Vingegaard takes yellow jersey in Tour de France opener; Pogačar vows quick response

Jonas Vingegaard is the first wearer of the yellow jersey at the 113th Tour de France, following a tactically superior performance by his Visma Lease a Bike team in the opening 19.6-kilometer time trial. This marks Vingegaard's first time in the leader's jersey since his 2023 victory in Paris. However, Tadej Pogačar, who cycled the finish ramp fastest, is close behind. Pogačar, with his UAE team, secured third place, trailing by 12 seconds. His opportunity to strike back could come as early as tomorrow in Barcelona.

The new competition format, where the time of the first rider counts for the team's result instead of the fifth, has certainly caused significant excitement at Montjuic. One of the favored teams, Netcompany Ineos, had a mixed performance. Filippo Ganna and his squad were fast on the streets of Barcelona, and might have won if one of their key riders, Kevin Vauquelin, hadn't suffered a flat tire. Other strong contenders for high overall standings, Egan Bernal and Thymen Arensman, also faced difficulties. This forced the 83-kilogram Ganna to pedal with all his might up the final climb to the Olympic Stadium.

Italian rider Ganna demonstrated why he is a two-time world time trial champion, setting an exceptional time of 21:55 that held the lead until near the end. This was until the powerful finish of Visma Lease a Bike, whose five riders set the pace on the flat section. For the more dynamic final part, Davide Piganzoli, Matteo Jorgenson, and Vingegaard conserved their energy. The last two domestiques guided the Danish captain into an ideal position in the final kilometer, where he confirmed the stage victory.

“

This is a perfect start. Clearly, the Tour will be long, but this is a perfect start. My teammates did an exceptional job. They were so strong that, honestly, I didn't have to do much. They carried me all the way to the finish line so we could win the stage and win the yellow jersey. After a few years without it, after a few strange years, it's nice to experience this again.

"This is a perfect start. Clearly, the Tour will be long, but this is a perfect start. My teammates did an exceptional job. They were so strong that, honestly, I didn't have to do much. They carried me all the way to the finish line so we could win the stage and win the yellow jersey. After a few years without it, after a few strange years, it's nice to experience this again," said a satisfied Vingegaard, who aims to wear the yellow jersey until the finish in Paris on July 26.

Pogačar's team encountered more issues. Adam Yates and Nils Politt quickly fell behind. In the final section, Pogačar, who had to set the pace himself throughout the course, only had Isaac del Toro by his side. The Slovenian champion left the Mexican champion behind on the last climb. He reduced the deficit to both Ganna and Vingegaard on the climb, but the best time for the ascent, which earned him the polka-dot jersey for the best climber, was not enough to overtake them. The stage concluded with Vingegaard's victory in 21:47 (53.95 km/h), with Ganna 8 seconds behind and Pogačar 12 seconds behind.

“

We always aim for victory, but I still think we rode a very good team time trial. Besides that, I am also very happy that this day is over. It is a very demanding day, extremely long.