Tour de France 2016: Mark Cavendish wins stage one – as it happened

A fantastic day for Mark Cavendish, unseating overwhelming favourites Kittel and Greipel to take his 27th Tour stage win. He’s just one behind Bernard Hinault now, and must have that on his summer to-do list.

It’s another step in the dramatic rise of Africa’s Dimension Data team too, adding Cavendish’s yellow jersey and another stage win to build on their breakthrough 2015.

Aside from Kittel and Greipel, who will both be left dazed and confused by Cavendish leaving them for dust, it was a tough day for Alberto Contador, who fell hard midway through the race but recovered to finish with the pack.

Thanks for joining me today. Same time tomorrow? Bye!

Cav speaks!

On finally claiming the yellow jersey: “It’s phenomenal... it’s the third opportunity, the first without bad luck. It was a big goal, we came here with the aim of doing this for Dimension Data. There’s no bigger stage in cycling than the yellow jersey.”

On finally beating Marcel Kittel in a sprint finish: “Regardless of who’s there, to win a stage is incredible. To pull on the yellow jersey is incredible, and what a place to do it [Utah Beach]. I feel a bit emotional”

1. Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data)
2. Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep)
3. Peter Sagan (Tinkoff)
4. André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal)
5. Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo)

That was exceptional from Cavendish, who was hauled into a competitive spot by his team but apparently left with too much to do, with Kittel and Sagan breathing down his neck with 400m to go. Cavendish held his line, and held them off with apparent ease. He’s still got it, you know.

He’s done it, outlasting Sagan and Kittel for Tour win No27, and for the first time, the yellow jersey. What a performance that was...

Etixx controlling the pace, Cavendish holding on – there’s a heavy crash behind, a Katusha rider clipping a barrier, but the contenders stay out of trouble, with Cavendish, Kittel and Sagan ready to do battle...

1km to go... Alexander Kristoff’s Katusha take up the reins, with Dimension Data still nicely placed. Cavendish, Coquard, Degenkolb and the usual subjects jostling at the front – and Peter Sagan is on Kittel’s wheel...

Delaplace has bagged the combativity award, and the two leaders are finally swallowed up, poor Alex Howes earning a sum total of nothing for his relentless efforts. 3km to go, Dimension Data, and Ettix-QuickStep in prime positions, Greipel’s Lotto-Soudal team labouring a little...

Kittel, Greipel and Cavendish, who have taken the last stage for the last seven Tours between them – remain the favourites to open this year’s Tour with a win. With 6km to go, Howes and Delaplace, out in front on their own for over an hour, still lead by 18 seconds. They’re going to come painfully close.

The peloton are back within sight of the pesky pair out in front, but there’s still very little urgency with the challengers well placed, and 10km still to go. This is, in a word, cagey.

So, we move into the home straight with Howes and Delaplace still duking it out. The gap is still 25 seconds, but not for long. There’s not too much in the way of awkward turns or bottlenecks to come, but events will unfurl at a furious pace, helped by that sturdy tailwind.

RIP, Caroline Aherne.

Delaplace races away one more time, hoping to bag the combativity award, if not the stage. We’re heading into that 90-degree left-hand turn – and Howes counters Delaplace! These two have had fun out there today. They still lead by 25 seconds.

The two leaders have been riding wheel-to-wheel for the entire race, and still hold a 30-second lead with 20km left, as the peloton ease off a touch, on a straight stretch of road before the big left-hand turn back towards the coast.

Turning inland, Howes and Delaplace race into a headwind, and have stretched their lead to 24 seconds. A couple of riders topple over at the back of an anxious peloton – Lampre’s Yukiya Arashiro and Trek’s Peter Stetina – but both are able to dust themselves off and continue, although Arashiro has an apparent hand injury. Elsewhere, GC contender Tejay van Garderen has had to replace his bike and rejoin the chasing pack.

There are two landmarks to come in the final 20km; Sainte Mère-Eglise, the first town liberated by the Allies in World War II, and Utah Beach, infamous scene of the D-Day landings. Before we focus on the finale, I’ll leave this here:

Team Sky domestique Luke Rowe, brought down in that Contador crash, has recovered sufficiently to lead the peloton’s charge, alongside usual suspects Lotto-Soudal and Ettix-QuickStep. They’re in sight of the peloton on a long stretch at the northern edge of Utah Beach.

We’re heading downhill towards the final 30km, which chicanes from Quinéville to Utah Beach via Sainte-Mère-Eglise. The hefty swings in direction will cause headwinds, sidewinds and then a helpful tailwind on the chase to the line. The big sprinting beasts will need to keep their wits about them.

