cycling: Tour de France 2017 stage #1: Geraint Thomas wins wet start - Tony Martin disappointed

Cycling: Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) won the opening time trial of the 2017 Tour de France in Düsseldorf. The Briton was the fastest man in difficult conditions and on a rain-soaked track. Stefan Küng (BMC) secured second place ahead of Vasil Kiryienka (Team Sky). For Tony Martin (Katusha-Alpecin) it was only enough for a disappointing fourth place. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) has to retire after a bad crash.

Water battle at the start of the Tour de France in Düsseldorf. From a German point of view, the Grand Boucle starts with a damper when there is heavy continuous rain and the resulting extremely difficult conditions. Local hero and top favorite Tony Martin (Katusha-Alpecin) only managed fourth place, eight seconds behind. In the end, Geraint Thomas was victorious – the icing on the cake for the British Sky Team, four of whom made it into the top 10, including Christopher Froome, who immediately gained a small time cushion over the competition.

The conditions on the 14km long course in downtown Düsseldorf were extremely difficult. After it had remained mostly dry in the morning, the rain set in before the start, which continued to increase during the course of the race and in some cases literally flooded the streets. The curves turned into a dangerous tightrope act at times and numerous drivers made unwelcome acquaintances with the wet asphalt. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) was particularly badly hit, slipping off the curve at high speed and crashing into a barrier. The Spanish veteran suffered several deep cuts and possibly broken bones. In any case, the tour is over for him - a bitter setback for Movistar and Nairo Quintana.

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Tony Martin was visibly struggling with the conditions and the reigning time trial world champion preferred to exercise caution rather than take full risks, especially in the corners. A sensible decision, although it may have cost him the win in the end. The disappointment of the 32-year-old was correspondingly large: "The disappointment is immense. i wanted to win It's really a shame for me, it was a unique opportunity. It's over now. It was still an incredible experience for me. I couldn't understand a word on the radio because people were cheering me on so loudly. I left something on the last few meters because the battery was a bit empty. Because of the rain, it was quite an atypical race, which didn't really suit us. With the water it's a balancing act - half a kilometer an hour too fast in the corner and the race is over." he said to the assembled journalists shortly after crossing the finish line.

Even if Tony Martin's performance may be a bit disappointing from a German point of view, the overall result of the German starters is all the more gratifying: Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) made it to a very good ninth place, 16 seconds behind, and Nikias Arndt also up 11th place convinced. Last year's winner, Chris Froome, made a direct impression of the overall favourites: With a time of 16:16, he drove more than half a minute behind Richie Porte (BMC), Nairo Quintana, Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo), Romain Bardet (AG2R) and Fabio Aru (Astana) out.

Final Result Tour de France 2017 Stage #1

Overall ranking Tour de France 2017 after stage #1