Phil Gaimon (Garmin Sharp) won the opening stage of the Tour de San Luis from an early breakaway of five riders that formed shortly after the peloton was given the official start. Gaimon outfoxed Argentinean Emiliano Contreras (Selection Argentina) to the line in Villa Mercedes to take his first win for his new team.

Crossing the line 3’52 after Gaimon, Christian Meier was the top finish for ORICA-GreenEDGE in seventh place. The Canadian, who makes no secret of his propensity to spend time up the road and away from the bunch, was part of a three rider chase group that formed when it became clear the breakaway riders would likely contest the stage amongst themselves.

"QuickStep took charge of the chase, but they only put one guy up. After one hour, they said: 'If nobody is helping us, we’re not riding.' Nobody helped, so they stopped riding. That’s when it got to be a really strange situation. Nobody wanted to ride anymore. I think it was that moment when Christian and two other riders jumped away from the bunch. In the end, they got close to the first group, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap." - Jens Keukeleire