Mark Cavendish struggles in Tour de France’s opening stage after vomiting from bike

Mark Cavendish denied he had been in serious danger of missing the time cut on a brutal but thrilling first stage of the Tour de France on Saturday. The Manx rider, who was dropped on the opening climb of the day, was seen vomiting from his bike at one stage in searing 35C heat after the race rolled out of Florence. But after crossing the finish line along with the rest of the grupetto, 39 mins down on stage winner Romain Bardet, Cavendish insisted he and his team always “knew what they were doing”.

A sensational first stage, which included 3600m of climbing, a record for an opening day, was eventually won by Bardet (DSM-firmenich PostNL) who took the first yellow jersey of his career at the age of 33 thanks to a daring attack off the front of the peloton from 50km out, on the the Côte de San Leo. Bardet caught up to his teammate, Frank Van Den Broek, who had been in the day’s breakaway, and together they managed to maintain a one and a half minute lead over the peloton on the descent.

By the time the race arrived in Rimini, on the Adriatic coast, that lead was down to a handful of seconds – just 10 as the front pair went under the flamme rouge. It proved just enough. Wout van Aert [Visma-Lease a Bike] led the bunch over the line five seconds behind the duo, taking the last of the bonus seconds, with race favourite Tadej Pogacar [UAE TEam Emirates] fourth.

The rest of the GC contenders and stage one hopefuls, riders such as Tom Pidcock [Ineos Grenadiers] and Mads Pedersen [Lidl-Trek] were awarded the same time. Pidcock said afterwards that he “did not want to make excuses” but that he had been feeling rough on Friday, and was just pleased to have made it to the finish in the front group.

It took nearly 40 minutes for Cavendish to appear. But the Manx rider, who has postponed his retirement for one last crack at the outright Tour stage record, looked far from panicky as he made his way to the bus, speaking to the waiting media before jumping into a team minivan for a revitalising ice bath.

Asked whether he had been suffering with illness at the start, Cavendish replied: “No. It was just the heat [which caused him to vomit]. Look, we know what we’re doing. It’s not easy. Like, I always say, if you’ve got my body type, don’t start cycling, because them days are gone. But we know what we’re doing. It doesn’t mean it’s easy. We’re not riding around talking.

“That was so hard. So hard. But we had a plan and we stuck to it. Okay, it didn’t go exactly as we wanted. We would have liked to have done one more climb with the peloton. But the start was so hot. But we made it around ok.”

Asked whether he ever felt in danger of getting close to the 48 minute time cut, Cavendish shook his head. “We don’t go easy,” he said. “But you can work out what the front guys are going to do, and then work out what you need to do to get inside the limit. It’s a bit boring but that’s the way cycling has gone.

“We kind of know [how to judge it]. It makes a nice story if you’re close to the time. But the time limit is not really there to hook people out of the race. It’s there for if people are sick and can’t carry on. I know it makes a nice story, but we kind of had it [in hand].”

Whether Cavendish – who did lose one domestique, Michele Gazzoli, to the heat – was putting a brave face on it, time will tell. Sunday’s second stage, which starts in the seaside town of Cesenatico, once the home town of Il Pirata Marco Pantani, is another tough one, featuring six categorised climbs before it reaches Bologna. The first sprint of the race is due to take place on Monday into Turin.

The day, though, belonged to Bardet, who was hugely emotional at the finish. “In cycling there are still unexpected moments,” he reflected. “It’s sublime. I came to this Tour with a different state of mind. I went on instinct when I attacked. I saw a lot of riders suffering and I knew I could count on Frank who was in front. He deserves this victory as much as me. At worst I would lose 20 minutes if it didn’t work, but I’m no longer here to fight for GC.

“The yellow jersey was one of my career dreams. Finally it has happened.”

Cavendish hindered by health during opening stage: as it happened

05:36 PM BST

Cavendish finishes

And Cavendish gets over the line in ok shape, he will be happy that stage is over!

05:31 PM BST

One of the strangest stages in memory

Just spoken to Pidcock who said he didn’t want to make excuses but he wasn’t feeling well yesterday and was worried he wouldn’t make it today. Given that, he was delighted to have stayed with the front group. Said it was one of the strangest stages he can remember. So hot, no one taking it up. And when they did, they didn’t have the legs due to heat.

