01:59But for those teams arriving from Europe and the cold spring they leave behind them, the biggest challenge could be
02:05the extreme heat.
02:06For here in England, maybe the climate will play something in the race because it's quite hot and humid for
02:14an European guy like me.
02:17We need adaptation. Today I train and it was like 40 degrees on the computer I have. It's very hot
02:25and warm but I like it and it can make a lot of difference I think.
02:30But I don't think a lot of riders are adapted for this now but the weather will be the same
02:38for everybody.
04:43Dictated turns and kept the 3 riders very very close indeed.
04:48As the afternoon wore on the heat grew and grew pushing 40 degrees and humid as well
04:53and as they hit the Coastal Road as well in the afternoon the wind started to get up
04:58and some teams in the peloton were looking for an opportunity perhaps to try and split the bunch.
05:03All of that sped up the speed of the peloton
05:06As you can see, just 47 seconds then to the three riders at the front, including Cyrus Monk, who I
05:12mentioned, riding for the EFNICS ESCOM Hengxiang team.
05:17He was in the early breakaway of the day, but the second breakaway was caught with 25 kilometres still to
05:23go.
05:23After that, there was a little bit of a lull, but still it was XTS Astana and Lotto Antemarché trying
05:31to set things up for their sprinters.
05:32The main men being kept cool, Stefan de Schnurftener, the Flemish sprinter, looking for his opportunity to get a first
05:42victory in 2026.
05:45Inside the last five kilometres, then the speed going up, 60 kilometres an hour on the flat approach to the
05:50finish.
05:51Big wide roads, lots of teams lining up across the front as the pace grew ever, ever more intense.
06:01Antemarché then taking it up, just outside, one kilometre to go, and a little pinch point in the road, and
06:07disaster then for one of the riders from the Solutions Tech team, going down very hard indeed.
06:14Koki Komada unable to finish the stage.
06:17But the Lotto Antemarché train was in full action, and their sprinter was unleashed with 300 metres to go.
06:24A little bit too early as he switched to the right-hand side of the road, and Dusan Rajevic had
06:29to check his sprint for the Solutions Tech team, and then open it up again.
06:33He found a bit of space and managed to hold off the rest to take the victory, just as he
06:37did last year at the Tour of Hainan.
06:39But this time, the opening stage, and with this victory, his fourth of the season, comes the leader's jersey.
06:46A brilliant sprint from a long, long way out for Rajevic.
06:50Happy when the result was confirmed, he wasn't totally sure at first of his victory.
06:56Final sprint was a little bit chaotic.
06:59I heard behind was some few crashes.
07:02Quite happy that I won today, and that we opened the race with a victory.
07:08So, what I can say, I'm happy.
07:13And a good team performance as well from Solutions Tech, who won this race overall last year, and strikes straight
07:19away in the 2026 edition of the race.
07:22Dusan Rajevic then, ahead of last year's winner, Malicelli.
07:26And a really good performance from the young Spaniard, Kavir, to take third place on the stage for Burgos.
07:38The top ten on the stage then, looking like this.
07:40Rajevic from Malicelli and Kavir, and Stefan Deschrutenir, only able to take fourth place for Lotto-Antemarché.
07:48The yellow leader's jersey, though, on the shoulders of the team that won it last year, and it's Dusan Rajevic
07:53who leads.
07:55Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for joining us on the stage.
07:59One more, one more, one more.
08:00It's your time.
08:03Woo!
08:04Congratulations!
08:04Congratulations!
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