Sep Vanmarcke took a solid second place after winner Elia Viviani in the first stage of the Tour de la Provence. The Flandrien took the windy conditions and treated the stage as a classic. The classification riders started to struggle in the front, an advantage for Vanmarcke's team.
"Everyone knew that there would be a lot of wind and that there would be fans. At the first chance, Filippo Ganna opened the throttle and it was done immediately. We chose Mads to attack and I would wait for the sprint. I am a bit surprised by my second place because my winter was difficult due to knee problems.
We did our research for this stage and we knew the different places where the peloton could break out. Then we were in the right places at the right times. It was like a Belgian Classic. I knew it was impossible to beat Viviani, but I am happy to be second."
-Sep Vanmarcke
Stage 1 Results
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