Alexander Kristoff turned back the clock to win a dramatic opening stage of the Tour de France and take the first yellow jersey in the process.

The 33-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider was able to stay upright on a rain-soaked day which saw many riders fall, and timed his sprint to perfection to edge out Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) and Cees Bol (Team Sunweb) in Nice.

That triumph earned Kristoff his first spell in the maillot jaune in 15 seasons as a professional.

As mentioned above, the day was littered with crashes due to the inclement weather, with Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step), Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Pavel Sivakov (INEOS Grenadiers) among the big-name stars to take a tumble.

Kristoff’s victory also ensured he topped the points classification, with breakaway rider Michael Schar (CCC Team) taking the King of the Mountains jersey.

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