Chris Harper put his best foot forward on the opening stage of the Tour of the Alps, taking second on the line after an aggressive day of racing.
The Australian rider was in the perfect position when the race exploded over the final ascent, following a strong collective effort from Team Jayco AlUla. Harper, who now sits second overall, went away with a small group on the descent off the last climb.
Despite the gaps only being relatively small, the speed was high and the race would not come back together after this point. Some discontent in the leading group led to more attacks, and it would split up again with just over a kilometre to go.
Harper was one of just four riders that got clear this time and they would push it all the way to the finish. The Australian put in a strong sprint with only Tobias Foss able to hold him off on the line.
Due to the bonus seconds available at the finish, Harper is now in second place at four seconds back in the overall classification.
Chris Harper:
“The whole final was a bit cat and mouse. A couple of teams had a couple of riders in the front so I was just trying to play it cool and not spend too much energy, and still try to be at the front of the race. I think everyone who was seen as a favourite coming into the week was in the front group. Obviously, there’s still a lot of hard stages to go so there’ll still be a big fight for the GC. We’ll see going into the other stages, but I feel good. We’ve got a strong team here and I’m sure we’ll have plenty more opportunities throughout the week.”
2024 Tour of the Alps stage one results
1. Tobias Foss 03:17:06
2. Chris Harper (Team Jayco AlUla) st
3. Esteban Chaves st
Photo: Sprint Cycling
