Tour de France: Adam Yates wins brother duel - Pogacar collects seconds

By Stefan Tabeling and Tom Bachmann, dpa

Adam Yates crossed the finish line at the cycling party in the Basque Country with his arms outstretched, while his beaten twin brother Simon fought in vain to catch up just a few metres behind him. The opening stage of the 110th Tour de France developed into a remarkable brotherly duel - with the better end for Adam. Tadej Pogacar's UAE team-mate won by four seconds after 182 kilometres with start and finish in Bilbao.

Pogacar was also able to celebrate. The two-time Tour champion secured four valuable bonus seconds in the duel with the Danish defending champion Jonas Vingegaard by finishing third. Pogacar and Adam Yates celebrated their coup in the finish area in Bilbao. "I am super happy. I worked for Tadej, I came back on the descent and attacked," said winner Yates.

The German mini squad of seven professional cyclists - the lowest number since 1999 - was unable to make a big impression in the rollercoaster ride with almost 3300 metres of climbing, which is perhaps a sign of things to come in the Tour. Emanuel Buchmann and Co. are unlikely to achieve more than isolated successes this year. At least Georg Zimmermann launched a first attack on the mountains jersey, but lost the decisive sprint on the penultimate climb against Neilson Powless.

Spaniard Mas already eliminated

The opening stage did not go completely without a crash, and two well-known riders were caught out. Vuelta runner-up Enric Mas (Spain) and Olympic champion Richard Carapaz (Ecuador) crashed on the descent of the Cote de Vivero. Mas had to abandon the race, Carapaz continued but lost a lot of time. Following the death of Gino Mäder, who fell into a ravine on a descent at the Tour de Suisse in mid-June and died a day later, the safety debate had accompanied the Tour in the run-up to the race - and is likely to remain a major issue.

However, all eyes were on the duel between the two big favourites on the steep climb to the Cote de Pike a good ten kilometres before the finish. With gradients of up to 15.6 per cent, Pogacar launched an initial attack that only a few riders were able to follow. But Vingegaard was literally glued to the Slovenian's rear wheel. On the descent, a larger group came together again, from which the two Yates brothers broke away.

Pogacar dampens expectations

"Jonas is the top favourite," Pogacar had said before the Grand Départ and referred to his still unhealed scaphoid after the crash in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic in the spring: "I'm still a long way from being fully mobile again, I'm maybe at 60 or 70 per cent." There was not much evidence of this at the start in the Basque Country.

Meanwhile, several hundred thousand spectators provided an impressive backdrop on the roadside, which was no surprise to Simon Geschke. "I go to the Tour of the Basque Country almost every year. The atmosphere in the Basque Country is in the top league. The Basques are completely crazy," said the 37-year-old, who rode nine days in the mountain jersey last year. The fact that this time, unlike the last time the Tour started in the Basque Country in 1992, a Spaniard did not snatch the first yellow jersey from the great Miguel Indurain, did not dampen the enthusiasm in Bilbao.

The three-day Tour guest appearance in Spain continues on Sunday with the second stage over 208.9 kilometres from Vitoria-Gasteiz to San Sebastian. Once again, five mountain classifications await. The sprinters are likely to be left behind by the Jaizkibel, the last climb a good 16 kilometres before the finish, when the route climbs an average of 5.3 per cent over a distance of eight kilometres.

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