Races Road Kittel wins opening stage of Tour de France By Susan Westemeyer published 5 July 2014 Cavendish crashes during stage's finale Comments Race Home Stages Stage 1 190.5km | Leeds - Harrogate Stage 2 201km | York - Sheffield Stage 3 155km | Cambridge - London Stage 4 163.5km | Le Touquet-Paris-Plage - Lille Métropole Stage 5 155.5km | Ypres - Arenberg Porte du Hainaut Stage 6 194km | Arras - Reims Stage 7 234.5km | Épernay - Nancy Stage 8 161km | Tomblaine - Gérardmer La Mauselaine Stage 9 170km | Gérardmer - Mulhouse Stage 10 161.5km | Mulhouse - La Planche des Belles Filles Rest Day 1 Besançon - Besançon Stage 11 187.5km | Besançon - Oyonnax Stage 12 185.5km | Bourg-en-Bresse - Saint-Étienne Stage 13 197.5km | Saint-Étienne - Chamrousse Stage 14 177km | Grenoble - Risoul Stage 15 222km | Tallard - Nîmes Rest Day 2 Carcassonne - Carcassonne Stage 16 237.5km | Carcassonne - Bagnères-de-Luchon Stage 17 124.5km | Saint-Gaudens - Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d'Adet Stage 18 145.5km | Pau - Hautacam Stage 19 208.5km | Maubourguet Pays du Val d'Adour - Bergerac Stage 20 54km | Bergerac - Périgueux (ITT) Stage 21 137.5km | Évry - Paris Champs-Élysées View all Stages Route Race history Contenders Start list Image 1 of 174Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) wins stage 1 of the Tour de France(Image credit: AFP)French national champion Arnaud Demare talks to the press after stage 1(Image credit: ASO/G. Demouveaux)Handshakes on the startline(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Kilometer Zero(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Fränk Schleck with ASO race director Thierry Gouvenou(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)The Duchess of Cambridge on the start line(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)The Duchess of Cambridge cuts the ribbon to start the 2014 Tour de France(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Australian champion Simon Gerrans(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Leeds was ready for the Grand Depart(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Yukiya Arashiro's custom painted Colnago(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Sagan's custom painted bike(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Cavendish's special edition Specialized Evade helmet that celebrates the charity Help for Heroes(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Just some of the thousands of fans who lined the roads(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Canadian national champion Svein Tuft (Orica-GreenEdge)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Europcar’s Bryan Coquard was spent after sprinting to fourth(Image credit: ASO/G. Demouveaux)Jens Voigt (Trek) receives the climbers jersey from Prince Harry(Image credit: ASO/P.Perreve)Best young rider Peter Sagan (Cannondale)(Image credit: ASO/P.Perreve)No podium hi-jinks from Peter Sagan (Cannondale)(Image credit: ASO/P.Perreve)Bryan Coquard (Europcar)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)The torn jersey of Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) has his hopes dashed by Cavendish crashing into him(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Mark Renshaw after the finish(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Fabian Cancellara (Trek) launched a late attack(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Sebastian Langeveld (Garmin-Sharp)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Dutch national champion Sebastian Langeveld (Garmin-Sharp)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Mark Cavendish rides off after crashing in the finale(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) crosses the line(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)Marcel Kittel adds another lion to his collection(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)The Duchess of Cambridge presented the yellow jersey(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) celebrates the win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Peter Sagan looks on at what might have been(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Yes! Marcel Kittel gets the win and yellow jersey(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) in a world of pain(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Cavendish's teammates call for help after the crash(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)The Duchess of Cambridge cuts the ribbon(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Mark Cavendish and Simon Gerrans hit the ground(Image credit: Bettini Photo)The sprinters try to avoid the falling Mark Cavendish and Simon Gerrans(Image credit: Bettini Photo)The crash in the last few 100 meters(Image credit: Bettini Photo)Fabian Cancellara (Trek) and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) cross the line(Image credit: Bettini Photo)The royal family on the podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Marcel Kittel with the royal family members(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Chris Froome having signed on in Leeds(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Peter Sagan signing on in Leeds(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)le Tour de Leeds...(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Peter Sagan's Cannondale(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)The retro painted Ridley's for Lotto-Belisol(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Mark Cavendish's Venge(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)The Duchess of Cambridge helps Marcel Kittel with his yellow jersey(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) escorted after crashing in the finale(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Kittel hugs his teammate after the win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Marcel Kittel after winning stage 1(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Marcel Kittel was spent after the victory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)The first KOM jersey of 2014 went to Jens Voigt (Trek)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)Princes Harry and William, the Duchess of Cambridge and Marcel Kittel(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)There was a British theme to todays stage start in Leeds ..(Image credit: Mark Gunter)Plus some French style going on as well(Image credit: Mark Gunter)Vantage points were found in all sorts of places.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)Happy days in Leeds .(Image credit: Mark Gunter)A few happy locals came down to the start.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)A few young fans enjoying the day.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)Go for it!(Image credit: Mark Gunter)Thousands turned out for the start.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)Thousands on the Cote de Cray.(Image credit: Mark Gunter)