Tour de France Stage 1 Analysis
The 2016 edition of the Tour de France got underway Saturday afternoon, as the peloton started their journey from Mont-Saint-Michel. Today was a day for the sprinters as the stage came down to an exciting final sprint. However, the road to the final sprint was filled with crashes. Including a crash involving a tour favorite.
Cavendish Wins
British sprinter Mark Cavendish claimed his 27th career Tour de France stage win, as he out-sprinted rivals Marcel Kittel and Peter Sagan to claim the win for Team Dimension-Data. Sagan was the first rider to make a move. For a moment he had some separation, but was soon caught by Kittel and Cavendish. It was a fantastic win for Cavendish, as he really took over in the final kilometer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Viey81Lg90
Crashes
The first stage of any grand tour features high nerves as the riders try their best to stay out of trouble, and today was an example of how even the smallest of mistakes can lead to a crash.
Alberto Contador was the first rider to hit the deck hard. He hit a curb and fell on his shoulder. Thankfully, he was not seriously injured. He re-joined the peloton promptly after the crash. He proceeded to finish the rest of the stage unscathed, but unfortunately will have some road rash to deal with the next few days.
In the final sprint another significant crash occurred, as the quick pace of the sprint took a few prisoners in the final kilometer. Katusha rider Michael Morkov hit the barrier hard and caused a few others to crash behind him. Marking an unfortunate end to the sprint, with the likely chance that some will have to abandon as a result.
La chute d'@albertocontador / The fall of @albertocontador ! #TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/P9A6OxkZ6w
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 2, 2016
General Classification Riders
Aside from Contador’s crash the other general classification riders stayed out of trouble. Chris Froome and Nairo Quintanta were non-existent in the days action. French rider Warren Barguil finished in 13th place, which was the highest finish out of all the general classification riders.
Astana riders Vincenzo Nibali and Fabio Aru finished nine seconds behind Froome and Quintana. The crash left a gap in the peloton and as a result some of the riders lost time. Richie Porte and Alberto Contador were also among the riders that lost time to their competitors, but all this could change if the race officials decided to change the times based on the crash.
Stage Results
Stage 1 Results.#TDG #TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/davdnlFK8D
— LWOSCycling (@LWOSCycling1) July 2, 2016
Tweets of The Day
– 27 @LeTour stage wins
– #YellowJerseyWhat a moment for @MarkCavendish 👏👏👏#TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/hHDwDxlYef
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) July 2, 2016
Yeaha! That's what he was signed for! Planned in SA and delivered in France. Yellow! Brilliant @MarkCavendish
— Brian Smith 𝕆𝕃𝕐 (@BriSmithy) July 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/EurosportUKTV/status/749263452301094916
Le direct embarqué ! / Onboard live ! 🚴🚴🚴🚴🎥📺📱 #TDF2016https://t.co/GdlaJjGb4Z
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 2, 2016
Stats From The Stage
Cavendish's speed peaked at 68kmh in his sprint finish to the first #MaillotJaune and #MaillotVert of #TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/fwBtJXQluS
— letourdata (@letourdata) July 2, 2016
Here's how Contador's crash, and the intermediate sprint affected the Peloton. #TDFdata #TDF2016 pic.twitter.com/fnf15wAoQU
— letourdata (@letourdata) July 2, 2016
Main Photo:
