tour de france 2015 stage 1

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• Stage 1 (ITT)

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Youth day classification, team day classification, race information.

• Date: 04 July 2015
• Start time: -
• Avg. speed winner: 55.45 km/h
• Race category: ME - Men Elite
• Distance: 13.8 km
• Points scale: GT.A.Stage
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• ProfileScore: 0
• Vert. meters: 28
• Departure: Utrecht
• Arrival: Utrecht
• Race ranking: 0
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Tour de France 2015: stage one – as it happened

• Rohan Dennis wins first stage with record-breaking ride

Nibali finishes in 15’39”, ahead of Froome, Contador and Quintara. But Rohan Dennis is top of the pile tonight, the first wearer of the yellow jersey thanks to his record-breaking ride.

Nibali goes through the first checkpoint 11 seconds behind Dennis but, more significantly, that time suggests he is going to be the best placed of the pre-Tour favourites at the end of the first stage ...

Froome will be happy with his start, as he comes in with a time of 15’46”.

Contador crosses after 15’54”, four seconds ahead Quintara .

Tony Martin: I’m very very disappointed. I couldn’t handle the heat, especially in the second half where I felt weaker

Van Garderen makes a decent start to his Tour, his time of 15’38 puts him 20th overall.

Dennis will be wearing the yellow jersey tonigh t ! Cancellara looked set to rip it off his back but he couldn’t keep up the pace in the last few kilometres and wound up crossing seven seconds behind the Australian.

Vincenzo Nibali is the last man out. Meanwhile, Cancellara is hurtling towards the finishing line ...

Cancellara has just over 2kms to go - and it’s going to be tight between him and Dennis! Meanwhile, off pops Jean-Christope Peruad .

Chris Froome is go, straight after Contador .

Cancellara has blasted through the checkpoint just one second slower than Dennis!

Sagan finish in 15’37”, which equates to 17th place overall. Then Thomas flies over the line with a time that puts him 11th overall.

Geraint Thomas is on the road. And Fabian Cancellara has just started - is he the only man left with a realistic chance of eclipsing Dennis today?

Andrew Talanky , the newly crowned American time trial champions, begins his Tour. Alberto Contador will do likewise in a mo.

Martin misses Dennis’ target by five seconds, and the Australian, watching at the finishing house, heaves a sigh of relief!

A mistake by Martin , who misjudged a left turn, looks like keeping Dennis on top, unless the German can atone in the last 4kms.

Lars Boom , he of the low cortisone levels, has just hit the road.

Peter Sagan has just begun. Meanwhile, Brandle finishes in 15’20”, which puts him at fifth overall. Martin has just passed the first checkpoint jsut three seconds down on Dennis.

Off goes Alejandro Valverde , just before Great Britain champion Alex Dowsett crosses the line with a time of 15’32”m which puts him seventh in the overall standings so far. But Tony Martin is about to take off: time for Dennis to worry?

Dumoulin overtakes his minute man, Portugal’s Machado , and then crosses the line ... nearly nine seconds behind Dennis! It was a thrilling attempt and puts the Dutchman in second place overall, while underlining what an incredible ride Dennis put in earlier.

As the crowd lining the route - ten deep on either side - continue to roar on Dumoulin, the camera pans to Dennis, who appears to be following the Dutchman’s progress with a certain nervousness. Only 4km till we find out whether his time is still top ...

At the half way stage, Dumoulin is lagging just one second behind Dennis! Can he, like the Australian, pick up the pace even more in the second half? The race is on!

It’s looking like the din created by the Utrecht crowd might just spur Dumoulin on to an historic feat: after 4km he’s on target to surpass Dennis’ record time!

Get a load of this .

Astana, the team of defending champion Vincenzo Nibali , invited further scrutiny over its moral code after announcing that the Dutch rider Lars Boom would start the Tour de France on Saturday. The 29-year-old rider has not failed a drugs test, but as Astana are members of the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC) he should, under the organisation’s voluntary code, be removed from competition for a period of eight days after returning cortisol levels under the normal level.

Nicolas Roche , on the day after his 31st birthday, finishes 1’20” behidn the leader. Then Tom Dumoulin , the local hero, exits the starting house to tremendous acclaim from the Dutch crowd. Will be be the man to topple Dennis?

Vanmarcke faded in the second half of his ride, finishing 49 seconds behind Dennis, with Van Emden and Nicolas Castroviejo still second and third.

Nicolas Roche is on the road. Meanwhile, Sep Vanmarcke has just gone through the first checkpoint just 13 seconds down on Dennis’ time, which, remember, is the fastest ever in a Tour de France time trial. Still some big hitters to come, mind.

Adam Yates begins his Tour, and moments later Kennaugh finishes his first out outing, 1’08” behind Dennis - and Pinot , who has put in a hell of a second half to this time trial, careers in just behind him, and only 41 seconds down on Dennis. More pertinently in the grand scheme of things, that ride puts Frenchman is ahead of Quintana .

André Greipel reaches the end with a creditable time, 1’12’ behind Dennis.

Jungels finishes 38 seconds behind Dennis’ but that’s a superb effort for a 22-year-old making his Tour debut. And it puts him sixth overall at the moment.

Jungels is living up to the hype - he’s just blasted past his minute man. Hesjedal , meanwhile, has just finished 1’15 behind Dennis’ record-breaking time.

Peter Kennaugh is off ! The British road racing champion is followed out of the start house by Thibaut Pinot , one of the French favourites.

With none of the big names out on the road at the moment, the cameraman decides to allude to a start from a different sport, by showing the local football stadium, the Stadion Galgenwaarrd, whose claim to fame is that it was the venue for the 2005 World Youth Championship final. Argentina beat Nigeria in that with two goals from guess who.

Ryder Hesjedal , whose parents obviously had some sort of prophesy about his future profession when naming him, is hurtling along at a fair clatter. But still no one looks like matching Dennis’ feat. Let’s see if Bob Jungels , the pride of Luxembourg, can pull off a sensation in his first Tour: he’s just blasted out of the truck.

Meanwhile, here’s a question for you, readers: “I think it was in the Guardian that I read that this year France has the best chance since the great Bernard Hinault in 1985 of winning,” chirps Andrew Benton. “But there are a lot of excellent cyclists in contention,. Who do you think are the serious contender (and why)?”

Jan Bakelants is the latest out of the block, if that is the correct term. Although it looks more like the riders start their time trails by being shoved out of the back of a truck and down a ramp. Anyway, let’s see if the Belgian can beat Van Emden’s time for the first half in this stage, which stands at 7’27” - even faster than Dennis’, who, of course, turned on the turbo power (not literally, despite all that recent talk about “mechanical doping”) in the second half to set his extraordinary overall time.

Quintana has crossed the line in a time 61 seconds slower than Dennis’ lightning ride but that’ll do the Colombian nicely for a start. He’ll make up that time on the Australian - and the 13 others currently ahead of him - in the next stages and probably won’t finish as far behind the favourites as he might have feared from a discipline he dreads.

I’m off (cycling home of course) and so will hand over to the very capable hands of Paul Doyle. Enjoy the rest of the time trial. Bye!

Nairo Quintana is in the saddle – the time trial may not be the Colombia’s favourite part of the Tour but he will hope to post a competitive time. Colombia’s national record holder, Rigoberto Urán, is also out of the track. His father was assassinated by Colombian paramilitary groups by the way. He’s come in at 15min36sec, which is sixth place.

What an incredible ride! Dennis has just gone sub 15 minutes! His official time is 14min56sec! That time could go the distance. We could well have an Aussie in yellow before the end of the day. Dennis has considerable pedigree – setting the hour record (before Dowsett and Wiggins) and pipping Ritchie Porte to the Tour Down Under earlier this year.

Rohan Dennis is absolutely flying! The Australian zooms past Lars Ytting Bak, who started out a full minute ahead of him. Wow.

Here is the current top 10 …

TOP 10 après le départ de 43 coureurs / after the departure of 43 riders. #TDF2015 pic.twitter.com/3P7Iz0RP0Y — Le Tour de France (@letour) July 4, 2015

Team Sky’s Ritchie Porte is out on the track and has just gone through the 10km point. Our leader at the moment is local favourite Jos van Emden who has come through in 15min11sec.

Mark Cavendish is safely out of the blocks and cooly coasts round the narrow first corner. He had a shocking first stage in last year’s Tour, crashing horrifically just 250m from the finish line . Ouch. Cavendish dislocated his shoulder and was forced to withdraw from last year’s Tour because of the crash and so will be eager to make up for it this year.

Alex Dowsett – one of the Brits today that has a genuine chance of taking yellow here, he’s 33-1 with the bookies – has been talking to the cameras:

I didn’t think I had a chance of being here. It’s been a struggle to get my legs back after the hour record but I had a good national championships and got the call up. I got a message on Monday morning saying I’m in!

On the course:

It’s a short club turn isn’t it?. There are some massive dreams to take yellow today but my main aim for being here is to helpe Nairo [Quintana] win it. That’s my sole focus after Saturday.

For more info on Dowsett’s hour record, have a read of this.

The 26-year-old beat mark set by Australian Rohan Dennis by 446m, with a total distance of 52.937km. That was in May, remember, before Bradley Wiggins re-beat the record last month .

Welcome everyone! We’re already underway here in Utrecht and the first rider out of the blocks, Daniel Teklehaimanot, has clocked a time of 7min54sec on the 7km split, which is just over halfway round the course. That gives everyone an idea of what we’re aiming for.

Teklehaimanot went out at 1pm BST and there will be a rider released from the start line on the minute, every minute. Mark Cavendish will start at 1.32pm BST incidentally. All the big hitters – Tony Martin, Nibali, Froome, Contador, etc – are towards the back of the field, and be staggered at after 4pm BST.

Michael will be here shortly. In the meantime take a look at our lavish stage-by-stage interactive.

Here’s what to expect from stage one:

Pancake flat and with a whole lot of corners, this the only individual time trial in the three weeks of racing but it is longer than most prologues and with some 20 corners it entails greater bike-handling skills than the usual contre la montre, plus the ability to push back up to cruising speed time after time. On an urban course, any rain will turn this into a slithery lottery and present overall contenders with a brutal dilemma: how much do I risk? How much can I afford to lose? Fabian Cancellara is the usual man to beat, but the big favourite looks to be Tom Dumoulin of Giant-Alpecin.

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On to stage two

Utrecht - Zelande, 166km (103.14 miles)

This is the Tour de France folks, no time to dwell on today, we're already thinking about tomorrow.

In classic Dutch style, stage two is as flat as a steamrollered pancake. But it's along the coast and could be literally blown all over the place.

I'll leave you with Geraint Thomas's assessment of day two, and you can read his full breakdown of the route here. Join us again tomorrow for more coverage.

"This will probably be the most stressful day of the whole year's racing. It's along the coast and if there are a lot of crosswinds, that could split the race into groups. The teams with riders aiming for the yellow jersey will be trying to keep their guys at the front of the peloton so they don't lose time."

'It's a dream'

Rohan Dennis has been speaking on ITV4: "Everything went perfect. We went with the tactic of going out early and setting a benchmark and making everyone chase me. There's a bit of shock. To wear the Tour de France yellow jersey - it's a dream. I always wanted to be in this position and now I am."

Post update

Former GB cyclist on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"It's been an incredible stage today. All the talk should be about Rohan Dennis. Five seconds ahead of Tony Martin? It's fantastic. Aside from that it's about the GC riders and they are all there or there abouts within a few seconds of each other."

Race for yellow

What about the GC chasers?

It's nice and tight. Just 20 seconds separate the five men expected to challenge for the yellow jersey.

Pinot - 15mins 37secs

Nibali - 15 mins 39secs

Froome - 15mins 46secs

Contador - 15mins 54secs

Quintana - 15mins 57secs

Result after stage one

Yellow Jersey

Classification

1. Dennis - 14mins 56secs

2. Martin - +5secs

3. Cancellara - +6secs

4. Dumoulin - +8secs

5. Van Emden - +15secs

Rohan Dennis wins first stage

Vincenzo Nibali is the last man over the line, but the 2014 Tour de France winner is not threatening Rohan Dennis's big moment in the Utrecht sun.

Nibali crosses in 15mins and 39secs - we'll get on to how that affects the GC in a moment.

But for now, just linger on Dennis's achievement. It was the fastest ever time trial at a Tour de France and five seconds quicker than Tony Martin. Castroviejo, in sixth, was a whopping 23 seconds back - nowhere near.

Dennis delight

Not all the riders are in yet, but it's just dawned on Rohan Dennis that there is nobody left out there who can beat him.

A lady, who I can only assume is Mrs Dennis, is in floods of tears as she grasps him tightly. It's an emotional scene.

The Australian possesses the yellow jersey.

Froome finishes

Alberto Contador with possibly the biggest grimace of the day. The pain is obvious. He's over in 15mins 54secs.

And now Chris Froome crosses, anguish written all over his face. It's 15mins 46secs for the Brit, which puts him eight seconds up on Contador and 13 seconds behind Pinot, who is the big winner today.

Race for yellow jersey

Chris Froome, Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali will have GC rivals Thibaut Pinot and Nairo Quintana in their thoughts.

Pinot recorded 15mins 37secs, with Quintana 20 seconds further back. Who will lay down an early marker?

'Very, very disappointed'

Tony Martin, in second, has spoken to French TV.

"I'm very, very disappointed. I wanted to win. Any other result is a bad one. I feel that I couldn't handle the heat, especially in the second half where I felt weaker. It was hot but that's the Tour de France, it's in July and this time trial wasn't long enough for me."

