Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step) won the first stage and took the yellow jersey of the Tour de France at Fontenay-le-Comte, where Chris Froome lost time.
Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step) won the first stage and took the yellow jersey of the Tour de France on Saturday 7th July, 2018, at Fontenay-le-Comte , where Chris Froome lost time .
The Brit, favorite of the event, was delayed by a fall in the final, about 6 kilometers from the finish. Froome, quadruple winner of the Tour, lost about fifty seconds. Other contenders, Australia’s Richie Porte, Colombian Nairo Quintana and Britain’s Adam Yates, also finished late.
In the sprint, Gaviria has clearly imposed himself to the world champion, the Slovak Peter Sagan. Germany’s Marcel Kittel took third place ahead of Norway’s Alexander Kristoff and France’s Christophe Laporte.
⏪🔻 Relive this last kilometer and the stage win for Fernando Gaviria! 🙌🇨🇴
⏪🔻 Revivez ce dernier kilomètre avec la victoire de Fernando Gaviria ! 🙌🇨🇴#TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/0hCvYCJoub— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 7, 2018
Collective fall 10 km from the finish
The peloton was skimmed by a first collective fall 10 kilometers from the line. The French Arnaud Démare, in particular, could only leave with delay.
At the start of the stage, the first breakaway was attended by three French riders, the “local” Kevin Ledanois, Jerome Cousin and Yoann Offredo, who started in the first minutes of the race. The gap was stabilized four minutes before the sprinters (Gaviria, Groenewegen, Démare) closed the gap.
The junction with the survivors (Cousin, Offredo) intervened 10 kilometers from the finish. Before the fall of Froome, who apparently badly negotiated a curve and tumbled into the grass.
The Briton, who had not run since the Giro, tried to erase then the gap with the help of several teammates (Rowe in particular).
But Froome, booed Thursday by a part of the public following the doping control of the Vuelta which he left blank, crossed the line late, 51 seconds according to an unofficial score.
📊 Stage 1 Top 10
📊 Top 10 of Step 10 # TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/NtKNrc1sfC– The Tour de France (@LeTour) July 7, 2018
Quintana delayed by a puncture
Quintana , who gave up more than a minute, suffered a puncture 400 meters from the 3-kilometer streamer. Beyond this threshold, the Colombian would have been classified in the peloton time!
His compatriot Gaviria, trained on the track (former world champion of the omnium), made a triumphant debut in the Tour. Aged 23, he won 4 stages last year in the Giro.
On Sunday, the sprinters have a new opportunity in the second leg, a loop of 182.5 kilometers between Mouilleron-Saint-Germain and La Roche-sur-Yon. The finish is judged on false flat.
