The Norwegian Tobias Foss (Ineos) won the first stage of the Tour of the Alps, marked by the presence at the forefront of the favorites for the final victory, Monday in Cortina sulla Strada del Vino (north-east of Italy). 2022 world time trial champion, Foss was ahead of the Australian Chris Harper (Jayco) and the Colombian Esteban Chaves (EF Education) at the end of the 133.3 km.
In a group of eleven who took advantage of a long descent 17 km from the finish after the main difficulty of the day, a 2nd category pass, to take off, included the Frenchman Romain Bardet (DSM) and the Welshman Geraint Thomas(Ineos), who dropped a handful of seconds in the final.
Thomas and Bardet finished respectively in 6th and 9th place and are 13 seconds behind Foss, the first leader of the event, thanks to the bonuses. The Tour of the Alps, which takes place over five stages between Italian Alto Adige and Austria, serves as a dress rehearsal for the Tour of Italy (May 4-26).