175km to go: Magnus Cort won a Tour stage in 2018, and has six stage wins at the Vuelta a Espana on his palmarès. Neither Cyril Barthe nor Sven Erik Bystrøm have a grand tour stage win to their names. Rolland and Cort are the guys in this break who have been there, done that at the biggest races.
178km to go: The gap is holding at around 1’33”. The sun is out, and the mood in the peloton looks relaxed, perhaps after a 10-minute period when a few of the sporting directors were getting on their radios and telling the chasing peloton to close down the gap to the breakaway. They have too much riding on this to let the breakaway have any chance at all.
182km to go: The “final” is shaping up to be exciting today. The wind is expected to blow and there will be teams – both breakaway hopefuls for the stage and GC teams – looking to attack.
In an interview I did with Adam Hansen (then Lotto Soudal) at the 2017 Giro, he told me what these windy stage finales can be like:
“The mistake we made is probably we should have said: “OK, at 14km to go, we attack.” Because if you don’t do it, another team is going to do it to you. Everyone was fighting the crosswinds, Quick-Step attacked and they did a great job. I guess you have to get your retaliation in first on those stages because it’s never good to be on the receiving end.”
That was the day Andre Greipel lost the maglia rosa a result of Quick-Step’s attack:
185km to go: Wiggins was right. The chase is on from the peloton, and the gap to the break has fallen to 1’34”. You would think, however, that the sprint teams will be happy with the make-up and size of this breakaway. Maybe the idea is to keep them within two minutes.
“Cycle paths have been painted yellow, knitting enthusiasts have made a giant yellow jersey, and preparations are being made for a flotilla of boats flying yellow flags. The “big yellow party” comes to Denmark on 1 July when the country widely regarded as the best in the world for cyclists hosts the opening stage of the world’s greatest cycling race.”
187km to go: The gap between break and peloton is 1’51”.
Here’s a fun clip of Pierre Rolland having a little sing-song, I think during his warm-down after yesterday’s time trial:
Wiggins, out on his motorbike, says there is nervousness in the peloton and that they have ‘started riding’.
190km to go: Massive crowds line the route. Bradley Wiggins, on a motorbike and in the thick of it for Eurosport, describes them as ‘Unbelievable’.
“There are some very narrow roads in parts, particularly in the final,” he observes. “It’s going to be dangerous today.”
Please, keep it sensible if you’re out on the road …
191km to go: What are your expectations for today – and indeed for the whole race?
You can email me or tweet with any thoughts.
193km to go: Rolland is a legend of the game and a perennial King of the Mountains contender at the Tour. He’s won two stages of La Grande Boucle, in 2011 and 2012, and also scored a fantastic solo win on Stage 17 of the 2017 Giro d’Italia.
195km to go: Four riders are in the break: Sven Erik Bystrom (Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux), Cyril Barthe and Pierre Rolland (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) and Magnus Cort (EF Education–EasyPost). Rolland will be going for the KOM points on the three categorised climbs.
They’re racing on Stage 2!
And they’re off. Attacks immediately, as expected. Magnus Cort of EF Education–EasyPost is the first to have a dig. A couple of others are trying to come across.
Here we are then. The riders are cruising through the neutralised zone. The TV helicopters are hovering above, bringing us some pleasant shots of picturesque Roskilde. Fluffy white clouds are dotted around the blue sky. It’s a pleasant 22C. Sean Kelly and Carlton Kirby are ensconced in their commentary position for Eurosport. It’s the Tour de France!
Preamble
“I’m just a farmer’s son from Belgium.”
That was Yves Lampaert’s tearful reaction in Copenhagen yesterday after he shocked the world’s top time-triallists to win the 13.2km opening stage and claim the yellow jersey. Will we see a similar kind of upset today, on the first road stage of the 2022 race? The sprinter’s teams will hope not, and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s Fabio Jakobsen – who was nearly killed in a terrifying crash in Poland two years ago – is the bookies’ favourite for the win.
Two from two would make Bernard Lefevere, the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, a very happy man indeed. But Dylan Groenewegen, Caleb Ewan, Wout van Aert and perhaps even Peter Sagan are among the riders hoping to prosper in a sprint finish in Nyborg after a 202.5km route from Roskilde.
There may well be a sting in the tail, too, on what looks a regulation sprint stage: crosswinds are expected on the ‘Great Belt’ bridges in the latter part of the stage, and the expectation is that the wind may blow significantly in the final 40km. All that should add up to stress, nervousness and potential chaos in the peloton, but wonderful entertainment for all of us having a nice cup of tea and a sit down.
Stage start time: 11.35am BST