ROSIGNANO SOLVAY, Italy (AP) — Linus Gerdemann of Germany won the opening stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race in a sprint.
Mark Cavendish of Britain fell behind on a mild climb shortly before the finish Wednesday.
Gerdemann, who rides for the Milram team, covered the 92-mile route from Livorno to Rosignano in 3 hours, 36 minutes, 15 seconds. Pablo Lastras Garcia of Spain crossed second, and Matti Breschel of Denmark was third.
The weeklong race is a warmup for the Milan-San Remo, the opening single-day classic of the cycling season on March 20. Cavendish won the Milan-San Remo last year.