Noah Hobbs wins the first stage of the 2026 Tour de l'Ain, beats Dainese in the sprint

Noah Hobbs (EF Education-EasyPost) conquered the first stage of the 2026 Tour de l'Ain, prevailing in a bunch sprint on the finish line in Bourg-en-Bresse. The British rider covered the 160.9 kilometers from Parc des Oiseaux in 3h27'02", finishing ahead of Alberto Dainese (Soudal Quick-Step) and Bohémond Barrillot (France), who arrived with the same time.The opening stage was enlivened by two breakaway attempts. The first, featuring Morné Van Niekerk (St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93), Maël Guégan (CIC), Patryk Goszczurny (Visma-Lease a Bike Devo), and Maxime Jarnet (Van Rysel-Roubaix), never gained more than a minute and was caught with 52 km to go. A subsequent attack by Kenny Molly (Van Rysel-Roubaix), Maximilien Juillard (Velo Club Villefranche Beaujolais), and Victor Jean (Elite Foundations) was neutralized within the final five kilometers, setting the stage for the sprint.In the sprint, Dainese launched his move from afar, but Hobbs reeled him in and overtook him just meters from the line. Behind them came Matteo Milan (Groupama-FDJ United) in fourth place and Alessio Delle Vedove (XDS Astana Development Team) in fifth.Thanks to today's victory, Hobbs also dons the first leader's jersey in the general classification, tied on time with Dainese and Barrillot. The race continues tomorrow with another stage.