00:00And so to the opening day of the 105th Tour of Catalunya, an amazing field signing on for this one.
00:07One of the toughest stage races in the introduction, of course, to the Grand Tour season that lays ahead.
00:14Now Quintana announcing that this will be his final year, but giving us a little wave and a smile ahead
00:20of a very busy day.
00:21Jonas Wienergaard saying it was safety first on this one, 172.7 kilometres in total, in a big single loop
00:29out away from and back to Saint-Failleur.
00:32A famous finale that we have enjoyed over the last 10 or 12 years.
00:38Familiar ground, you might say, but everyone knowing just how tough these races can be.
00:43Climbing straight out of the back door with a Category 3 test, three intermediate sprints and a big Category 1
00:47in the middle of the day.
00:48It garnered a feisty response from a breakaway.
00:59Baptit Weistroffer was the man in charge out there.
01:02In fact, he took all of the mountains points and indeed the sprints as well along the way.
01:07He was getting greedy out there.
01:08Everyone else just thinking about how to cope with what is an extraordinarily busy day with over 2,150 metres
01:14of altitude gain.
01:15What a way to begin proceedings in this fabulous race.
01:20Well, the oldest stage race in Spain and familiar ground, you might say.
01:25Our breakaway was starting to fracture.
01:27They'd had a lead of around three and a half minutes.
01:29It was pared back and with just under 22 to go, it really did detonate.
01:34Who would be last man standing out there?
01:36Weistroffer finally ceding that to Josh Burnett who was hanging out.
01:40This was one of the two Asnar brothers who was in the break, Hugo being tagged, Unai earlier and indeed
01:47Tyler Stites had also been involved.
01:50The terrain, absolutely beautiful, but also absolutely brutal.
01:54Indeed, nine climbs within the last 12 kilometres.
01:58Small, you understand, and not categorised, but equally gave us a real rollercoaster approach to what was a highly technical
02:05finale.
02:07Well, Jonas Fingago said that you could absolutely mess it up out there and was very concerned about being towards
02:13the front on some of these very technical descents.
02:16High-paced they certainly were and indeed too much for some of the pre-stage favourites.
02:22Giulio Ciccone should have loved the ramps that were offered up.
02:26Likewise, Noah Hobbs from EF Education.
02:27They weren't the only ones on the day to be caught out by the sheer pace and drive of some
02:33of the GC teams who were trying to keep things safe by being out front.
02:37Vingago himself left his own teammates behind.
02:40His familiar red helmet was up on the nose and when we took the final few curves in the last
02:461,500 metres or so,
02:47it was introduction to the Flamme Rouge and then that drive up the ramp to the line.
02:53Doreen Godon has started off as the pre-stage favourite, but where was the French champion?
02:59In the mix, certainly, but not on the nose with 500 metres to go.
03:03Who would be tempted to indeed put their hand into the fire?
03:06And the answer was to be Tom Pitcock.
03:09After a sensational Milan of San Remo finishing run-up to Tane Pocaccio himself, he went for it early this
03:14time by.
03:15Godon looks like he'd been caught out as Remco Evinopol settled in for the drive.
03:20He then drifted over to the left-hand side of the road, tucked in with Dorian Godon.
03:24The big man Godon, both passing by now.
03:27Tom Pitcock, who's starting to flag just a little bit, coming into the clutches of Silva, but it was between
03:32the two up front.
03:34Would it be Evinopol? Would Godon get back up?
03:36Godon just had the edge at this point, but Evinopol was fighting back as well.
03:40He would be on the throw at the line.
03:42Super finished by the pair of them.
03:43In fact, a half-hearted celebration there by Dorian Godon.
03:48He wasn't sure and had to wait for confirmation of the photo finish.
03:54Finally, the news was good for him.
03:57What a drive for the line.
03:58A fabulous introduction to this amazing race.
04:02Fayot never seems to disappoint.
04:04And today we had another great drive.
04:06Just look at the punch back here by Remco Evinopol.
04:09One more metre he may have got there.
04:12About six centimetres in it at the line.
04:15Godon taking the day and also, of course, the lead of this race.
04:20What a way to start.
04:22And yet more fabulous days still to come.
04:27You had to be a hard and fast man to triumph today.
04:32And Godon was exactly that.
04:34After bonus seconds were factored in.
04:36Godon indeed is our glorious leader by a margin of four seconds.
04:41Over Remco Evinopol who finished in second place.
04:45So, the green ribbons of our leader sitting upon the back of Dorian Godon.
04:50He also leads the points.
04:53Weistoffer is our king of the mountains.
04:54And Gualdi is the best young rider in the orange ribbons.
04:58And this is what lays ahead tomorrow.
05:01It's never easy.
05:02This is supposed to be a day for the sprinters.
05:04Just look at the lumps and bumps.
05:06Three intermediate sprints.
05:07Just one climb on the day.
05:09167 kilometres to contend with.
05:11We'll be there.
05:13Hope you will be too.
05:15We'll be there.
05:17We'll be there.
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