In the time trial held in Copenhagen that opened the most important competition in world cycling, the Belgian surprised the favorites and finished first over his compatriot Wout van Aert in a demanding test conditioned by heavy rain that added difficulty. “I can’t believe what I did,” Lampaert said. Tadej Pogacar, who is looking to win the event for the third time, completed the podium and was the best of the contenders for the yellow jersey.
The 109th edition of the Tour de France began, the most important cycling event of the year, and already on its opening day it threw a surprise. In the time trial stage held in Copenhagen and with weather conditions that added extras, Belgian Yves Lampaert (of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) won the first stage of 13.2 kilometers.
Lampaert, a time trial specialist, achieved his 15th victory as a professional after rounding off a time of 15’17”76, almost five seconds ahead of his compatriot Wout van Aert who was shaping up to be the winner of the day.
“I can’t believe what I did,” said Lampaert incredulously after his victory. “I knew he was in good condition, but this is the Tour de France. There are great riders on the route, I was expecting a top 10,” he added.
At 31 years old, the Belgian runner, who at times reached a speed of 64.6 kilometers per hour, debuted the traditional yellow jersey very excited.
In addition to Van Aert, Lampaert beat the times of weight cyclists. He was seven seconds ahead of the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar –the top contender to be the winner of the Tour- and ten seconds over the Italian Filippo Ganna –double world champion and great favorite in this first stage-.
An unavoidable differential factor was in the climate. While the rain conditioned several of the favorites, Lampaert was able to take advantage of one of the few moments where the water subsided and exploited his power in a specialty that suits him well.
The circuit of this first stage did not have major difficulties. It was assumed to be agile as it was completely flat and beyond the 22 curves that prevented the competitors from maintaining the same pace.
For his part, Van Aert was the protagonist of one of the most outstanding moments of the race. In a frenetic three-minute sequence, the member of Jumbo-Visma broke Ganna’s mark, which moments before had broken the record of the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, and won by two seconds over Pogacar.
Tomorrow will be the second stage and it will also take place in Denmark. The section will start in Roskilde and end in Nyborg, tracing a route of 202.2 kilometers and will also have its climatic factor: the wind, especially in the 18 km that will pass over the Baltic Sea, near the end.
Pogacar is ahead of the other candidates
Beyond Lampaert’s victory and Van Aert’s second place, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar is one of the day’s winners. Although he finished the time trial in third place, the 23-year-old cyclist was the best of the candidates to win the general table of the Tour de France.
The leader of the UAE Team Emirates was just two seconds away from breaking Van Aert’s time and temporarily leading the race. However, he finished third, seven behind Lampaert.
However, neither of the two best this Friday is shaping up to be a contender in search of the yellow jersey that will be awarded to the winner. In this framework, Pogacar was ahead of the others.
The closest is the Dane Jonas Vingegaard (7th), whom he led by 8 seconds, one less than his countryman Primoz Roglic (8th). Outside the top ten were the British Adam Yates (13th) and Geraint Thomas (18th).
Rain played its role in Copenhagen
The weather conditions were a relevant factor in this first stage of the 2022 Tour de France. Intense at times, non-existent at others, it caused the cyclists to measure their power to avoid accidents.
For example, Laempert benefited from a few minutes where no water fell and he was able to exploit his power, something that others like Thomas, Pogacar and Ganna could not do.
The dangers of the wet track directly affected some riders who fell on the tarmac and lost valuable time.
Above all, the Swiss Stefan Bissegger, who had serious expectations for the time trial and ended up falling twice. Frenchman Christophe Laporte also crashed at a time where he had posted the fastest time at the intermediate point. At the close of the day, the Dane Mikkel Honoré collided with one of the fences in a curve after losing his stability.
Daniel Martínez, the best of Latin Americans
This edition of the Tour de France has the presence of three Colombians, being the only exponents of the region. Daniel Martínez finished one of the most outstanding performances of the South Americans.
In 33rd place, 44 seconds behind Lampaert, the Ineos cyclist was the one with the best position. On a wet track, Martínez highlighted the handling he had in the corners to avoid crashes. “The sensations are good. We wait for the mountains, to see how it is, ”he said after his participation.
For his part, Nairo Quintana, second in the 2013 and 2015 Tour and third in 2016, was satisfied after his race (he finished 44th, +49 seconds). “We have known how to shoot very well, taking precautions due to the rain. It was a very intense test, for specialists,” he said.
Finally, Rigoberto Urán finished one minute and 14 seconds below Lampaert, falling to 119th place.
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