Thomas wins opening stage at Tour de France

Chris Froome’s most loyal support rider finally got some glory of his own. Geraint Thomas won the wet and slippery opening stage of the Tour de France on Saturday and claimed the yellow jersey.

DUESSELDORF, GERMANY

» One stage into the Tour de France was all it took for Chris Froome and his Team Sky to answer all the pre-race talk about how they are not as dominant this year.

Geraint Thomas, Froome’s most loyal support rider in his three Tour victories, won the wet and slippery opening stage and claimed the yellow jersey.

Averaging 52 kph (32 mph), Thomas required little more than 16 minutes over the almost entirely flat 14-kilometer (8.7-mile) individual time trial up and down the banks of the Rhine River in downtown Duesseldorf.

Stefan Kueng of BMC finished second, five seconds behind, and Vasil Kiryienka of Sky was third, seven seconds back.

Froome finished sixth, 12 seconds behind, and gained time on all of his expected challengers. He finished about 40 seconds ahead of both Richie Porte and Nairo Quintana.

Romain Bardet, the Frenchman who finished second overall behind Froome last year, and seven-time Grand Tour champion Alberto Contador lost even more time.

It was a banner day for Sky, which placed four riders in the top eight with Michal Kwiatkowski in eighth.

Thomas jokingly suggested that Sky is so strong that they could end the race now.

“We could go to Paris now. It’s not that far away, is it? Why not go straight there?” the Welshman said after his first Grand Tour stage win.

AP PHOTO/CHRISTOPHE ENA Britain’s Geraint Thomas celebrates his overall leader’s yellow jersey after winning the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race, an individual time trial over 14 kilometers (8,7 miles), with start and Finish Saturday in Duesseldorf, Germany.