The weather seems to be brighter and calmer over on the eastern side of the Cotentin peninsula, and the gap is down to 35 seconds. Delaplace at least got to lead the race as it passed just south of Valognes. Howes should be handed the Combative jersey; he doesn’t deserve to finish empty-handed.

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Howes and Delaplace have a minute on the peloton, which has mercilessly swallowed up the other breakaway riders. We’re approaching the aforementioned Montebourg, a town I’ve visited. I recall with fondness its charming central square, its many dimly-lit sports bars, and their stoic refusal to show any sport other than cycling.

“It is indeed fantastique that Le Tour has started again – July is ALWAYS the best month for sport. Cav in Yellow? No, too many nerves today in the peloton, so I don’t think so” offers Andrew Benton, before bringing up That Thing we’re all trying not to think about.

“French politician Arnaud Montebourg, whose namesake town the race is heading to in a moment, apparently said ‘if the UK were to vote to leave the EU, France will roll out the red carpet to British investors who will flee their country. They will all come to France because companies need Europe.’ Zut alors!”

We’re an hour away from the finish line, with 50km remaining. Anyone prepared to bet against Kittel or Greipel at this stage? Anyone?

Howes and Delaplace – not a Hoxton patisserie, but today’s leading pair – are now 45 seconds clear of the pack. It’s not nearly enough. André Greipel looks a bit miffed at having to haul the peloton along himself, while at the back, French national champion Arthur Vichot is struggling.

The race is heading into Saint-Sauveur le-Vicomte, a town flanked by a dizzying array of elegant chateaux, if the aerial shots are anything to go by. Anthony Delaplace, now within ten miles of his home town, decides to go it alone, and is joined by Alex Howes. Those two have nothing to show for their efforts yet, so it’s surely worth one more go.

30 seconds between the leaders and chasing pack now. Despite the drama caused by the cross winds, everyone is back in the peloton and nobody’s retired – yet. There’s 60km to go. By the way, if you’re new to the Tour and none of this makes any sense, take a look at our beginners’ guide:

Contador is getting treatment from a medical car, a doctor applying bandages to that sore right shoulder at 30kph. It takes a good while, but Contador, pedals stationary, right arm on the car, doesn’t seem to mind.

A lively sprint to the line in La Haye sees Leigh Howard take the points ahead of Barta and Howes. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t in the IAM team this time last week. Further back, Greipel bests Kittel and Cavendish in a frankly half-hearted chase for minor placings.

Contador is back in the pack, and doesn’t seem to have picked up any lasting injuries – all that’s required is a change of his right shoe, which he does without stopping. He’s been fortunate if that’s the case – it was a heavy fall.

The leading quartet are 3.5km from the intermediate sprint – that drama has slowed the peloton up, so there’s a chance to take a very early lead in the green jersey race. They won’t be wearing it in Paris, though – Barry Glendenning has run the rule over Sagan, Cavendish and the other contenders:

Eek, now Geraint Thomas has pulled up with a puncture and with his team car nowhere in sight, has to wait for assistance. The main bunch remain 40 seconds behind the leaders, who are down to four. Paul Voss’s hill climbs have caught up with him. There are a fair few dropped riders, but the peloton is slowly regrouping as the race heads inland.

Alberto Contador is down! The former champion falls hard into a kerb, and is left a long way off the back by the time he remounts. He has a nasty spot of road rash on his right shoulder, too.

Now it’s Marcel Kittel and Etixx QuickStep’s turn to put the hammer down. The front five have made it into the relative safety of the next village, but the gap is under a minute, and they will do well to stay clear until the intermediate sprint. That opens up the possibility of Peter Sagan getting sewn into the green jersey nice and early.

Bad news for Mark Cavendish – he’s stayed in the main bunch, but several of his team-mates, including Teklehaimanot and Steve Cummings, have fallen off the back. Cav won’t be winning this race without half his lead-out train. The metronomic Tony Martin is now pushing the peloton forward, with the gap to the leaders slashed to 90 seconds.

Signs of anxiety in the peloton now, with Cannondale upping the pace and sending the big hitters scurrying after them. The main contenders are keeping up, Luke Rowe driving Chris Froome forward, while Nairo Quintana, caught out by cross winds last year, is making sure he keeps in touch.

The race reaches an exposed stretch of road, where the wind is really whipping off the Channel. In preparation, Movistar, Team Sky and Tinkoff have taken over the peloton to protect their GC contenders – Nairo Quintana, Chris Froome and Alberto Contador. Any break in the pack could be costly here – but they’re keeping it together so far.