In full force, the Belgian puncher from Bahrain-Victorious attacked at the top of the final climb when the stage seemed promised to Dennis, who had started alone a few hundred meters earlier.
"It was a very, very hard sprint. I only started to believe in victory in the last 25 meters," the 30-year-old Belgian told RTS, forced to chase after the Australian. as he planned to produce his effort later.
Belgian Dylan Teuns (g) overtakes Australian Rohan Dennis in the last few meters to win the 1st stage of the Tour de Romandie, April 27, 2022 in Romont (Switzerland) Fabrice COFFRINI AFP
The two men are two seconds ahead of the Swiss Marc Hirschi, who is returning to his best level after a 2021 season poisoned by discomfort in the right hip.
Rohan Dennis (Jumbo-Visma), world time trial champion in 2018 and 2019 and second in the prologue on Tuesday in Lausanne, steals the leader's green jersey from young Briton Ethan Hayter, caught in a fall 15 km from the finish .
The joy of Australian Rohan Dennis, new leader's green jersey for the Tour de Romandie, after finishing 2nd in the 1st stage behind Belgian Dylan Teuns, on April 27, 2022 in Romont (Switzerland) Fabrice COFFRINI AFP
Dennis is now sixteen seconds ahead of the Austrian Felix Grossschartner (Bora-Hansgrohe), and the outgoing winner of the Tour de Romandie Geraint Thomas (Ineos).
The first Frenchman, Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo), is 15th at 24 seconds.
In this event where the final victory can be played out in a handful of seconds, the peloton led by Ineos had let five fugitives go but never gave them more than 3 min 45 in advance, taking them back 28 km from the finish. .
The French champion Rémi Cavagna then attacked 5 km from the line, without managing to outrun the forty riders who survived the big fall of the day, which featured Ion Izaguirre and Rigoberto Uran in addition to the green jersey.
Thursday, the 2nd stage is a loop of 168 km around Echallens, passing at the foot of the Jura with 2600 m of unevenness, but with a finish in a straight line which seems promised to the sprinters.
© 2022 AFP