Dylan Groenewegen won the first stage of the Tour of Slovenia on Wednesday. The 31-year-old sprinter from Team Jayco AlUla was the first to cross the finish line during the mass sprint in Skofljica.
Fabio Christen was the most enthusiastic attacker of the day. The Swiss rider from Q36.5 rode ahead on his own and was later joined by three Slovenians.
But Christen and the three home riders could not prevent the opening stage from ending in a mass sprint. Groenewegen reigned supreme in that sprint. The reigning Dutch champion won by half a wheel ahead of Phil Bauhaus (Team Bahrain Victorious) and Manuel Peñalver (Team Polti VisitMalta).
As a result, Groenewegen has won the first stage in Slovenia for the third year in a row. He was also able to celebrate in Slovenia in 2018 and 2022.
For Groenewegen, it is his second victory of the season. Last month he achieved a sprint victory in the Tour of Hungary.
The Tour of Slovenia lasts until Sunday. Giovanni Aleotti (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) is the defending champion, but his entire team is not participating in this edition.