Italian rider Elia Viviani took first blood in the Tour of Britain, timing his finishing effort best of the sprinters at the end of the opening stage of the race.
Milan Sanremo winner Gerald Ciolek (MTN Qhubeka) unleashed a powerful gallop but mistimed things, going too early and fading slightly before the line.
That enabled Viviani to get past him and roll in over a length clear, while Mark Cavendish’s leadout rider Alessandro Petacchi (Omega Pharma Quick Step) grabbed second. Cavendish got boxed in and finished back in twelfth.
The closing kilometres took place on picturesque but narrow laneways, making it difficult for riders to move up. The Garmin-Sharp team led into the final five kilometres, driving towards the line, but faded once past the kite. Steeve Von Hoff was the team’s best finisher in ninth place, avoiding a big crash which took down a cluster of riders.
“The last kilometre of the stage was on a rise and wasn't easy be in the front of the peloton after 200 kilometres,” Viviani said, speaking after what was his sixth win of the season. “I tried to be covered as much as possible because we were sprinting against the wind. At one kilometre to go Marangoni took the head of the peloton to maintain the speed high while I was following Petacchi and Ciolek.
“When the Italian started the sprint, at 350 metres, I follow him. Then Ciolek passed him and I found the way to follow his wheel. I knew it was too far until the finish so I waited for the right moment, at 150 metres, to start my sprint. The choice of the timing to sprint was the key.”
Early on, British team IG Sigma Sport sent Ben Greenwood and Peter Hawkins up the road, along with former British champion Kristian House (Rapha Condor), An Post Chain Reaction’s Aaron Gate and Sojasun’s Christophe Laborie.
They collaborated to eke out a five minutes plus lead, but difficult weather conditions made their task a hard one and inside the final fifty kilometres they were less than a minute ahead.
Bradley Wiggins’ Sky team and Cavendish’s Omega Pharma Quick Step had done most of the chasing and continued to do so after Anthony Delaplace (Sojasun) attacked the bunch and passed the break inside the final 45 kilometres.
He dug in and opened a minute and a half’s advantage, but with fifteen kilometres left he was less than thirty seconds clear and was caught soon afterwards.
Next to try was British time trial champion Alex Dowsett, who was fired up by the thoughts of success on home soil. However his effort inside the final dozen kilometres didn’t get far, after which the sprinters’ teams knuckled down to keep things together, and ultimately paved the way for Viviani’s win.
When the various time bonuses were factored in, the Cannondale sprinter ended the day four seconds clear of Petacchi and six ahead of Ciolek, Gate and Laborie.
He will wear the leader’s jersey heading into tomorrow’s stage, a 225 kilometre race from Carlisle to Kendal. The profile is lumpy but a big bunch finish is again possible. Viviani said he’d target more success in this year's race.
“Now I’m look forward to the next sprint finishes. The most interesting is the last one in London. I'm also interested in the points classification: I'll see day by day if this could be a concrete target.”
Tour of Britain (2.1)
Stage 1, Peebles to Drumlanrig Castle:
1, Elia Viviani (Cannondale Pro Cycling) 201 kilometres in 6 hours 4 mins 43 secs
2, Alessandro Petacchi (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team)
3, Gerald Ciolek (MTN-Qhubeka)
4, Marco Coledan (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox
5, Matteo Pelucchi (IAM Cycling
6, Evaldas Siskevicius (Sojasun)
7, Shane Archbold (An Post-Chainreaction)
8, Jonathan Dibben (Great Britain)
9, Steele Von Hoff (Garmin-Sharp)
10, James Williamson (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
11, Andrew Tennant (Madison Genesis)
12, Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team)
13, Dean Downing (Madison Genesis)
14, Scott Thwaites (Team NetApp-Endura)
15, Ian Wilkinson (Team UK Youth)
16, Ian Stannard (Sky Procycling)
17, Nicolas Vereecken (An Post-Chainreaction)
18, Evan Oliphant (Team Raleigh)
19, Yanto Barker (Team UK Youth)
20, Michael James Northey (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
21, Giovanni Visconti (Movistar Team)
22, Owain Doull (Great Britain)
23, Thomas Scully (Team Raleigh)
24, Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Movistar Team)
25, Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Movistar Team)
26, David Lopez Garcia (Sky Procycling)
27, Alex Dowsett (Movistar Team)
28, Andreas Stauff (MTN-Qhubeka)
29, Robert Partridge (Team UK Youth)
30, Michael Cuming (RCJ)
31, Mark Mcnally (An Post-Chainreaction)
32, Lachlan Norris (Team Raleigh)
33, Simon Yates (Great Britain)
34, Nicola Boem (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
