The 98th Tour De France got underway today with a win for Phillippe Gilbert..
This year's tour is 3430.5km long and started this morning in the Passage du Gois in the Vendee region.
In an area only accessible by car (and big thanks to Cycling Weekly for getting us to the finish), thanks to all local transport being cancelled, there were some decent crowds as the race set off along the Passage du Gois to the 198 riders from the 22 teams before the official start.
Andre Greipel was the first to come off his bike before we were out of the neutralised zone. When racing got underway, it was not long before the first attack which saw Jeremy Roy (FDJ)n Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil) and Perriq Quemenuer (Europcar) escape and get 6.07 ahead with 20kms gone.
They stayed away on the flat roads whilst the likes of Nicholas Roche were crashing and were ahead when it came down to the Super Intermediate Sprint. Jeremy Roy took the 17 points with Tyler Farrar beating Greipel to get fourth and start the battle for the Green Jersey ahead of Mark Cavendish who picked up five points.
Cavendish's team as usual were amongst those in the peleton working to bring back the escapees and had got the gap down to three minutes at the half way stage.
Crashes continued to happen along the leafy lanes of Vendee on what was a hot day. Linus Gerdenann was amongst the fallers whilst at the finish line, the publicity caravan was coming into view for the thousands on the Mont des Alouettes on the east side of Les Herbiers.
The road to Mont des Alouttes was dotted with roundabouts and for some of the riders riding straight over them was becoming the best option.
The gap was closing all the time and with 25km to go, the trio only had a lead of 35 seconds. Twelve kilometres up the road, the trio's day was over. HTC, Europcar and Leopard Trek were all on the front dictating the pace as we entered the final ten kilometres. Then there was massive crash inside 2kms to go, started by an Astana rider. Probably sixty or so riders involved and some ended up in a ditch. Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas had made the split just before the race arrived in the West side of Les Herbiers. Alberto Contador, the man of the moment and one many feel should not be in the race was some 36 seconds back as the they started the climb towards the finish.
Thirteen riders at the back crashed as attention turned to the front. Fabian Cancellera went but suddenly stopped with 300 metres to go and let Phillipe Gilbert take the win ahead of Cadel Evans.
Gilbert (pictured above) took the yellow and green jersey but the young rider of the day was Team Sky's Geraint Thomas who was delighted with his sixth place finish.
Nicholas Roche (pictured below), who had cuts on his right leg, said to Covsupport News Service after the race that it had been a tough day but he was ok and looking forward to tomorrow.
Pictures copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/KM