Winners
Marcel Kittel
Whether the German would have taken the win if Cavendish, Greipel, and Sagan hadn’t of crashed with 5km to go will not matter one little bit to the Argos-Shimano rider. After a wretched Tour last year consisting of illness and crashes, Kittel will be delighted to be able to take the first stage wear the yellow jersey. I doubt he’ll keep it with tomorrow’s tough stage (see below), but the German could go home now and look but at a successful Tour.
Alexander Kristoff
The second placed man in a sprint finish is not often called a winner, but the positives for Kristoff could be easier to see this time tomorrow. A sprinter who is more than capable of getting himself over the climbs, if we see a group come to the finish tomorrow that includes Kristoff but not Kittel, the Norwegian should be in pole position to take the yellow jersey off the back of today’s victor.
Danny Van Poppel
A few days ago I wrote about Van Poppel, saying that he might struggle with the hectic racing of the Tour. How wrong could I be?! The youngest rider of the race may have escaped the crash more through luck than judgement, but showed great maturity to quickly assess the situation and back himself to challenge for the stage win at what is quite incredibly his first World Tour race. With Kittel’s abysmal climbing ability probably writing him out of contention for tomorrow’s stage, perhaps the young Dutchman could take the white jersey.
Juan Jose Lobato
I wouldn’t expect him to keep it tomorrow, but the Spanish sprinter has first to the top of the only classified climb of the day to take the first polka dot jersey of the Tour. This is great news for the Euskaltel team who come to the race without any serious GC contender. Igor Anton and Mikel Nieve might be able to take stage wins in the mountains later on, but the team need to take any chance they’re given to get the sponsors on the podium.
Losers
ASO
After a seamless (if slightly dull) first 200km The Orica-Greenedge bus got wedged underneath the finish gantry as the bus driver missed the general deviation. With the peloton at just under 10km to go the finish was moved to 3km banner, creating a surge in the bunch as all the sprinters were suddenly forced to rush to the front. Perhaps it was this that created the crash that prevented Cavendish, Sagan and Greipel from contesting the stage finish, as the last of these pushed his way through a gap that simply didn’t exist. By now the bus had been freed, and the finish was moved back to its original position. Unfortunately it is this chaos that will make the headlines ahead of Kittel’s win, not the way the organisers would have wanted the hundredth Tour de France to begin.
Tony Martin
The first casualty of the Tour, and it’s a big shame to see the world time trial champion depart from the race after breaking his collarbone and being stretchered off the team bus unconscious. Martin would have been the odds-on favourite for the flat stage 11 time trial to Mont-St-Michel, but is also an important part of Mark Cavendish’s lead out train at Omega-Pharma-Quickstep. The German’s engine would have been vital to keeping the pace really high from the 10km point, so the loss of the 28 year old could have repercussions for Cavendish’s green jersey ambitions, while the team will no longer be the favourites for the team time trial in a few days time.
Johnny Hoogerland
The Tour’s first crash victim. After his nasty encounter with a barbed wire fence a couple of years ago this tumble was a little more benign as he got caught up in one of the roadside banners of Tour sponsors Brandt. Only cuts and bruises this time for the Dutch champion and he’ll live to fight another day.
Tomorrow’s Stage
A dramatic profile, but don’t be fooled, this is by no means an out-and-out mountain stage. Taking the main road between Bastia and Ajaccio the route traverses Corsica’s mountainous interior towards a finish on the west coast of the island. These are good, well-surfaced roads, and many of the riders will be doing the climbs in the big ring.
The long descent in the second half of the stage will give any sprinters half a chance to regain contact, while the pan flat final 10km should allow any late attacks on the short Cote du Salario to be brought back by a well-organised peloton.
Scenario
Expect an early break to go in the aim of taking the polka dot jersey off the back of Juan Jose Lobato, before Peter Sagan’s Cannondale team take to front in the aim of dropping the likes of Kittel, Greipel and Cavendish.
Cavendish seems to be climbing reasonably well, and will have a strong team alongside him to make up any time lost on the Col de Vizzavona, however Cannondale will also be fully committed and may be able to hold off any pursuit.
Stage: Peter Sagan
Yellow Jersey: Alexander Kristoff
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