05:30 PM BST

Abrahamsen will wear polka dot

05:26 PM BST

Van Den Broek in green ... and white

05:22 PM BST

Bardet gets his first yellow

05:17 PM BST

Roman centurions in Rimini

Standing at the 400m line in Rimini with a few Roman centurions. Saw this outfit a lot at last autumn’s Ryder Cup.

05:14 PM BST

Who is leading each classification?

Yellow: Roman Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL)

Green: Frank Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL)

Polka Dot: Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility)

White: Frank Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL)

05:08 PM BST

Cavendish still out on the road

Cavendish’s group is still out on the road. It looks like he will make the time-cut, however, it was a worrying ride from the Manx missile.

05:05 PM BST

Bardet’s fourth stage win

That’s the fourth stage win of Bardet’s career, but with him wearing the yellow tomorrow, you’ve got to think that was the best one yet.

05:01 PM BST

A look at the top 10

1. Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL)

2. Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL)

3. Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)

4. Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)

5. Van Gils (Lotto Dstny)

6. Aranburu (Movistar)

7. Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)

8. Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step)

9. Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious)

10. Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost)

04:56 PM BST

Frank Van Den Broek’s first Tour

That is some way to announce yourself at your first Tour de France!

04:54 PM BST

They did it!

Against all odds Bardet takes the first yellow of his career with a fantastic ride but he also owes a lot to his young teammate!

04:54 PM BST

Bardet gets there first!

Van Den Broek is leading out Bardet in an amazing ride, with 250m to go Bardet gives it one last effort and manages to do it!

04:53 PM BST

1.5km to go

11 second difference with the peloton closing it, can they hold them off in time?

04:52 PM BST

2km to go

The gap is now only 16 seconds. Whether they can hold off or not, it has been a fantastic ride from Frank Van Den Broek at just 23 years old.

04:49 PM BST

4km to go

Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) look to be the favourites if the stage does end in a sprint. Both of their teams sit at the front of the peloton, but with a 35 second gap from the leaders, they may not even make it in time!

04:47 PM BST

6km to go

There is still a 35 second gap between the peloton and the breakaway. Lidl-Trek seem to have the most numbers at the front of the group.

04:44 PM BST

8km to go

Just 40 seconds between the leaders and the peloton. It looks almost inevitable they will be caught now.

04:40 PM BST

12km to go

The peloton have really turned it on now and they are rapidly gaining time on the breakaway. They have cut it down now to less than one minute between them.

04:37 PM BST

15km to go

The DSM-Firmenich PostNL duo haven’t lost any time since they crossed over the mountain, however, they will have to pull off something extraordinary to maintain their lead until the end.

04:34 PM BST

18km to go

EF Education-EasyPost have taken over at the front of the peloton. They are hoping to give Alberto Bettigol a chance to claim the stage victory close to his home town.

04:30 PM BST

20km to go

As the leaders race down the descent of the Côte de San Marino, they have managed to maintain a one and a half minute lead on the peloton.

04:27 PM BST

25km to go

Three points at play on the Côte de San Marino - two for Frank Van Den Broek and one for Romain Bardet (both DSM-Firmenich PostNL).

04:25 PM BST

27km to go

Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) has left Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) behind, but he can’t seem to gain any time on the leaders.

In the peloton things are heating up. Ineos Grenadiers, Visma-Lease a Bike and Lidl-Trek are all working hard together to try and chase down the DSM-Firmenich PostNL duo.

04:20 PM BST

28km to go

Tom Pidcock is placed well in the peloton now. He may be gearing up to make a move at some point. Prior to the race he said that he was “dreaming” of winning this stage in his preparation.

However, for now, Van Den Broek and Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) are holding strong.

04:18 PM BST

30km to go

As they climb the Côte de San Marino, the leading duo sit two minutes ahead of the peloton, and one minute ahead of the chasers. If the DSM-Firmenich PostNL duo can hold everyone off, Bardet could wear the yellow for the first time in his career.

04:14 PM BST

31km to go

As long as he crosses the finish line in Rimini, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) has taken enough points to confirm he will wear the polka dot jersey tomorrow.

04:12 PM BST

33km to go

At the other end of the race, the leading duos’ teammate, Fabio Jakobsen (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) has been dropped from the Cavendish group and falls off at the back.

