Gaviria beats Bonifazio to take Vuelta a San Juan opener

Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) out-paced Niccolo Bonifazio (Bahrain-Merida) and Matteo Pelucchi (Bora-hansgrohe) to win the first stage of the Vuelta a San Juan.

Seven riders jumped from the peloton early in the stage and built a four-minute lead before the first intermediate sprint, but once Iljo Keisse moved to the head of proceedings it became clear that their chances of making it all the way were slim, as the experienced Belgian put in some monster pulls at the front together with neo-pro Alvaro Hodeg, reducing the gap to 1:30 by the time the race entered on the local circuit.

The catch was made with 15 kilometers to go, and despite a late attack of Gerardo Tivani (Municipalidad de Pocito), the stage culminated in a bunch gallop, on which Fernando Gaviria put his mark, beating by several bike lengths Niccolo Bonifazio (Bahrain-Merida) and Matteo Pelucchi (Bora-hansgrohe).

It was the 23-year-old’s six victory in Argentina and it marked the eighth consecutive stage race in which he scored a win, a remarkable series that stretches back to the 2016 edition of the Tour de Pologne.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m riding San Juan or the Giro d’Italia, I always want to win and that’s what I did today. The team did a really good job, they were perfect. Iljo – who is the team’s captain – made things look easy and did an extraordinary job, you can see how important is the experience he brings into the squad. Alvaro, who rode his first pro race, also had an important contribution and I’m proud of him, while Max did what he does best and left me in a perfect position to take the victory”, said Gaviria.

https://youtu.be/xTs7aj4T9nQ?t=3103

Vuelta a San Juan 2018 – stage 1 results (San Juan – Pocito):