Groenewegen: ‘Just disappointment now’Dylan Groenewegen wasn’t there today, due to the echelons 30 kilometers from the finish. “It was a very tough day and I also felt some emerging cramps. It was a bit harder than expected, also because of the wind of course,” he says to NOS. “You always think you’re the only one suffering, but a lot of sprinters were in the second group of course. It’s just disappointment now. I think that’s logical and it should be too.”
Philipsen takes tenth stage win in Tour: ‘Goosebumps’“It’s amazing,” says Jasper Philipsen shortly after his finish in the flash interview. Today he takes the tenth Tour stage win of his career. “This tenth victory is something I will never forget. The team performance was great. It was nervous all day, but we used our strengths,” says the Belgian. “I had very good legs and in the last 2 kilometers with all that crowd… It gave me goosebumps. My legs got extra strength because of the adrenaline.”
Van der Poel: ‘We know our qualities’There was a lot of wind all day and that caused chaos, says Mathieu van der Poel. “A good 30 kilometers before the end, they made a move at Visma, and we were right there. In the moments that it then went quiet, I tried to keep it going as well as possible. It quickly became clear in the earpiece who was and wasn’t there,” says Jasper Philipsen’s teammate at NOS. “Of course, it was a lot of turning and turning today. We know our qualities as a team very well, and we focus on that. I think that’s where the success comes from.”
Finish! Philipsen wins the first stage of the Tour de France!He had by far the best cards, and makes use of them here. Mathieu van der Poel and his teammates had another nice lead-out in house, and ensure that Philipsen will ride in yellow tomorrow.
Still 200 meters – Philipsen slams the door on Girmay.
Still 400 meters – Philipsen is doing well, but Girmay is also coming…
Still 1.2 km – Van der Poel pulls the train for Jasper Philipsen! The red carpet seems to be rolled out for the Belgian.
Still 1.8 km – Van der Poel is already trying to win some spots for Jasper Philipsen.
Still 2.4 km – Just over 2 kilometers to go. What’s left of the sprinter trains now seems to be taking shape.
Still 3.3 km – Ai, it looks like Marijn van den Berg may even have to leave the race.
Still 4.1 km – Crash! Oh no! Two riders go down… Van den Berg is on the ground, Ben O’Connor also hits the asphalt.
Still 4.9 km – So Groenewegen is in the peloton. Marijn van den Berg, Mike Teunissen and Mathieu van der Poel are the only two Dutchmen at the front.
Still 5.9 km – We are definitely back in Lille, the final is unleashed! Who will be the first to cross the line?
Still 8.5 km – The head of the race is doing everything to keep the pace in the race. The second group follows at 40 seconds.
Still 9.4 km – The final is approaching! Who would have thought it would be so spectacular already?
Still 10 km – Roglic is also in the second group. It could just be that Vingegaard and Pogacar will already strike a decent blow in the standings today.
Still 11 km – Alpecin-Deceuninck is working hard at the head of the leading group, to prevent the rear group from connecting after all.
Still 12 km – The papers are currently best for Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck). They still have quite a few teammates with them.
Still 13 km – Dylan Groenewegen also seems to be in the second group. Milan and Merlier also have a problem.
Still 15 km – Evenepoel has indeed missed the boat, while the gap is rapidly widening. Van der Poel and Philipsen are in the leading group. Biniam Girmay is also there.
Still 16 km – Vingegaard has been at the front all stage, and is now also riding in the leading group. Just like Pogacar. But where is Evenepoel? And Jonathan Milan also doesn’t seem to be in the leading group.
Still 16 km – Oops! A break in the peloton due to echelons! A group of about 35 men is now riding ahead of the rest.
Still 20 km – The peloton is going on a ribbon, because there is quite a bit of wind again! The last phase of the ride is nervous, there are already quite a few spectators along the sides in Lille.
Still 29 km – The speedometer occasionally ticks at 55 kilometers per hour. It is going fast on the streets towards Lille.
Still 33 km – The nervousness in the peloton is already increasing somewhat, some sprinter trains are already starting to take shape.
Still 39 km – It’s not going too well with Frenchman Lenny Martinez. With every mountain he has to let the peloton go again, only to return again. Something must be wrong.
Still 43 km – Ai… Stefan Bissegger also has to leave the Tour de France after his hard fall earlier today. Together with Ganna, there are now two time trial specialists out of the race.
Still 44 km – Well then! Jonas Vingegaard picks up the last mountain point of the day.
Still 45 km – Alpecin-Deceuninck, among others, is working hard at the head of the peloton on the last climb. Jonas Vingegaard is also far forward.
Still 47 km – The peloton is approaching the last climb of the day. The leader of the mountain classification, Thomas, seems to want to be the first to reach the top again.
Still 50 km – The peloton is approaching the last climb of the day: the Mont Noit (1.3 kilometers at 6.1 percent). Will Thomas also go for the last mountain point of the day here?
Still 62 km – Benjamin Thomas, just involved in a crash, drops back to the medical follow car for a moment.
Still 70 km – Filippo Ganna leaves the race! Bad news for Italian cycling fans… Filippo Ganna is suffering too much from his crash and has to leave the race. This is probably not how he saw the 112th edition of the Tour de France.
