Jonas Vingegaard takes yellow after team time trial on opening stage of Tour de France

A tense and thrilling team time trial for Stage 1 of the Tour de France ended with Jonas Vingegaard back in the yellow jersey on Saturday evening, the first time the Danish rider has led the race since winning outright three years ago.

Ireland’s Ben Healy suffered towards the finish of the 19.6km circuit in Barcelona – which finished atop Montjuic, next to the 1992 Olympic Stadium – ending up the fifth best rider with his team, EF Education EasyPost. It left him 84th in the general classification after the opening stage, three minutes and 11 seconds down on Vingegaard.

Setting out under the hot Barcelona sunshine, the modified time trial format meant team rankings were decided by the time clocked by their first-place rider. Individual times were also given to count towards the GC. Vingegaard’s Team Visma-Lease a Bike were the penultimate team of the 23-strong field to set off, chasing down the early leaders Netcompany Ineos.

Vingegaard produced a brilliant surge on the final climb to finish in 21.47, eight seconds ahead of Italy’s Filippo Ganna.

European Athletics and Swimming Championships: Complete guide to the Irish in action

From Azaz to Vata: 10 Irish players to watch in the English Championship this season

Who is Dan O’Toole, the Irish Fifa executive at the heart of deal to sell off World Cup?

Omissions, sales and scandals: the chequered tales behind hard-won medals

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar was last down the starting ramp with UAE Team Emirates XRG, and despite a similarly aggressive ride up Montjuic, had to settle for third, 12 seconds down on the Dane.

“It’s still a long Tour, obviously, but it’s the perfect start,” said Vingegaard. “My team-mates did an amazing job today. They were so strong, I didn’t have to do much, they just drove me all the way to the finish. To take the stage win for us and to take the yellow jersey for me personally after a few years without it, a few hard years, it’s nice for me to experience it again.”

Healy comes to the Tour off the back off disrupted preparations, withdrawing after Stage 7 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes last month. The 25-year-old looked off his best on the final hill, with EF Education EasyPost lead home by Alex Baudin in 22.44, leaving the team 11th in the standings.

Vingegaard is back in the yellow for the first since the final stage of the 2023 Tour, when he took his second successive Tour win. He was beaten to the title by Pogacar in the last two years, but early indications are that Vingegaard looks well primed to mount a challenge to halt the Slovenian’s tilt at three-in-a-row.

Healy still has plenty of time to rediscover the form which saw him win a stage at last year’s Tour which earning him a two-day spell in the yellow jersey.

“It’s been a bit crap,” he said of his race preparation. “Just as I feel like I’m getting going again, something seems to hit me. But honestly, I’m just happy to be here. I feel like I’m in pretty good shape, ready to race, and I want to be at the front, competitive in the breakaways. I think I’m well-shaped to do that, just putting the injuries behind me. It’s part of racing, you’ve got to get on with it.”

Rising French star Paul Seixas, who at 19 is the youngest rider to make his Tour debut since 1937, enjoyed a satisfying start with Decathlon CMA CGM, their first rider home in 22.26, leaving him 39 seconds off Vingegaard and 10th in the GC. Spain’s Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) is fourth, with Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) fifth.

Sunday’s second stage, the 183.9km from Tarragona back to Barcelona, features a series of climbs, including three closing loops of the Montjuic circuit, and may present a chance for Healy to make up some time.