The 58th Giro Ciclistico Internazionale della Valle d'Aosta Mont Blanc started in France with an 82-kilometer stage beginning and ending in Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc: four laps on the wavy Passy circuit, a climb to Le Bettex, and a final dive to the finish in Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc.

A fast stage, then, well suited to breakaways, with the day's first attackers springing up from the first kilometers. After the first Sprint Catch in Passy (won by Darren Rafferty over Enzo Paleni and Mason Hollyman), a quintet formed that would mark the first part of the race by working together. The breakaway is made up of Enzo Paleni (Groupama), Darren Rafferty (Hagens Berman Axeon), Mason Hollyman (Israel), Florian Lipowitz (Tirol KTM), and Italian Alessio Martinelli (Bardiani CSF).

The peloton allows for the breakaway. Alessio Martinelli and Florian Lipowitz raised the white flag on the approach to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. Only three attackers (Paleni, Rafferty, and Hollyman) remain on the first passage from Saint-Gervais to Le Bettex. Behind them, the peloton reacts to Martinez and Thompson's Groupama. The race explodes towards Le Bettex, with Mason Hollyman, raised in Flavio Zappi's "school," stretching out and winning the KOM. Behind him comes Lenny Martinez (Groupama), who was preceded on the KOM by Rafferty but quickly overtaken on the descent by Martinez. Hollyman has no problems with the descent and wins the first yellow jersey, Eaux Valdotaines. Lenny Martinez, one of the race favorites, is close behind, followed by Darren Rafferty and Giro della Valle d'Aosta 2021 winner Reuben Thompson.