04:10 PM BST

Peloton suffering so much raises concerns

Have spoken to a source at Astana who assures me Cavendish is suffering from heat stroke, rather than illness. Seeing the peloton suffer so much on stage 1 is going to raise questions for ASO about today’s parcours, the most vertical elevation ever on day one of the Tour. Also about the future of the Tour in the month of July. Will they have to move it long-term as temperatures rise?

04:05 PM BST

38km to go

Frank Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) takes two points over the top of the Côte de Montemaggio, while his teammate - Bardet - takes a sole point.

04:03 PM BST

40km to go

Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) simply cannot keep up with the DSM-Firmenich PostNL duo, and he is dropped. The leading group now consists of only two men. Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) sits one minute behind.

04:00 PM BST

41km to go

Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) has been dropped off the front group and he is easily passed by Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost). He will look to join up with the front three riders, who currently sit one and a half minutes ahead of the peloton.

03:57 PM BST

42km to go

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) missed the Bardet move, but now he makes an attack off the front of the peloton himself. He is hunting down that leading group to try and join the action.

03:55 PM BST

42km to go

The leading group now consists of only four riders:

Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) and Frank Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL).

03:49 PM BST

48km to go

Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) is the first over the top of the Côte de San Leo, taking the maximum five points.

He is followed by Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), who takes three points, and then the DSM-Firmenich PostNL pair who take two points and one point respectively.

03:48 PM BST

49km to go

Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) joins up with teammate, Frank Van Den Broek and Ryan Gibbons (Lidl-Trek). They sit 15 seconds behind the two leaders.

03:46 PM BST

49km to go

The breakaway riders are struggling on this climb, and their group is splintering. Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) is the first dropped, and Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) passes him with ease. He eyes up his next target in Ryan Gibbons (Lidl-Trek).

03:44 PM BST

50km to go

With 1.9km to go of the Côte de San Leo, Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) has attacked off the front of the peloton to join his teammate, Frank Van Den Broek in the breakaway.

03:38 PM BST

51km to go

After an emphatic start to the stage, Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) has now seen himself dropped by the peloton. It looks like he expended too much energy early on.

03:35 PM BST

52km to go

The leading group has began it’s ascent of the Côte de San Leo. With an incline of 7.7%, it is the steepest climb of the day.

03:33 PM BST

55km to go

The breakaway has maintained its lead on the peloton sitting two minutes, 18 seconds ahead. While Cavendish’s (Astana Qazaqstan) group is now eighteen and a half minutes behind the peloton.

03:29 PM BST

58km to go

A look at the King of the Mountains provisional standings:

1. Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) - 10 points

2. Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) - Eight points

3. Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) - Six points

4. Frank Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) - Three points

5. Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) - One point

03:23 PM BST

64km to go

UAE Team Emirates’ strong riding on the front of the peloton has cut the breakaway’s lead down to under two minutes.

03:21 PM BST

65km to go

Despite struggling on the Côte de Barbotto, Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) is able to use his impressive descending skills in order to rejoin the breakaway group.

03:15 PM BST

69km to go

The breakdown of the climbing points over the top of the Côte de Barbotto:

Five points - Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility)

Three points - Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ)

Two points - Frank Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL)

One point - Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious)

03:12 PM BST

70km to go

350m from the top of the climb, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) attacks early. He is challenged by Frank Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) but he comes back and claims the maximum of five points.

03:11 PM BST

Brutal first stage

The fact that David Gaudu has now fallen off the back says all you need to know about how tough this first stage is. Brutal.

03:08 PM BST

72km to go

Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), the current leader of the virtual King of the Mountains competition, has fallen away from the breakaway group! The Spaniard pushed himself too hard earlier in the race and it has cost him.

03:06 PM BST

72km to go

UAE Team Emirates are continuing in their relentless pursuit, dropping the gap between them and the breakaway to under three minutes.

03:04 PM BST

73km to go

Cavendish is really struggling with the stage today, with concerns that he is struggling with heatstroke. A video has emerged of him vomiting in the heat.

03:03 PM BST

73km to go

This climb, is really splitting up the group as UAE Team Emirates take control at the front of the peloton - there are now five distinct groups of riders. From Cavendish through to the leaders.

02:59 PM BST

74km to go

There are plenty of fans out on the road to support the riders as they pass through.

02:57 PM BST

75km to go

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe are riding hard on the front of the peloton, keen to try to reel in this breakaway.

