Yves Lampaert claims victory in Copenhagen on wet opening day of Tour de France

Belgium’s Yves Lampaert won a wet opening time trial in the Tour de France (Daniel Cole/AP)

Yves Lampaert took the first yellow jersey, seven seconds ahead of defending champion Tadej Pogacar, as the 109th Tour de France started under clouds both real and metaphorical in Copenhagen.

QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl’s Lampaert won a damp and treacherous 13.2km opening time trial around the Danish capital in a time of 15 minutes 17 seconds to beat fellow Belgian Wout van Aert by five seconds, with Pogacar finishing third to make an early statement in his bid for a third consecutive title.