Chris Froome in form as  Boasson Hagen wins Dauphine Opening Sprint

Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen of Dimension Data won a sprint from a reduced peloton containg the main race contenders on the opening stage of the Criterium du Dauphine 

It was the third win of the season for the 32-year-old, who got the edge on Belgian pair Philippe Gilbert of Quick Step and Wout Van Aert of Jumbo.

In a race seen as form sharpening for the Tour de France Chris Froome, riding in the black and red of Ineos, finished in the reduced group of around 35 riders after the 142km run over six lush, green, hills in the stunning Cantal region.

"I doubt I'll be keeping the yellow jersey for long," Boasson Hagen joked after the race, but his win is a good sign for his team with the Tour just three weeks away.

"I got a bit lucky with the positioning," he said after coming round the back of Gilbert in the home straight in a trademark powerful last 150 metres.

The day was marked by a long range attack that stubbornly clung on to a slender lead until the final 600 metres.

At that moment Quick Step ace Julian Alaphilippe put the hammer down with Gilbert on his wheel and a win for one of the Belgian classics specialists looked a certainty.

"It shows I've got the legs," Boasson Hagen told France Television after his sprint.

Earlier in the race, on the final climb, Quick Step also tried to get away, but Froome, Michal Kwiatkowski and the Ineos band were onto them immediately.

Monday's second stage, a 180km undulating run from Mauriac in the Cantal region onto Craponne-sur-Arzon in the Haute-Loire offers the peloton eight hills to negotiate.

VIDEO: 2019 Criterium Du Dauphine Stage 1 Highlights

2019 Criterium Du Dauphine Stage 1 Top 10

1 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data 3:24:23
2 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:04
3 Wout Van Aert (Bel) Team Jumbo-Visma 0:00:06
4 Nils Politt (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin 0:00:10
5 Gregor Mühlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
6 Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
7 Jonas Koch (Ger) CCC Team
8 Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
9 Benoit Cosnefroy (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
10 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Ineos

2019 Criterium Du Dauphine GC after Stage 1

1 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data 3:24:33
2 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep
3 Wout Van Aert (Bel) Team Jumbo-Visma
4 Nils Politt (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin
5 Gregor Mühlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
6 Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
7 Jonas Koch (Ger) CCC Team
8 Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
9 Benoit Cosnefroy (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
10 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Ineos