02:53 PM BST

76km to go

The six-man leading group are heading towards the bottom of the Côte de Barbotto, the fourth categorised climb of the day, and the steepest so far.

02:40 PM BST

88km to go

EF Education-EasyPost have taken over from Visma-Lease a Bike at the front of the peloton. While the first rider to abandon from the Tour this year is Mark Cavendish’s Astana Qazaqstan teammate Michele Gazzoli - he becomes only the second rider to abandon during the first stage of his debut Tour, this century.

02:35 PM BST

92km to go

It’s a familiar sight to previous years as Visma-Lease a Bike have taken up position at the front of the peloton.

The breakaway currently sit five minutes ahead of the peloton, who in turn sit a further ten minutes ahead of the grupetto.

02:29 PM BST

99km to go

The leading group, now six men strong, maintains a lead of three minutes 50 seconds on the peloton as they head down towards the Côte de Barbotto.

02:24 PM BST

104km to go

A grupetto has now formed, with Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) having joined, Fabio Jakobsen (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), Jonas Rickaert (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Bram Welten (DSM-Firmenich PostNL).

Mark Renshaw on Sporza: “Mark Cavendish is not sick. It’s a very hard stage because of heat and that’s the problem. He hopes to catch riders in front and be on time.”

02:20 PM BST

107km to go

With two points going to Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) on the Côte de Carnaio, and one point going to Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), this is how the virtual King of the Mountains competition looks:

1. Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) - Eight points

2. Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) - Five points

3. Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) - Three points

4. Frank Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) - One point

02:17 PM BST

107km to go

Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) breaks for the climb, where he just pips Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) to the line.

02:15 PM BST

109km to go

With the climbing and the heat, Cavendish is not the only rider suffering, as Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Arnaud Demare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) all fall off the back.

02:11 PM BST

110km to go

Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) now sits seven minutes behind the peloton, but should be safe for the time cut.

02:06 PM BST

112km to go

As the breakaway head up the Côte de Carnaio, the third categorised climb of the day, Clément Champoussin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) is dropped off from the group.

Six men remain: Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Frank Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), Ryan Gibbons (Lidl-Trek) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility).

02:03 PM BST

114km to go

Reigning sprint champion, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is the first rider to go through the intermediate sprint within the peloton.

02:00 PM BST

116km to go

Sandy Dujardin (TotalEnergies) drops off from the breakaway. He was targeting the intermediate sprint, and now he has won that he elects to fall back towards the peloton.

01:55 PM BST

118km to go

The top five at the Santa Sofia:

20 points - Sandy Dujardin (TotalEnergies)

17 points - Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility)

15 points - Ryan Gibbons (Lidl-Trek)

13 points - Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ)

11 points - Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious)

01:52 PM BST

119km to go

Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) goes long in the sprint for the line, he is just pipped to the post by Sandy Dujardin (TotalEnergies), who takes the full 20 points.

01:50 PM BST

120km to go

The leading group is nearing on Santa Sofia, the first intermediate sprint of this year’s tour, and the first green jersey points available.

01:42 PM BST

126km to go

The peloton is catching the breakaway by 12 seconds per km on average.

01:40 PM BST

128km to go

Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) takes two points on the second climb of the day, while Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) takes a singular point.

01:38 PM BST

128km to go

With 500m left of the climb for the breakaway, they maintain a strong three and a half minute lead on the peloton.

01:33 PM BST

130km to go

The leading group hit the bottom of the Côte des Forche, the second categorised climb of the day.

01:31 PM BST

132km to go

The breakaway sits four minutes ahead of the peloton.

Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan), sits four minutes off the back of it.

01:21 PM BST

141km to go

Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies) is caught by the peloton, and the Frenchman rejoins the pack.

01:17 PM BST

145km to go

Cavendish and his Astana Qazaqstan teammates are now three minutes, 20 seconds from the peloton. They are trying to make up time on the descent.

01:10 PM BST

154km to go

The points break down for the Col de Valico Tre Faggi:

Five points - Ion Izagirre (Cofidis)

Three points - Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ)

Two points - Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility)

One point - Frank Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL)

01:05 PM BST

156km to go

Five riders attacked for the climb. The maximum five points was claimed by Ion Izagirre (Cofidis).

Izagirre now leads the virtual King of the Mountains competition, but there are still six categorised climbs to come today.

