Maikel Zijlaard takes victory at Tour de Romandie prologue

Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor Pro Cycling) won the short sharp 2.28 km a prologue around Payerne, his first ever WorldTour stage win and on home soil

What the course in Payerne lacked in length, it made up for in corners, with no fewer than thirteen 90-degree bends, in a remarkably technical test that saw most riders opt for road bikes over time trial machines.

Zijlaard has never won a race before but had made the podium at last year’s Deutschland Tour, and flew through the twisting course to take not only his first victory but a huge scalp for his team on their home soil.

The Dutchman was among the early starters, and took just 2m 55s to complete the technical course at an average speed of 46.7kph.

He spent the rest of the stage in the hot seat, with only Cameron Scott (Bahrain Victorious) coming close, nine tenths of a second down, while an impressive ride by Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step) saw the former world champion clinch the final spot on the podium.

As a result, The Dutchman took the stage win and the Yellow leader's jersey.

Tomorrow's first stage will take the riders out of the mountains briefly with some small climbs along the way that will test the peloton legs. A bunch sprint in Fribourg, a town which sits on the eastern frontier of Switzerland’s French-speaking region is expected.

VIDEO: 2024 Tour de Romandie Prologue Highlights

2024 Tour de Romandie Prologue Top 10

1  ZIJLAARD Maikel 2.55,43 0.00 46.788
2  SCOTT Cameron 2.56,33 0.00,90 46.549
3  ALAPHILIPPE Julian 2.57,74 0.02,31 46.18
4  GODON Dorian 2.58,62 0.03,19 45.952
5  OLIVEIRA Ivo 2.58,67 0.03,24 45.939
6  VAN DIJKE Tim 2.58,69 0.03,26 45.934
7  VERMEERSCH Gianni 2.58,95 0.03,52 45.868
8  ARNDT Nikias 2.59,35 0.03,92 45.765
9  ARANBURU Alex 2.59,41 0.03,98 45.75
10  AEBI Antoine 2.59,72 0.04,29 45.671