Cycling - Bardet wins the opening stage of the 111th Tour de France
Romain Bardet Wins Stage 1 of the 111th Tour de France
Romain Bardet, the 33-year-old French professional, won the opening stage of the 111th Tour de France. He finished first on the 206-kilometer route between Florence and Rimini, beating his young Dutch teammate Frank van den Broek. Both riders crossed the finish line a few seconds ahead of the main peloton. Wout van Aert came in third place. Bardet claimed his fourth Tour de France stage win.
The first day of the three-week Grand Tour kicked off in Italy, with Bardet taking over the Yellow Jersey of the race leader. A significant shake-up between the top favorites Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard did not occur.
The professionals had to deal with a challenging course and intense heat from the start. Mark Cavendish, the 39-year-old sprint star, fell significantly behind before the first of seven climbs of the day and struggled through most of the 3600-meter ascent. Cavendish was at risk of falling out of the time limit with an over 32-minute deficit to the leaders.
Stage 2:
The professionals will start the second stage of the Tour de France on Sunday in Cesenatico. The city is the birthplace of the 2004 Tour de France winner Marco Pantani. The stage covers 199.2 kilometers and features several short but steep climbs. An escapee with all-around abilities could win. It's also possible that the favorites will engage in their first power struggle.
Romain Bardet's victory in Stage 1 of the Tour de France marks his fourth win in this prestigious UCI WorldTour event, held annually in France. As the race leader, he donned the coveted yellow jersey, continuing a rich French cycling tradition in the world's most famous bike race. Despite the challenging course and intense heat, professional cyclists, including the legendary Mark Cavendish, persevered. However, Cavendish, the 39-year-old sprint star, faced significant difficulties, finding himself substantially behind the leaders. Interestingly, the second stage of the Tour de France will commence in Rimini, Italy, a change from its usual French start. The 199.2-kilometer route includes several steep climbs, providing an opportunity for versatile cyclists to challenge the race favorites, such as the likes of Romain Bardet, in the International cycling scene.
