Jasper Philipsen powered to victory in a reduced bunch sprint to claim his 10th career Tour de France stage win and seize the yellow jersey, as Jonas Vingegaard showed aggressive intentions in the opening stage on Saturday.
Belgian Philipsen outsprinted Eritrean Biniam Girmay and Norway's Soren Waerenskjold in impressive fashion while Dane Vingegaard and defending champion Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia crossed the line in the leading group.
"It was a perfect team performance; we were there all day in a really nervous stage, and we knew we had to be at the front when the split happened. The team was amazing, and I just had to finish it off," Philipsen said.
Philipsen, who won the green jersey for the points classification in 2023, now has the most prestigious shirt in cycling.
"I could not have dreamed about this – wearing the yellow jersey and having something like that hanging in my house is going to be amazing," he said.
Absent from the mini peloton were podium contenders Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic, who were caught at the wrong end of a split caused by a brutal acceleration from Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike 17km from the line, and finished 39 seconds behind.
The decisive move on narrow roads with crosswinds caught the duo off guard, while Pogacar stayed alert.
"It was a hectic day and just like we thought there were splits in the end but we were in front, thanks to a good job from the team, it paid off in the end," UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Pogacar said.
The stage had already been marked by drama and disappointment, with Italy’s Filippo Ganna the first rider to abandon the race, soon followed by fellow time-trial specialist Stefan Bissegger after both crashed.
Adding to the day’s surprises, Giro d’Italia champion Simon Yates, riding in a supporting role for Vingegaard, struggled to hold the pace of the front group and was distanced in the finale.
The chaotic opening day lived up to its reputation, with multiple crashes heightening the nervous atmosphere and underlining the unforgiving nature of the Tour’s early stages.
Sunday's second stage is a 209.1km hilly ride from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer.
