Getting his career as a WorldTour rider off to the best possible start, Phil Gaimon soloed to victory in his first ever race for the Garmin-Sharp team.
The 27 year old American rider was aggressive early on during the 164km stage from San Luis to Villa Mercedes, going clear with four others. They were initially given space by a sun-baked peloton and, after the Omega Pharma Quick Step team felt it was being left to do all the work, the bunch switched off.
This allowed the break to gain significant time and Gaimon pushed ahead in the closing stages to race in first. He beat Emiliano J. Contreras (Argentina) by twelve seconds and Marc De Maar (Team Unitedhealthcare) by one minute seventeen. Leandro Messineo (San Luis Somos Todos) was a further nine seconds back, while Cristian Da Rosa (Clube Dataro de Ciclismo-Bottecchia) led two others three minutes and 52 seconds down.
The main bunch was four minutes 35 seconds back.
“It was a tough stage, the heat was intense. We had the expectations of doing a good stage and we did it,” Gaimon said afterwards. “Chann [McRae, directeur sportif] thought it might be worth it to toss me into the break today, since the big teams don't know who I am. That plan kinda worked like a charm.”
Gaimon’s move also included Contreras, De Maar, Messineo and Julian Gaday (Buenos Aires Provincia). The latter was going for the points jersey and after he won the intermediate sprint at Saladillo (km 5) and finished second at Juan Llerana (km 105.3), he sat up and went back to the bunch.
That reduced the break to four and then the numbers of contenders dropped to two when De Maar and Messineo crashed towards the end of the stage.
Gaimon then attacked Contreras and soloed in to a memorable victory. He picked up the leader’s jersey and, after winning the category 3 KOM prime at Saladillo (km. 55), also ended the day as leader of the King of the Mountains.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd be wearing yellow here,” he admitted. “Unless I wake up and it was all a dream, wizard of oz style, we'll fight to bring it home for the team. Thank you to my teammates and Chann and JV for giving me the opportunity to do what I did today, and for believing in me.”
The race continues later today with a 170.6 kilometre mountain stage from La Punta to Mirador Potrero de los Funes.
Tour de San Luis, Argentina (2.1):
Stage 1, San Luis to Villa Mercedes:
1, Phillip Gaimon (Garmin Sharp) 4 hours 6 mins 54 secs
2, Emiliano J. Contreras (Argentina) at 12 secs
3, Marc De Maar (Team Unitedhealthcare) at 1 min 17 secs
4, Leandro Messineo (San Luis Somos Todos) at 1 min 26 secs
5, Cristian Da Rosa (Clube Dataro de Ciclismo-Bottecchia) at 3 mins 52 secs
6, Adrian Alvarado (Chile)
7, Christian Meier (Orica Greenedge)
8, Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida) at 4 mins 35 secs
9, Kenny De Haes (Lotto Belisol)
10, Manuel Belletti (Androni Giocattoli)
11, Luke Keough (Team Unitedhealthcare)
12, Tyler Farrar (Garmin Sharp)
13, Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing)
14, Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team)
15, Carlos Alzate (Team Unitedhealthcare)
16, Anthony Delaplace (Bretagne - Seche Environnement)
17, Aidis Kruopis (Orica Greenedge)
18, Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team)
19, Juan Jose Haedo (Jamis-Hagens Berman)
20, Clement Koretzky (Bretagne - Seche Environnement)
21, Juan Esteban Arango (Team Colombia)
22, Juan Pablo Valencia (Team Colombia)
23, Thomas Danielson (Garmin Sharp)
24, Alcides Vieira (Clube Dataro de Ciclismo-Bottecchia)
25, Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (Movistar Team)
26, Benjamin King (Garmin Sharp)
27, Cleberson Weber (Clube Dataro de Ciclismo-Bottecchia)
28, Javier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Garmin Sharp)
29, Gregory Brenes (Jamis-Hagens Berman)
30, Manuel Quinziato (BMC Racing Team)
31, Darwin Atapuma Hurtado (BMC Racing Team)
32, Damiano Caruso (Cannondale)
33, Danilo Hondo (Trek Factory Racing)
34, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana Pro Team)
35, Sebastian Tolosa (Buenos Aires Provincia)
36, Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Merida)
37, Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Trek Factory Racing)
38, Peter Stetina (BMC Racing Team)
39, Leonardo Duque (Team Colombia)
40, Alessandro Vanotti (Astana Pro Team)
King of the mountains:
Category 3 climb at Saladillo (km. 55):
1, Phillip Gaimon (Garmin Sharp) 3 pts
2, Marc De Maar (Team Unitedhealthcare) 2
