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.

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)