Gaviria takes yellow as Quintana and Froome concede ground
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Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) wins the opening stage at the 2018 Tour de France(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Chris Froome (Team Sky) at the start of stage 1 of the Tour de France(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images Sport)
Vincenzo Nibali on stage at the 2018 Tour de France team presentation(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Michael Matthews (Sunweb)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Nairo Quintana rides on stage at the 2018 Tour de France team presentation (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) - stage winner and first maillot jaune
It was an amazing day for me and really good for our team. It's amazing for every rider on our team. We had our set-up in the group, we were ready for the finish, ready to sprint to succeed and thanks to God it has worked out for us.
Everyone wants this yellow jersey, so to get it on the first day is amazing. I have no words to describe what I've achieved today. I'm so happy to wear it. We are going to try to keep it for as long as we can.
It was a tricky arrival. Some of the big riders were behind us, but our team was out in front, doing well and we were calm. We had a clear plan for today's stage and we are happy to get this victory.
In one word, the finish was crazy. I'm not sure what was happening behind me, but now that I have talked to the boys, I know that there were a lot of crashes and carnage. I'm glad that me, Tom [Dumoulin] and the boys were in front of it all, and we all stayed safe.
I'm disappointed for today's result but I have confidence for the next days. I didn't think that I would feel good in the sprint, but my bike handling and positioning was pretty good, so I think that I can fight for victories even on the flat stages. I just need to get a better run at it.
I didn't go for the green jersey, we are totally focused on Tom for the overall, so it is too difficult to do both. With last year, having the full support of the team, it's time for me to turn the support for someone else and I'm happy to do that. (Eurosport)
That's the way it is. We have to keep going. The only consolation is that Chris Froome also lost time. We have to try to stay ahead and try to recover what I lost today. (EFE)
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It was a disaster and a catastrophe after things were controlled for three quarters of the stage. In the end, there were nerves and the crashes came. It was the first stage and there were still a lot of riders in front at the end. Today it affected some riders and tomorrow it might affect others. (EFE)
I came off in the last 10k there. I saw that there were a lot of crashes out there. It’s one of those things. We always knew that this was going to be one of those days that were going to be sketchy. We were right at the front part of the peloton, in the top third. It was getting quite chaotic there with some of the sprinters but that's bike racing. I'm not injured in any way. There's still a lot of road to cover before we get to Paris.
You always have to be in front. This is the Tour, surprises are always around the corner. Staying in front, especially in the second half of the stage, is fundamental. I succeeded thanks to Sonny Colbrelli and Heinrich Haussler, my valuable teammates.
