Yves Lampaert (QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl) passes the Little Mermaid statue on his assault of the time trial course in Copenhagen (Image credit: Luca Bettini/SprintCyclingAgency)
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Yves Lampaert (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) swoops into the finish of the time trial and sets the top time (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
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Yves Lampaert of QuickStep-AlphaVinyl on his way to the hot seat with finish in 15:17 (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
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Belgian rider Yves Lampaert (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) (Image credit: THOMAS SAMSON AFP via Getty Images)
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Yves Lampaert (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) celebrates with the overall leader’s yellow jersey on the podium after his time trial victory (Image credit: AnneChristine POUJOULAT AFP Photo by ANNECHRISTINE POUJOULAT AFP via Getty Images)
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BB Hotels-KTM French rider Jeremy Lecroq is the first to take the start of the time trial in Copenhagen (Image credit: BO AMSTRUPRitzau ScanpixAFP via Getty Images)
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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on left stands next to Copenhagen Mayor Sophie Haestorp Andersen and Tour de France General Director Christian Prudhomme at the departure area (Image credit: BO AMSTRUPRitzau ScanpixAFP via Getty Images)
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Spectators wave Danish flags along the race route before the start of the 13.2km individual time trial in Copenhagen (Image credit: MARCO BERTORELLOAFP via Getty Images)
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Spectators look on as a promotion car passes by (Image credit: MADS CLAUS RASMUSSENRitzau ScanpixAFP via Getty Images)
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Copenhagen filled with decorations and spectators for opening of 2022 Tour de France (Image credit: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
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Swiss rider Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) had two unfortunate crashes in the time trial, so did not take time to admire the Little Mermaid statue (Image credit: ANNECHRISTINE POUJOULATAFP via Getty Images)
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Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) rides to the finish line after two crashes in 13.2 km individual time trial (Image credit: Thomas SAMSON AFP Photo by THOMAS SAMSON AFP via Getty Images)
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Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) rides past the Little Mermaid statue (Image credit: ANNECHRISTINE POUJOULAT AFP via Getty Images)
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Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) on fire during 13.2km individual time trial (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
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Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) finished in a time of 15:30 (Image credit: THOMAS SAMSON AFP via Getty Images)
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Danish rider Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) takes the start of stage 1 (Image credit: BO AMSTRUPRitzau Scanpix.AFP via Getty Images)
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DaneMads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) rides past cheering fans (Image credit: MARCO BERTORELLO AFP via Getty Images)
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Dane Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) crosses the wet surface to a time of 15:32 (Image credit: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
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Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) descends the start ramp in Copenhagen (Image credit: BO AMSTRUPRitzau Scanpix AFP via Getty Images)
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Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) finished in 15:33 (Image credit: THOMAS SAMSON AFP via Getty Images)
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Stefan Küng of Groupama-FDJ rides the course as the rain falls (Image credit: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
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Dutch rider Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) takes the start of the time trial (Image credit: BO AMSTRUPRitzau Scanpix AFP via Getty Images)
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Aleksandr Vlasov of (Bora-Hansgrohe) on rain-soaked course (Image credit: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
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Romain Bardet (Team DSM) rides in the rain (Image credit: MARCO BERTORELLO AFP via Getty Images)
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When Wout van Aert (Jumbo – Visma) crossed the line he went straight to the hot seat, in a time of 15:22 (Image credit: Luca Bettini/SprintCyclingAgency)
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UAE Team Emirates’ Tadej Pogačar crosses the finish line in 15:24 (Image credit: THOMAS SAMSON AFP via Getty Images)
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Geraint Thomas of Ineos Grenadiers during the time trial (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
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World Champion Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) clocked 15:28 on the Copenhagen course (Image credit: MARCO BERTORELLO AFP via Getty Images)
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Dark skies and rain in Copenhagen for many of the riders on the mid-point of the start list (Image credit: Marco BERTORELLO AFP Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO AFP via Getty Images)
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Spectators use boats to watch the time trial in Copenhagen (Image credit: ANNECHRISTINE POUJOULAT AFP via Getty Images)
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Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) takes the start of stage 1 (Image credit: BO AMSTRUPRitzau Scanpix AFP via Getty Images)
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Spectators at Noerrebrogade cheer Ineos Grenadiers’ Jonathan Castroviejo (Image credit: MADS CLAUS RASMUSSENRitzau Scanpix AFP via Getty Images)
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Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-EasyPost) passes the massive crowds in Copenhagen (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
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Dane Andreas Leknessund (Team DSM) on the course (Image credit: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
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Riding his debut Tour de France, Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) takes the start of the time trial (Image credit: BO AMSTRUPRitzau Scanpix AFP via Getty Images)
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Danish rider Jakob Fuglsang on the course (Image credit: THOMAS SAMSON AFP via Getty Images)
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Fans turn out in huge numbers in Copenhagen for Stage 1 (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
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Yves Lampaert (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) has taken a shock win in the rain-soaked short opening time trial stage of the 2022 Tour de France, finishing five seconds ahead of leading favourite Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) to claim the race’s first maillot jaune on the streets of Copenhagen.
In what was effectively the first snapshot of the battle for the overall, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) confirmed his status as overall favourite with third place, completing the 13.2-kilometre course just seven seconds down on Lampaert, and best of the GC racers.
Leading contender Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) was only able to make fourth after he, like so many of the TT and GC heavyweights, opted for an early start to try to avoid what proved to be a completely inaccurate forecast of heavy rain coming in late in the day, and then suffered a suspected late puncture.
Although two more lead favourites, Jonas Vingegaard and teammate Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) opted to take things cautiously on the wet, ultra-slippery corners, they still proved to be Pogačar’s closest rivals on the day, finishing 14 and 15 seconds, respectively, down on Lampaert.
But conditions then party dried out on a short, technical city centre course in Denmark and the wind dropped, providing a golden opportunity for the late starters to make the most of a marginally less risky course, which Lampaert, a former double national TT champion, undoubtedly did to perfection.
