Romain Bardet emerged victorious in the opening stage of the 111th Tour de France, winning a challenging race between Florence and Rimini. The 33-year-old French veteran clinched the 206-kilometer race ahead of his teammate Frank van den Broek from the Netherlands. Belgian Wout van Aert came in third, while top favorites Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard did not materialize in a much-anticipated battle.
The first day of the cycling tour featured extreme heat and a challenging course that set the stage for a tough competition. Sprint star Mark Cavendish struggled early on and fell behind before the first climb, facing a significant gap of over 32 minutes to the leaders. On the second day of the tour, pros will start in Cesenatico, birthplace of Tour de France winner Marco Pantani who passed away in 2004. The stage ends in Bologna after 199.2 kilometers and features several challenging climbs, making it a potential showdown between top favorites for victory.