The opening stage of the six-day Tour of Guangxi (2nd UWT) in southern China was held on a 135.6km long circuit in the town of Beihai. With only a third category climb, wide roads and a flat finish, it was a day for the sprinters. Frederik Wandahl was able to secure the mountain jersey from the day's breakaway. In the final bunch sprint, Sam Bennett crossed the finish line in third place, with the victory going to E. Viviani.
Result
01 E. Viviani 3:01:56
02 J. Milan +0:00
03 S. Bennett +0:00
From the Finish Line
“After a tough couple of weeks with sickness and so much missed training, I’m quite happy to be back on the podium here. Due to the wide roads and headwinds, we gambled a bit in the finale and had to come late. The boys did a perfect job moving up in the last 2.5km. 300m from the finish line, I was held up a tiny bit but we surfed our way through and I came out with good speed in the end. Kicking off a race with a podium is always nice!” Sam Bennett