Still 71 km – A number of riders have been dropped by the peloton, it seems. Among others, Simon Yates, Thymen Arensman and Felix Gall have to chase. It does seem that they can just return, because order has been restored in the large group.
Still 74 km – Simon Yates has to wait for the follow car, and so the men of Visma-Lease a Bike put themselves at the head of the peloton. The riders in yellow and black are trying to stop.
Still 76 km – Echelon alarm! At the front of the peloton, the men of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Lidl-Trek are making good speed, causing cracks in the peloton. Who is paying attention, and who isn’t?
Still 78 km – Thomas put in one last sprint to pass Vercher at the finish line, but then slipped away. He collided with his compatriot, both men fell hard against the cobblestones. The mountain point does go to Thomas, who will therefore ride in the mountain jersey tomorrow.
Still 78 km – Crash! Unbelievable! The two leaders go down just after the mountain point! They collide on the cobblestone section…
Still 79 km – Ai… Filippo Ganna, who was still involved in a nasty crash, has to let the peloton go on the cobblestones.
Still 79 km – Thomas and Vercher have started on the cobblestone section for the Mont Cassel (1.8 kilometers at 3.8 percent).
Still 81 km – Along the side we see the French flag waving firmly. There is a strong wind in Northern France.
Still 84 km – The two men at the front put the peloton at 55 seconds. Very clever, but it really seems like a last desperate attempt. Benjamin Thomas is mainly doing it to keep his virtual mountain jersey. If he is the first to cross the line at the Mont Cassel (1.8 kilometers at 3.8 percent), he will ride in the polka dots tomorrow.
Still 93 km – Vercher and Thomas are trying to get away from the peloton again, they were also in the early breakaway earlier. For the time being, the two have a lead of 25 seconds compared to the large group.
No! Not Girmay, but Coquard comes second in the battle for the points. The top-5 in the first sprint of this Tour de France:
Still 97 km – Jonathan Milan wins the first battle in the points classification, Girmay seems to be coming second.
Still 97 km – The intermediate sprint is coming up! Both Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Deceuninck are reporting at the front…
Still 103 km – Ai! Julian Alaphilippe suddenly can’t keep up anymore. The Frenchman suddenly had to ride a few hundred meters in the full wind, his legs seem to be blown up.
Still 104 km – Over and out for the leading group! The five have been caught by the peloton.
Still 107 km – A nervous phase now, because there seem to be echelons coming. The peloton has almost caught the leaders in the meantime, the large group is driving about 10 seconds behind.
Still 112 km – Filippo Ganna rejoins the peloton, after his heavy crash earlier today. Impressive performance by the Italian.
Still 119 km – The time difference between the leading group and the peloton is dropping below 1 minute for the first time today: 55 seconds. The five at the front will probably not experience the second climb as a leading group.
The peloton cycles past the ruins of the church of Ablain-Saint-Nazaire. This church was badly damaged during the First World War.
Still 125 km – The time difference between the peloton and the ‘tête de la course’ has now decreased significantly. The five at the front still have a lead of 1 minute and 15 seconds.
Still 128 km – Crash! Ai, another crash. Stefan Bissegger, another time trial specialist, is not doing well…
Still 130 km – Ganna is back on his bike, but it’s not all going smoothly. The Italian seems heavily battered, he went down in a tricky corner.
Still 132 km – Crash! The first crash of the Tour de France is a fact… Among others, Filippo Ganna is there, and he gets up with difficulty. Is it already the end of the Tour for the Italian? He still seems to be getting on his bike, but it’s all very stiff.
There is a good chance of echelon formation today, a little further on the course.
Still 136 km – The time difference is suddenly running back hard, the five at the front only have a margin of 1 minute and 40 seconds. How long will it take for the peloton to catch the early flight?
Still 143 km – The first point for the mountain classification goes to Benjamin Thomas. Jonas Rutsch tried to pass him, but to no avail.
Still 143 km – Thomas with the attack! The Frenchman goes for the mountain point at the top.
Still 144 km – The leading group has started the first categorized climb of the Tour! The Côte de Notre-Dame-de-Lorette (1 kilometer at 7.3 percent) is the toughest of the three climbs of the day. Who will be the first to enter and take a point for the polka dot jersey?
The five at the front are turning around well. But due to the hard work of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Lidl-Trek at the head of the peloton, the four Frenchmen and the German are not extending their lead.
The leading group of five in the picture. Rutsch, Le Berre, Armirail, Thomas and Vercher are trying to extend the lead. But so far without success.
Still 162 km – The time difference has been the same for a while, which is mainly due to the hard work of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Lidl-Trek in the peloton. The five at the front still have a margin of 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
Still 171 km – Bryan Coquard had some technical problems, but has now rejoined the peloton. The large group is currently led by Team Alpecin-Deceuninck of Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen. The time difference with the five at the front is 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
Still 179 km – The five men at the front are making a serious gap, so it’s time to list the names. As mentioned, four Frenchmen and one German: Le Berre, Armirail, Thomas, Vercher and Rutsch. They have a lead of 1 minute and 40 seconds.
Still 182 km – Five men, four Frenchmen and one German, are already quickly making a gap of 30 seconds with the peloton. This could go very fast in the initial phase of the opening stage.
Still 183 km – The first riders are making an attempt to escape, let’s see how far they get.