3, Julian Gaday (Buenos Aires Provincia) 1
Intermediate sprints:
Saladillo (km 5):
1, Julian Gaday (Buenos Aires Provincia) 3 pts
2, Marc De Maar (Team Unitedhealthcare) 2
3, Phillip Gaimon (Garmin Sharp) 1
Juan Llerana (km 105.3):
1, Emiliano J. Contreras (Argentina) 3 pts
2, Julian Gaday (Buenos Aires Provincia) 2
3, Marc De Maar (Team Unitedhealthcare) 1
Teams:
1, Garmin Sharp, 12 hours 29 mins 52 secs
2, Argentina, at 12 secs
3, UnitedHealthcare, at 1 min 17 secs
4, San Luis Somos Todos, at 1 min 26 secs
5, Clube Dataro de Ciclismo-Bottecchia, at 3 mins 52 secs
6, Orica GreenEdge
7, Chile
8, BMC Racing Team, at 4 mins 35 secs
9, Team Colombia
10, Trek Factory Racing
11, Bretagne - Seche Environnement
12, Lampre-Merida
13, Androni Giocattoli
14, Lotto Belisol
15, Astana
16, Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team
17, Jamis-Hagens Berman
18, Cannondale
19, Buenos Aires Provincia
20, AG2R La Mondiale
21, Team Novo Nordisk
22, Movistar Team
23, Uruguay
24, Cuba
25, Team Katusha
Overall classification:
1, Phillip Gaimon (Garmin Sharp) 4 hours 6 mins 54 secs
2, Emiliano J. Contreras (Argentina) at 12 secs
3, Marc De Maar (Team Unitedhealthcare) at 1 min 17 secs
4, Leandro Messineo (San Luis Somos Todos) at 1 min 26 secs
5, Cristian Da Rosa (Clube Dataro de Ciclismo-Bottecchia) at 3 mins 52 secs
6, Adrian Alvarado (Chile)
7, Christian Meier (Orica Greenedge)
8, Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida) at 4 mins 35 secs
9, Kenny De Haes (Lotto Belisol)
10, Manuel Belletti (Androni Giocattoli)
11, Luke Keough (Team Unitedhealthcare)
12, Tyler Farrar (Garmin Sharp)
13, Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing)
14, Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team)
15, Carlos Alzate (Team Unitedhealthcare)
16, Aidis Kruopis (Orica Greenedge)
17, Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team)
18, Juan Jose Haedo (Jamis-Hagens Berman)
19, Clement Koretzky (Bretagne - Seche Environnement)
20, Juan Esteban Arango (Team Colombia)
21, Juan Pablo Valencia (Team Colombia)
22, Thomas Danielson (Garmin Sharp)
23, Alcides Vieira (Clube Dataro de Ciclismo-Bottecchia)
24, Andrey Amador Bakkazakova (Movistar Team)
25, Benjamin King (Garmin Sharp)
26, Cleberson Weber (Clube Dataro de Ciclismo-Bottecchia)
27, Javier Alexis Acevedo Colle (Garmin Sharp)
28, Gregory Brenes (Jamis-Hagens Berman)
29, Manuel Quinziato (BMC Racing Team)
30, Darwin Atapuma Hurtado (BMC Racing Team)
31, Damiano Caruso (Cannondale)
32, Danilo Hondo (Trek Factory Racing)
33, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana Pro Team)
34, Sebastian Tolosa (Buenos Aires Provincia)
35, Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Merida)
36, Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Trek Factory Racing)
37, Peter Stetina (BMC Racing Team)
38, Leonardo Duque (Team Colombia)
39, Alessandro Vanotti (Astana Pro Team)
40, Marco Marcato (Cannondale)
41, Matteo Montaguti (AG2R La Mondiale)
42, Marco Frapporti (Androni Giocattoli)
43, Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team)
44, Fredrik Carl Wilhelm Kessiakoff (Astana Pro Team)
45, Tosh Van Der Sande (Lotto Belisol)
46, Lawrence Warbasse (BMC Racing Team)
47, Edwin Alcibiades Avila (Team Colombia)
48, Fabio Andres Duarte (Team Colombia)
49, Patrick Facchini (Androni Giocattoli)
50, Juan I. Curuchet (Argentina)
Mountains:
1, Phillip Gaimon (Garmin Sharp) 3 pts
2, Marc De Maar (Team Unitedhealthcare) 2
3, Julian Gaday (Buenos Aires Provincia) 1
Sprints:
1, Julian Gaday (Buenos Aires Provincia) 5 pts
2, Emiliano J. Contreras (Argentina) 3
3, Marc De Maar (Team Unitedhealthcare) 3
4, Phillip Gaimon (Garmin Sharp) 1
U23 classification:
1, Emiliano J. Contreras (Argentina)
2, Juan I. Curuchet (Argentina)
3, Caio Godoy (Clube Dataro de Ciclismo-Bottecchia)
4, Ruben G. Ramos (Argentina)
5, Lucas Gaday (Buenos Aires Provincia)
Teams:
1, Garmin Sharp, 12 hours 29 mins 52 secs
2, Argentina, at 12 secs
3, UnitedHealthcare, at 1 min 17 secs
4, San Luis Somos Todos, at 1 min 26 secs
5, Clube Dataro de Ciclismo-Bottecchia, at 3 mins 52 secs
6, Orica GreenEdge
7, Chile
8, BMC Racing Team, at 4 mins 35 secs
9, Team Colombia
10, Trek Factory Racing
11, Bretagne - Seche Environnement
12, Lampre-Merida
13, Androni Giocattoli
14, Lotto Belisol
15, Astana
16, Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team
17, Jamis-Hagens Berman
18, Cannondale
19, Buenos Aires Provincia
20, AG2R La Mondiale
21, Movistar Team
22, Uruguay
23, Team Novo Nordisk
24, Cuba
25, Team Katusha