01:04 PM BST

156km to go

It is bad news for Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) who is now a minute off the back of the peloton as the group begin to ride harder on the climb.

01:02 PM BST

157km to go

As it stands the breakaway group now has six minutes on the peloton, and two and a half minutes on the dropped Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies). They are 1km from the top of the first climb.

12:56 PM BST

159km to go

Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) is struggling to keep up with the peloton on the climb, he is starting to drop off the back. A number of his teammates have also dropped back to help him, as well as collecting ice to try to cool him down.

12:53 PM BST

160km to go

The breakaway group has now managed to create an impressive 5 minutes 26 seconds on the peloton.

12:51 PM BST

Can tell you it’s blinking hot

All the talk around buses this morning was about whether Pogacar will attack on day one. Most felt he wouldn’t be able to help himself. Can tell you it’s blinking hot. 33C out on the course as of now. I drove the first 44km of the race route as we heard there was traffic on the public road out of Florence, and then dived off to get on to the hors course route as I want to reach the finish in time to see whether race explodes. Just listened to Lance Armstrong’s Tour preview podcast and there was a very interesting segment from Johan Bruyneel about Pogacar’s form, saying he had spoken to someone at UAE who told him Pog had lost 1.5kgs since the Giro and was putting out 10-15 watts more. They all reckoned he would kill this race, though Bruyneel did add he felt he should be reined in by his own team as he was his own worst enemy and could tire in week 3 given he has the Giro in his legs.

12:46 PM BST

163km to go

Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies) has been dropped away by the breakaway. He looks to be struggling with the heat on the day.

12:40 PM BST

164km to go

The chasing group have managed to reach the breakaway! An impressive chase by Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility). It is now nine riders, with three minutes 20 seconds on the peloton.

12:35 PM BST

166km to go

The breakaway currently has three minutes on the peloton, and 35 seconds on the chasing group.

12:33 PM BST

168km to go

The breakaway group has now built two minutes on the peloton, as they reach the first categorised climb of the stage.

12:28 PM BST

171km to go

Another chasing group has emerged, this time consisting of Ryan Gibbons (Lidl-Trek) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility).

Gibbons will just sit on Abrahamsen’s wheel. He is not trying to break himself, rather, he is trying to control this race for Lidl-Trek.

12:27 PM BST

172km to go

Defending champion, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) has to drop off the back to swap his bike, which suffered a fault.

12:25 PM BST

173km to go

The move from Odd Christian Eiking and Rasmus Tiller (both Uno-X Mobility) is swept up by Lidl-Trek, who are riding hard on the front of the peloton.

12:20 PM BST

176km to go

It is a real challenge for the riders today, alongside the most hilly opening stage in Tour de France history, temperatures on the outskirts of Florence are reaching highs of 36 degrees!

12:16 PM BST

179km to go

A chasing group of two Uno-X Mobility riders has emerged trying to join the breakaway.

The riders are: Odd Christian Eiking and Rasmus Tiller

12:15 PM BST

180km to go

The peloton have eased up and the breakaway have made some serious distance, now sitting 1 minute 34 seconds ahead of the peloton.

12:09 PM BST

185km to go

The group has managed to get 55 seconds away from the peloton.

The riders in the breakaway are: Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Clément Champoussin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Frank Van Den Broek (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), Sandy Dujardin (TotalEnergies) and Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies).

12:06 PM BST

188km to go

An 8-man group has moved off the front, creating the most distance from the pack we have seen thus far. The group includes Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious).

12:02 PM BST

192km to go

Raúl García Pierna (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) is the latest to try to make a break on his own. A number of riders come across to join him, before the peloton close the move down.

12:00 PM BST

194km to go

It looks like no group will be able to truly get away before the first climb, where the action will really kick off.

11:58 AM BST

196km to go

The initial breakaway attempts are reeling each other in. Anybody that escapes the pack could have a real chance today and so the riders are checking each other at this stage. No group has been able to put make any real distance from the bunch.

11:51 AM BST

Peloton reel it in

The group was deemed too large by the riders in the peloton and they are reeled in.

11:50 AM BST

Riders of the front

Five riders have broke from the pack, attempting to get away from the bunch. A number of other riders are chasing them to join the group.

