Paris: In stage 1 of O Gran Cami±o, Julius Johansen rocketed to the first professional victory of his career. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG powerhouse produced an epic ride against the clock to win the individual time trial and move into the race lead.
According to Emirates News Agency, completing the 15km-long course in 17 minutes and 43 seconds, the 26-year-old was ultimately 15 seconds faster than the second-placed rider on the day, Rafael Reis from Anicolor/Campicarn. With this victory, Johansen takes the overall lead of the race, ahead of Rafael Reis and Nelson Oliveira.
As Johansen was storming to a memorable first professional victory, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Adam Yates was delivering a promising start to the week. Usually a man more at home in the mountains than aboard his time trial bike, Yates quietly got on with his business and rode to sixth place on stage 1.
