Ryan Freund won the first stage of the Tour of America's Dairyland, winning out of a breakaway that was all but absorbed by the field in the final sprint. Freund jumped around Team Kenda powered by Geargrinder rider Chad Hartley for the win and former Pro criterium champion Raashan Bahati won the field sprint for third place.
Freund almost didn't make it to the race as he came straight from his job two hours away and was caught in traffic. He was the final rider to check-in before the officials closed registration.
When asked about how the final laps played out, Freund said, "I was feeling good and put in some hard pulls, but the whole time I was just thinking, 'How am I going to beat Chad.' He's a fast sprinter, but I knew that he was concerned with the overall standings and I think that lead him to do a little more work in the sprint. I'll be getting married next weekend so I was able to just focus on getting the win today."
Hartley joked, "Last year I went down to the ABD Cycle Club's Fall series and beat up on Ryan at his club's race, so I suppose it's only fair that he came up and won the race that Geargrinder sponsors."
See Photos from the Stage
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