Cancellara third

It's a trademark gritty effort from Fabian Cancellara, but it's just short. The Swiss is seven seconds off Dennis and is in third. Cancellara is sat on a kerb with way too many people trying to gather around him - give the man space!

Meanwhile, the reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali has got his title defence under way.

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Stephen Shaw: Prediction for Tour: Quintana to win, Nibali second, Pinot third. Best of luck to all

Ian Waterfall: Dennis quicker than Martin!!! C'mon Fabian!! Great start to TDF2015

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After 174 riders have finished

3. Dumoulin - +8secs

4. Van Emden - +15secs

5. Castroviejo - +23secs

Contador and Froome start

Alberto Contador, chasing a rare Giro and Tour double, is away. You can't miss him, that yellow Tinkoff-Saxo jersey can be seen from Jupiter.

And one minute behind him is Chris Froome. The Briton is under way.

A couple of decent times for Brits in the bank. Geraint Thomas, the Commonwealth champion, is 11th, a place ahead of Alex Dowsett.

But big shout out to Stephen Cummings, who gone ninth in 15 minutes and 28 seconds, 32 seconds off the top.

Peter Sagan, a rival to Mark Cavendish for the green sprint jersey, is done for the day. It's not a bad effort to be fair. The Slovakian, who took the green jersey last year, is done in 15mins 37secs and is 18th.

BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Don't forget you can listen to the stage on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra. The team have a pretty good view, and have sent us this snap of Tony Martin heading for the line.

"I feel Cancellara is just past his best. I think even he would say that. But he will go out there today and give everything he has got."

Off you go Spartacus. Fabian Cancellara is ready for battle. What has the 34-year-old Swiss and eight-time Tour stage winner got in the tank?

John McEnerney: Quintana & Contador to go at it for the title can see Nibali being close but not close enough!

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Martin goes second

It seems that Rohan Dennis can't be beaten. Tony Martin crosses the line and is five seconds slower than the Australian.

Dennis puffs out his cheeks in relief. He knew the German was probably the biggest threat to him owning the yellow jersey tonight.

Martin three seconds off

Tony Martin passed the 7.1km mark three seconds off Rohan Dennis's time at the same time. We've learned that Dennis put on the turbo chargers from this point though.

After a bit of controversy earlier, Lars Boom is off the ramp and on the road. Meanwhile, Germany's Tony Martin is looking strong, but strong enough?

Matt Slater

BBC Sport at the Tour de France

"'Bicycles change lives' is the MTN-Qhubeka motto and Ryder says that can certainly be the case for the coming generation of East African riders, which will be a great story for a sport that is still very European.

"Ryder's challenge is to keep the show on the road but his South African sponsors seem to be delighted with the exposure they are getting, even if the 14 rands to the euro exchange rate does not help them."

"Whilst we wait to see what the later starters can do with that helpful tailwind over the back half of the course, let me tell you about one of the most popular teams in the car park today: new boys MTN-Qhubeka.

"The South African-based and financed outfit has been on quite a journey to get here but team principal Doug Ryder was happy enough to share the tale with the dozens of journalists and well-wishers who ventured over to his corner of tarmac.

"Much has been made of the potential physiological advantages that the team's East African riders might have - the Eritrean home of Daniel Teklaimanot and Merhawi Kudus is more than 2,000m above sea level - but Ryder believes it is their will-to-win that could make the difference as soon as they get to grips with the argy-bargy and tactics of pro racing."

Dowsett seventh

Britain's Alex Dowsett has drifted a bit in the final few kilometres. The Tour de France debutant, racing for Movistar, prefers the longer time trials, and his time of 15mins 32secs is 36 seconds off Dennis and puts him seventh. He's top of the Brits though.

Dennis retains lead

Hmm. Maybe not that close. Dumoulin comes in eight seconds behind Rohan Dennis's leading time and goes into second. So no Dutch yellow jersey wearer as it stands.

Who has two thumbs, a big smile and is still in the lead? Rohan Dennis. The Aussie is shown on screen looking pretty happy with that result. Sure his time cannot be beaten?

Tom Dumoulin, with the whole of Utrecht manically screaming him on, has his head down. A slight incline in the final kilometre. This is going to be close...

Dowsett in contention

And what about Alex Dowsett? He flies through the 7.1km mark just four seconds off Dennis's time at the same stage. What can he do in the final stretch?

Dumoulin one second behind

Now, how's Dumoulin at the 7.1km time check?

He's one second slower than Rohan Dennis was at the same distance, so he's bang in this. Although Dennis's second half of the 13.8km was lightning quick, so it's all to play for.

German Tony Martin, a three-time world time trial champion, is up in about 15 minutes. He's been sparked into action by Rohan Dennis's effort and has apparently increased the size of his gear wheel - I hear it's as big as a space hopper.

The big names keep coming. GB's Alex Dowsett is flying into the stage. At least I assume he is. The Dutch broadcaster is understandably predisposed with Dumoulin, and I think he's all we'll see for the next 10 minutes or so.

Here we go, things are getting serious, serious, serious. Dutch boy Tom Dumoulin is off the ramp and on the tarmac, legs pumping.

He's nippy in a time trial and has home support. He takes the corners a few inches away from the barriers, behind which there are thousands of locals going bananas. Wonderful scenes.

How do you psyche yourself up before hitting the road? Mark Cavendish has the answer...

The Manxman finished in 16 minutes and 22 seconds earlier this afternoon. Well, he was never going to challenge the big guns today was he?

There really could be many worse places to be today than in Utrecht. Blazing sunshine, waving, cheering fans, top-notch time trialing. It's not bad at all.

After 124 finishers

2. Van Emden - +15secs

3. Castroviejo - +23secs

4. Kelderman - +30secs

5. Gesink - +33secs

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They call me mellow yellow

There's a bit of chat about the Tinkoff - Saxo kit. Fluroscent yellow is an excellent colour for road safety, although visibility is pretty good in Utrecht at the moment, so there's little risk of a Vauxhall Corsa pulling out on you on a roundabout.

Anyway. The consensus is it's a bit naff. What do you think?

"The GC riders cannot afford to back off and have to go full gas. Froome is a strong time trialist, certainly one of the strongest among the GC guys."

Pinot on point

He's not a noted time trialist, but this is a tidy shift from FDJ's Thibaut Pinot.

The Frenchman is round in 15 minutes and 37 seconds, which is 41 seconds off the lead, but more importantly, it's 20 seconds quicker than potential GC rival Nairo Quintara.

"We have a race in a race, firstly with those guys wanting to win the stage. Tony Martin was my favourite but he really has his work cut out. What an incredible pace has been set by Rohan Dennis. Then the second race is that race between the GC contenders - they have their own battle to try and not lose too much time."

Britain's Peter Kennaugh, tongue sticking out of gritted teeth, legs pumping, propels over the line.

The national road race champion is done in 16mins 4secs and is 30th.

Coverage is under way on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra. You can listen by clicking the play button at the top of the page.

There's very few capable of beating Rohan Dennis's time but Trek's Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara is certainly one of them. 

He'll be out on the road from 16:03 BST.

Official: Quickest ever time trial

Le Tour have confirmed that Rohan Dennis is a monster.

The Australian's average speed of 55.446kph over the 13.8km has eclipsed Chris Boardman's 55.152kph over 7.2km in Lille in 1994. It's the quickest time trial in a Tour de France ever.

That's Boardman in the yellow jersey in the photo above.

"I caught up with UCI boss Brian Cookson in the team paddock earlier - he was wandering about being presidential.

"He told me Astana's latest tangle was a popular topic of conversation, although he looked relieved it was more of an issue for the teams' voluntary group the Movement for Credible Cycling than something on his doorstep.

"He was very pleased to tell me, though, that the UCI had started overnight drug-testing - no longer can riders close their doors to the testers between 11pm and 6am. A few other sports might want to try that.

"Cookson's compliance teams will be busy, then, as he has also warned teams that the UCI will impound team trucks to test all bikes for hidden battery-powered motors.

"Sounds like a joke, doesn't it? But the technology exists and they used to say the same thing about blood transfusions."

GB finisher

Simon Yates is the highest ranked Briton in the Tour de France.

He's over in 15 minutes and 42 seconds, 46 seconds off the lead and in 13th place.

The other Brits look like this: Ian Stannard 26th, Mark Cavendish 52nd and Luke Rowe 82nd.

Thibaut Pinot, like an underappreciated grigio (I've been waiting two hours to do that joke), is a few people's dark horse to challenge the big four for the GC. He's out on the flat Utrecht roads with the noise of yelling Dutchman in his ear.

We've got a while to wait to see if Rohan Dennis's time can be challenged. Tom Dumoulin will give it a good crack at 15:25 BST, with Alex Dowsett going three minutes after that.

What about Spartacus? Fabian Cancellara is one of the last ones out of the shed at 16:03.

After 84 riders finish

1. Dennis - 14mins 56 secs

It's also worth noting that Rohan Dennis was a second behind Jos van Emden at the halfway mark. He then made up 14 seconds across the next 6.9km. However you look at it, it's a marvellous ride.

Simon Brotherton

BBC cycling commentator on Twitter

"Leader so far. Fastest ave speed in TDF TT ever. 55.45kmph."

There's slight disparity in Rohan Dennis's average speed, but it seems indisputable that it is the quickest time trial ever in the Tour.

'What is my time worth?

Nairo Quintana has spoken to French TV after his 1-minute 57-second time trial. He's the first GC contender to finish, so will sit back with a coffee and perhaps a tasty waffle while his rivals dig out their own times.

"That was a very demanding race. Yesterday I felt good. I don't know what my time is worth. I'm only interested to know where I stand compared to the other GC riders, not the time trial specialists who are ahead of me now."

Ian McCormack: Just covered 14km around Manchester in 37 minutes. Where am I in comparison to the TdF boys? Time bonus for doing it in traffic?

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"Now that I've cooled down enough to think I am able to compute just how good that ride was by Australia's Rohan Dennis. He was many people's pre-stage tip to set the early target but the former world hour record-holder has just put in a seriously impressive quarter of an hour in Utrecht. Will anybody beat it?

"Some very good time trialists have already finished - Richie Porte and Rigoberto Uran, for example - without getting very close to Rohan's ride. We will know more in an hour or so when Tom Dumoulin, Alex Dowsett and German machine Tony Martin have had their say."

Quintana done

That's 13.8km down, just another 3,346 to go before we find out if Nairo Quintana will be a Tour de France winner.

The Colombian is 16th out of the 66 finishers, one minute and one second by Dennis's leading time of 14mins 56secs.

Record speed?

We're starting to get an idea of just how ridiculously quick Rohan Dennis was across that 13.8km stage.

His average speed was 55.2kph, which ITV are reporting as a record average speed in a Tour de France time trial. It's an absolute sizzler.

'A bonus minute'

Leader Rohan Dennis has spoken to letour.com: "It was my goal to do well. It was pretty smooth. It was very long on the way home. I kept thinking sixteen minutes because that was my time at training. In the end I got one minute bonus. Let's wait and see now. It looks like it's going to be a long time on the hot seat."

2. Van Emden +15secs

3. Castroviejo +23secs

4. Kelderman +30secs

5. Gesink +33secs

Matt Taggert: "It's TdF time again! No relentless Cav-support today, it's got to be Dowsett to get the yellow!"

Alex Dowsett to do it on his Tour debut? It's what dreams are made of. What do you think? Use #bbccycling on twitter or text on 81111 and tell us your name.

Our first yellow jersey contender is away. Nairo Quintana has been a lot of people's tip to win the GC. He won't be winning the stage today, it's not his bag, but he's off aggressively and there's plenty of noise from some of the tens of thousands of Dutch who have lined the Utrecht street.

There is a bit of mystery around Quintana's form, with the climber having hidden himself away in his native Colombia for most of his training.

Andrew Harvey: What a marker from @RohanDennis!! Very tough time to beat #TDF2015 #TDFutrecht

Can it be beaten? Join the conversation at #bbccyling

Anyone who hasn't been out yet has just sat up and spat out their coffee. Australian Rohan Dennis has set a bonza time of 14mins 56secs.

That's a cool 15 seconds quicker than Jos van Emden. It's going to be tough to beat, especially when you consider the pre-stage estimated time was around the 17-minute mark.

Cav is done

This is the shortest day's work (apart from rest days) over the coming three weeks. There's enough time to get your time trial done and then grab an ice cream.

Mark Cavendish is done. Today is not a day for the sprinter, he's down in 20th in 16 mins 22 secs, one minute 11 seconds behind the leader Jos van Emden.

"The world's biggest annual sports event has started and it is not a day for the faint of heart or fair of skin ... it is only a few degrees cooler than Qatar.

"But that has not stopped half a million fans from turning out to watch the 198 riders blitz around a 13.8km loop of this bike-mad Dutch city.

"Sure, many have to see the 'big four' of Alberto Contador, Chris Froome, Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali, but there are 21 Dutch riders in the field and in Tom Dumoulin they have an excellent chance of seeing a compatriot wear the yellow jersey for the first time since 1989.

"He goes at 1525 UK time, two minutes before the British contingent's best hope of success today, Alex Dowsett, although Chris Froome will fancy laying down a marker, too.

"In the meantime, I am going to find some shade and a smoothie. And a hat."

One of today's big boys is out of the blocks. Australian Rohan Dennis, who held the hour record this year before Alex Dowsett and then Bradley Wiggins broke it, is on the Utrecht roads. We'll keep an eye on his time.

