Tour de France (Stage 1 Florence – Rimini): Bardet triumphs and takes yellow for the first time in his career

It’s crazy and invigorating. Romain Bardet’s victory, accompanied by his first yellow jersey, is not necessarily a surprise. Because the profile at the start of the tour in Italy foreshadowed a surprise. And it’s a nice surprise.

Our analysis and the most beautiful photos of the 1st stage.

It took about twenty kilometers to see a group of 7 riders take the lead of the race. The hilly and undulating profile of the stage gave ideas to several teams. At the front we find no less than 4 French riders with Valentin Madouas (Groupama FDJ), Clément Champoussin (Arkea – BetB Hotels), Sandy Dujardin (Total Energies), Matteo Vercher (Total Energies). The breakaway collaborated perfectly and quickly took off from the peloton even if a group of two riders intercalated (Ryan Gibbons and Jonas Abrahamsen) managed to make the junction.

The group of nine managed to increase the gap to almost 6 minutes on the climb of the Col de Valico Tre Faggi (2nd category) but lost one of its members on the climb. The Frenchman Matteo Varcher struggled to keep up with the pace of his comrades and was dropped. At the top of the pass, it was the Spanish climber Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) who took the 5 points in the race for the weight jersey.

The EF Education Easypost team takes care of the continuation

It is therefore the teammates of the Italian champion Alberto Bettiol who place themselves at the head of the peloton to control the escapees at the front. Under the leadership of the pink jerseys, the gap decreased drastically from 6 to 3 minutes.
This acceleration in the group of favourites forces the leading men to increase their intensity and this will cause damage. After Matteo Vercher’s drop, a few kilometres earlier, it is the French Champoussin and Dujardin who are dropped on the irregular slopes of the Côte de Carnaio (3rd category). With 100 km to go, there are only 6 men in the lead who have a 3 min 45 lead over an already worn-out peloton while the hardest part is still to come.

The race comes alive on the Côte de Barbotto

The 5.8 km at 7.6% average of this second category climb will have set the stage ablaze. The race comes alive at the front with the acceleration of the Frenchman Valentin Madouas who undermines his companions at the front (Ion Izagirre is dropped). At the back it is Pogacar’s teammates (UAE Team Emirates) who set a hellish tempo at the head of the peloton. The group of favorites diminishes visibly over the hectometers with in particular David Gaudu (leader of Groupama-FDJ) who is struggling to keep up with this hellish pace. With this strong acceleration, the gap is only 2min20 at the top of the hill while there are still 70 km remaining.

Romain Bardet takes his chance

After the acceleration of Team Emirates it is the turn of Jonas Vingegaard’s team to take matters into their own hands on the San Leo hill (2nd category). The outgoing yellow jersey team increases the tempo to allow its handyman Wout Van Aert to be able to play for victory at the end of the stage. The acceleration of Team Visma-Lease a Bike gives impetus to a certain Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich Postnl) who decides to attack and manages to join the men at the front in the descent 50 kilometers from the line .
The Frenchman was impressive in his effort during the climb. The head of the race is made up of a trio where Madouas is still present. The leading men have a lead of 1min40 with 40 km to go but the Groupama-FDJ rider cannot follow his compatriot on the slopes of Montemaggio. Romain Bardet and his Dutch teammate Van Den Broek (present in the morning breakaway) therefore set off to try to resist the return of the pack still led by Wout Van Aert’s teammates.

Bardet in yellow for the first time

Unfortunately for the two two-headed men, the Visma-Lease a Bike team is relayed by the EF Education Easypost team as well as Lidl-Treak. The last 20 kilometers are a real time trial between the peloton and the two men. The gap is 1min20 at this point in the race.
The final of the stage is clearly to the advantage of the peloton with a flat and wide road which favors the return of a large and organized group. The two teammates give everything they have but the gap is 15 seconds at 3 Km/h.
While we think the scenario is going to be cruel, Van Den Broek sacrifices himself for his leader in the last hectometers. It is therefore indeed Romain Bardet who raises his arms and takes the yellow jersey for the first time in his career in the Tour de France.