In the group sprint of 22 cyclists, Ponzi had a bit more power left than Slovenian Marko Kump (Adria Mobil) and Italian Daniele Ratto (Liquigas), who came in second and third, respectively.

The first stage of the four-stage 556.8 km race will be followed by a 177.4 km stage between Kočevje and Metlika on Friday.