Stage 1 marked by setbacks

FONTENAYLECOMTE, France: It was supposed to be a relatively quiet day for the overall contenders on the Tour de France, but defending champion Chris Froome and other big guns lost significant ground in a nervy finale to the opening stage yesterday.

The Team Sky rider escaped unhurt from a fall but he is already in a chasing position as his main rival, France’s Romain Bardet, ended the 201km ride from Noirmoutierenl’Ile safe in the main bunch.

Froome went over a safety rail and on to the grass with 5km to go and even though he quickly got back on his bike, he could not make it back to the peloton and finished 51 seconds off the pace.

Australian Richie Porte faces a similar deficit after being held up behind a pileup and it was even worse for twice runnerup Nairo Quintana as the Colombian lost 1min 15sec after suffering a puncture 3.5km from the finish.

‘‘There were a lot of crashes out there today; just one of those things,’’ Froome, who is looking to become the first rider in 20 years to achieve the Giro d’ItaliaTour double, said.

‘‘We always knew the first few days were going to be tricky, sketchy, and that’s part of the game, unfortunately.

‘‘I’m just grateful I’m not hurt or injured in any way.’’

The mood was different in the Movistar camp after Quintana suffered a frontwheel puncture when he hit a traffic island.

Had Quintana changed his wheel inside the 3km mark, he would been credited with the same time as stage winner Fernando Gaviria, in accordance with the regulations.

‘‘Alejandro [Valverde] and Mikel [Landa] are coleaders, so it was out of the question that they would wait for him,’’ team manager Eusebio Unzue said.