35, Sergio Pardilla Bellon (MTN-Qhubeka)
36, Mathew Hayman (Sky Procycling)
37, Bradley Wiggins (Sky Procycling)
38, Sean Downey (An Post-Chainreaction)
39, Cesare Benedetti (Team NetApp-Endura)
40, Francesco Manuel Bongiorno (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
41, Jimmy Engoulvent (Sojasun)
42, Steven Lampier (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
43, Sébastien Reichenbach (IAM Cycling)
44, David Lelay (Sojasun)
45, Blaz Jarc (Team NetApp-Endura)
46, Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Movistar Team)
47, Martin Velits (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team)
48, Michal Golas (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team)
49, Jonathan Mould (Team UK Youth)
50, Peter Williams (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
51, Marc De Maar (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
52, Richard Handley (RCJ)
53, Enrique Sanz (Movistar Team)
54, Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp)
55, Cristiano Salerno (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
56, Thomas Moses (Team Raleigh)
57, Julien Vermote (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team)
58, Marcin Bialoblocki (Team UK Youth)
59, Adam Yates (Great Britain)
60, Jacob Rathe (Garmin-Sharp)
61, Liam Holohan (Madison Genesis)
62, Shem Rodger (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
63, Matthias Krizek (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
64, Alan Marangoni (Cannondale Pro Cycling) at 52 secs
65, Nicolò Martinello (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
66, Philip Deignan (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
67, Marcel Wyss (IAM Cycling)
68, Stefano Pirazzi (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
69, Heinrich Haussler (IAM Cycling) at 54 secs
70, James Moss (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
71, Wouter Sybrandy (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
72, Sacha Modolo (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
73, Mathew Cronshaw (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
74, Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling)
75, Thomas Lövkvist (IAM Cycling) at 1 min 26 secs
76, Nathan Haas (Garmin-Sharp)
77, Jack Bauer (Garmin-Sharp)
78, Kristian House (RCJ) at 1 min 30 secs
79, Will Stephenson (RCJ) at 1 min 31 secs
80, Meran Russan (MTN-Qhubeka)
81, Jérémie Galland (Sojasun) at 1 min mins 34 secs
82, Erick Rowsell (Team NetApp-Endura)
83, Alexander Wetterhall (Team NetApp-Endura)
84, Alexandre Blain (Team Raleigh)
85, Hugh Carthy (RCJ) at 1 min 55 secs
86, Ian Bibby (Madison Genesis) at 1 min 56 secs
87, Christopher Jones (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
88, Alessandro Bazzana (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
89, Marco Canola (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
90, Lucas Euser (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
91, Robert Hunter (Garmin-Sharp)
92, Peter Hawkins (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
93, Juraj Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
94, Alistair Slater (Great Britain)
95, Roman Van Uden (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
96, Ferekalsi Debesay Abrha (MTN-Qhubeka)
97, Dominic Jelfs (Madison Genesis)
98, Andreas Schillinger (Team NetApp-Endura)
99, Alex Peters (Madison Genesis)
100, John Murphy (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
101, Joshua Edmondson (Sky Procycling)
102, George Atkins (Great Britain)
103, Aaron Gate (An Post-Chainreaction)
104, Iljo Keisse (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team)
105, Bernhard Eisel (Sky Procycling)
106, Mark Christian (Team Raleigh)
107, Anthony Delaplace (Sojasun)
108, Christophe Laborie (Sojasun)
109, Luke Grivell-Mellor (RCJ)
110, Chris Opie (Team UK Youth)
111, Ben Greenwood (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
112, Sam Bennett (An Post-Chainreaction)
113, Daniel Barry (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
114, Jim Songezo (MTN-Qhubeka)
Overall standings after stage 1:
1, Elia Viviani (Cannondale Pro Cycling) at 6:4 mins 33 secs
2, Alessandro Petacchi (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team) at 4 secs
3, Gerald Ciolek (MTN-Qhubeka) at 6 secs
4, Aaron Gate (An Post-Chainreaction)
5, Christophe Laborie (Sojasun)
6, Anthony Delaplace (Sojasun) at 7 secs
7, Nathan Haas (Garmin-Sharp) at 8 secs
8, Peter Hawkins (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
9, Bradley Wiggins (Sky Procycling) at 9 secs
10, Marco Coledan (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) at 10 secs
11, Matteo Pelucchi (IAM Cycling)
12, Evaldas Siskevicius (Sojasun)
13, Shane Archbold (An Post-Chainreaction)
14, Jonathan Dibben (Great Britain)
15, Steele Von Hoff (Garmin-Sharp)
16, James Williamson (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
