The 1st stage of the Tour de France was a spectacle unrivaled by anything else we have experienced. We could not have hoped for a better start to our Grande Boucle either with Steve Cummings finishing in a terrific 10th place.
It was a day of so many highs for Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung with Daniel Teklehaimanot being the first rider to get the 102nd Tour de France started as he rolled off the start ramp at 14:00 in Utrecht. The crowds, which were bursting at the seams at around 800 000 strong, made for an unbelievable atmosphere which really motivated our African team.
Each of our riders put in strong rides with our Briton Steve Cummings storming home in an exceptional time of 15’28” over the 13.8km course. Steve’s time would be good enough for 10th on the day, an exceptional performance against 198 of the best riders in the world.
Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing), the former world hour record holder took the stage win and yellow jersey ahead of multiple world time trial champions, Tony Martin (Etixx-Quickstep) and Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) respectively.
Steve Cummings – Rider
Jens Zemke – Head of Performance