56: Tour de France 2018 | Stage 1 | Noirmoutier-en-l’Île – Fontenay-le-Comte
Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and François Thomazeau kick off The Cycling Podcast’s Tour de France coverage after an opening stage that concluded with a chaotic final ten kilometres. Join them as they digest the fall-out from a number of crashes that saw several of the big favourites lose time. The stage was won by Tour debutant Fernando Gaviria of Quick Step Floors ahead of the world champion Peter Sagan and former Quick Step star Marcel Kittel, who won five Tour stages for them last year. We hear from Quick Step’s boss Patrick Lefevere, sports director Brian Holm and rider Yves Lampaert. Just as he did at the Giro d’Italia earlier this year, Chris Froome crashed on the opening day of the race and lost time – as did other overall contenders Richie Porte and Adam Yates. Nairo Quintana fared even worse after mechanical problems and was left to chase alone by his Movistar team. We ask what this means for their three-pronged assault on the race. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Rapha and Science In Sport.