Cycling - Impey sprints to stage win as Kwiatkowski retains Dauphine lead

PARIS (Reuters) - South Africa's Daryl Impey won the first stage of the Criterium du Dauphine in a sprint finish after 179 kilometres between Valence and Saint Just-Saint Rambert on Monday.

(Reuters)

France's Julian Alaphilippe and Italian Vincenzo Nibali tried their luck solo in the last hill shortly before the finish, but they were reined in and Mitchelton-Scott rier Impey was the strongest of a reduced bunch.

Alaphilippe took second place while Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.

The Criterium du Dauphine is the main warm-up race for the July 7-29 Tour de France.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Christian Radnedge)