Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) won the first stage of the ŠkodaTour de Luxembourg in Luxembourg City. After 152.8 km and a thrilling finale on the Montée de Clausen, he crossed the line ahead of Marijn Van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) and Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling Team). With this victory, the Frenchman also claimed the yellow jersey as overall race leader.

Shortly after the start, six riders broke away: Andrea Pietrobon (Team Polti-Visit Malta), Quentin Bezza (Wagner Bazin), André Carvalho (Efapel Cycling), Malte Hellerup (Team Coloquick), as well as two riders from the Luxembourg National Team, Mats Berns and Mil Morang. They led the race on the climbs of the Montée de Putscheid, the Côte de Bourscheid, and the Côte d’Eschdorf.

However, their lead over the peloton never exceeded 3’30’’, and they were eventually caught. The bunch remained together until the final climb, where Grégoire unleashed his power in the sprint to take the victory.

Stage winner Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ): “What a sprint! Yesterday, I took a look at the finish with my friends and saw that this climb could suit me. I was really motivated to fight for this victory. I launched the sprint a bit too early, but fortunately, it was enough in the end. I was afraid of being overtaken. My team did a fantastic job. Today, we really took control of the race.“