LANDERNEAU, France — World champion Julian Alaphilippe won the crash-marred opening stage of the Tour de France to snatch the race leader’s yellow jersey on Saturday.
The Frenchman surged ahead of the main pack in the final steep climb leading to the finish in Landerneau, crossing the line with an eight-second lead over Michael Matthews. Last year’s runner-up Primoz Roglic took third.
The Tour got underway from the western port city of Brest, returning to its traditional slot in the calendar after last year’s edition was pushed back to September because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Two big crashes marred the stage in the western Brittany region. The first one was caused by a fan who brandished a cardboard sign and leaned into the path of veteran rider Tony Martin, who fell off his bike and took many others down in his slipstream.
The Tour cautioned fans to “respect the safety of the riders” and “Don’t risk everything for a photo or to get on television!”
The second pileup involved dozens of competitors — including four-time Tour champion Chris Froome — riding at full speed near the finish.
The battle for the stage win started just afterward in the Fosse aux Loups, a three-kilometer ascent that includes a 14% gradient. On a ground perfectly suited to his punchy style, Alaphilippe was untouchable.
He made his move with 2 kilometers left to leave Roglic and defending champion Tadej Pogacar behind.
“I can already say that my Tour is a success,” Alaphilippe said.
He became the third French world champion to take the yellow jersey on the opening day of the race after Georges Speicher in 1934 and Bernard Hinault in 1981.
Alaphillipe wore the yellow jersey for 14 days two years ago and had it for three more stages last year. He recently became a father and put his thumb in his mouth in celebration as he crossed the finish line.
The first stage from the port city of Brest to Landerneau was a 198-kilometer (123-mile) trek.
A minor crash involving two riders marred the start of the stage before six riders formed the first breakaway. With 100 kilometers remaining, the sextet led the peloton by about two minutes.
Ide Schelling surged away from the leading group and prolonged his effort in the rolling, verdant landscape of Brittany to build a small gap over his former breakaway companions. They were reined in by the peloton with 68 kilometers left as the Dutch rider rode alone at the front.
Schelling seemed to enjoy the experience, all smiles as he pedaled through the village of Brasparts surrounded by the loud cheers of buoyant fans back en masse to the race after attendance was limited last year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Schelling was first at the top of the Cote de Saint-Rivoal and raised his fist in celebration. Behind, the peloton’s chase was abruptly stopped when Martin, an experienced teammate of Roglic, fell off his bike after hitting the cardboard sign brandished on the side of the narrow road.
Martin’s crash caused a massive pileup involving half of the peloton. Once the confusion was cleared up, Jasha Sutterlin of Germany was the first rider to retire as a bloodied Martin was able to get back on his bike.
Deceuninck-Quick Step riders reignited the chase with a fast tempo to catch an exhausted Schelling about 28 kilometers from the finish.