Tour de France 2022: stage-by-stage guide to this year’s race

A tour of the Danish capital’s beauty spots – the Little Mermaid, the Kastellet fortress, the Tivoli Gardens – in a time trial opener that is long enough to create real time gaps between the main contenders, and has a wealth of corners to cause mayhem if it rains. The distance will suit Primoz Roglic but the big favourite will be a specialist such as Filippo Ganna of Ineos or Wout van Aert of Jumbo-Visma.

Much of this stage is barely above sea level with only a couple of tiny climbs but if the wind blows it could create significant time gaps, particularly in the final 18km over the dramatic – and completely exposed – Great Belt bridges. Jumbo-Visma and Ineos are masters at exploiting crosswinds, but the real experts are Quickstep-Alpha Vinyl; their sprinter Fabio Jakobsen is the favourite, along with fellow Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen.

The run south down the Jutland peninsula is on less exposed roads than the day before so, assuming the wind is favourable, it should produce the first “routine” sprinters’ stage of the race, with Jakobsen – who has ousted Mark Cavendish as Quickstep’s preferred Tour sprinter – taking on the likes of Caleb Ewan, Sam Bennett and Jasper Philipsen. The following day the caravan transfers south to France.

Relatively short, and with a series of short, sharp climbs inland from the Channel coast, this stage will be “nervous”, as the riders put it, although the pattern should be familiar, with an early break of riders from the smaller teams looking to scoop up points on the five ascents. However, the final 25km along exposed roads around Cap Gris Nez could split the field if the wind blows from the north-west.

Assuming the Great Belt has been kind to the field, this is the first decisive day, with