11:48 AM BST

On the offensive

A number of riders are already on the offensive looking to get ahead of the peloton, they were unable to make are distance on the pack as their break is checked.

11:46 AM BST

Flag is dropped

The flag is dropped by race director Christian Prudhomme, and the race is underway!

11:45 AM BST

Lidl-Trek at the front of the roll-out

Even though we are still in the roll-out, Lidl-Trek have positioned a number of their riders near the front of the peloton. Could they be looking to do something today with Mads Pedersen?

11:31 AM BST

Pogacar’s double

After a dominant Giro d’Italia, Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) is targeting the first Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998. Fittingly, the race will head through where the Italian used to train tomorrow.

11:26 AM BST

Roll-out

The roll-out is back underway, the flag will soon be dropped and the race will get started!

11:18 AM BST

Ribbon cutting

The cycling has temporarily stopped for a first-stage symbolic ribbon cutting. The roll-out will soon get back underway before the action begins!

11:16 AM BST

Start in Florence

Today’s start in Florence marks the first time the Tour has ever started in Italy. The same country, where General Classification favourite Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) won the Giro d’Italia in May.

11:03 AM BST

The cyclists roll-out

The cyclists are completing their ceremonial neutralised roll-out, ahead of the real race beginning.

10:59 AM BST

Brits in this year’s Tour

Alongside Pidcock, 10 other Brits are taking to the start line today.

This list includes British cycling legend Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan), who is seeking out his 35th stage win, and previous winner Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers). 

10:47 AM BST

Today’s stage profile

After a flat start, the riders tackle the Colle de Valico Tre Faggi (12.5 km at 5.1%), Côte des Forges (2.5 km at 6.2%), Côte de Carnaio (10.5 km at 4.6%), Côte de Barbotto (5.8 km at 7.6%), Côte de San Leo (4.6 km at 7.7%), Côte de Montemaggio (4.2 km at 6.6%), and the Côte de San Marino (7.1 km at 4.8%). From the top of that last climb, it’s 27 km km to the finish. There will also be an intermediate sprint at km 86.6

10:41 AM BST

Who is vying for the maillot jaune?

There are four widely accepted favourites for this year’s Tour de France: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). However, a crash in the Tour of the Basque country involving Vingegaard, Roglic and Evenepoel means that the three riders do not go into the race in ideal conditions. The crash left the defending champion Vingegaard, with a broken collarbone and several broken ribs. He hasn’t raced since the crash, but he has been in training, with his team coach recently saying: “He’s ok, and he’s really motivated. For sure we think he will be competitive, but there are still too many insecurities to say he’s ready to win.”

These conditions have made Pogacar the out-and-out favourite for many, however, with the potential fatigue hangover he faces from his recent victory at the Giro d’Italia, this Tour provides the best chance for a dark horse winner we have seen in recent years. Keep your eye on Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates), Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers), Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla), Enric Mas (Movistar), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) as the race progresses.

10:35 AM BST

The 2024 Tour de France is here!

Today marks the 111th edition of the biggest event on the cycling calendar. This year’s race will see the riders cover 3498km in total, as well as riding through four separate countries - Italy, San Marino, France and Monaco.

Today’s stage is also the first ever time the Tour has started in Italy. The Grand Depart will begin on the banks of the Arno River in Florence, before heading through Tuscany and finishing on the Adriatic coast. The ride will also see the riders enter into San Marino, which will become the Tour’s 13th country.

A unique opening stage, today’s 206km race is the most hilly first stage in the race’s history, with 3600m of climbing. In fact, stage one is indicative of this year’s Tour on the whole, which looks to be more hilly and climbing-oriented than we have seen in previous years. “It’s so hard. I am actually in a bit of shock,” said Mark Cavendish when finding out about the mountainous profile of this year’s race. “It might be the hardest route I’ve ever seen at the Tour de France.”

Amongst the hopefuls for today’s stage is Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), who spoke of targeting the stage as his first goal of this year’s Tour. “It’s kind of what I’ve been dreaming of this last month when I’ve been training hard,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys who will already be having the same dream so it’s not going to be easy, but we’re going to give it a good shot.”

He will not be alone in targeting this stage however, as many riders will be keen to get off the mark and wear the yellow jersey tomorrow. A few other potential favourites to look out for are: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost).

An exciting stage with plenty of climbing involved, get ready for a thrilling opener!