Stannard finishes

Ian Stannard is the first Brit over the line. The Team Sky rider is fifth of the 25 riders to finish, clocking a time of 16mins 7secs. Leader Jos van Emden is 56 seconds quicker.

Dreaming of yellow

Britain's Alex Dowsett, a contender in this time-trial stage, has just spoken to ITV. He goes off at 15:28 BST.

"It will be a hard fought battle. it's a massive dream to take yellow. Hopefully I will be at the sharp end of it, but my main job here is to help Nairo Quintana win it."

There is a steely look of determination on the face of the Mark Cavendish as he starts his 2015 Tour de France. The Manx Missile will battle for the green jersey this year, after a miserable Tour 12 months ago that ended with a fall in Harrogate.

We have our first finishers!

Daniel Teklehaimanot, our friend who started everything off, is over the line in 16 mins 30 secs. He's already down to fifth though, with Jos Van Emden of the Netherlands quickest on 15 mins 11 secs.

'I have not done anything dodgy'

Lars Boom , the Astana rider, has spoken to Dutch TV about the low level of cortisol in a test today. To be clear, it's not a failed drugs test, but Astana have signed up to an agreement to pull out riders for eight days after such occurrences. As it stands, Boom will race.

"You look forward to the start, then you hear after the press conference that you have low cortisol level. I didn't expect it. I was lying on the bed when the doctor came in and told me. I've been using a puffer for my asthma for 10 years and I was sick after the Dauphine. Maybe these things have an affect. I have always been 100% against doping. I have not done anything dodgy."

Did someone mention beer?

I may have made reference to beer once or twice in the first 45 minutes of our text broadcast, and it seems some of you are thinking along the same lines.

We've just seen our first pictures of Teklehaimanot starting the 2015 Tour, and the 26-year-old has a smile as large as his native Eritrea. It's a proud moment.

The first Brit goes off in just a few minutes time. Ian Stannard of Team Sky begins his race at 13:18. Stannard is the 2012 national road race champion.

It's actually a historic moment for Daniel Teklehaimanot and the Tour de France. The Eritrean is the first black African to take part in the Tour.

Daniel Teklehaimanot has got the Tour de France under way. The Eritrean national champion, riding for South African outfit MTN-Qhubeka, is off the ramp and the rest are coming every minute afterwards.

Are you putting on your polka dots? Laying on the yellow? Looking glamorous in green?

Get in touch throughout the stage by using #bbccycling on Twitter, and give us your predictions, opinions and thoughts.

Stormy weather?

There's mixed reports on the weather in Utrecht, but there is potential for some thunderstorms this afternoon. If it comes, it will probably affect the early starters. Later on it should be bright and sunny.

We're two minutes away from the start of the Tour de France...

Astana controversy

And speaking of the Astana situation, here is the BBC's Matt Slater on Twitter.

Boom in or out?

There has been a bit of controversy surrounding Astana rider Lars Boom this morning.

Boom has tested for low levels of cortisol, which is not a drugs tests failure. But, Astana are signed up to a MPCC (Movement for Credible Cycling) agreement which says riders will sit our the next eight days after such a result.

The UCI have said they cannot replace Bloom, so Astana, according to reports, will disregard the MPCC agreement and start Boom anyway.

It's a fillip for team-mate Vincenzo Nibali, who would have used the Dutchman to help him through the early stages.

Kilometres, euros and mountains

Le Tour in numbers

Geraint Thomas

Team Sky's six-time Tour de France rider

"It's a short but twisty circuit, so that will favour a punchier rider. Germany's time-trial champion Tony Martin has that raw power but I think the course might suit Dutchman Tom Dumoulin a bit better. Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara will be there too, and his form looked to be improving at the recent Tour de Suisse."

Geraint has given us a stage-by-stage breakdown of this year's route. It's top notch and you can read it here.

Cartoon cycling

Britain's Chris Froome had time for a few tweets this morning. A little bit of manga to get you going before the TT...

Today's key times

Here's when a few of the Brits, plus some of the big names, will be setting off today (all times BST):

• 13:32 - Mark Cavendish
• 13:55 - Simon Yates
• 14:00 - Nairo Quintana
• 15:01 - Adam Yates
• 15:25 - Tom Dumoulin
• 15:28 - Alex Dowsett
• 15:44 - Tony Martin
• 15:52 - Geraint Thomas
• 16:03 - Fabian Cancellara
• 16:13 - Alberto Contador
• 16:14 - Chris Froome
• 16:17 - Vincenzo Nibali

What happens today?

Individual time trial: Utrecht - Utrecht, 13.8km (8.57 miles)

It's only 13.8km, but today's individual time trial will have a bearing on where the yellow jersey-chasers sit after a technical and gruelling first week, before they hit the big climbs with regularity.

At 13:00 BST, MTN-Qhubeka's Daniel Teklehaimanot (hopefully I won't have to type that one too many times) will be the first man to launch into the time trial around the city, with another rider setting off every minute afterwards.

Chris Froome goes at 16:14, with champion Vincenzo Nibali the last to go at 16:17.

Britain's Alex Dowsett, who held the hour record until Bradley Wiggins smashed it recently, is a time-trial specialist and is in with a sniff of taking the stage on his Tour debut.

Who are the contenders?

It promises to be a four-way brawl for the yellow jersey, with the contenders being:

• Chris Froome (GB), Team Sky, 2013 Tour winner
• Alberto Contador (Spa), Tinkoff-Saxo, 2007 and 2009 Tour winner
• Vincenzo Nibali (Ita), Astana, reigning Tour champion
• Nairo Quintana (Col), Movistar, Tour runner-up in 2013

The route is being touted as one of the toughest for a while, and the first week could be crucial, combining this time trial, a team time trial, cobbles and a windy coastal affair. Then we get into the undulations of the Pyrenees and the Alps.

This breakdown by BBC Sport's Peter Scrivener and Patrick Jennings is a very good place to get the rundown.

The race for yellow

And so, this is where it begins, the 102nd edition of the Tour de France, with a time trial in the picturesque city of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

The Dutch love getting on a bike, and if there's anything we know about the Netherlands, after tulips, windmills and excellent beer, it's that it's flat as a pancake.

Today's time trial is 13.8km long and gets going at 13:00 BST. On 4 July, after 3,360km of racing, we'll be in Paris, and will know who will be donning the yellow jersey.

Utrecht, Tour de France and beer

All the best things happen in the pub.

Whether it's announcing the scientific discovery behind the structure of life, Ken Barlow punching Mike Baldwin in the Rovers Return, or the beginning of a dream to have the Tour de France start in Utrecht.

Thirteen years ago, Jeroen Wielaert's plan to host the Grand Depart in the Dutch city was merely a design scribbled on the back of a beer mat. Today it becomes reality.

2015 Tour de France

Cycling race / from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, dear wikiwand ai, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:.

Can you list the top facts and stats about 2015 Tour de France?

Summarize this article for a 10 year old

The 2015 Tour de France was the 102nd edition of the Tour de France , one of cycling's Grand Tours . The 3,360.3   km (2,088   mi) -long race consisted of 21 stages , starting on 4 July in Utrecht , the Netherlands, and concluding on 26 July with the Champs-Élysées stage in Paris. A total of 198 riders from 22 teams entered the race. The overall general classification was won by Chris Froome of Team Sky , with the second and third places taken by Movistar Team riders Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde , respectively.

BMC Racing Team 's Rohan Dennis won the first stage to take the general classification leader's yellow jersey. Trek Factory Racing rider Fabian Cancellara claimed it on the second, only to lose it after crashing out on the following stage. This put Froome in the lead, after the Tour's first uphill finish. He lost the position to Etixx–Quick-Step 's Tony Martin at the end of the fourth stage, but Martin's withdrawal from the race after a crash at the end of the sixth stage put Froome back into the lead. He extended this lead during the stages in the Pyrenees and defended it successfully against attacks from Quintana during the final stages that took place in the Alps .

Froome became the first British rider to win the Tour twice, after his 2013 victory. Peter Sagan of Tinkoff–Saxo won the points classification . Froome also won the mountains classification . The best young rider was Quintana, with his team, Movistar, the winners of the team classification . Romain Bardet of AG2R La Mondiale was given the award for the most combative rider. André Greipel ( Lotto–Soudal ) won the most stages, with four.

Tour de France 2015 route

We list the stages of the official route of the Tour de France 2015, as well as taking a look at some of the key points of the race

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The peloton on stage nineteen of the 2014 Tour de France

The 102nd Tour de France began for the 21st time outside of France, in the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

>>> Your guide to the 2015 Tour de France in Utrecht (video)

Stage one was a short 13.7km individual time trial within Utrecht, which was won by BMC's Rohan Dennis in a record-breaking time .

The first week of 2015 Tour had a very classics feel to it, with stage three finishing for the first time ever on the climb that culminates  La Fleche Wallonne , the Mur de Huy. Cobbles featured for the second year in succession, although drier weather this year meant less mayhem for the front-runners than in 2014. Meanwhile, the Mûr-de-Bretagne provided a tough uphill finish to stage eight.

An unusually late team time trial on stage nine led into the first race day. After that, serious GC racing will begin after on stage 10, with the 2015 Tour's first summit finish atop La Pierre Saint-Martin, which features for the first time in the race's history.

Three days in the Pyrenees (July 14-16) were followed by a series of transition days across the southern edge of the Massif Central (July 17-19) which included a finish on the fast and punchy ‘Montee Laurent Jalabert’ above Mende.

After Alpine summit finishes at Pra Loup and La Toussuire (where Chris Froome fatefully attacked Bradley Wiggins in 2012), the penultimate day of the race was a short stage of 110km ending on Alpe d’Huez.

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As ever, the Tour finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris for the sprinters' showdown which was won, almost inevitably, by Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) as the German claimed his fourth victory of this year's race.

Tour de France 2015 stages

Stage 1: Saturday July 4, Utrecht – Utrecht (Ned) (ITT) 13.7km

Tour de France profile stage 1_2

This flat 13.7km individual time trial is the only one to feature in this year's Tour. It was won in an eye-wateringly fast time by BMC's Rohan Dennis , who claimed the race leader's yellow jersey to continue an impressive start to 2015 .

Stage one highlights:

 Stage 2: Sunday July 5, Utrecht – Neeltje Jans (Ned) 166km

Tour de France profile stage 2

This flat stage was earmarked from the start as one that could be difficult in strong winds — and the weather gave the fans ( if not the riders ) exactly what they wanted. Andre Greipel sprinted to the stage win , but the big winners were Fabian Cancellara, whose time bonus for finishing third was enough to hand him the yellow jersey, and Chris Froome and Alberto Contador , who opened up more than a minute's advantage over Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali.

Stage two highlights:

Stage 3: Monday July 6, Antwerp – Huy (Bel) 154km

Tour de France 2015 profile stage 3

Stage three's finish on the Mur de Huy climb, the climax to the course of Spring Classic La Flèche Wallonne, was always likely to be a significant moment in the early portion of the race. Chris Froome produced a memorable surge to finish second on the stage and take the overall yellow jersey.

Stage three highlights:

Stage 4: Tuesday July 7, Seraing – Cambrai (Fra) 221km

Tour de France profile stage 4

The Classics-style fourth stage featured seven secteurs of cobbles across an epic 223.5km route that's the longest of this year's Tour. It didn't quite live up to the mayhem of last year's brutal cobbled stage, but the image of Tony Martin breaking free to finally claim the yellow jersey of 2015's race put a smile on the faces of cycling fans everywhere.

Stage four highlights:

 Stage 5: Wednesday July 8, Cambrai – Amiens 189km

Tour de France profile stage 5

André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) took his second stage win of the Tour on the flat stage to Amiens, beating the likes of Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Mark Cavendish (Etixx - Quick-Step). It was another stressful day of the Tour for the riders, blighted by wind, rain and crashes.

Stage five highlights:

Stage 6: Thursday July 9, Amiens – Le Havre 191km

Tour de France profile stage 6

Zdenek Stybar (Etixx-Quick-Step) took the win on the small climb to the finish of stage six, but the headlines went to teammate and race leader Tony Martin, who fell in the final kilometre and suffered a suspected broken collarbone.

Stage six highlights:

 Stage 7: Friday July 10, Livarot – Fougères 190km

Tour de France profile stage 7

Mark Cavendish (Etixx - Quick-Step) took his first victory at the Tour de France since 2013, after coming from behind to sprint past his rivals André Greipel and Peter Sagan to the line, on the final flat stage of the Tour before Paris.

Stage seven highlights:

Stage 8: Saturday July 11, Rennes - Mûr-de-Bretagne 179km

Tour de France profile stage 8

The tough category three climb at Mûr-de-Bretagne was always likely to test the GC contenders, and it was inevitable that someone would lose time on the leaders. In the event, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) lost 10 seconds to Froome in yellow as Alexis Vouillermoz took the stage win.

Stage eight highlights:

Stage 9: Sunday July 12, Vannes – Plumelec 28km

Tour de France profile stage 9

Such a late team trial was inevitably tricky for teams with riders already out of the race , and it was world champions BMC Racing who lived up to their billing as favourites with the stage win. Team Sky, however, were only a second behind, allowing Froome to hold onto the yellow jersey as the race prepares to head into the mountains for the first time.

Stage nine highlights:

Rest day: Monday July 13, Pau

Stage 10:  Tuesday July 14, Tarbes – La Pierre Saint-Martin 167km

Tour de France profile stage 10

Chris Froome stretched out a commanding lead on the first summit finish of the Tour on the new climb of La Pierre Saint-Martin on stage 10, putting minutes into all his rivals. The Sky leader attacked with 6.3km on the final climb with teammate Richie Porte coming in second behind the victorious Froome. Tejay van Garderen (BMC) remained second in GC, but his 12 second gap had become almost three minutes.

