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Tour de France: Yves Lampaert wins the start

2022-07-01T17:57:51.839Z


"My head is exploding": Belgian Yves Lampaert surprisingly won the opening time trial of the Tour de France. Some fell on the wet roads. And: Bernard Hinault celebrates himself.


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Yves Lampaert: "My head is exploding"

Photo: Daniel Cole/AP

Battle for seconds:

All of a sudden, the time trial of the Tour de France was happening in quick succession – and all of that within just three minutes.

Specialist Filippo Ganna trumped Mathieu van der Poel's best time, then Wout van Aert finished five seconds quicker and shortly afterwards defending champion Tadej Pogačar was just two seconds off the lead.

But none of the tour top stars won the time trial in the end.

Then he sulks:

The Belgian Yves Lampaert gave everything again in the last few meters of the Copenhagen lap.

With powerful kicks he pushed his way to the finish - and surprisingly took the lead.

Van Aert, in the potential winning chair at the time, pouted for the camera.

What a hassle.

Surprise:

"I beat the great Wout van Aert, that's unbelievable," said Lampaert at the finish: "My head exploded.

I came expecting top ten and now I've beaten the best riders in the world.

I'm just a farmer's son from Belgium.

I did not expect this."

The standings:

Lampaert was unexpectedly the fastest driver in the 13.2 kilometer time trial through the Danish capital Copenhagen.

With his first tour stage win, he immediately took over the yellow jersey - but only by a tiny margin.

Wout van Aert is just five seconds behind, Pogačar seven seconds.

The defending champion:

Of course, everyone's eyes are on Tadej Pogačar, the 23-year-old who has already won the Tour twice.

Who should beat him this year?

Unclear, he is classes better than his competition - and is viewed with suspicion.

This year's start went quite well for the Slovenian.

“It was a strong performance.

He took no risks.

He's a good driver in the rain.

It was a good day for us,” said his team manager Matxin Fernandez from the UAE team.

Danes tears:

The Tour de France has never started as north as this year.

The first stages lead through Denmark.

And even the team presentation was emotional for the local drivers.

Jonas Vingegaard, last year's runner-up, was greeted with such raptures that he could hardly hold back his tears.

Slippery:

The Grand Départ, the time trial through Copenhagen, also got wet.

Rain made the road slippery, so many drivers had to be very careful not to fall.

Some didn't succeed.

Christophe Laporte, meanwhile, was in the lead, but then slipped and fell on the road and the chances of victory were gone.

The start of the tour has been repeatedly marked by falls in recent years.

A modest record winner:

Just in time for the start of the tour, the French sports newspaper »L'Équipe« had the best French cyclist in history chosen.

It's - drum roll - Bernard Hinault!

The 67-year-old has won the tour five times and is one of the record winners, along with Frenchman Jacques Anquetil.

Hinault is not at all surprised that he was chosen.

Because he was part of the 20-strong jury: "I voted for myself and I'm not ashamed to say that.

I think if Anquetil had to do that, he would have put himself first.”

And the Germans?

Stuck on their bikes.

"I drove relatively cautiously at first and must have left something behind, but I can be satisfied," said climber Lennard Kämna.

He is in 19th place, 25 seconds behind the leader, the best-placed German professional.

Max Walscheid from the French team Cofidis was happy about the Grand Départ: »The atmosphere was overwhelming, it was a lot of fun.«

This is how it goes on:

The second stage on Saturday leads over the bridge over the Great Belt.

Spectacular pictures guaranteed.

But it will also be interesting from a sporting point of view: Because so-called wind edges could tear the peloton apart so much that the favorites have to be careful not to lose important seconds for the overall victory.

The first week will be "one of the hardest first weeks in the history of the tour," prophesied the German professional cyclist Rick Zabel.

Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2022-07-01

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