Jasper Philipsen (front) celebrates after ruling the first stage. —AP
There was no shortage of drama as the Tour de France began on Saturday on the windswept roads near Lille, where Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard quietly marked each other while Jasper Philipsen claimed the day’s headlines and Remco Evenepoel’s challenge wobbled before it began.
While Philipsen’s sprint victory thrilled thousands of Belgian fans lining the route, the deeper story unfolded behind him: the first significant skirmish in the rivalry that has defined this era of the Tour. Vingegaard, a two-time champion renowned for his mountain attacks, showed he remains as alert as ever.
“It was our plan to use the wind at [the last] 20 kilometers and it worked,” Vingegaard said, his Visma team jubilant after he surged clear in a split that cost several contenders precious seconds. His acceleration helped carve a 40-second gap over a group of rivals, an early reminder of his ability to turn subtle openings into real advantages.
Pogacar, aiming to defend his crown, looked relieved more than elated to have survived the chaos.
“It was as frantic as we expected,” the Slovenian admitted. “Fortunately, I was near the front when the split came. I’m just happy day one is done.”
The two rivals have split the last five Tour de France general classification trophies, with Vingegaard winning in 2022 and 2023.
While Pogacar and Vingegaard tracked each, Evenepoel’s ambitions were dented in a moment’s inattention. Touted as the third man in the title conversation after an impressive debut last year, Evenepoel was left adrift with 20km to go, caught napping as the peloton fractured.
“We were asleep. We thought any danger was over,” he confessed somberly beside his team bus.
That lapse left him trailing and facing questions about whether he can claw back time before the Tour’s decisive climbs. His sprinter teammate Tim Merlier was similarly stranded, underscoring how quickly fortunes can unravel on an ordinary-looking stage.
The winds also punished other contenders. Primoz Roglic, Joao Almeida and Adam Yates—Pogacar’s key lieutenants—were all delayed, potentially isolating the UAE leader in critical moments later on.
At the front, Philipsen added a yellow jersey to his growing collection of sprint victories, outkicking Biniam Girmay in the final 100 meters. But the Belgian’s triumph felt almost secondary to the deeper intrigue: Pogacar and Vingegaard, already testing each other’s defenses, while Evenepoel struggled to stay in their orbit. —AFP
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