The China Mail - Philipsen wins windy Tour de France opener as Evenepoel trapped in split

Philipsen took the yellow jersey in a frantic sprint finish at the northern city of Lille, his tenth Tour de France win crowned with a rare race lead for a rider usually chasing sprint points.

Title favourites Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard both finished safely in the lead pack.

But Vingegaard was on red alert as the split started and his explosive acceleration helped stun the peloton and leave his Visma team delighted with the damage done by the day's work with a 40sec advantage over several important rivals.

"It was our plan to use the wind at 20km and it worked," said Vingegaard.

Known for his pounces in the mountains, Vingegaard has won the Tour in 2022 and 2023.

The 28-year-old grew up in a remote fishing community, racing into strong winds on the coastal roads in Denmark.

Defending champion Pogacar appeared flustered at the finish line.

"It was as frantic as we had expected, but when the split came fortunately I was near the front," said the 26-year-old Slovenian.

"I'm just happy day one is done. Nine days to go before the first rest day."

- Caught napping -

Billed as the third man here after finishing behind Pogacar and Vingegaard on his debut Tour in 2024, Evenepoel was in sombre mood at his team bus.

"We were asleep, we thought any danger was over," Evenepoel said of the split where both he and his team's sprinter Tim Merlier found themselves trapped just 20km from the finish.

Around 40 riders in the first group contested the sprint where one of the day's many falls happened.

Primoz Roglic and Florian Lipowitz of Red Bull, and Team UAE's Joao Almeida were also caught out in the blustery winds.

Another UAE man, Adam Yates, lost minutes, meaning Pogacar's two deputies are off the pace if something happens to the UAE star man.

Africa's sole rider Biniam Girmay, winner of three stages in 2024, was second on the day as Philipsen got ahead of him with 100m to go.

But Girmay, winner of the 2024 best sprinter's green jersey, ended the stage with the white jersey for the best 25-and-under rider.

Philipsen, however, was the man in yellow.

"It's a day I will never forget. This is why I have been getting up early and training hard each day," said Philipsen.

"What an experience! Those final kilometres, to be part of that," beamed the 27-year-old Belgian.

Fans packed the route in one of France's more modest regions passing First World War memorials, red-brick houses and slagheaps from long-closed coal mines along the Belgian border.

Under overcast skies with the temperature a manageable 22C, the peloton cut a fast pace despite the windy conditions.

Racing towards an intermediate sprint over cobbles, escapee Benjamin Thomas slid sideways and took out his sole rival Matteo Vercher in one spectacular fall and the pair were still bickering when the peloton shot past them.

Former time-trial world champion Filippo Ganna was one rider who will take no further part after a clumsy fall on a corner.

The Italian would have been a contender on the lengthy stage five individual time-trial, as well as key in the Ineos team's campaign to get veteran Geraint Thomas into the top 10 on his 14th and final Tour de France.

Philipsen, in yellow, will lead the peloton out for Sunday's second stage, a hilly 209km route to the beaches of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

A.Kwok--ThChM