The first yellow jersey of the 109th Tour de France goes to a Belgian. Yves Lampaert won the 1st stage, a 13 km time trial in Copenhagen. The Quick-Step team rider was ahead of his compatriot Wout van Aert by 5 seconds and the outgoing winner, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, by 7 seconds. Disappointment for the Swiss. Stefan Küng had to settle for 13th place, while Stefan Bissegger fell twice!
In the pouring rain, the best Swiss was Stefan Küng. The Thurgovian from the Groupama-FDJ team did not dare to attack as he would have liked following seeing the 2 falls of his compatriot Stefan Bissegger.
Küng “blocked”
“Physically I was there, but mentally it was more difficult because I saw Stefan Bissegger fall on TVhe confided following the race. And then I ran into him on my way to the start and he told me it was like soap. In the head, it blocked me a little because I didn’t know where the limit was. Because when we did the reconnaissance, it was dry. And then I’ve had a pretty intense last 10 days with the birth of our son and the uncertainty following the covid infection.”
As for the unfortunate Stefan Bissegger, he reached the finish in 99th place 1’12 behind and with abrasions on both sides following falling twice, first on the right side, then on the left side. Marc Hirschi finished 149th at 1’42 and Silvan Dillier 165th at 1’58.
ats/alt
1st stage, time trial in Copenhagen (13.2 km)
Steps
July 2: 2nd stage Roskilde (DEN) – Nyborg (DEN), 202.2 km.
July 3: 3rd stage Vejle (DEN) – Sönderborg (DEN), 182 km.
July 4: transfer. July 5: 4th stage Dunkirk – Calais, 171.5 km.
July 6: 5th stage Lille Métropole – Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, 157 km.
July 7: 6th stage Binche (BEL) – Longwy, 219.9 km.
July 8: 7th stage Tomblaine – La super Planche des Belles Filles, 176.3 km.
July 9: 8th stage Dole – Lausanne, 186.3 km.
July 10: 9th stage Aigle – Châtel, 192.9 km.
July 11: rest in Morzine.
July 12: 10th stage Morzine – Megève, 148.1 km.
July 13: 11th stage Albertville – Col du Granon, 151.7 km.
July 14: 12th stage Briançon – Alpe d’Huez, 165.1 km.
July 15: 13th stage Bourg d’Oisans – Saint-Etienne, 192.6 km.
July 16: 14th stage Saint-Etienne – Mende, 192.5 km.
July 17: 15th stage Rodez – Carcassonne, 202.5 km. July 18: rest in Carcassonne.
July 19: 16th stage Carcassonne – Foix, 178.5 km.
July 20: 17th stage Saint-Gaudens – Peyragudes, 129.7 km.
July 21: 18th stage Lourdes – Hautacam, 143.2 km.
July 22: 19th stage Castelnau-Magnoac – Cahors, 188.3 km.
July 23: 20th stage Lacapelle-Marival – Rocamadour, 40.7 km (individual time trial).
July 24: 21st stage Paris La Défense Arena – Paris Champs-Elysées, 115.6 km.
