Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has won the first stage of the Škoda Tour de Luxembourg. After 158 km between Luxembourg-Knuedler and Luxembourg-Fëschmaart, he finished ahead of Christophe Laporte (Team Visma – Lease a Bike) and Andreas Lorentz Kron (Lotto-Dstny).

Following a spectacular start in the heart of Luxembourg City, four riders formed the day’s breakaway group: Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal-Quick Step), Vincent van Hemelen (Team Flanders-Baloise), Mattia Bais (Team Polti-Kometa), and Alexandre Kess (Team Luxembourg) tried their luck and built a lead of over six minutes. However, Kess and van Hemelen had to drop out during the stage.

About 10 km before the finish on the Côte de Stafelter, Reinderink and Bais were also caught by the peloton, which approached the final steep climb as a group. Van der Poel demonstrated his strength, securing both the victory and the yellow jersey of the overall leader.

Mathieu van der Poel: “It’s great to win the first stage. It’s been a while since I won a race. I had a lot of fun; it was a fantastic stage. I was last in Luxembourg for the Cyclocross World Championships in 2017 but I’m glad to be back. The next days look tough as well; I’m looking forward to it. Unfortunately, we are only three riders left in the team because two teammates had to drop out due to illness, and another one left the race during the stage. It will be hard to control the race. I came to Luxembourg with the goal of winning a stage, and I achieved that right away. This victory takes some pressure off for what’s to come.”