HARROGATE, England – A brief look at Saturday’s first stage of the 101st Tour de France.
Stage: The 190.5-kilometer (118-mile) stage took riders on a hilly trek from Leeds to Harrogate over three moderate climbs in Yorkshire.
Winner: Marcel Kittel, who started his campaign the same way he did last year, when he also won the first stage. The powerful German sprinter avoided a crash about 300 meters from the finish when local favorite Mark Cavendish took Simon Gerrans down. Gerrans escaped uninjured, but Cavendish hurt his head, right shoulder and right wrist. Peter Sagan’s bid for a third consecutive green jersey got off to a good start with the Slovakian finishing in second place.
Yellow Jersey: Kittel.
Stat of the Day: 42 – the age of veteran Jens Voigt, the oldest rider in the race. Voigt spent the day in a long breakaway before being reined in with 59 kilometers to go.
Quote of the Day: “It’s great for our sport to see such huge crowds lining the roads, but I hope the police will do something (Sunday), because if they don’t, it could be a problem for our health,” Fabian Cancellara said.
Sunday’s Stage: Stage 2 will take the peloton on a 201-kilometer (125-mile) trek from York to Sheffield on an undulating terrain featuring nine climbs and narrow roads. Overall contenders will be watching each other and riding in front to avoid being caught by a break.
