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Laporte overcame treacherous conditions on Stage 1 of the Tour de France warm-up race to reel in solo breakaway rider Herregodts in a thrilling sprint finish.
A dramatic final hour of stage saw the peloton chase down the breakaway as thunderstorms threatened, with Laporte managing to catch Herregodts in the final metres of the stage to finish ahead of both Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) and Herregodts in second and third respectively.
"It was a difficult and nervous stage”, Laporte said.
"The last descent was dangerous, especially with Herregodts still in front. But the team kept Jonas [Vingegaard] and me in the lead.
"I got the chance today, and I have to thank my teammates for that. Jonas' lead-out was fantastic. This is an excellent start to the week for the team.”
The opening 158km stage of the eight-day race started on the shores of Chambon-sur-Lac, with a descent to the finish and uphill sprint to the finish line having all the makings for a roller coaster day in central France.
The five-rider breakaway, which formed after a quick opening 10km to the race, saw Dorian Godon (AG2R Citroën), Brent Van Moer (Lotto Dstny), Fabio Van den Bossche (Alpecin Deceuninck), Donavan Grondin (Arkéa Samsic) and Herregodts all involved.
The group quickly formed an 80-second gap ahead of the peloton, while Jumbo-Visma and Bora-Hansgrohe set the pace at the front of the field to keep the lead of the breakaway group to a maximum of 2:40.
Hugo Page (Intermarché-Wanty-Circus) proved the first casualty of the slippery conditions on the day, being forced to abandon the race in a crash which also involved Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers).
With the stage culminating in three laps of a circuit that includes the Côte du Rocher de l'Aigle, Grondin and Van Den Bossche were dropped from the break on the second-last lap while Gordon and Van Moer cracked on the final climb, leaving Herregodts out in front on his own.
While the Belgian rider gave it his all in the final kilometre, a determined Jumbo-Visma outfit had other ideas with Jonas Vingegaard providing the crucial lead-out for Laporte.
The Dane turned on the front for his French teammate on the final uphill kilometre, allowing Laporte to power ahead of Herregodts within metres of the finish line to claim the stage and the race leader's yellow jersey.
Australian GC contender Jai Hindley (Bora–Hansgrohe) lost no time to his rivals on the day, finishing safely in the leading pack.
Watch Stage 2 of the Critérium du Dauphiné tonight on SBS VICELAND from 10:55pm AEST as the riders tackle a 167.3 kilometre hilly stage from Brassac-Les-Mines to La Chaise Dieu.
