TDF: Stage 1 – win for Yves Lampaert

Yves Lampaert takes Tour de France first yellow jersey – Yves Lampaert put in a stunning performance to become the first Belgian in 11 years to lead the race after the opening day of the 2022 Tour de France

TDF: Stage 1 – win for Yves Lampaert

A flat but rain-soaked 13.2km individual time trial saw Lampaert beating a host of specialists on his way to the prestigious Tour de France yellow jersey and making it five years in a row that a Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider has worn the iconic tunic.

“It’s incredible, I didn’t expect this and I don’t understand how it happened. I was thinking of a top 10, those were my expectations at the start, but somehow I managed to beat the best riders in the world. I’m just a farmer’s son from Belgium, so this is something I would have never dreamed of. My mind is exploding”, a teary-eyed Yves said in disbelief after the biggest victory of his career.

Rain was expected during the day, but to the surprise of many it didn’t come towards the end of the stage, but instead impacted the early starters, among whom were also many of the GC favourites. Yves Lampaert was in the last third of the start list, and benefitted from some slightly dryer roads, which allowed him to put in the performance of a lifetime on the streets of the Danish capital.

Despite not being the fastest at the only intermediate checkpoint, the 31-year-old former Belgian ITT Champion ramped up the tempo in the last seven kilometers and finished with the best time after a stunning ride on the second part of the course, stopping the clock in 15:17.

Having averaged over 51.8km/h on his Specialized Shiv machine – the only rider to break this barrier – Yves improved the provisional time by five seconds and went straight into the hot seat, where he remained until the very end, when he let all his emotions overcome him before collapsing into the arms of the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl staff.

“To beat all these guys today is unbelievable for me! The roads were wet, and I kept saying to myself on the corners ‘Yves, go faster, trust in your tires or you’ll lose seconds in the corners’, and in the end I finished five seconds faster. I think I’ll only realise what I have done after the Tour, when I’ll return to my family. I can be proud of myself, but while on the podium I thought of the whole team and especially of Tim Declercw. He’s my best friend, but he’s home now and I miss him. I’m so happy with this victory and honoured to wear the yellow jersey”, added Yves, the 18th different rider in the history of the Wolfpack to win a Tour de France stage.

Tadej Pogacar: “It has been a really good day. I enjoyed the course despite the rain. I clocked a very good time and I am in a great position in the GC to go into the first week. I went full gas from the start to the finish. The rain made the time trial a bit stressful, as these slippery conditions never help.”

“Anyway, on the first corners I saw the conditions were not so bad, and from then on I took it corner by corner. I felt confident, without taking too many risks. I’m happy with my performance and super happy to be in the white jersey. This has been the first test of the Tour de France, not super long but still demanding. I find I have good legs. Tomorrow’s will be a stressful stage. You never know what is going to happen. I have a good team to support me and we will have to be very careful as it’s sure it will be a hard day.”

Wout van Aert: “I am satisfied with my time trial. On the road, I had a good feeling. I didn’t take too much risk in the corners, but I rode good lines. It went well. I think the second time proves that”, Van Aert said. The Belgian had traveled to Copenhagen with big ambitions. “I came to win. When I crossed the line, I knew I had already beaten some strong riders. It was a bit of a shock that Yves was faster in the end. Well done to him.”

Photo: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images

1. Yves Lampaert
2. Wout Van Aert
3. Tadej Pogacar
4. Filippo Ganna
5. Mathieu van der Poel
6. Mads Pedersen
7. Jonua Vinegaard
8. Primoz Roglic

BRITS
13. Adam Yates @ 23 secs
15. Tom Pidcock @ 24 secs
18. Geraint Thomas @ 25 secs
45. Fred Wright @ 49 secs
48. Connor Swift @ 49 secs
78. Owain Doull @ 1.01
112. Chris Froome @ 1.16
169. Luke Rowe @ 2.07

RESULT: https://firstcycling.com/race.php?r=17&y=2022&e=01