Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Belgium's Jasper Philipsen celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the first stage.Alamy Stock Photo FreeCycling Frantic start to Tour de France is marred by series of falls Irish pair Ben Healy and Eddie Dunbar finished 64th and 154th, respectively. 6.16pm, 5 Jul 2025 Share options THERE WERE MIXED fortunes for the thousands of Belgian fans who poured over the border for the opening stage of the Tour de France as Jasper Philipsen won, but star rider Remco Evenepoel lost valuable time. Philipsen took the yellow jersey in a frantic sprint finish at the northern city of Lille, while double Olympic champion Evenepoel was trapped in a second group and lost 39 seconds. Race favourites Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard both finished safely in the lead pack on a day marred by a series of falls. Ireland’s Ben Healy, riding for EF Education – EasyPost, was 39 seconds off in 64th place. Team Jayco AlUla’s Eddie Dunbar was making his Tour debut and was back in 154th. Even defending champion Pogacar appeared flustered at the finish line. “It was as frantic as we had expected, but when the split came fortunately I was near the front,” said the 26-year-old Slovenian. “I’m just happy day one is done. Nine days to go before the first rest day.” Africa’s sole rider Biniam Girmay, winner of three stages in 2024, was second on the day as Philipsen got ahead of him with 100m to go. Advertisement But Girmay, winner of the 2024 best sprinter’s green jersey, ended the stage with the white jersey for the best 25 and under rider. Philipsen, however, was the man in yellow. “It’s a day I will never forget. This is why I have been getting up early and training hard each day,” said Philipsen after notching up a 10th career stage win on the Tour. His Alpecin team, marshalled by Mathieu van der Poel, formed an old-school sprint train that the winner hailed. “What an experience! Those final kilometres, to be part of that,” beamed Philipsen. - Caught napping - Billed as the third man here after finishing behind Pogacar and Vingegaard on his debut Tour in 2024, Evenepoel was in sombre mood at his team bus. “We were asleep, we thought any danger was over,” Evenepoel said of the split where both he and his team’s sprinter Tim Merlier found themselves trapped just 20km from the finish. Around 40 riders in the first group contested the sprint where one of the day’s many falls happened. Primoz Roglic and Florian Lipowitz of Red Bull, and Team UAE’s Joao Almeida were also caught out in the blustery winds. Another UAE man, Adam Yates, lost minutes, meaning Pogacar’s two deputies are off the pace is something happens to the UAE star man. Fans packed the route in one of France’s more modest regions passing First World War memorials, red-brick houses and slagheaps from long-closed coal mines along the Belgian border. Under overcast skies with the temperature a manageable 22C, the peloton cut a fast pace despite the windy conditions, but no rain fell until the riders had passed the finish line. Racing towards an intermediate sprint over cobbles, escapee Benjamin Thomas slid sideways and took out his sole rival Matteo Vercher in one spectacular fall and the pair were still bickering when the peloton shot past them. Former time-trial world champion Filippo Ganna was one rider who will take no further part after a clumsy fall on a corner. The Italian would have been a contender on the lengthy stage 5 individual time-trial, as well as key in the Ineos team’s campaign to get veteran Geraint Thomas into the top 10 on his 14th and final Tour de France. Philipsen, in yellow, will lead the peloton out for Sunday’s second stage, a hilly 209km route to the beaches of Boulogne-sur-mer. – © AFP 2025 Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Frantic start to Tour de France is marred by series of falls”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Frantic start to Tour de France is marred by series of falls”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Tour de France News in 60 seconds FreeClosing In English amateur Lottie Woad poised for victory at Irish Open FreeJob Done Waterford rise above Clare to offer glimpse of career grand slam for 17-year veteran 50 mins ago FreeLast Four Quick start lays platform for Galway's progress to All-Ireland semi-finals Georgia v Ireland, Summer Series Verstappen shades Piastri for pole at Silverstone Rybakina the latest big name dumped out of Wimbledon; world no.1 Sinner cruises through FreeDominant Tyrrell leads the way as Dublin power past Cork As it happened New South Wales Waratahs v British & Irish Lions, Australia Tour 2025 Cork v Dublin, All-Ireland SHC semi-final Irish athlete Ciara Mageean diagnosed with cancer Georgia v Ireland, Summer Series more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine TG4 Entertainment Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account