Belgian rider wins Stage 1
2-time champ Pogacar sits in third place
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Although Belgian rider Yves Lampaert was a surprise winner of the Tour de France’s opening stage Friday, two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar wasn’t upset with the outcome.
Pogacar said his priority was testing his race legs and placing ahead of his Slovenian countryman Primoz Roglic, the 2020 runner-up who was eighth in the time trial.
“I’m feeling confident, satisfied, even though it was tense and tight for me,” Pogacar said. “It’s still one of my best Tour starts.”
Lampaert is a former world champion in team time trial, but this was his first stage win at the three-week Tour. He clocked 15 minutes, 17 seconds, on the 8.1-mile route around Copenhagen.
The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider was five seconds ahead of countryman Wout van Aert — Roglic’s Jumbo-Visma teammate — and seven ahead of Pogacar, who leads UAE Team Emirates. Pogacar was nine seconds clear of Roglic.
Lampaert could scarcely believe it when he realized he won, wiping away tears and putting his hands on his mouth.
He couldn’t believe another thing, either: beating van Aert — a three-time cyclo-cross world champion, multiple one-day classics winner and two-time national time trial champ.
“I beat the great Van Aert! It’s unbelievable for me, I never thought about wearing the yellow jersey. My head’s exploding,” Lampaert said. “I was expecting to finish in the top 10. That would have been very good, and now I’ve beaten all the best.”
Rain was falling when Roglic finished under gray skies shortly after 4:30 p.m., and still lashing when Pogacar set off around 40 minutes later. Even though he is an accomplished rider in wet conditions, Pogacar looked cautious taking the first turn.
It might have cost him victory.
Riders set off to loud cheers.
“There was so much noise you could hardly hear anything in the earpiece,” French rider David Gaudu said.
The noise level went up again when local rider Jonas Vingegaard — Roglic’s teammate and the Tour runner-up last year — rolled down the start ramp. He placed seventh, one second ahead of Roglic.
The 21-stage race ends in Paris on July 24.