Briton Ethan Vernon wins the first stage, Romain Bardet fourth

The day after Josef Cerny’s victory in the prologue, his teammate Ethan Vernon won the first stage of the Tour de Romandie, Wednesday April 26, after 170.9 kilometers between Crissier and Le Sentier. The 22-year-old rider used all his power to get out of the bunched peloton a few hundred meters from the line and settle his competitors in the sprint. He took the opportunity to recover the leader’s jersey in the general classification. He is ahead of Thibau Nys (Trek-Segafredo) and Milan Menten (Lotto-DSTNY). Best Frenchman, Romain Bardet (Team DSM) takes a fine fourth place, just off the podium.

The day’s stage was a bit incredible, with some riders sprinting for bonuses 15 kilometers from the finish when there were none. The peloton now has an appointment for the second stage, Thursday April 27, with a small incursion into France, starting in Morteaux, before returning to Switzerland, and a finish in La-Chaux-de-Fonds.