2018 01:50 am CET
Photo of Fernando Gaviria (c) Sigfrid Eggers
Fernando Gaviria has won the opening stage of the first ever edition of Colombia Oro y Paz in the city of Palmira.
The opening stage of the new 1.2 category race was 99.9 kilometers long, divided into nine laps on a local circuit. A sprint finish was always likely despite the efforts of a breakaway with riders like Jetse Bol of Manzana Postobon and Jonathan Clarke of UnitedHealthcare.
The gap between the five leaders and the peloton was never much bigger than one minute, and was reduced to half of that with about 30 kilometers to go. The peloton made sure to keep things under control and ended up catching the escapees in the last kilometers.
In preparation of the final sprint, for which Quick-Step Floors' Gaviria was the big favorite, a crash happened in the bunch and had national hero Nairo Quintana (Movistar) hit the deck. The two-times grand tour winner continued with the bike of his brother Dayer and as such managed to finish the stage. Movistar later confirmed that Quintana had to undergo medical checks after reaching the finish.
In the sprint, Gaviria and his team did what was expected from them to secure the victory ahead of Manzana Postobon's Juan Sebastian Molano. Gaviria's teammate Max Richeze finished third.
The race continues on Wednesday with a 183.4km stage, once again starting and finishing in Palmira.
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