The 83rd edition of the Race to the Sun kicked off with a relatively flat stage, starting and finishing in Le Perray-en-Yvelines. In a calm opening phase, a small breakaway was given some space by the peloton. As the race approached the final climb, around twenty kilometers from the finish, the breakaway was reeled in.  

The first real action came on the Côte de Villiers-Saint-Frédéric. On the short final climb, Jorgenson launched an acceleration. The 25-year-old American then responded to every attack in the peloton. Ten kilometers later, the defending champion also secured four bonus seconds.  

Despite the race’s turbulence, the peloton had its eyes set on a bunch sprint. In the final kilometre, Zingle managed to position himself well behind the favorites. The Frenchman, who is in his first months with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, ultimately had to settle for fifth place. Tim Merlier took the stage win.  

"I was able to start the sprint in a good position”, Zingle said afterward. "I had to stop pedalling for a second, but I can definitely be satisfied with this fifth place. It feels great to show myself immediately in my new colours. It took some getting used to, but I’m getting to know my teammates better every day. There will be more sprint opportunities in the coming week, and I’ll definitely try my luck again."  

"We can be very pleased with our performance," sports director Grischa Niermann adde. "We rode a strong race as a team. Just like last year, Matteo managed to grab some bonus seconds in the opening stage, which was one of our small goals for today. It’s also a nice extra that Axel could compete in the sprint, although our main focus remains the general classification. We’re happy that our leaders, Jonas and Matteo, finished safely."