Visma | Lease a Bike analyzes first Tour stage: proud of Vingegaard, rough day for Yates and bad positioning for Van Aert

Vingegaard contributed to the echelon battle and was in the first group alongside Matteo Jorgenson, Edoardo Affini, and Tiesj Benoot. “The guys did a great job. Jonas was at the front all day, and in the final, we knew we had to give it our best effort. If we didn't, another team would try. That's what happened because Uno-X attacked at the same point, and Alpecin-Deceuninck was also ready,” said Niermann.

“Fortunately, we did it ourselves. It worked out, and that made the last few kilometers less dangerous. It was a good day,” said the German, who had to watch Simon Yates struggle and ultimately lose 6.31 minutes. “Simon had a problem with his bike and had to change bikes at a bad moment. He wasn't having his best day anyway, and something like that takes a lot of energy.”

The stage victory was also out of reach, as Visma | Lease a Bike did not have a fast man at the front. “The plan was for Wout to be there, but he was not in a good position at that moment. The most important thing was that Jonas was there and gained time on several opponents. Jonas looks fit.”

All in all, Niermann gave a positive final assessment, as all his guys crossed the finish line unscathed. “There were also a lot of nasty crashes, but I'm glad my guys didn't crash. I understand that Stefan Bissegger and Filippo Ganna are already out of the race, which is a shame, but unfortunately, that's part of the Tour.”

On Sunday, a new test awaits Vingegaard and co, with an explosive finish to Boulogne-sur-Mer on the program. “It will be another challenging finale. There will be a lot of wind, and it's also going to rain, so it will be another stressful day,” said Niermann.

Vingegaard ultimately gained 39 seconds over Primoz Roglic, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), and Carlos Rodríguez (INEOS Grenadiers), among others. Adam Yates, like his brother Simon, lost a lot of time but saw his UAE Emirates-XRG leader, Tadej Pogacar, stay with the first group.