Bahrain Victorious came close to victory on the opening stage of the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes, with Santiago Buitrago finishing 2nd in the uphill sprint to Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana), while Lenny Martinez secured 3rd place, crossing the line four seconds behind.

After a solid performance in Classic Var, where Buitrago finished 5th and Martinez 8th in Fayence, both riders were determined to step up, especially Martinez, who continued to race on home roads in the 162.4 km Contes–Gourdon stage. The route featured an uphill finish, tackled twice, along with challenging ascents over Col Saint-Roch, Lucéram, and Col de Châteauneuf, totaling 3,308m of elevation gain.

The breakaway was reeled in 35 km out, followed by a solo attack with 20 km to go. However, the decisive move came from Santiago Buitrago, who launched a powerful acceleration in the final 7 km, creating a select group with teammate Lenny Martinez,  Scaroni, and Richard Carapaz (EF), who fell behind soon afterwards.

Scaroni opened his sprint 250 meters from the line, with Buitrago chasing hard but unable to pass him in the steep closing metres.

Santiago Buitrago:
“The result leaves us with mixed feelings. It’s tough when you come so close to winning, but if I have to rate the team’s work today, it’s a 10/10. Everyone did an excellent job at the key moments. We’ll give everything tomorrow to fight for the overall victory. With two riders in the top three of the GC, we are still in a strong position and confident for the final stage.”

Martinez’s 3rd place earned him the Best Young Rider jersey:
“The finale was tough, and with two of us in the final group, it’s a bit of a pity not to take the win. But I gave everything to help the team fight for victory. We remain competitive for the overall, and we’ll try again tomorrow.”

Buitrago is now 2nd on GC, 4” behind Scaroni, and Martinez 6” further back, and Bahrain Victorious also lead the Best Team classification heading into the last day.

Sports Director Roman Kreuziger reflected on the race strategy:

“We were in a perfect position with 5 km to go—Buitrago’s attack created the ideal scenario with Martinez in the group. The guys worked well together, managing to drop Carapaz. I think Santiago hesitated slightly and should have gone earlier in the sprint, but that’s racing. Tomorrow is another chance, and we’ll look to play our cards better and fight for the overall win.”

The Tour des Alpes-Maritimes concludes tomorrow with Stage 2, Villefranche-sur-Mer – Vence, 131.8 km.