Elia Viviani wins the 1st stage Tour de Guangxi

First stage of the Tour de Guangxi was held on October 12, 2023. The stage was won by Elia Viviani of the Cofidis team, in a sprint finish. Viviani’s teammate Simone Consonni finished second, for an Italian double.

The 136.4-kilometer stage started and finished in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Province. The course was relatively flat, with only a few small hills. The breakaway of the day was formed early on, and consisted of three riders: Aaron Van Poucke (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Matteo Malucelli (Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB), and Jonathan Hivert (Arkea-Samsic). The breakaway was eventually caught by the peloton with about 20 kilometers to go.

In the final sprint, Viviani was launched perfectly by his Cofidis teammates. He timed his sprint to perfection and crossed the finish line first. Consonni followed close behind in second place. The third-place finisher was Tim Merlier of Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Viviani’s victory is his first since joining Cofidis at the start of the season. It is also his first victory in a UCI WorldTour race since 2021.

The overall classification of the Tour de Guangxi is led by Viviani, who has a four-second advantage over Consonni. The third-placed rider is Merlier, who is six seconds behind Viviani.

The Tour de Guangxi continues on October 13 with the second stage, a 174.5-kilometer stage from Nanning to Beihai.

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