Stage ten highlights:

Stage 11: Wednesday July 15, Pau – Cauterets 188km

Tour de France profile stage 11

Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) took victory on the mammoth stage 11 taking in the climbs of Aspin, Tourmalet and Cauterets. The Pole made his move from the day's main break up the breakaway, and comfortably soloed home on the 188k route to take his third ever stage win in the Tour. Chris Froome (Team Sky) retained the yellow jersey once again, while Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) lost even more time in what's turning into a disastrous Tour for the Italian champion .

Stage 11 highlights:

Stage 12: Thursday July 16, Lannemazen – Plateau de Beille 195km

Tour de France profile stage 12

On what was widely regarded as the Queen Stage of this year's race, stage 12 was not the explosive GC battle it may have been. Joaquim Rodriguez took a solo stage victory on Plateau de Beille, a 15.8km climb that has almost 1800m of ascent, as the overall contenders all arrived together 6-47 later. Thanks in no small part to the work of Sky teammate Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome retained the yellow jersey by the same margin over his nearest rivals.

Stage 12 highlights:

Stage 13: Friday July 17, Muret – Rodez 200km

Tour de France profile stage 13

Peter Sagan finished second for the fourth time this Tour as he missed out on the stage victory to Greg Van Avermaet . The breakaway was caught with less than 1km to go, and a large peloton containing most of the main sprinters hit the last climb up to the finish at Rodez.

As Van Avermaet pushed on for the finish line, Sagan sat on his wheel and many would have expected him to round the Belgian and take the win, but the BMC man proved too strong.

Chris Froome finished in sixth and comfortably retained the leader's yellow jersey.

Stage 13 highlights:

Stage 14: Saturday July 18, Rodez – Mende-Montée Laurent Jalabert 175km

Tour de France profile stage 14

A brutal climb to the finish in Mende – 3km at 10.1 per cent – gave the anticipated fireworks on a wonderfully exciting stage. A twenty-man breakaway was allowed to escape fairly early, and just when it looked as if the finale would come down to a two-way battle between Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) and Romain Bardet (AG2R), in slipped Steve Cummings (MTN-Qhubeka) to deliver MTN's first ever Tour stage win … on Mandela Day to boot. Behind the breakaway, Chris Froome put yet another second into Nairo Quintana, even as the Colombian moved up into second place.

Stage 14 highlights:

Stage 15: Sunday July 19, Mende – Valence 182km

Tour de France profile stage 15

German sprinter André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) took his third stage win of the 2015 race after the day's escape group were caught to set up a bunch sprint finish. Greipel won ahead of John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) and Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) to claim his ninth Tour stage victory since 2011. Froome safely retained the race lead on a day where the overall contenders were happy for the sprinters to occupy the limelight.

Stage 15 highlights:

Stage 16: Monday July 20, Bourg-de-Péage – Gap 201km

Tour de France profile stage 16

Ruben Plaza (Lampre-Merida) took a first Tour de France stage victory after making a solo break on the Col de Manse on stage 16, as Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) recorded a fifth second-place result of the race.

Chris Froome (Team Sky) retained the overall lead after his rivals pushed the pace on the descent of the final categry two climb, with Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) claiming back a handful of seconds as he tries to restore some pride in what has been a dismal Tour campaign for the Italian.

The biggest drama came as Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) crashed off the road on the descent , with Warren Barguil (Giant-Alpecin) running into the side of the Thomas as the Frenchman tried to overtake on a right hand bend.

Rest day: Tuesday July 21, Gap/Digne-les-Bains

Stage 17: Wednesday July 22, Digne-les-Bains – Pra-Loup (via the Col des Champs) 161km

Tour de France profile stage 17

A very mountainous day for the riders, that ended on the climb where Eddy Merckx effectively lost the 1975 Tour de France to Pra Loup. Chris Froome (Team Sky) successfully defended his 3-10 lead over Nairo Quintana (Movistar) as Giant-Alpecin's Simon Geschke soloed to victory from the day's breakaway.

The stage saw third place Tejay van Garderen (BMC) abandon the Tour after struggling with illness, while Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) lost a further two minutes on his rivals after crashing on the descent of the Col d'Allos.

Stage 18: Thursday July 23, Gap – Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne 185km

Tour de France profile stage 18

The breakaway stuck it out to the end for the sixth time in the Tour's last eight stages, as Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) soloed away from his fellow escapees 40km from home atop the Col du Glandon to glory.

The Frenchman held out over the aesthetically pleasing Lacets de Montvernier climb to take a famous victory ahead of compatriot Pierre Rolland (Europcar).

Meanwhile Chris Froome (Team Sky) wasn't called on too much by his GC rivals, holding on to his yellow jersey lead as he crossed the line with the likes of Nario Quintana and Alejandro Valverde of Movistar.

Stage 19: Friday July 24, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne – La Toussuire 138km

Tour de France profile stage 19

The 19th stage of the 2015 Tour de France saw race leader Chris Froome (Team Sky) in real trouble for the first in the race, as he struggled to match the pace of Movistar's Nairo Quintana on the final climb to La Toussuire, with the Colombian taking 30 seconds out of the Brit's 3-10 lead going into the final mountain stage to Alpe d'Huez on Saturday.

No-one could catch 2014 Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) on the third day in the Alps, as the Italian broke away on the Col de la Croix de Fer to solo up the final climb to stage victory .

Stage 19 highlights:

Stage 20: Saturday July 25, Modane – L’Alpe d’Huez 110km

An outstanding day's racing and a supreme display of climbing prowess saw Nairo Quintana push Chris Froome all the way - and even though the Colombian beat the Brit on the day, it was enough to seize the yellow jersey. Frenchman Thibaut Pinot won the stage and Quintana ate 1-20 minute out of Froome's overall lead - but Froome still has a 1-12 minute advantage with only the procession into Paris left in this year's race.

Stage 20 highlights:

Stage 21: Saturday July 26, Sèvres - Champs-Élysées, Paris 107km

Tour de France profile stage 21

Where else would the Tour finish? As Chris Froome enjoyed his ceremonial victory ride into Paris, the sprinters geared themselves up for one last daredevil finish — and it was Andre Greipel who claimed his fourth win of this year's Tour with a typically muscular finish.

Stage 21 highlights: 

Tour de France 2015 

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Jack Elton-Walters hails from the Isle of Wight, and would be quick to tell anyone that it's his favourite place to ride. He has covered a varied range of topics for Cycling Weekly , producing articles focusing on tech, professional racing and cycling culture. He moved on to work for Cyclist Magazine in 2017 where he stayed for four years until going freelance. He now returns to Cycling Weekly from time-to-time to cover racing, review cycling gear and write longer features for print and online.

These are the items that you need to enjoy your riding and help keep you, your family and your bike safe

By Cycling Weekly Published 13 May 24

Demi Vollering has won eight times out of 12 opportunities in the Basque Country

By Adam Becket Published 13 May 24

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Stages of the 2015 Tour de France

An inside look at each day from the Grand Depart in the Netherlands to the finish on the Champs-Élysées

Stage 1: Utrecht; Saturday, July 4, 14km ITT

Stage 2: Utrecht to Zeeland; Sunday, July 5, 166km

Don’t let its near perfectly horizontal profile fool you: Stage 2 could be much more challenging than it looks. Wind will play a factor as the final 40km follow the North Sea coastline through the heart of the Zeeland Delta, a place known more for kite surfing than cycling. The finish line sits on Neeltje Jans, an artificial island built as part of a long dam that protects the region from storm surges. Why It Matters It is the first chance for the sprinters to earn a stage win, and if they rode a fast time trial in Stage 1, they may also collect the yellow jersey thanks to time bonuses offered on the finish line. But with wind expected to play a role, it is also a day in which GC teams will need to be on the lookout for echelons. If a team like Tinkoff-Saxo decides to try and push the pace, unsuspecting squads could get caught off the back, possibly losing minutes. Who to Watch In 2009 and 2013, Etixx—Quick-Step’s Mark Cavendish won field sprints at the end of stages featuring powerful crosswinds . With a team built for hard racing in adverse conditions—and a possible yellow jersey to protect for Tony Martin—Cav and his team have a better chance than any other to dominate Stage 2.

Stage 3: Antwerp to Huy; Monday, July 6, 159.5km

Stage 3 takes the Tour into Belgium for 159.5km beginning in Antwerp and ending in Huy, a town nestled in the hills of the Belgian Ardennes. With a difficult finale containing three categorized climbs—including a finish atop the Mur de Huy, a short but ferociously steep climb with pitches approaching 25%—this stage favors aggressive puncheurs , riders able to make sharp attacks in quick succession. Why It Matters While not a true summit finish, Stage 3’s challenging finale could offer some surprises—and perhaps a bit of disappointment for one GC contender or two. Two categorized climbs and a winding, technical descent will keep the favorites on their toes and positioning within the peloton will be important. At this year’s Flèche Wallonne, a one-day race with finish identical Stage 3’s, crashes were an issue as riders tried to stay at the front of the pack on the narrow Belgian roads . With an even bigger peloton at the Tour, we could see more crashes as riders fight to be at the front heading into the bottom of the final climb to the finish line. Who to Watch Favorites include Movistar’s Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, a three-time Flèche winner, along with his compatriots and fellow former Flèche-winners Daniel Moreno and Joaquim Rodriguez of Katusha. Etixx—Quick-Step’s Michal Kwiatkowski, the reigning UCI Road Race World Champion, would love to give his Belgian team an important stage win on home soil as well.

Stage 4: Seraing to Cambrai; Tuesday, July 7, 221.5km

It is clear that the Tour de France organizers think cobblestones are a worthy addition to the Tour, because for a second year in a row, they’re back. The longest day of the Tour, Stage 4 begins in Seraing, the town in which Peter Sagan won his first Tour stage back in 2012. The day’s only categorized climb comes early enough that a break will likely scoop up most of the points, but it is the seven cobbled sectors to come that will provide the day’s real fireworks. Six sectors totaling 11.5km are stacked within the final 46km of the stage, and it’s here that the battle for both the stage and the GC should emerge. Why It Matters If the Tour’s recent cobbled stages are any indication, at least one GC contender’s Tour hopes will be dashed by the end of the day due to a crash, a mechanical, or simply not being able to follow the rest on the cobblestones. For example, last year’s cobbled stage was pivotal, as Vincenzo Nibali of Team Astana added minutes to his lead while Chris Froome of Team Sky crashed out. Weather will play a role as well. July can be a rainy month in the north of France, and most riders will be hoping for dry conditions. As we saw last year, rain makes riding on cobblestones more treacherous. Who to Watch This year’s Tour is stacked with Classics stars who will be looking forward to Stage 4. Giant-Alpecin’s John Degenkolb won Paris-Roubaix in April, and Katusha’s Alexander Kristoff won the Tour of Flanders. Both will be top favorites. Astana’s Lars Boom won last year’s cobbled stage and would certainly love to win another. And of course, Fabian Cancellara deserves mention as well. Despite winning both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix three times in his career, Spartacus has never won a cobbled stage at the Tour.

Stage 5: Arras to Amiens, Wednesday, July 8, 189.5km

The first stage taking place entirely in France, Stage 5, looks on paper to be a typical day for the sprinters thanks to a rolling profile and no categorized climbs. But Amiens is only about 30 miles from the French coast, and wind could once again be a factor as the race winds its way through the region of the Somme. At several points near the end of the stage, the riders will make sharp turns that will take them in and out of the wind, giving strong teams another chance to break the race into echelons. What It Means If it is windy, this will be another hard day for the peloton and another stage in which the teams of the Tour’s GC contenders will join the sprinters’ squads at the front of the pack. But if the wind is calm, this should be a rather easy day ending in a field sprint . Who to Watch This will be a stage for the sprinters like Mark Cavendish, Alexander Kristoff, and Peter Sagan, and—if their teams are able to keep the race together by the end of what could amount to deceptively hard day in the saddle—Lotto-Soudal’s Andre Greipel and Etixx—Quick-Step’s Mark Cavendish.

Stage 6: Abbeville to Le Havre; Thursday, July 9, 191.5km

Stage 6 hugs the coast of France’s Seine-Maritime region, and it just might be the perfect day for a breakaway to succeed. With three categorized and several more uncategorized climbs, the tired peloton could have trouble controlling things after a challenging and inconsistent start to the Tour. An uphill finish in Normandy’s Le Havre should provide an exciting finale. Why It Matters With three Category 4 climbs throughout the day, Stage 6 could provide a bit of a shake-up in the Tour’s King of the Mountains competition. Who to Watch Stage 6 is perfect for an aggressive rider with a penchant for winning from a breakaway. Europcar’s Thomas Voeckler and Lotto-Soudal’s Tony Gallopin come to mind. The uphill finish in Le Havre means that if the race does come back together, a sprinter suited to a more challenging finish, like Peter Sagan or John Degenkolb, should prevail.

