Belgian Philipsen wins windy opener

Evenepoel trapped in split, falls behind foes

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There were mixed fortunes for the thousands of Belgian fans who poured over the border for the opening stage of the Tour de France on Saturday as Jasper Philipsen won, but star rider Remco Evenepoel faltered in his long-range bid for the title itself.

Philipsen took the yellow jersey in a frantic sprint finish at the northern city of Lille, his 10th Tour de France win crowned with a rare race lead for a rider usually chasing sprint points.

Title favourites Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard both finished safely in the lead pack.

But Vingegaard was on red alert as the split started and his explosive acceleration helped stun the peloton and leave his Visma team delighted with the damage done by the day's work with a 40sec advantage over several important rivals.

"It was our plan to use the wind at 20km and it worked," said Vingegaard.

Known for his pounces in the mountains, Vingegaard has won the Tour in 2022 and 2023.