Stage 1 of the 2021 Tour de France was chaotic.
Riders were eager to return to racing with fans roadside, but this proved to change the course of the race.
Two crashes marred the stage affecting the favored teams UAE-Team Emirates and Jumbo-Visma.
Despite the massive pileups, one of the pre-race favorites to win the day — Julian Alaphilippe — did so in his “Alapanache” style.
World champion Julian Alaphilippe was a favorite to win the stage. He delivered.
The day’s breakaway.
Fans lined the roads in traditional dress.
Chris Froome was among the dozens who crashed in two big pile-ups.
Lachlan Morton of EF Education-Nippo is doing the Tour de France a little differently this year. He’s riding it solo, and unsupported. What’s more, he is riding all the transfers, too, and hopes to beat the peloton to Paris. Rapha and EF are supporting his effort as a fundraiser for World Bicycle Relief.
The main bunch races into the final climb to the finish.
A second group makes its way to the finish after the second big crash of the day.
Qhubeka-Assos rebranded as Qhubeka-NextHash earlier this week.