TDF Stage 1: Brest - Plumelec (197.5km)

So its July and it’s the Tour de France and the odd thing about this opening stage is that it is not a prologue. As long as I have been watching the Tour de France the opening stage has been a prologue time-trial so this will make for different but interesting viewing. Everyone will have a shot at Yellow today.

The winner of stage 1 was one of the pre-race favourites, Alejandro Valverde. The race opened with a race and not a prologue time-trial, and it worked. The race finished at the top of a 1.5km climb and it separated the men from the boys.

A breakaway of 8 riders stayed away for most of the stage before dropping to two, but they were caught in the final 5km giving us the impression it would come down to the sprinters. But the Tour organisers were not about to give up the prologue just to have the fast men take a yellow jersey they usualy get during the first week anyway. No this climb insured one of about a hundred different riders could have made the jump to take the win.

As various others climbed and tried to attack away into the last kilometre it was Valverde who made the timely move that jumped him clear of the pack to take the win and take the first Yellow Jersey of the 2008 Tour. Most of the big names were at the head of the race by the top of the little climb as they all tried not to get caught up in any crashes as well as any splits in the group. Everyone of the top finishers were handed the same time which was 1 second behind Valverde who carries a clear lead into tomorrow stage.

Valverde will likely not fight to hard to keep his lead through the first number of days. The sprinters will be licking their lips as well a number of riders hoping to make a break stick. It wouldn’t be worth Valverde and his team fighting too hard to keep the jersey and wasting valuable energy they will require for the big mountains into the second week. That is when Valverde will really fight for his Tour lead.

I have always been a fan of Valverde, I hoped he would win last year but fell away in the early mountain stages, but this year he has come in with some fine form. Last week he won the Spanish Championship and today marked his ninth win of the season.

The racing is back tomorrow and it’ll probably be the first big chance for Britain’s super-sprinter Mark Cavendish to win a stage.

Category: Pro Road Racing » Alejandro Valverde, Tour de France |

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