Starting from Vásárosnamény, the 136.5-kilometer stage took World Cup participants through three major laps in the Bereg region, passing through the towns of Tákos, Csaroda, Tarpa, Tivadar, Gulács, and Jánd, spiced up with two intermediate sprints.
After a sharp start, there were continuous attempts to break away, first by a group of six, who were soon joined by other cyclists. The first sprint was won by Norway’s Erik Rege, but this marked the end of the breakaway, as the main bunch caught up with them. However, the Norwegians couldn’t hold back, so another breakaway formed, with Rege again among the leaders, and he was the fastest in the second sprint as well.
The scenario remained unchanged, however, as the riders at the front failed to work together, and this group was also caught up. The peloton did not settle down, however, and there was a lot of give and take, resulting in eleven riders breaking away again. From there, Denmark’s Tobias Gren took the lead, followed by Ukraine’s Oleh Smolynets, who could not be caught, so the 17-year-old cyclist, who is training in Belgium, won the stage.
“I’m exhausted,” said Oleh Smolynets after crossing the finish line. “It was a very difficult stage, with constant attacks and give-and-take throughout. The heat was also incredible, which took a lot out of me. I attacked at the best possible moment, and that proved to be enough to win.
Alex Martin Dorogi (MBH Bank Cycling Team) was the best Hungarian, so he will wear the discipline’s distinctive jersey in stage 2/A. The blue jersey for the best first-year rider also went to Smolynets, while the green jersey for the points competition was won by Norway’s Filip-Andre Smoras.
“It was terribly hot, we had to refresh ourselves a lot,” said Alex Martin Dorogi while waiting for the award ceremony. “Basically, we were prepared for a bunch sprint, as in previous years, and we had our train ready for that, but in the end, a very strong breakaway formed, which I was also part of, and it ultimately made it home. It’s a great feeling to have won the jersey for the best Hungarian rider, it gives me extra motivation, and of course I’ll be doing my best to keep it tomorrow.
Results
Stage 1, Vásárosnamény–Vásárosnamény (136.5 km)
1. Oleh Smolynets (Ukraine) 3:00:44
2. Marcin Wlodarski (Poland) + 6 sec
3. Ola Herheim (Norway) + 19 sec
4. Pavel Dimitrov (Bulgaria) + 19 sec
5. Tobias Gren (Denmark) + 19 sec
6. Filip Zahorec (Slovakia) + 37 sec
7. Lucas Kraus (Austria) + 37 sec
8. Alvaro Dominguez Gomez (Spain) + 37 sec
9. Almir Yaliyev (Kazakhstan, Lotus Cycling) + 37 sec
10. Matthias Esterl (Austria) + 37 sec
11. Dorogi Alex Martin (Hungary, MBH Bank Cycling Team) + 37 sec
The Nations’ Cup Hungary continues with two half stages: on the morning of August 15, the caravan will circle around Ibrány (86.3 kilometers), while in the afternoon, the competition will conclude with an individual time trial in Nyíregyháza (3.5 kilometers).
