Echelons in the peloton form with front group driven by Emmanuel Morin of Team Cofidis, Toms Skujins of Trek – Segafredo and Taco Van Der Hoorn of Intermarché – Wanty – Gobert Matériaux (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Dylan Groenewegen of Team Jumbo – Visma during stage 1 (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Team Qhubeka Nexthash’s Max Walscheid of Germany and Michael Gogl of Austria compete during stage 1 (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Logan Owen of United States and Team EF Education – Nippo would be part of seven-rider breakaway (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Seven-rider breakaway led by Ludovic Robeet of Team Bingoal WB and Julien Duval of AG2R Citren Team on stage 1 (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Another look at the seven-rider breakaway, led here by Guillaume Boivin of Israel StartUp Nation and Luke Durbridge of Team BikeExchange (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Halfway through the 169.9km stage, the breakaway had a 3:20 advantage (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Ineos Grenadiers ready for 169.9km stage 1 (L-R) Sebastian Henao Gomez of Colombia, Gianni Moscon of Italy, Leonardo Basso of Italy and Michal Golas of Poland (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Preparing for the start are Tim Merlier of Belgium and Team Alpecin-Fenix and Tom Dumoulin of Netherlands and Team Jumbo – Visma (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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At the start in Surhuisterveen are Michael Schär of Switzerland and AG2R Citröen Team and Philippe Gilbert of Belgium and Team Lotto Soudal (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Greg Van Avermaet of Belgium and Gijs Van Hoecke of Belgium and AG2R Citröen Team prepare for the race (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Jasper Stuyven of Trek – Segafredo leads the peloton (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Michael Schär of AG2R Citroën Team and Norman Hansen Lasse of Team Qhubeka Nexthash during stage 1 (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Dylan Groenewegen and Timo Roosen of Jumbo – Visma during stage 1 (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Did we mention echelons forming at Benelux Tour on stage 1? (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Peloton on flat stage 1 from Surhuisterveen to Dokkum (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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Stage 1 during 169.6km from Surhuisterveen to Dokkum (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) triumphed on the opening stage of the Benelux Tour, sprinting to victory from a group of 30 after crosswinds had split the field into pieces.
The Belgian sprinter held off Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) in the dash for the line in Dokkum, with Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) taking the final podium spot.
The opening stage of the week-long race saw winds in the northern Netherlands split the race into echelons, with significant time gaps appearing on the first day of racing.
Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-QuickStep) had made the front echelon but broke his front wheel with 30km to go and went on to finish almost a minute in arrears in a chasing pack that also contained Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma), and Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R Citroën).
Peter Sagan missed the first echelon and then crashed out of the second, eventually finishing nearly two and a half minutes down.
