This stage will be flat. The main contenders will be Andre Greipel and Marcel Kittel, while Arnaud Demare and Peter Sagan will be outsiders, while Alex Kristoff and Matthew Goss will be going for podium positions as successes.

So here we are at the Grand Depart. Some riders here will be going for stage wins, some for the yellow jersey. No-one can predict what will happen, but we know these riders will struggle; maybe just today, maybe for the next three weeks.



The first attack of the Tour comes, fittingly, from a Frenchman. Yoann Offredo is followed by Leukemans, Tosatto, Bernadeau, Smukulis, Nuyens and Wynants.


This isn't the eventual break though, but instead Tosatto goes away with Gaudin and Wauters. The Italian wins the single King of the Mountains sprint, meaning he will wear the Polka-Dot Jersey tomorrow.


Damien Gaudin wins the Intermediate Sprint, while in the peloton, Kittel beats Greipel and Goss.


The break is caught 7.5km away from the line. The best trains are for Greipel and Kittel, while Demare and Goss are in good positions behind Lotto, and Boonen and Bos have latched onto the Argos train. Farrar has spent himself trying to get a wheel, while Sagan is in a poor position.


Goss went early, and could've had the win, but Greipel timed his sprint perfectly to block him. Demare is in a good position, while Kittel may well be boxed in. Sagan will do very well to get a top 5 from this position.


With 400m to go Greipel seems to have it. Goss doesn't have much left in him, while Kittel is coming fast, but from behind.


And it's Andre Greipel who takes the first stage of the 2013 Tour de France. Matthew Goss gets an extremely impressive 2nd, while Marcel Kittel has to settle for 3rd.


So Greipel will be the first to wear the Yellow Jersey. He probably won't hold it beyond tomorrow, as the GC men will be called upon already.

The GC contenders may be called into action today, if only to stop other riders from getting too big a gap. Main contenders will be Peter Sagan and Alejandro Valverde, while Alexander Kristoff will look to avenge a poor performance from yesterday. Simon Gerrans is also a very good puncher, and he may look to take something today as well.

The first attack is made again by a French team, although this time by an Italian rider. Rinaldo Nocentini is followed by Marczynski, Cunego, Madrazo and Le Mevel. Perhaps we see the riders who will look to challenge for the Polka Dot Jersey this year.


But that break doesn't stay away. Next up we have Tom Jelte Slagter, Simon Clarke and Juan Antonio Flecha


They are not allowed away either, and the peloton reaches the intermediate sprint first. Kittel gets across the line just ahead of Greipel.


Finally a break stays. It's Roy, Marczynski, Vorganov and Nocentini.


Nocentini wins the first and second climbs of the day.


The peloton rides past the first beautiful structure of the Tour.


Christophe Kern is the first to fall in this year's Tour.


Finally we see some action. Some of the favourites have decided to bridge the gap up to the breakaway with 27km remaining. They are Warren Barguil, Simon Gerrans and Sylvain Chavanel.


Gerrans seems to be the most aggresive of the three. He makes another move which sees him past the final climb first. Barguil is hanging on, while Voeckler has made a move and is catching up.


With 10km to go Gerrans makes a move. He attacks on the downhill, which allows him to sustain a high pace for a long period of time. It's risky in the wet weather, but he has 11" on Barguil and 2'20 on the peloton. One of them is likely to win.


With 9km to go Barguil is caught by Voeckler, Nocentini and Chavanel. Gerrans is in sight, and it's him versus these four now.


Meanwhile in the peloton it's calamity for Euskaltel. Three of their riders are down. Azanza started it, and he took down Sicard and Oroz as well. David Millar of Garmin is also down.


But back to the front and Gerrans has 44" going into the final 2.5 kilometres. All he has to do is stay on his bike.


And the Australian takes the win! Now it's a matter of how much time he gets.


The chasers seem spent, as Chavanel wins the sprint for 2nd.


Peter Sagan takes a hollow sprint for 9th. He was looking to win the stage.


And Simon Gerrans will wear the Yellow Jersey. With 1'22 and considering the profiles of the stages to come, he should have it for the rest of the week.