Stage 7: Livarot to Fougères; Friday, July 10, 190.5km

Stage 7 might be the most straightforward stage of the Tour’s first week. The rolling 190.5km course includes only one categorized climb, the Category 4 Cote de Canapville, and it comes way too early (12.5km into the stage) to do anything more than provide an ideal launch pad for the day’s long breakaway to escape. Expect the sprinter’s teams to control the rest of the day’s proceedings, right up until the finish in Fougères. Why It Matters With wind, cobbles, and climbs playing a role throughout the first six stages, today could be the first stage that ends in a traditional field sprint. That said, with Saturday’s uphill finish on the Mur de Bretagne and Sunday’s team time trial, the teams of GC contenders will be fighting with the sprinters’ teams to stay at the front and out of trouble, possibly creating a chaotic finish that could produce a crash or two. Who to Watch This is another day for the sprinters where the usual suspects—Cavendish, Greipel, Kristoff, Sagan, and Degenkolb—will try to win one last stage before the Tour hits the mountains.

Stage 8: Rennes to Mur de Bretagne; Saturday, July 11, 181.5km

Similar to Stage 3, Stage 8 ends atop a short, steep climb – in this case, the two-kilometer “Wall of Brittany.” The climb was last featured in 2011 when Cadel Evans out-sprinted Alberto Contador to win Stage 4. Evans later went on the win the Tour overall. Narrow roads will also be a factor, as Brittany is famous for roads barely wider than footpaths. Why It Matters The run-in to the final climb will be tense, and there could crashes as teams try and position their leaders at the front. Time gaps will not be large at the finish, but with time bonuses on the line for the first three finishers, the GC could see a minor shake-up before Sunday’s crucial team time trial. Just moving up one spot on the GC could give a team a later start time, which means information on the times being posted by any team starting earlier. Who to Watch While there are certainly bigger mountains still to come, Stage 8 could be Contador’s first chance to show his competitors that he’s feeling no lingering fatigue after his victory in May’s Giro d’Italia . He would love to steal a few seconds from the likes of Astana and Movistar before the next day’s TTT.

Stage 9: Vannes to Plumelec, Sunday, July 12, 28km TTT

he Tour de France last included a team time trial (TTT) in 2013, a 25km stage in and around downtown Nice. This year’s TTT is much different. Basically a straight shot from Vannes northwest to Plumelec, the course offers few turns, but includes several rolling hills before the final uphill drag to the finish. Why It Matters After Stage 1’s short, 14km race against the clock, there are no more individual time trials in the 2015 Tour de France, which makes this team time trial all the more important. Teams will need to measure their efforts carefully. If they go too hard too soon, they will fade before the climb to the finish. Teams that fare well will give their riders a solid cushion heading into the Pyrenees. Teams that don’t will be forced to go on the attack to try and make up time. Who to Watch BMC is the current Team Trial World Champion and is the top favorite to win Stage 9 after winning a TTT of a similar length during June’s Criterium du Dauphiné . Led by former World Hour Record holder Rohan Dennis, the team should give American Tejay van Garderen a leg up before the race enters the high mountains for the first time. Astana, Orica-GreenEdge and Movistar should also fare well. As for Team Sky’s Chris Froome, he’s probably wishing Stage 9 were an individual time trial, as he would stand a far greater chance of gaining significant time over his rivals than he does while riding with his team.

Stage 10: Tarbes to la Pierre-Saint-Martin, Tuesday, July 14, 167km

After the Tour’s first Rest Day, the race enters the Pyrenees with the introduction of a new climb, the hors categorie (above category) ascent of la Pierre-Saint-Martin. After starting the day in Tarbes, the race arcs to the west, covering three Category 4 climbs along the way. The final climb begins gently in Arrete, 24km from the finish line, but the official start of the hors categorie ascent to the summit starts with 15km to go. The first 10 kilometers are the steepest, with pitches averaging close to a 10%. The climb gets gentler with 5km to go but steepens again in the final ramp to the line. Why It Matters The stage after a Rest Day is always a tough one as riders struggle to regain their racing legs after a day of active rest. Throw in the first hors categorie climb of the Tour, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Expect at least one of the pre-race contenders to have a jours sans while the real favorites for this year’s Tour begin to emerge. It is also Bastille Day, France’s Independence Day, so the roads will be packed with fans, and French riders will be extra eager to please them. Who to Watch This stage has Nairo Quintana’s name written all over it. Movistar’s tiny Colombian climber possesses an uphill acceleration few can match. If he has lost any time during the first week, expect him to make it up here. Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali are also riders to watch. When they won the respective 2013 and 2014 Tours, they seized control of the race with dominating performances on the Tour’s first high summit finish. If they want to win a second Tour, they will likely try and put their stamp on the race on la Pierre-Saint-Martin. And don’t rule out French climbers like AG2R La Mondiale’s Romain Bardet or FDJ’s Thibaut Pinot. A Bastille Day victory on the Tour’s first summit finish would be a dream come true for either Frenchman.

Stage 11: Pau to Cauterets, Wednesday, July 15, 188km

For riders still in a state of shock following Stage 10’s first summit finish, Stage 11 will only make matters worse with a 188km stage featuring six categorized climbs , including the legendary hors categorie Col du Tourmalet. The stage ends in Cauterets after a Category 3 climb to the finish. It is not as challenging a finish as the previous or next stage, but it will hurt nonetheless. Why It Matters In 2013, the day after Chris Froome took the yellow jersey on the Tour’s first summit finish, he almost lost it when his team cracked under serious attacks from Garmin and Movistar. That left Froome alone mid-way through a challenging stage that featured five major climbs. Any team that goes too deep during Stage 10 could find itself in trouble here. Stage 11 will also be a major battleground in the Tour’s King of Mountains competition, so expect someone to go on the attack early, looking to take a big lead in the polka dot jersey competition. Who to Watch Sandwiched between two hors categorie summit finishes, this stage is a bit of a wild card. The GC favorites will certainly have their hands full with one another, possibly giving a few lesser riders a chance to escape in a bid to win the stage and King of the Mountains points. Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez might be a good candidate for the win. Between the first week’s wind, cobbles, and time trials, the Spanish climber might find himself too far down the GC to make an impact overall, perhaps freeing him to focus on stage wins and the polka dot jersey instead.

Stage 12: Lannemezan to Plateu de Beille, Thursday, July 16, 195km

The third of three tough days in the Pyrenees [http://www.bicycling.com/tour-de-france/tour-features/postcards-pyrenees], Stage 12 ends with a summit finish atop the Plateau de Beille, and it is a doozy. At 195km, Stage 12 is one of the longest in the Tour, and there’s not a straight road in sight. The day starts in Lannemezan and winds its way southwest over three categorized climbs including the Col de la Core and the Port de Lers, both Category 1 climbs. The stage ends with the 15km, 7.9% hors categorie climb up Plateau de Beille, which is making its sixth Tour appearance. Why It Matters After two challenging days in the Pyrenees, Stage 12 will break many riders—especially if the weather has been hot . For the second day in a row, the team holding the yellow jersey could have its hands full defending it on a series of winding, technical roads. Deeper teams of climbers like Movistar and Cannondale-Garmin might choose to send riders up the road early, forcing the team in yellow to chase from a long way out. If they’re lucky, a breakaway will escape filled with riders a long way down on GC. If that happens, we might see a cease-fire as the main contender’s teams look ahead to the Alps still to come. Who to Watch If breakaway stays away to the finish, expect it to contain Europcar’s Thomas Voeckler. In 2004 and 2007, the Frenchman went into stages finishing atop the Plateau de Beille wearing the yellow jersey—and valiantly defended it. If he’s managed to save some energy during the previous two days in the mountains, he might try and go for the win on a climb he knows very well.

Stage 13: Muret to Rodez, Friday, July 17, 198.5km

A classic transitional stage, this long day sees the race put the Pyrenees in the rearview mirror. But while there are no major passes, it’s anything but flat. The profile is relentlessly up and down all day, a kind of terrain the French call casse-pates, or leg breakers. In typical ASO fashion, the race organizers list three categorized climbs , but one of the steepest and longest stretches, a climb to La Primaube just 10km from the finish, isn’t even marked. Why It Matters For the challengers, the goal is to go unnoticed all day. They will want to stay quietly in the pack, eating and drinking as much as possible to recover , all while expending just enough energy to stay in the front third of riders and out of as much crash danger as possible. For the rest of the field, it is a stage that’s tailor-made for a breakaway. Who to Watch The final, unmarked ascent to La Primaube should produce the winner - either from the day’s original break or a late counter-move. Today is a good day for an Ardennes-style rider. Look for a team like Orica-GreenEdge, which doesn’t have a traditional GC contender but is excellent in breaks, to drive the move. And any team whose overall hopes have hit the gutter will be active as well.

Stage 14: Rodez to Mende, Saturday, July 18, 178.5km

This is an extremely tricky stage. It’ll be contested on small, winding roads, and the profile defies easy tactical planning: lumpy to start, then an almost perfect false flat for close to 70km and then three climbs in the final 40km, including the steep Cote de la Croix Neuve summit finish - which makes up in nastiness what it lacks in length. Why It Matters It is not a traditional Tour summit finish, and it’s rarely used. No major race has finished here since 2012, and the Tour last visited in 2010, when Alberto Contador was second. So riders like Contador will use their familiarity with the steep early portions to launch attacks, while other riders who haven’t seen it - like Tejay van Garderen - may be forced to be more cautious and follow wheels. Today is a day when tactics will win out over raw strength; it’s all about the right move at exactly the right moment. Who to Watch The Croix Neuve climb favors powerful, punchy climbers who can do lots of damage in a short length of road - think Nairo Quintana and Contador. Gaps here may not be significant, but even 10 to 30 seconds could end up changing the tenor of the race by putting riders in a position of needing to attack to get time as there are no more time trials.

Stage 15: Mende to Valence, Sunday, July 19, 183km

With a mostly downhill course, Stage 15 seems on paper a good bet for a sprint finish. But after two weeks on the race, riders will be tired, and the course does feature one significant climb about two-thirds of the way into the day where breakaways may escape. Why It Matters To the overall contenders, today is another day to be quiet and recover. But for the rest of the field, it is game on - this is one of the last stages that could be a battle between sprinters and breakaway riders. Today, it is advantage sprinters: the last chance they’ll get before Paris. Who to Watch This is a good stage for a rider like Alexander Kristoff . The burly Norwegian has the engine to keep some top-end finishing speed, even at the end of long days. With 14 stages in the legs already, it is a day built for riders who recover well.

Stage 16: Bourg-de-Peage to Gap, Monday, July 20, 201km

The Tour heads for the Alps and its last major obstacles on this transitional stage that features two significant climbs. Late in the Tour, the texture of these stages changes as teams’ objective shift. Maybe there’s an early break to defend a polka-dot jersey lead. Or a team that has had no luck all race throws caution to the wind with a super aggressive ride that has unforeseen consequences to the overall. Whatever the case, what looks like it will happen on paper rarely does at the Tour. Why It Matters Expect a somewhat nervous day of racing for the leaders. It’s a hard stage: long, at 201km, and even when not on a climb proper, the road often tilts gently up all day. It’s the kind of terrain that saps already tired legs. And near the end looms the 9km Col de Manse. The climb is not the only difficulty; the descent to Gap is steep and twisty. Who to Watch With the final climb and steep, 12km descent to the finish, all eyes will be on Vincenzo Nibali, who’s got the legs to go up the hill better than almost anyone, and is accounted one of the finest descenders in cycling today. It’s a perfect situation for him to test his rivals and try to force one of them into making a mistake.

Stage 17: Digne-les-Bains to Pra-Loup, Wednesday, July 22, 161km

Many of the Tour’s main contenders previewed this route during Stage 5 of the Criterium du Dauphine in June. AG2R La Mondiale’s Romain Bardet was the winner that day, on an identical course. The day’s penultimate climb, the Category 1 Col d’Allos, is by far the toughest, but it’s the long, technical descent between the summit and the final climb to Pra-Loup where a real advantage can be gained. Why It Matters While not the biggest Alpine summit finish of the Tour, the Category 2 climb to Pra-Loup shouldn’t be underestimated. At 6.2km and with an average grade of 6.5%, it’s tough enough to generate some time gaps . Who to Watch With three more days in the Alps, including two difficult summit finishes, Stage 17 might be another chance for a breakaway to stay away to the finish line. Look for an out-of-contention climber to take the victory, or perhaps a rider trying to win the polka dot jersey as the Tour’s King of the Mountains.

Stage 18: Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Thursday, July 23, 186.5km

The second of the Alpine stages, this is the only day that isn’t a summit finish. The day’s primary difficulty is the nearly 22km long climb up the Col du Glandon, but there are six other categorized climbs on the day as well—among them the Lacets de Montvernier, just 10km from the finish, which is just 3.4km long but has a steady eight to nine percent grade throughout. Why It Matters You might see something of a cease-fire among the major contenders today. With a summit finish the previous day and two to follow, they may want to save their efforts for when they can do more damage. That could free the day up for a breakaway win. It’ll also be crucial to the King of the Mountains competition. Expect some lively racing up front. Who to Watch A day like today requires a special combination: a rider with the class and legs to win on a long, hilly day , but one who is not so high up that he is a threat to the overall. The most likely fit: a contender who suffered the dreaded jours sans earlier in the race and is now far enough down that he’ll be given freedom in a break. Stage 19: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire / Les Sybelles, Friday, July 24, 138km The short, hard mountain stage is increasingly in fashion in racing these days. That’s because it often produces dynamic racing as riders are more willing to gamble with longer-range attacks. There will be plenty on offer as the race starts with a Category 1 climb right from the gun and finishes with the kick-in-the-teeth 18km ascent of La Toussuire. Why It Matters Unless one rider has emerged as clearly dominant by this point, this stage is a great chance for a strong team to try to crack a rival. The mountainous terrain, short distance and long summit finish are the perfect ingredients for an aggressive race. Powerful teams like Movistar or Astana could use this stage to try to dislodge the yellow jersey from a strong rider with a less team support.