17, Andrew Tennant (Madison Genesis)
18, Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team)
19, Dean Downing (Madison Genesis)
20, Scott Thwaites (Team NetApp-Endura)
21, Ian Wilkinson (Team UK Youth)
22, Ian Stannard (Sky Procycling)
23, Nicolas Vereecken (An Post-Chainreaction)
24, Evan Oliphant (Team Raleigh)
25, Yanto Barker (Team UK Youth)
26, Michael James Northey (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
27, Giovanni Visconti (Movistar Team)
28, Owain Doull (Great Britain)
29, Thomas Scully (Team Raleigh)
30, Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Movistar Team)
31, Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Movistar Team)
32, David Lopez Garcia (Sky Procycling)
33, Alex Dowsett (Movistar Team)
34, Andreas Stauff (MTN-Qhubeka)
35, Robert Partridge (Team UK Youth)
36, Michael Cuming (RCJ)
37, Mark Mcnally (An Post-Chainreaction)
38, Lachlan Norris (Team Raleigh)
39, Simon Yates (Great Britain)
40, Nicola Boem (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
41, Sergio Pardilla Bellon (MTN-Qhubeka)
42, Mathew Hayman (Sky Procycling)
43, Sean Downey (An Post-Chainreaction)
44, Cesare Benedetti (Team NetApp-Endura)
45, Francesco Manuel Bongiorno (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
46, Jimmy Engoulvent (Sojasun)
47, Steven Lampier (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
48, Sébastien Reichenbach (IAM Cycling)
49, David Lelay (Sojasun)
50, Blaz Jarc (Team NetApp-Endura)
51, Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Movistar Team)
52, Martin Velits (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team)
53, Michal Golas (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team)
54, Jonathan Mould (Team UK Youth)
55, Peter Williams (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
56, Marc De Maar (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
57, Richard Handley (RCJ)
58, Enrique Sanz (Movistar Team)
59, Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp)
60, Cristiano Salerno (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
61, Thomas Moses (Team Raleigh)
62, Julien Vermote (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team)
63, Marcin Bialoblocki (Team UK Youth)
64, Adam Yates (Great Britain)
65, Jacob Rathe (Garmin-Sharp)
66, Liam Holohan (Madison Genesis)
67, Shem Rodger (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
68, Matthias Krizek (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
69, Marcel Wyss (IAM Cycling)
70, Stefano Pirazzi (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
71, James Moss (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
72, Wouter Sybrandy (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
73, Sacha Modolo (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
74, Mathew Cronshaw (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
75, Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling)
76, Erick Rowsell (Team NetApp-Endura)
77, Alexander Wetterhall (Team NetApp-Endura)
78, Alexandre Blain (Team Raleigh)
79, Christopher Jones (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
80, Alessandro Bazzana (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
81, Marco Canola (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
82, Lucas Euser (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
83, Robert Hunter (Garmin-Sharp)
84, Juraj Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
85, Alistair Slater (Great Britain)
86, Roman Van Uden (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
87, Ferekalsi Debesay Abrha (MTN-Qhubeka)
88, Dominic Jelfs (Madison Genesis)
89, Andreas Schillinger (Team NetApp-Endura)
90, Alex Peters (Madison Genesis)
91, John Murphy (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
92, Joshua Edmondson (Sky Procycling)
93, George Atkins (Great Britain)
94, Iljo Keisse (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team)
95, Bernhard Eisel (Sky Procycling)
96, Mark Christian (Team Raleigh)
97, Luke Grivell-Mellor (RCJ)
98, Chris Opie (Team UK Youth)
99, Ben Greenwood (Team IG-Sigma Sport)
100, Sam Bennett (An Post-Chainreaction)
101, Daniel Barry (Node 4-Giordana Racing)
102, Jim Songezo (MTN-Qhubeka)
103, Jack Bauer (Garmin-Sharp) at 30 secs
104, Alan Marangoni (Cannondale Pro Cycling) at 1 min 2 secs
105, Nicolò Martinello (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
106, Philip Deignan (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)
107, Heinrich Haussler (IAM Cycling) at 1 min 4 secs
108, Thomas Lövkvist (IAM Cycling) at 1 min 36 secs
109, Kristian House (RCJ) at 1 min 38 secs
110, Will Stephenson (RCJ) at 1 min 41 secs
111, Meran Russan (MTN-Qhubeka)
112, Jérémie Galland (Sojasun) at 1 min 44 secs
113, Hugh Carthy (RCJ) at 2 mins 5 secs
114, Ian Bibby (Madison Genesis) at 2 mins 6 secs
Points: Viviani
Mountains: House