Dylan Teuns snatches Stage 1 victory from Rohan Dennis on the line of the Tour de Romandie after Ethan Hayter crashes

Updated 27/04/2022 at 20:39 GMT

Rohan Dennis thought he had victory in the bag as he entered the final 100 metres in the lead, but in-form Dylan Teuns had other ideas and took the win in the most dramatic style on the line. Britain's Ethan Hayter, who had started the day as race leader following his prologue win, was involved in a group collision, which saw him finish 14 minutes behind the leaders.

'What a finish!' - Teuns stuns Dennis to take Stage 1 of Tour de Romandie

Dylan Teuns took a quite sensational win on Stage 1 of the Tour de Romandie, snatching victory from Rohan Dennis on the line in Switzerland.

Before the race, the Belgian told VeloNews “timing is really important” and, although he could not have cut it more fine, he timed his finish to perfection. A short 1.2km climb to the line was always going to be something that suited Teuns, and as Dennis’ legs began to tire, the 30-year-old took full advantage.

Just before the steep uphill finish at Romont, a huge fight for position saw dozens of riders collide in a pile-up which included British rider Ethan Hayter, who wore the green jersey after claiming his first World Tour victory in the prologue race.

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This left a 50-strong peloton out in front as the race entered the final stages of its 178km journey, and Dennis pushed for home, leading the charge from the foot of the climb. The 31-year-old Australian retained the lead into the last 100 metres, before Teuns found extra energy to push himself to the most dramatic of wins.

Highlights: All the action from a thrilling Stage 1 at the Tour de Romandie

As Teuns lifted his arms in jubilation, the commentary team could not quite believe the drama, shouting "what an absolute thriller that was" and "what a finish!", with a dejected Dennis stooping his head as the realisation sunk in that he had been pipped at the post. However, Dennis will still take the leaders jersey from Hayter.

A recent victory in La Fleche Wallone has thrown Teuns into the spotlight as he weighs up his next career move, and as he hits the headlines once again, the soon-to-be out of contract rider will no doubt have gained even more admirers.

After making a name for himself with BMC Racing, Teuns has spent the last four years at Bahrain Victorious but is yet to have a deal in place for next year, which has alerted a number of teams who are keen to acquire his services.

Teuns is keeping his options open though, telling VeloNews, “I keep it to my management and they are working on it. We will see what the future brings.”

The Tour de Romandie continues with the 168.2km second stage from Échallens and concludes with an uphill individual time trial on Sunday.

Tour de Romandie