PORTO VECCHIO, Corsica (AP) — The first stage of the 100th Tour de France ended in chaotic scenes with riders crashing and a bus parked on the finish line until moments from the end on Saturday.
German rider Marcel Kittle escaped the mayhem to win the stage on Corsica. Kittel beat Russian sprinter Alexander Kristoff in a sprint finish.
"I'm speechless, so, so happy. This is by far the greatest day in my whole life," Kittel said. "It's by far (my) biggest victory. I hope I can sleep, I'm going to be pretty excited about tomorrow."
But what happened behind them was far more incidental.
The decision was initially taken late on to shorten the flat stage by three kilometers (two miles) because a bus from the Orica Greenedge team was stuck on the finish line. But organizers managed to move the bus just in time.
Kittel did not even know about the bus, and was lucky enough to avoid the crash to win the flat 213-kilometer (132-mile) trek from Porto Vecchio to Bastia in just under 5 hours. Kristoff and third-place Danny van poppel clocked the same time.
"It feels like I have gold on my shoulders," Kittel said about wearing the famed yellow jersey. "I didn't know about the bus. I'm glad they were able to move it."
Kittel would have faced stiffer competition if more than a dozen riders hadn't fallen close to the end, among them two-time former champion Alberto Contador and sprinter Peter Sagan. They got back up, with Contador's shoulder cut and bruised.
British sprinter Mark Cavendish did not crash but was stuck behind those who fell and could not challenge for his 24th stage win. He was hoping to wear the prestigious yellow jersey for the first time in his career.
But Cavendish and Sagan were nowhere to be seen as the main bunch turned for home, and Kittel held off Kristoff as they dipped for the line.
"I saw the crash happen to my right," said Kittel, who also finished the day with the best sprinter's green jersey. "I knew it was serious. I knew that Mark and Andre (Greipel) were no longer in contention and it was a good chance for us."
Cavendish's Omega Pharma-Quick Step teammate Tony Martin was caught in the fall and later taken to hospital after losing consciousness.
Contador had a bad day, too.
Returning from a doping ban after testing positive on the 2010 Tour — a title he has been stripped of — the Spaniard grimaced in pain as he crossed the line with his clothing torn and his left shoulder grazed.
"I am fine, I'm OK," Contador said through a translator. "Someone didn't brake in front of me and then there was a crash. I will have to rest now."
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