Racing

Tour de France 2016: Grand Depart gallery

The opening weekend in photos as Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan win stages one and two

The 103rd Tour de France is underway, with Mark Cavendish and world champion Peter Sagan both getting to pull on the yellow jersey for the first time.

Rolling out in the shadow of Mont-Saint-Michel, the drama has already been high with Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) twice crashing and fellow GC contender Richie Porte (BMC Racing) losing time after an ill-timed puncture.

Mark Cavendish celebrates his 27th career Tour de France stage win (pic: Sirotti)

Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) nearly pulled off a shock solo win on stage two, meanwhile, as the break was only pulled back inside the final kilometre.

Here’s how it unfolded through the lens of UCI WorldTour photographer Stefano Sirotti.

Mont-Saint-Michel provided the backdrop for the first stage of the 103rd Tour de France (pic: Sirotti)

World champion Peter Sagan and defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome are among the big names on the star-studded startlist (pic: Sirotti)

Cavendish sprints to victory - his 27th in Tour de France history - to banish the memories of his 2014 crash and missed opportunity in Harrogate (pic: Sirotti)

The Manxman is joined on the podium by his daughter (pic: Sirotti)

And is congratulated on his first ever yellow jersey by Prince Albert of Monaco (pic: Sirotti)

There was also time for a sombre reflection of Utah Beach's historic importance. Riders from France, Germany, USA and Great Britain - including Cavendish in the yellow jersey - were among those to pay tribute at the war memorial (pic: Sirotti)

Cavendish prepares to roll out in the yellow jersey on stage two (pic: Sirotti)

While Direct Energie enjoyed the pre-stage festivities (pic: Sirotti)

Peter Sagan was initially unaware he had won the stage, thinking breakaway riders had already finished (pic: Sirotti)

Julian Alaphilippe - never one to hide his emotions - clearly was aware of the opportunity he had missed, however

Alberto Contador grimaces as he finishes, having crashed for the second consecutive stage (pic: Sirotti)

Cavendish had no such dramas, enjoying his day in the yellow jersey (pic: Sirotti)

Oleg Tinkov reflects on a mixed day for his team with Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme (pic: Sirotti)

Sagan's stage win was his first since 2013, after two years packed with near-misses (pic: Sirotti)

Sagan will swap his rainbow bands for the yellow jersey on stage three, and probably beyond (pic: Sirotti)

Significantly, the victory also saw him open up an advantage in the points classification too. Mark Cavendish will wear the green jersey on stage three, however, with Sagan in yellow.

Jasper Stuyven's consolation for coming so close to a shock stage win was the combativity prize and the polka dot jersey. Stuyven will be King of the Mountains for at least three stages thanks to his efforts (pic: Sirotti)

Topics:

Tour de France 2016 Tour de France 2016 Galleries

Featured in this post

Tour de France

production