Tour de France: Geraint Thomas wins stage 1

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Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) put in a stunning performance to win the opening time trial of the Tour de France, covering the 14km in Düsseldorf course in a time of 16:04 to take the first leader's yellow jersey. 

Stefan Küng (BMC) was second at five seconds with former world champion Vasil Kiryienka (Sky) third at seven seconds. Froome came in sixth at 12 seconds, the best of the overall favourites to give Team Sky another reason to celebrate.

The opening stage was marked by heavy rain and wet roads that sparked many crashes. Movistar veteran Alejandro Valverde was the most seriously injured, and went to hospital after crashing full force into the barriers. Initial reports suggested he fractured his kneecap and cut his leg.

Thomas had to sit in the hot seat and suffer as his rivals finished. He finally got to celebrate when last starter Froome crossed the line.

"It's an amazing feeling. I didn't believe it was going to happen, I thought, 'Martin's going to beat me, or somebody's going to beat me,' " Thomas said.

"I've had my fair share of bad luck this year. Also, back home the last month hasn't been great, all this year actually. It's amazing to get this win, and big thanks to everyone who's supported me. Big shout out to my wife, and my mum as well. We've both had a bit of a rough time recently. It's a great day."

How it unfolded

Elie Gesbert of Fortuneo-Oscaro celebrated both his Tour de France debut and his 22nd birthday by being the first down the start ramp on a very grey and wet day in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) was an early victim of the rain, slipping out on a turn and slip-sliding a long way into the barriers. He made his way gamely to the finish, no doubt hoping for better luck in the coming sprint finishes.

As the stage went along, the best time went from Astana's Andrei Grivko (16:21), to Sunweb's Nikias Arndt (16:20), to Quick-Step's Matteo Trentin (16:14). Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), perhaps gunning for the yellow jersey in the coming days, put in a time of 16:29. However former World Champion Vasil Kiryienka (Sky) was the next to sit in the hot seat with a time of 16:11.

The corner that took down Groenewegen seemed to hurt LottoNL-Jumbo, as George Bennett slid out there too. He needed a new bike, and the road was so slick that even the mechanic went sliding as he pushed the rider off. Lotto Soudal's Tony Gallopin also took a tumble, going straight into the barriers. Other riders crashed but were not seen on television as the rain made conditions very difficult.

Kiryienka's time withheld a challenge from one teammate Michal Kwiatkowski, but it fell to another when Thomas blasted through the finish line seven seconds faster to move into the hot seat with a time of 16:04.

Shortly thereafter, the wet road claimed a very prominent victim, as Valverde slid out and hit the barriers full force. His injuries were not immediately known but it was clear that they were serious enough to take him out of the race, and he was soon on his way to hospital.

Fellow Spaniard Ion Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida) was yet another crash victim, ultimately abandoning the race as well. It was a tough day for Spain's overall hopes.

After seeing teammates crash, more and more riders decided to take few risks on the wet roads. Richie Porte (BMC) finished a surprising 47 seconds down. Even World and German champion Tony Martin (Katusha) took it carefully through some of the corners, and finished only a disappointed fourth.

Trek-Segafredo's Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana (Movistar) came in some ways down as well, giving Froome ample opportunity to pick up time. Finishing just 12 seconds behind Thomas, he gained 35 seconds on Porte, 36 on Quintana and 42 on Contador.

The Tour de France has only just begun but the rain-soaked 14km time trial has left a serious mark on the race.

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