Adam Yates outdueled his twin brother, Simon, to win the Tour de France’s first stage, taking the yellow jersey to start the three-week event.
Adam Yates, 30, pulled away from Simon in the last kilometer in Bilbao, Spain, for his first Tour stage win as the Basque Country hosts the first three stages before the Tour enters France.
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Adam Yates won by four seconds over Simon after more than four hours in the saddle. Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, the Tour winner in 2020 and 2021, took third in a sprint, 12 seconds behind the winner, getting the same time as defending Tour champ Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark.
Pogacar gained four seconds on Vingegaard in the overall standings due to his third-place time bonus.
Adam Yates placed fourth in the Tour in 2016 and is on UAE Team Emirates as a high-profile support rider for Pogacar.
Enric Mas of Spain, considered an overall podium contender, crashed late in the stage and withdrew from the race. Mas placed second in the Vuelta a Espana the last two years.
Richard Carapaz of Ecuador, a podium finisher in all three Grand Tours and the Olympic road race champion, was involved in the same crash and fell 15:34 behind in the overall standings, denting his hopes. Carapaz’s team later announced his withdrawal from the Tour due to a small fracture in his left kneecap.
The Tour continues Sunday with another hilly stage with five climbs before a flat finish. Live Peacock coverage starts with a pre-race show at 6 a.m. ET.
Heartbreaking crash for two contenders. Enric Mas has abandoned and Richard Carapaz is far behind the peloton.#TDF2023 📺: Peacock pic.twitter.com/10jnwFZOvw
— NBC Sports Cycling (@NBCSCycling) July 1, 2023