Tour de France 2022 – Yves Lampaert stuns big names to win Stage 1 time trial in rainy Copenhagen

The Tour de France has a habit of throwing up surprises on the opening day and that tradition continued on Friday as the most northerly Grand Depart in the race's history took place on the sodden streets of Copenhagen. At the end of a week dominated by headlines surrounding the controversial non-selection of Mark Cavendish, the Belgian Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team made the news for all the right reasons with an emphatic victory for Yves Lampaert in the Tour’s opening stage, a 13.2km individual time trial around the Danish capital.

Ad/> Thirty-one-year-old Lampaert, who recently came second to team-mate Remco Evenepoel in the Belgian national championships ITT, covered a highly technical course in an average speed of 51.8kmh to dislodge compatriot Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) from the hotseat by a whopping five seconds. Tour de FranceTour de France 2022 Stage 1 — Route map, how to watch as Grand Tour starts13 HOURS AGO Lampaert’s special time of 15’17” remained untouchable as the incredulous Belgian topped an illustrious top five featuring Van Aert, the two-time Tour champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), time trial world champion Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and superstar Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

“My mind is exploding – I can’t believe it,” a tearful Lampaert said in an emotional post-race interview. “Top 10 would have been my expectation but to win is unbelievable.

I know I’m in good condition but to win the first stage of the Tour de France, the prologue, is something I never dreamed of. To beat Van Aert, Van der Poel, Ganna… It’s unbelievable for me.” ‘I forgot I had it on!’ – Thomas accidentally wears gilet over expensive skinsuit Froome is the ‘greatest Tour de France rider of generation’ –