Stage 19: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire / Les Sybelles, Friday, July 24, 138km

The short, hard mountain stage is increasingly in fashion in racing these days. That’s because it often produces dynamic racing as riders are more willing to gamble with longer-range attacks. There will be plenty on offer as the race starts with a Category 1 climb right from the gun and finishes with the kick-in-the-teeth 18km ascent of La Toussuire. Why It Matters Unless one rider has emerged as clearly dominant by this point, this stage is a great chance for a strong team to try to crack a rival. The mountainous terrain, short distance and long summit finish are the perfect ingredients for an aggressive race. Powerful teams like Movistar or Astana could use this stage to try to dislodge the yellow jersey from a strong rider with a less team support. Who to Watch The finish at La Toussuire is long and moderately steep, but the steepest bits are at the bottom. That, and it’s relatively constant gradient, are good news for a rider like Chris Froome , who thrives on a metronomic-like cadence and consistency. If under attack, look for Froome to simply “ride to the watts” to bring back his rivals, then launch his own signature high-cadence, short-duration move to get away.

Stage 20: Modane Valfrejus to Alpe d’Huez, Saturday, July 25, 110.5km

Even shorter, at 110.5km, this penultimate stage is the last chance for any change in the overall. There’s 31 kilometers of climbing early on, then a long, gentle descent to the valley floor before the final climb up Alpe d’Huez , where all the action will happen. Why It Matters The mountaintop finish as the next-to-last day has been a feature in several recent Tours, and it’s also been a bit of a wash as far as major upsets go. Today could be similar. But with a rider like Nairo Quintana in the field, nothing is assured. In 2013, Quintana tried to crack Chris Froome on the last mountain stage. He wasn’t successful, but his efforts shifted the podium behind them. Who to Watch Alpe d’Huez is mythic in cycling lore, and as the last chance to make any move in the standings, so the race will be a seesaw battle for last chance breakaways and GC contenders. Who emerges at the top - for the stage or for the yellow jersey - is anyone’s guess.

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2015 Tour de France

102nd edition: july 4 - july 26, 2015, list of stages, results, running gc, photos, stage profiles, maps and commentary.

Tour de France database | 2014 edition | 2016 edition | David L. Stanley Tour Commentary

List of 2015 Tour de France stages | Start list | Teams Presentation photo gallery | Pre-race press conferences rider photos

Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5 | Stage 6 | Stage 7 | Stage 8 | Stage 9 | Rest Day 1 | Stage 10 | Stage 11 | Stage 12 | Stage 13 | Stage 14 | Stage 15 | Stage 16 | Rest Day 2 | Stage 17 | Stage 18 | Stage 19 | Stage 20 | Stage 21

Total distance: 3,344 km

Stage 21, Sunday, July 26: 109.5 km, Sèvres - Grand Paris Seine Ouest – Paris/ Champs Élysées

Stage 21 photos | Stage 21 video | David L. Stanley's Stage 21 commentary & Post-race analysis

Rated ascent:

• Km 10.5 - Côte de l'Observatoire, 2.2 kilometers @ 4.1% - category 4

André Greipel wins Tour stage 21

The Golden Sayings of Epictetus are available as an audiobook here. For the Kindle eBook version, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

The race: Before the men took to the Champs Élysées to ride 109.5 kilometers, the women rode their race, La Course by La Tour de France . This second edition was won by Anna Van der Breggen as rain showers fell on Paris.

Chris Froome cracked yesterday on Alpe d'Huez, but second place Nairo Quintana ran out of race before Froome completely ran out of gas. "I was on my absolute limits. I was dying a thousand deaths, " Froome told reporters after the stage. But he did preserve a lead of 72 seconds with just this flat, high speed stage to go.

Here's how Le Tour saw it:

The start proper of the conclusive stage of the 102nd Tour de France will take place in Ville-d'Avray where the very first Tour de France officially finished in 1903 before the final parade to Paris. Unless an accident occurs, the results are known: Chris Froome will be crowned for the second time on the Champs-Elysées with Nairo Quintana accompanying him on stage like two years ago and Alejandro Valverde occupying the third spot this time. The Kenyan-born rider is also the King of the Mountains. Like two years ago, Quintana is the best young rider and Peter Sagan will receive the green jersey for the fourth consecutive time. There'll probably a bunch sprint on France's famous avenue. André Greipel, Mark Cavendish, Alexander Kristoff, Arnaud Démare, Bryan Coquard, Michael Matthews, John Degenkolb and company have courageously fought in the Alps only with this grand finale in sight.

The official start was at 4:45 PM, but no attacks went off. The riders took it easy, a lot of them in rain jackets. Because of the slippery cobbles, the judges were thinking about taking the race's final time before the the final sprint. All 160 of yesterday's finishers started today.

The race had a leisurely and careful beginning. After 23 kilometers, the average speed was only 26 km/hr. Sky riders were spending a lot of time at the front of the peloton.

After an hour of racing in the rain, the judges decided that the final times of the 2015 Tour de France would be taken when the riders first crossed the line on the Champs-Elysées at kilometer 41.

Sky led the peloton onto the Champs, meaning that if Froome finished the stage, he had won the 2015 Tour de France. For the moment, the rain had stopped, but the road remained slippery and dangerous. Froome's bike maker, Pinarello, became the Tour's most successful bike maker with eleven Tour wins, starting with Pedro Delgado in 1988. Peugeot is second, with ten Tour victories, starting with Louis Trousselier in 1905 and so far, ending with Bernard Thévenet's 1977 win.

Despite the weather, the crowds lining the road were huge.

Seventy-three kilometers into the stage, three riders were a half minute up the road: Nelson Oliveira (Lampre-Merida), Florian Vachon (Bretagne-Séché Environnement) and Kenneth van Bilsen (Cofidis).

André Greipel's Lotto-Soudal team had taken over the job of leading the pack, now zooming along at full race speed.

With just 23 kilometers left in the 2015 Tour de France, the breakaway trio was holding steady with a lead of 27 seconds. Astana's Andriy Grivko had tried to bridge up to the break, but he was soon reeled in by the fast-moving peloton. The streets were now dry, making for a much safer finish to the stage.

Lotto-Soudal held steady at the front of the main group, keeping the breakaway trio at a half-minute with just fifteen kilometers, two laps of the finishing circuit, to go.

A couple of kilometers later, the gap had been cut in half. And then it was down to just 10 seconds. In the back, Chris Froome had a piece of trash in his rear wheel and had to stop to get a new bike. With help from his team, he quickly rejoined the peloton.

Up front, BMC rider Rohan Dennis bridged up to the break, making four riders nine seconds ahead of the fast-moving pack.

With the start of the bell lap, Van Bilsen went clear of the break and was quickly joined by Dennis. But after just a few meters, all the escapees were rounded up for the big final sprint. In the final kilometers Lotto-Soudal lost control of the front as the other teams swarmed around them.

Emerging from the chaos, Alexander Kristoff led out the sprint, but André Greipel went right on by to win his fourth stage of this Tour. Bryan Coquard was second with Kristoff third.

Complete Results:

Stage 21 photos | Stage 21 video

109.5 kilometers raced at an average speed of 38.6 km/hr

Final 2105 Tour de France GC: Click on the classification links for complete final standings for the other classifications, or just keep scrolling down.

• GC winner: Christopher Froome
• Points classification winner : Peter Sagan
• Mountains classification winner : Christopher Froome
• Young rider classification winner : Nairo Quintana
• Most combative rider of the 2015 Tour de France: Romain Bardet
• Team classification winner : Movistar

3,360.3 km raced at an average speed of 39.64 km/hr

Complete final points classification:

Final Mountains Classification:

Final young rider classification standings:

Final team classification standings :

Stage 21 map and profile:

2015 Tour de France stage 21 map

Stage 21 profile

Stage 21 video:

Stage 21 photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

Sky leads yellow jersey Chris Froome with green Jersey Peter Sagan close by

Pierre Rolland

Bryan Coquard

Sylvain Chavanel on the attack

The 3-man break that was away for so long: Kenneth van Bilsen, Nelson Oliveira and Florian Vachon

Near the end of the stage jets trailing tricolor exhaust flew overhead.

Andre Greipel wins stage 21

Stage winner André Greipel

Final Green Jersey Peter Sagan

Best young rider Nairo Quintana

Most combative rider, Romain Bardet

King of the Mountains: Chris Froome

Final General Classification podium, from left: Nairo Quintana, Chris Froome, Alejandro Valverde

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Stage 20, Saturday, July 25: 110.5 km, Modane Valfréjus - Alpe-d'Huez

Complete stage 20 results, GC, stage story, video, photos, stage map and profile

GC after Stage 20:

• GC leader: Chris Froome
• Points classification leader: Peter Sagan
• Mountains classification leader: Christopher Froome
• Young rider classification leader: Nairo Quintana
• Team classification leader: Movistar

3,250.8 km raced so far at an average speed of 39.67 km/hr

Stage 19, Friday, July 24: 138 km, Saint Jean de Maurienne - La Toussuire/ Les Sybelles

Complete stage 19 results, GC, stage story, photos, stage map and profile

GC after Stage 19:

• GC leader: Christopher Froome
• Points classification leader: Pete Sagan
• Mountains classification leader: Romain Bardet
• Red number most combative rider: Pierre Rolland

Stage 18, Thursday, July 23 : Stage 18, 186.5 km, Gap – Saint Jean de Maurienne

Complete stage 18 results, GC, stage story, video, photos, stage map and profile

GC after Stage 18:

• Mountains classification leader: Joaquin Rodriguez
• Most combative rider red number winner: Romain Bardet

Stage 17, Wednesday, July 22: 161 km, Digne les Bains - Pra-Loup

Complete stage 17 results, GC, stage story, video, photos, stage map and profile

GC after Stage 17:

• Red number for most aggressive rider winner: Simon Geschke

Tuesday, July 21: Rest day at Gap

Stage 16, Monday, July 20: 201 km, Bourg de Péage - Gap

Complete stage 16 results, GC, stage story, video, photos, stage map and profile

GC after Stage 16:

• Points leader: Peter Sagan

Stage 15, Sunday, July 19: 183 km, Mende - Valence

Complete stage 15 results, GC, stage story, video, photos, stage map and profile

GC after Stage 15:

Stage 14, Saturday, July 18: 178.5 km, Rodez -  Mende

Complete stage 14 results, GC, stage report, video, photos, stage map and profile

Stage 13, Friday, July 17: 198.5 km, Muret - Rodez

Complete stage 13 results, GC, stage report, video, photos, stage map and profile

Stage 12, Thursday, July 16: 195 km, Lannemezan - Plateau de Beille

Complete stage 12 results, GC, stage story, video, photos, stage map and profile

GC after Stage 12:

Stage 11, Wednesday, July 15: 188 km, Pau – Cauterets/ Vallée de Saint-Savin

Complete stage 11 results, GC, stage story, video, photos, map and elevation guide

GC after Stage 11:

• Mountains classification leader: Christopher Foome
• Team classification leader: Sky

Stage 10, Tuesday, July 14: 167 km, Tarbes - La Pierre Saint Martin.

Complete stage 10 results, GC, stage story, photos, video, stage map and elevation

GC after Stage 10:

• Points classification leader: André Greipel
• Mountains classification leader: Chris Froome
• Team classification leader: Team Sky

Monday, July 13: Rest day 1, at Pau

Stage 9, Sunday, July 12: 28 km, Vannes - Plumelec team time trial

Complete stage 9 results, GC, stage story, photos, stage map and profile

GC after stage 9:

• Mountains classification leader: Daniel Teklehaimanot
• Young rider classification leader: Peter Sagan
• Team classification leader: BMC

Stage 8, Saturday, July 11: 181.5 km, Rennes - Mûr de Bretagne

Complete stage 8 results, GC, stage story, photos, stage map and elevation

GC after Stage 8:

1,315.8 km raced so far at an average speed of 42.4 km/hr

Stage 7, Friday, July 10: 190.5 km, Livarot -  Fougères

Complete stage 7 results, GC, stage story, photos, stage map and profile

GC after Stage 7:

Stage 6, Thursday, July 9: 191.5 km, Abbeville - Le Havre

Complete stage 6 results, GC, stage story, photos, stage map and profile

GC after Stage 6:

• GC leader: Tony Martin

943.8 km raced so far at an average speed of 42.474 km/hr

Stage 5, Wednesday, July 8: 189.5 km, Arras - Amiens Métropole

Complete stage 5 results, GC, stage story, photos, stage map and elevation

GC after stage 5:

752.3 km raced so far at an average speed of 43.437 km/hr

• Climber classification leader: Joachim Rodriguez
• Young Rider classification leader: Peter Sagan

Stage 4, Tuesday, July 7: 223.5 km, Seraing - Cambrai

Complete stage 4 results, GC, stage story, photos, stage map and elevation

GC after Stage 4:

• GC Leader: Tony Martin
• Mountains classification leader: Joachim Rodriguez

Stage 3, Monday, July 6: 159.5 km, Anvers - Huy

Complete stage 3 results, GC, stage story, photos, map and stage profile

GC after Stage 3:

• Points Classification leader: André Greipel
• Mountains Classification leader: Joaquin Rodriguez
• Best Young Rider: Peter Sagan
• Team Classification leader: BMC

Stage 2, Sunday, July 5: 166 km, Utrecht -  Zélande

Stage 2 complete results, GC, stage story, photos, map and elevation guide

GC after Stage 2:

• GC leader: Fabian Cancellara
• Points leader: André Greipel
• Best Young Rider: Tom Dumoulin

Stage 1, Saturday, July 4: 13.8 km, Utrecht - Utrecht This is the 2015 Tour's only individual time trial

Complete stage 1 results, stage story, photos, stage map and profile

Results and GC:

Teams Invited to Race the 2015 Tour de France:

Announced January 14, 2015, the following teams were issued invitatons to the 2015 Tour:

The Tour de France organizers have chosen the teams that will take part in the 102nd edition of the Grande Boucle (July 4-26). In accordance with Union Cycliste Internationale rules, the following seventeen teams UCI WorldTeam are automatically invited to the three races:

AG2R La Mondiale (Fra) Astana Pro Team (Kaz) BMC Racing Team (USA) Etixx - Quick Step (Bel) FDJ (Fra) IAM Cycling (Sui) Lampre - Merida (Ita) Lotto Soudal (Bel) Movistar Team (Esp) Orica GreenEDGE (Aus) Team Cannondale - Garmin (USA) Team Giant - Alpecin (Ger) Team Katusha (Rus) Team Lotto NL - Jumbo (Ned) Team Sky (Gbr) Tinkoff - Saxo (Rus) Trek Factory Racing (USA)

In addition to these seventeen teams, the organizers have awarded the following wildcards:

Bora - Argon 18 (Ger) Bretagne - Séché Environnement (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits (Fra) MTN-Qhubeka (RSA) Team Europcar (Fra)

© McGann Publishing

Tour de France stage 1 - Live coverage

All the action on the road from Brest to Landerneau

Tour de France 2021 hub page

Tour de France 2021 start list

Stage 1 finish offers perfect battleground for puncheurs - Preview

Mathieu van der Poel unperturbed by Tour de France expectations

How to watch the Tour de France – live TV and streaming

Tour de France tech: All the tech and trends from the 2021 race

Welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of the 2021 Tour de France, which gets underway in the cycling heartland of Brittany with a stage that looks sure to provoke fireworks in the finale. The first man up the Côte de la Fosse aux Loup at the finish will wear the first maillot jaune of the Tour, and the list of contenders is an elite one. Men like world champion Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Michael Matthews (BikeExchange) look sure to be in contention, but the breathless opening day of the Tour has a habit of throwing up surprises.

The peloton rolls out at 12.10 local time, and will reach kilometre zero at 12.30. There are six classified climbs on the rolling 198km stage, starting with the category 4 Côte de Trébéolin after 8.6km and concluding with that short and sharp blast up the Côte de la Fosse aux Loup at the finish.

Stephen Farrand is in Brittany and he has been sampling the atmosphere and speaking with the contenders ahead of this opening stage. His verdict? "It will be great to watch but terrible to ride." Read his full preview here . 

The UCI have announced that they have granted Alpecin-Fenix permission to wear their special jersey in honour of the late Raymond Poulidor on today's opening stage. The jersey echos the Mercier kit worn by Poulidor in the prime of his career, and now his grandson Mathieu van der Poel will the colours on his Tour de France debut. "It’s something special if you can wear the yellow jersey once in your career and it would be even nicer if my grandfather was still here to see it. I would have loved to be in the Tour start village with him but I’m a bit too late for that to happen," Van der Poel said in his pre-race press conference early on Friday morning. Stephen Farrand has the full story here .

Demi Vollering has won La Course by Le Tour de France, beating Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Marianne Vos atop the Côte de la Fosse aux Loup. Read the full report here .

The peloton is gathered on the line for the neutralised start beneath slate grey skies.

The peloton rolls out of Brest for stage 1 of the Tour de France, with world champion Julian Alaphilippe sitting in the front row alongside the Breton Warren Barguil. They will navigate an 11km neutralised zone before hitting kilometre zero in approximately 20 minutes.

There are six climbs on the agenda today:

8.6km – Côte de Trébéolin (Category 4: 0.9km at 5.1%)

27.2km – Côte de Rosnoën (Category 4: 3km at 4%)

61.5km – Côte de Locronan (Category 3: 0.9km at 9.3%)

115km – Côte de Stang Ar Garront (Category 4: 2km at 3.4%)

150.7km – Côte de Saint-Rivoal (Category 4: 2.5km at 3.9%)

197.8km – Côte de la Fosse aux Loups (Category 3: 3.1km at 5.6%)

Brest is hosting the Grand Départ for the fourth time, after 1952, 1974 and 2008. That 1952 Tour might be considered in some ways, the first 'modern' Tour, with the introduction of summit finishes for the first time. Fausto Coppi, the man who brought cycling from its acoustic to electric eras, claimed all three, atop Alpe d'Huez, Sestriere and Puy de Dome. In 1974, meanwhile, the Tour went across the Channel for the first time, visiting Plymouth on stage 2. 

Christian Prudhomme waves the flag from the sunroof of the race director's car and the 2021 Tour de France is officially underway.

There is an immediate flurry of attacks, with Qhubeka-NextHash and B&B Hotels among the early aggressors, but no break has formed as yet.

Julien Bernard (Trek-Segafredo) has a go in these fast opening kilometres. Plenty of riders are keen to forge their way clear ahead of the day's early climb.

There is a lot of road furniture in these opening kilometres and, predictably, we have the first crash of the Tour inside the first 5km. Fortunately, it doesn't appear to have been of consequence, but it will add to the general nervousness in the peloton.

Bernard has four riders for company at the head of the race, but their lead over the peloton is just 20 metres or so, and it doesn't look as though they will be given the leeway to escape up the road.

Bernard et al are brought back ahead of the day's first climb. Connor Swift (Arkea-Samsic) is among the men active at the front in these opening kilometres. 

Victor Campenaerts (Qhubeka-NextHash) escapes from the peloton at the base of the Côte de Trébéolin (Category 4: 0.9km at 5.1%). The Belgian starts the climb with a small advantage over the bunch.

Campenaerts holds off a late charge from Georg Zimmerman (Intermarché-Wanty) to take the first mountains point of the 2021 Tour. The bunch comes back together over the top, but the pace is relentless and the field is lined out.

Arkéa-Samsic are on home roads and very active in these opening kilometres. Clement Russo forces on the pace but it's proving difficult for would-be attackers to get a foothold.

The roads are twisting and rolling in this early phase and there are some gaps opening here and there in the peloton. Vigilence is the byword at this point.

Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels) has attacked and opened a small gap over the peloton, and there are couple more riders forging across.

Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty) and Cristian Rodriguez (Team TotalEnergies) bridge across to join Bonnamour at the head of the race, but there are still more riders scrambling to get across.

And then there were five: Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels p/b KTM), Cristian Rodriguez (Team TotalEnergies), Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty) are joined by Anthony Perez (Cofidis) and Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe).

Connor Swift (Arkea-Samsic) is trying to bridge across alone and this might well be our break of the day, given that local interests are represented, and there is nobody here to worry Deceuninck-QuickStep, Alpecin-Fenix et al unduly.

The pace abates in the peloton and riders fan across the road. The day's early break has taken shape and there will be a temporary cessation of hostilities in the main field, which will come as a relief to many.

Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels p/b KTM), Cristian Rodriguez (Team TotalEnergies), Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty) are joined by Anthony Perez (Cofidis) and Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Chaser at 0:13:

Connor Swift (Arkéa-Samsic)

Peloton at 1:00

Six riders at the head of the race ahead of the Côte de Rosnoën (Category 4: 3km at 4%) as Swift makes it across to the escapees. They have 2:13 over a peloton content to leave them to it for the time being.

The six leaders continue to augment their advantage on the Côte de Rosnoën, and the gap now stands at 3:26. Tim Declercq, meanwhile, readies himself to assume pace-making duties at the head of the peloton for Deceuninck-QuickStep.

Danny van Poppel outsprints Anthony Perez atop the Cote de Rosnoën. 3:45 the gap to the peloton.

Alpecin-Fenix have joined Deceuninck-QuickStep in controlling affairs at the head of the peloton. 

Peter Sagan has a Bora-Hansgrohe teammate in the break today, but we will surely see the Slovakian in action in the intermediate sprint at Brasparts later on this afternoon - and, of course, in that high-octane finale. "There are a lot of guys in the bunch interested," Sagan said of the first yellow jersey of thee race. "Maybe not the pure sprinters but there are still a lot of guys like Alaphilippe, [Sonny] Colbrelli and others. And maybe even me. It always depends on how the race is going." Stephen Farrand has more from Brest here .

Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels p/b KTM), Cristian Rodriguez (Team TotalEnergies), Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty), Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe), Connor Swift (Arkéa-Samsic)

Peloton at 3:28

A change of shoes, apparently, for Mathieu van der Poel, who quickly rejoins the fray. The pace is relatively steady in the peloton and the Dutchman won't expend too much energy as he chases back on.

Primoz Roglic and his Jumbo-Visma team are posted near the head of the peloton, which has slightly reduced its deficit on the six escapees to just under three minutes.

Per race radio, the six escapees covered a brisk 44.6km in the opening hour of racing.

Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels p/b KTM), Cristian Rodriguez (Team TotalEnergies), Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty), Anthony Perez (Cofidis) and Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe), Connor Swift (Arkéa-Samsic)

Peloton at 2:54

Alpecin-Fenix and Deceuninck-QuickStep have struck up a working alliance to keep tabs on the break's lead, which stands just under 3 minutes. Ineos are lined up en masse behind them, with Tadej Pogacar and his UAE Team Emirates squad next in line.

Julian Alaphilippe has made no secret of his ambitions for the opening weekend of this Tour de France. After taking yellow on stage 3 in 2019 and on stage 2 last year, he is looking for the first maillot jaune of the race this afternoon. The world champion liked what he saw in a reconnaissance on Wednesday morning. "I find the finishing climb on stage 1 very hard, because after the steep part, it doesn’t descend and that’s often what hurts the legs the most. I think there are people who’ll be surprised," said Alaphilippe. Read the full story here .

Peloton at 2:29

The break hit the base of the climb to Locronan, where Roman Polanski's Thomas Hardy adaptation Tess was filmed. THey have a lead of 2:08 over the peloton.

The break fragments on the cobbles midway up the climb as Schelling winds up the pace. Perez and Van Poppel go with him...

Anthony Perez accelerates viciously nead the top to claim the points ahead of Schelling. That was a most full-throated battled for the points, but one imagines the break will reform over the top.

Perez and Schelling sit up and wait for Rodriguez, Van Poppel, Swift and Bonnamour to get back on. 

A crash in the peloton as it slows near the feed zone, and Julien Bernard is the man who hits the ground. The Frenchman remounts quickly and he is chasing back on through the race convoy.

Peloton at 2:56

The skies are overcast across Brittany this afternoon but there has, mercifully, been no rain thus far. 

Petr Vakoc (Alpecin-Fenix) and Tim Declercq (Deceuninck-QuickStep) continue to set the tempo in the peloton on behalf of Van der Poel and Alaphilippe. 2:19 the gap to the six leaders.

Michael Matthews has yet to win since his return to BikeExchange, but his last victory was on Breton roads at the Bretagne Classic last August, and the Australian is a definite contender for victory both today and tomorrow. "It is difficult to decide which one suits better,” Matthews said. “I'll give it 100 per cent on both of them and we'll see what we come out with, hopefully it’s a victory. But we just don’t know.” Read more here .

Ineos remain present en masse just behind Vakoc and Declercq at the head of the peloton. With the uphill finale this afternoon, there is no 3km rule in place, and so positioning will be of even greater importante in the closing kilometres.

Peloton at 2:10

The first, leaden drops of rain fall over the Tour de France, and this will make a fraught finale all the more complex.

With 100km remaining, Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels p/b KTM), Cristian Rodriguez (Team TotalEnergies), Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty), Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Connor Swift (Arkéa-Samsic) have a lead of just under two minutes on the peloton.

The six leaders are heading towards the day's fourth ascent, the Stang Ar Garront (2km at 3.5%), with a buffer of 1:38 over the peloton. Those drops of rain haven't developed into steady rainfall just yet. 

Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) sits in the peloton in the colours of Italian champion. He has enjoyed a remarkable run of form in recent weeks and he could even be a contender for the first yellow jersey this evening. "It will be anything but easy, but when you're on the crest of a wave, you have to take advantage of it," Colbrelli told La Gazzetta dello Sport . "I rode the finale, and I like it. I have to have a go."

The escapees hit the base of the Côte de Stang Ar Garront (Category 4: 2km at 3.4%) with a lead of 1:37 over the peloton.

Ide Schelling attacks with intent before they've even halfway up the climb and he immediately opens a gap.

A crash in the peloton sees Aurelien Paret Peintre (AG2R-Citroen) and Casper Pedersen (DSM) among the fallers. They spend more time on the ground than anyone else, but both men have remounted and gingerly rejoined the race.  

Schelling's determined attack has seen him open a lead of 45 seconds over his erstwhile companions on the climb, a remarkable effort from the Dutchman. 

Schelling continues to pile on the pressure. He is 1:04 clear of the rest of the break and 2:28 up on the bunch, where Tim Declercq still leads.

Schelling took the point on offer atop the climb but he is fully committed to this solo effort. Back in the bunch, meanwhile, a delegation from Israel Start-Up Nation moves up. Michael Woods, the team's GC leader, is a possible contender this afternoon on a climb that many are suggesting is rather harder in practice than it looks on paper.

Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Chasers at 1:22:

Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels p/b KTM), Cristian Rodriguez (Team TotalEnergies), Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty), Anthony Perez (Cofidis), Connor Swift (Arkéa-Samsic)

Peloton at 2:41

Schelling is still extending his advantage over the chasers, who are now 1:40 back. The peloton trails at 2:49.

Aurélien Paret-Peintre rejoined the peloton after his crash, though he did require some attention to his knee from the race doctor. Meanwhile, rain is beginning to fall gently once again over the race.

Chasers at 2:23:

Peloton at 2:44

The remnants of the day's break don't look like they'll stay ahead of the peloton much longer. The lone leader Schelling, meanwhile, continues to accrue a hefty advantage over the peloton. 

Swift, Bonnamour, Rodriguez, Perez and Van Poppel are swept up by the peloton, where UAE Team Emirates are present en masse near the front. 

The day's intermediate sprint comes at Brasparts in a little under 3km, and this will offer our first indication of the contenders for the green jersey. The scramble for positions is evident at the front of the peloton on the approach.

Schelling picks up maximum points at the slightly uphill intermediate sprint, but the real interest will be in the sprint for second place behind him, with the pace ratcheting upwards in the peloton. 

Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) wins the sprint for second ahead of Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Michael Matthews (BikeExchange).

The injection of urgency for that sprint, meanwhile, has seen Schelling's lead drop to 1:50. Ineos and Jumbo-Visma have now taken up the reins in the peloton.

Intermediate sprint

1          Ide Schelling (Ned) Bora-Hansgrohe  20

2          Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto Soudal          17

3          Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe    15

4          Michael Matthews (Aus) Team BikeExchange            13

5          Bryan Coquard (Fra) B&B Hotels p/b KTM  11

6          Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ            10

7          Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Arkea-Samsic  9

8          Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain Victorious         8

9          Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal    7

10        Mark Cavendish (GBr) Deceuninck-QuickStep          6

11        Luka Mezgec (Slo) Team BikeExchange        5

12        Daniel Oss (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe       4

13        Tony Martin (Get) Jumbo-Visma        3

14        Robert Gesink (Ned) Jumbo-Visma    2

15        Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo            1

The intensity has dropped slightly in the peloton once again, and Schelling takes advantage of the relative lull to open his lead out to 2:27 once again. He will take the king of the mountains jersey if he survives out here as far as the top of the upcoming Côte de Saint-Rivoal, and that will serve almost as a provisional finish line for Schelling.

Tony Martin rides on the front of the bunch once again and the pace rises accordingly . Delegations from Ineos, Groupama-FDJ and Movistar are also present.

Ide Schelling leads over the top of the Côte de Saint-Rivoal (Category 4: 2.5km at 3.9%), and the Dutchman is on course to wear the polka dot jersey tomorrow. The peloton trails at 1:53.

A crash in the peloton sees a lot of riders brought down and caught up behind. It appears that Tony Martin rode into a supporter's sign on the roadside and that sparked a pile-up behind him. Wout van Aert was among the riders to go down with a couple more Jumbo-Visma riders. Riders from Movistar and UAE Team Emirates were also caught up in that incident, as was Italian champion Sonny Colbrelli.

Marc Soler was among the many, many fallers. Marc Hirschi is among the many riders getting a bike change. A huge number of riders were caught up in that incident, but, at first glance, it doesn't appear that anybody has been forced out of the race. It will take some time for the peloton to regroup.

Jasha Sutterlin (DSM) is sitting on th roadside getting attention and there are still a couple of Jumbo-Visma riders who haven't restarted.

Ineos and Deceuninck-QuickStep seemed to come through unscathed. Deceuninck-QuickStep were setting the pace, in fact, but they have relented completely to allow the rest of the field to latch back on.

The lone leader Schelling has a buffer of 1:13 over the front of the peloton but there are, of course, groups splintered all over the road after that crash.

A bloodied and bruised Tony Martin, the first rider to crash, is chasing back on alone and trying to rejoin the waiting peloton.

Wout van Aert is in a group with Caleb Ewan, Miguel Angel Lopez, Sonny Colbrelli and Jack Haig, a little under a minute down on the peloton. 

Peloton at 1:51

Van Aert group at 2:34

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Miguel Angel Lopez (Movistar), Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious), Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal).

Jasha Sutterlin (DSM), a faller in that mass crash, is the first rider to abandon the 2021 Tour de France.

Peter Sagan is chasing back on alone, though he seems utterly unfazed, and he is using the race convoy as best he can to find his way back to the peloton.

The self-declared neutralisation seems to be at an end as the kilometres tick by. Schelling is still 1:30 clear, and Deceuninck-QuickStep want to set about shaving back that advantage before the finale.

Deceuninck-QuickStep’s pace-making has sliced Schelling’s lead to 1:00. Meanwhile, riders are continuing to latch back onto the peloton, including Peter Sagan.

Wout van Aert has also succeeded in rejoining the rear of the peloton, where Deceuninck-QuickStep and Alpecin-Fenix are present in numbers at the front. 

Peloton at 0:50

A bike change for Benoit Cosnefroy, who is chasing back on alone. He blasts past a lone Steven Kruijswijk, who appears to be chasing back after a bike change of his own. Primoz Roglic, meanwhile, is sitting calmly towards the head of the peloton.

Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos) is in a group off the back of the peloton. The Briton must have been caught up in the crash or at least required mechanical assistance, but he should be able to get back on. 

Schelling's advantage is rapidly dwindling, meanwhile, and the Dutchman won't last much longer out in front. 

Ide Schelling (Bora-Hansgrohe) is swept up by the peloton. The Dutchman's lone adventure looks to have earned him a day in the polka dot jersey.

Caleb Ewan and Andre Greipel are among a group of riders who have been distanced from the peloton, but they will fight another day on this Tour. 

Deceuninck-QuickStep, Alpecin-Fenix, Groupama-FDJ and Movistar are all postioned near the head of the peloton on this rolling and punchy run-in.

The Ewan-Greipel-Hirschi group has managed to fight its way back up to the rear of the peloton. There are plenty of ripples on the run-in and it would be a surprise if the peloton remains completely intact all the way to the line. The GC men, of course, will hope not to get caught out when riders like Alaphippe and Van der Poel wind up in the finale.

Ineos are well placed towards the front, including Tao Geoghegan Hart, who had been caught behind a little earlier. 

Gruppo compatto as the race enters the final 20km. We can surely expect some attacks before that high-octane climb to the finish in Landerneau.

Another bike change for Benoit Cosnefroy, who is having a most difficult day, and he gives lone chase all over again.

The sun has poked through the clouds and thankfully the threatened rain has not materialised.

Deceuninck-QuickStep, Groupama-FDJ, Ineos and Alpecin-Fenix occupy the first row of the peloton and the pace is ratcheting upwards on this run-in.

The pace is high enough to dissuade any would-be attackers for the time being, as Alpecin-Fenix, Deceuninck-QuickStep and Movistar look to pilot Van der Poel, Alaphilippe and Valverde to the line.

Ineos take over at the head of the peloton and a delegation from Jumbo-Visma move up alongside them. The GC men won't yield an inch on this run-in.

Robert Gesink sets the pace in front, with Wout van Aert - a faller earlier - tucked on his wheel. Ineos and Deceuninck-QuickStep are also present in numbers.

The scramble for positions continues apace. The bunch is 5km from the base of the climb to the finish, the Côte de la Fosse aux Loups (Category 3: 3.1km a 5.6%).

Another mass crash in the peloton, and that has removed a lot of riders from contention. It took place near the front and there will be GC men losing ground today...

Chris Froome is among the many, many fallers. So too are Marc Haller, Andre Greipel and Ion Izagirre. 

Deceuninck-QuickStep continue to set the pace in front. Julian Alaphilippe came through that incident unscathed, and the main peloton is down to 70 riders or so. It's unclear if any GC riders were caught out in that crash.

Chris Froome is still sitting on the road, and it is unclear if he can continue. 

Alaphilippe, Van Aert, Roglic, Pogacar and Jack Haig are all among the riders near the head of the race and still in contention this afternoon. Deceuninck-QuickStep lead with EF-Nippo also moving up.

The reduced peloton hits the base of the  Côte de la Fosse aux Loups. Deceuninck-QuickStep lead into the foot of the climb on behalf of Alaphilippe. Van der Poel is quite a way back for the time being...

Mattia Cattaneo pulls on the front for Deceuninck-QuickStep. Alaphilippe sits in fourth wheel with Van Aert and Colbrelli behind him.

Dries Devenyns accelerates with Alaphilippe on his wheel, and Van Aert just behind him. Van der Poel, Roglic and Matthews are also all present near the front...

Julian Alaphilippe climbs from the saddle and accelerates clear alone. A big, big move from the world champion...

Primoz Roglic gives chase and Pogacar comes with him. Pierre Latour goes over the top of them in pursuit of Alaphilippe...

Alaphilippe has 40m or so on Latour, with the Slovenian pair just behind him. Van der Poel accelerates and bridges across to Roglic and Pogacar...

Alaphilippe is stretching out his advantage over Latour, but he still has a long, long way to go...

The road levels off slightly and Alaphilippe kicks again. It will take a big, big effort to bring him back. Latour is alone in second, then a very elite group of 20 or so riders, with the rest of the field splintered across the hillside...

Wout van Aert leads this elite chasing group, but they're not going to bring back the rampant Alaphilippe, who is going to claim an emphatic victory...

Pierre Latour is brought back by the chasers, but Alaphilippe has reached parts the others simply could not reach...

Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) wins stage 1 of the Tour de France.

Michael Matthews (BikeExchange) wins the sprint for second ahead of Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma).

Alaphilippe was a faller earlier in the day, but he emerges to win the stage and claim the first yellow jersey. Meanwhile, Steven Kruijswijk comes in almost 2 minutes down. They won't be the only GC men to have conceded ground this afternoon.

Chris Froome, incidentally, is back on his bike and riding gingerly up the final climb.

Jack Haig was 4th on the stage, ahead of Wilco Kelderman, Tadej Pogacar, David Gaudu, Sergio Higuita, Bauke Mollema and Geraint Thomas. 

Julian Alaphilippe speaks: "It’s really incredible, honestly. It’s a scenario I imagined and the start of my Tour is success. It’s a super feeling, my team did great work, they took care of me and controlled things. In the final I was caught up in a crash but I was able to stay calm and then I had to finish off the work on the final climb, where we really wanted to make it hard and get rid of the sprinters. When Dries opened the gap I gave the maximum without asking any questions.

"It wasn’t planned to go from that far but when I went I saw I had a small gap and I saw everyone was à bloc so I decided to keep going. In the final kilometre, I saw the gap wasn’t coming down. Every time it’s an emotion I can’t describe.

"It’s a joy for me to win but also to give emotions to those close to me. This is really a special win for me."

1 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck-QuickStep 04:39:05 2 Michael Matthews (Aus) Team BikeExchange 00:00:08 3 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Jumbo-Visma 00:00:08 4 Jack Haig (Aus) Bahrain Victorious 00:00:08 5 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:08 6 Tadej Pogacar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:08 7 David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:08 8 Sergio Higuita Garcia (Col) EF Education-Nippo 00:00:08 9 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 00:00:08 10 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers 00:00:08

General classification

1 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck-QuickStep 04:38:55 2 Michael Matthews (Aus) Team BikeExchange 00:00:12 3 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Jumbo-Visma 00:00:14

There were only 20 riders in that chasing group 8 seconds behind Alaphilippe. Richard Carapaz lost a little ground in the final metres and came home at 13 seconds.

Miguel Angel Lopez (Movistar), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) and Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) all lost 1:49.

Richie Porte (Ineos) lost 2:16, Simon Yates lost 3:17 and Alejandro Valverde lost 5:33.

Brandon McNulty lost 6:57 and Michael Woods came in 8:49 down. Chris Froome was 14:37 down, while Sepp Kuss conceded 16:29. 

1          Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck-QuickStep         4:38:45

2          Michael Matthews (Aus) Team BikeExchange            0:00:12

3          Primoz Roglic (Slo) Jumbo-Visma     0:00:14

4          Jack Haig (Aus) Bahrain Victorious    0:00:18

5          Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Bora-Hansgrohe     

6          Tadej Pogacar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates      

7          David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama-FDJ   

8          Sergio Higuita Garcia (Col) EF Education-Nippo      

9          Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo          

10        Geraint Thomas (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers

For the third Tour in succession, Alaphilippe has taken the yellow jersey early in the race. And on today's form, he has a chance to extend his advantage tomorrow at Mur-de-Bretagne.

Wout van Aert was a faller but he worked for Roglic in the finale: “Fortunately, I didn’t sustain any damage. I saw Tony [Martin] fall and was unable to brake. Before I knew it, I was in the ditch. I still felt good in the final. I expected Alaphilippe's early attack, but I couldn't follow him. When I knew I couldn't win anymore, I kept the gap as small as possible for Primoz. I was on the limit, it's that simple."

Geraint Thomas: “It was a solid day, stressful, with a few crashes. Obviously, wiuth that big crash at the end, I had no idea who was in it. It ended up that Richie was in it, which wasn’t great. I was just concentrating on staying on my bike.

“I was too far back on the last climb. I was expecting a lull after the steep bit but it never came. Alaphilippe went so hard for so long, it was full gas all the way up, which made my life a bit harder. But for the first day, I was happy to get through it. But I’m gutted for Richie and Tao to get caught up and lose time.”

Tao Geoghegan Hart lost 5:33 on today's stage, while Richie Porte conceded 2:16.

A full report, results and pictures from today's stage are available here . We'll be back with more live coverage tomorrow from stage 2. 

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