Dylan Groenewegen enjoyed immediate success on the first stage of the Tour of Slovenia today for Team Jayco AlUla. The 31-year-old sprint star was the fastest in the much-anticipated bunch sprint, delivering the victory which was more than deserved after strong work by the team and a perfect lead-out.
During the 168-kilometre opening stage, the peloton gave room to a four-man breakaway. Team Jayco AlUla led the chase and the gap hovered around two minutes for a long time.
With the finale in sight, the peloton increased the pace and Groenewegen was kept safe in the bunch. Meanwhile, the breakaway split into two and after first pulling back two riders, the peloton then caught the final escapees with less than 10 kilometres to go.
The Australian outfit then provided Groenewegen a perfect service by keeping him well in front in the closing kilometres and making sure he was one of the first riders to get through the final corner. After a faultless run-up, the Dutch world-class sprinter provided the ultimate reward with a powerful sprint.
The sprint win is Groenewegen’s sixth victory at the Tour of Slovenia and on paper, there are more sprint chances in the remaining stages.
The Team Jayco AlUla rider will start tomorrow’s second stage as the overall leader.
Dylan Groenewegen
“The best position in the final was the wheel of my teammates. They kept me in the front extremely well. In the closing kilometres we rode mostly on stretched, straight roads and everyone knew that especially in the last left-hand bend it was very important to have a good position there. Max Walscheid made sure I could make the perfect corner, so I had an excellent starting position for the sprint.
“I am extremely happy to take the win today. The past few days I was not completely fit, but still today things went really well for myself and the team. We had a plan beforehand and stuck to it neatly. The team deserves this win after all the hard work during the stage.”
Tour of Slovenia 2025 stage 1 results
- Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jayco AlUla) 3:49:21
- Phil Bauhaus ST
- Manuel Peñalver ST
