With showers falling ahead of riders starting, the top favourites for the time trial had hoped to beat the rain’s commencement, but ended up getting caught in the thick of it as the urban roads became slick.
While the likes of Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) all set good times, it was Lampaert (QuickStep Alpha Vinyl) who was prepared to risk the most through the corners and he came home the fastest by five seconds, beating Belgian countryman van Aert.
The 31-year-old had a nervous wait from there, but he wasn’t pushed close despite conditions on course improving. He celebrated with an explosion of joy when his victory was confirmed, a mixture of tears and joy as the emotion overcame him.
“My mind is exploding,” said Lampaert. “I came with expectations that a top 10 would be great, now I beat all the best riders in the world. I’m just a farmer’s son from Belgium… to do this I never expected.
“I know that I’m in good condition, but to win the first stage of the Tour de France, the prologue, it’s something that I never dreamed of and I did it.”
Lampaert also takes on the first yellow jersey of the 2022 Tour de France, with an expected series of sprinter-friendly stages likely to see him keep the jersey for a few days.
“To beat van Aert, van der Poel, Ganna, it’s unbelievable for me,” said Lampaert. “I think I have to be proud of myself.”
The main general classification favourites weren’t far behind Lampaert, with Pogacar third at seven seconds down, with Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) eight seconds further behind and Roglic conceding an additional second.
Adam Yates (INEOS Grenadiers) was also close, but Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroen), Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic), Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), Enric Mas (Movistar) and Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) all conceded between 49 and 81 seconds.
The Tour de France continues on SBS with Stage 2, a 199 kilometre route from Roskilde to Nyborg. Watch from 8.05pm AEST on the SBS ŠKODA Tour Tracker, with SBS television and SBS On Demand coverage starting at 8.30pm AEST.
