- Belgian wins Copenhagen time trial ahead of Wout van Aert
- Thomas forgot to remove gilet before rain-soaked first stage
Geraint Thomas of Ineos Grenadiers threw caution to the wind in the Copenhagen rain as the 2022 Tour de France got under way with a treacherous opening individual time-trial stage in the Danish capital.
Thomas, who won on a similarly drenched course at the start of the 2018 Tour in Düsseldorf, “pulled the pin” on a nervy start to the stage, but it was not enough to lift him into the top 10, as the defending champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) proved faster than all his rivals for final victory in Paris. Yves Lampaert of Belgium, riding for Quickstep-Alpha Vinyl, was seen as an unexpected stage winner despite his time-trialling pedigree, and took the first maillot jaune, as the controversy over the team’s omission of the sprinter Mark Cavendish finally subsided. “My mind is exploding,” a tearful Lampaert said after his win.
