Stage 1 (July 5, Lille → Lille, 185 km):

• Winner: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin‑Deceuninck) in a bunch sprint

• Podium: Biniam Girmay 2nd, Søren Wærenskjold 3rd

• Yellow jersey: Snagged by Philipsen

• Crashes & crosswinds: Reports of a serious crash in the breakaway and Filippo Ganna abandoning race

• Impact on GC: Defending champ Pogacar and main rivals finished safely but lost minor time in the split caused by crosswinds. Remco Evenepoel also dropped back

Analysis
A typical sprinters’ opener with a fast, controlled finale. Crosswinds caused early disruption, but the GC contenders remained unscathed. Philipsen took advantage of a mis-timed lead-out and showed his top-tier sprint capability.

🗓 What’s Next – Stage 2 (July 6, Lauwin‑Planque → Boulogne‑sur‑Mer, 212 km):

• A punchy, hilly sprint finale with three short climbs in the final 30 km

• Expectation: Sprinters may struggle; riders like Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel are eyeing this stage 

Bigger Picture

• Pogacar vs Vingegaard: The top storyline remains the duel between Pogacar (3‑time champ) and Vingegaard (2‑time winner). Pogacar arrives in peak form, fresh off psychological wins over Vingegaard at Dauphiné 

•  Vingegaard is ready to fight back.

• Podium contenders: Riders like Remco Evenepoel, João Almeida, and promising younger climbers (Lipowitz, Skjelmose, Onley) are vying for the top 3, though Pogacar and Vingegaard seem the strongest 

• Breakout talents: Oscar Onley (22) won a mountain stage at Tour de Suisse and may hunt for stage wins here, particularly in rolling terrain

• Home riders: France still awaits a champion since 1985 (Hinault); unlikely to challenge for yellow but a strong performance would thrill the fans .

Stage 1 Takeaways

• Sprinters: Philipsen in top form, others watching.

• GC contenders: Safely through day one — all eyes on stage 2 and the upcoming time trial (stage 5).

• Tactics alert: Expect aggressive racing over punchy and hilly profiles starting with stage 2 and beyond.