After all the build up the Wales Racing Academy finally got to feel what a European stage race is all about as the 2019 Tour of Bretagne kicked off today.

The 150.5km Grand Depart from Lorient to Inzinzac-Lochrist was, on paper always going to be a tough opening stage. And despite some lulls in the middle part, the action was fast and frenetic for the large part. In the end the stage came down to a bunch sprint with Manuel Belletti (Androni Sidermec) winning ahead of Julian Mertens (Lotto Soudal U23) in second and Neerlandais Wouter Wippert (EvoPro Racing) in third.  

But in the end though it was a hugely successful day for the academy as they performed solidly throughout. Before the race, head coach, Rob Partridge wanted them to stick to the basics as some of them ventured out into the unknown with their first experience of European stage racing.

Ultimately it was a good day for the team. For Pete Kibble it was a day to remember as he won the King of Mountains jersey after crossing the line first in the opening KOM. 

It was a busy opening stage for Kibble as he animated the race early on by getting into a two-man break alongside Maxime Pasturel (Selection Pays de la Loire), which at one point had a 1m55s advantage over the peloton. That was reeled in with just under 40km, but speaking about winning the KOM jersey, Pete said: "It was a little bit of a surprise, but I'm really happy with it."

"I had it in the back in my mind [aiming for the KOM jersey], but I mostly wanted to be active and get up the road," Kibble continued.

Overall it was a strong team performance from the Wales Racing Academy, for some of them this was their first experience of racing at this level. But, all of them showed grit and determination which will only serve them well in the coming days.

Rob Partridge, head coach said: "The lads were great all day, well positioned and keeping the basics dialled. It's easy to get cuaght out in a race like this, where it's nervous and a big step up - but like I always say focus on the simple things and the rest will come," Rob said.

With Kibble now in the KOM jersey the academy have something to fight for. Rob was happy with his performance saying: "I'm very happy with the way he rode. He showed a lot of maturity and race, he's now in the KOM  jersey - so let's see if we can keep hold of it!"