Stephane Poulhies (Saur Sojasun) edged a bunch sprint finish to win the first stage of the Tour de l’Ain on Wednesday.
The win represents the first professional victory for the 25-year-old French rider who completed the 144.4km stage between Lagnieu and Saint-Vulbas in 3:22:09, nosing across the line just ahead of compatriot Romain Feillu of the Vacansoleil team.
Feillu takes over the yellow jersey with a four second advantage over prologue winner Spaniard Haimar Zubeldia of the RadioShack team.
Thursday’s third stage sees the riders travelling the 134.7km from Villars-les-Dombes to Trevoux.