Sunday, July 6: Live updates from Stage 1
FORGES-LES-EAUX, France

192km

Today’s first sprint is in honor of Rouen homeboy Jacques Anquetil, who won the Tour five times.

12:46 p.m. (local time):
Italy’s Mario Cippolini (Saeco) won the opening sprint of the 1997 Tour de France, edging TVM’s Jeroen Blijlevens and Mercatone Uno’s Mario Traversoni.

The peloton is riding slowly over the first one-third of Sunday’s 192km course. The weather is glorious for the opening stage of the Tour de France, with sunny skies and calm winds. Hundreds of thousands of fans are lining the course as it rolls through the lush farm country of the Normandy region of northern France.

2:07 p.m (local time):
The peloton has just topped out at the top of the day’s second climb, the fourth-category Cote de Torcy-le-Grand. Casino’s Pascal Chanteur topped out first, followed by teammate Rolf Jaermann.

2:27 p.m. (local time):
The peloton is nearing the stage’s second points sprint at the 90km mark.

Five-time winner Miguel Indurain is back in the peloton, but this time in civvies. He’s driving with fellow five-time winner Bernard Hinault at the front of the peloton with an official Tour de France car.

3:05 p.m. (local time):
France’s Laurent Pillon tried to pull away from the peloton, but Saeco would have none of that and quickly reeled in the attack.

3:16 p.m. (local time):
TVM’s Blijlevens won the day’s second sprint at the 90 km mark with Traversoni second and Cipollini third.

Based on time bonuses, Saeco’s Cipollini has a chance to take the yellow jersey from Gan’s Chris Boardman. Cipollini started the stage just 18 seconds behind Boardman, who won the opening prologue, and hopes to earn enough time bonuses to move into the yellow. On-course time bonuses are 6, 4, and 2 and the stage-win bonuses are 20, 12, and 8 for the first eight stages only. Saeco’s bicycle sponsor, Cannondale, has a yellow bike awaiting Cipollini, if the popular Italian sprinter can earn the jersey.

3:21 p.m. (local time):
After riding through the feed zone, three riders have pulled 36 seconds ahead of peloton with 94 kms remaining in the stage. They are: TVM’s Servais Knaven, Casino’s Arturas Kasputis, and Batik’s Luca Colombo.

3:29 p.m. (local time):
The three are powering ahead, pulling 1:50 in front of the peloton.

3:42 p.m. (local time):
The trio is pulling away from the peloton, moving ahead 4:55 with 90 kms remaining in the stage. The break is nearing the day’s third climb, the category-four Cote de la Foret d’Eu at the 118 km mark.

3:49 p.m. (local time):
At the top of the Cote de la Foret d’Eu at the 118 km mark, the trio has widened its gap to 5:10 over the peloton. Saeco has again moved to the front of the lead group and is working hard to reel in the attack.

3:55 p.m. (local time):
Saeco and Gan are really putting down the hammer, working hard to try to narrow the gap between the break. Casino’s Arturas Kasputis just flatted, but he’s back in the chase, between the attack and the peloton.

3:59 p.m. (local time):
The gap has grown to 5:20.

4:07 (local time):
With Gan and Saeco powering the chase, the gap is down to 4:50 with 60 kms to go.

Today’s stage finish could be challenging for the sprinters. The final kilometer drops rapidly before a tricky final turn and actually has a slight, gradual slope to the finish line.

4:14 p.m. (local time):
The lead is down to 4:15.

4:20 p.m. (local time):
With 45 kms to go, the lead is just at four minutes.

4:22 p.m. (local time):
With the peloton 50 kms from the finish, several riders went down in a spill, including climber Marco Pantani (Mercatone Uno), Laurent Jalabert (ONCE), and sprinter Djamolidin Abdoujaparov (Lotto). None were seriously injured and remain in the race.

4:27 p.m. (local time):
With Saeco and Roslotto working at the front of the peloton, the break’s lead is down to 3:15 as the peloton passes the 45 kms to go mark.

4:37 p.m. (local time):
Tony Rominger (Cofidis) also went down in that spill at the 50km mark and is being looked at by team officials at the back of the peloton.

4:44 p.m. (local time):
With 30 kms to go, the break’s lead is down to 2:05. Saeco, Gan, and Roslotto are hammering the pace and it looks like the trio will be caught to set up the sprint finish.

4:52 p.m. (local time):
With 25 kms to go, the lead is whittled down to 1:40. It’s only a matter of time before they’re reeled in. Can they hang on to win the points sprint with 17 kms to go?

4:56 p.m. (local time):
With 20 kms to go, the lead is down to 1:05.

5:36 p.m. (local time):
Italy’s Mario Cipollini (Saeco) won Sunday’s first stage of the Tour de France in a field sprint and moved into the yellow jersey of the overall leader.

The peloton reeled in a three-man break 10 kms from the finish of the 193km stage, but a crash on the final kilometers split the peloton into three groups.

Defending champion Bjarne Riis (Telekom) fell back with the second group and crossed the line 58 seconds back, while Alex Zulle (ONCE) and Luc Leblanc (Polti) were in a third group at 1:35 back.

Cipollini, wearing stars-and-stripes riding shorts, moves into the maillot jaune based on time bonuses by winning sprints and the stage through the day.

Cipollini edged Mapei’s Tom Steels and Gan’s Frederic Moncassin to take his fifth career Tour stage win.

“I come in here in good form. I wanted to win at least one and now I have the yellow jersey, that’s even better,” Cipollini said.