⁍ Norway’s Kristoff outsprinted Danish world champion Mads Pedersen.

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⁍ Pinot trailed by some distance but was credited with the same time as the winner.

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⁍ Nairo Quintana, twice a Tour runner-up, fell earlier.

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⁍ Pre-stage favourites Sam Bennett, Caleb Ewan and Giacomo Nizzolo also crashed.

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– Norway’s Alexander Kristoff won the first stage of the Tour de France on Saturday, while France’s Thibaut Pinot was one of several riders to take a tumble during a rain-hit ride in Nice. Pinot, who is hoping to end the home nation’s 35-year wait for a local champion, was credited with the same time as the winner since the massive crash occurred within three kilometers of the finish line on the Promenade des Anglais, reports Reuters. “For the moment he’s fine, but you always need to wait a few days to see if there’s been consequences or not,” Pinot’s sports director says. Colombian Nairo Quintana, twice a Tour runner-up, fell earlier while Pavel Sivakov, one of defending champion Egan Bernal’s key lieutenants, hit the ground twice. “Two heavy crashes back to back. Hit both my hips and knee pretty bad but still in the mix,” says Sivakov. Pre-stage favorites Sam Bennett, Caleb Ewan, and Giacomo Nizzolo also crashed on slippery roads as rain wreaked havoc during the stage. The race started in front of sparse crowds in central Nice amid fears of a coronavirus second wave as the number of daily cases has been rising within France at an alarming rate in recent weeks. Riders and their staff are part of a race bubble in order to minimize risks of infections and French health authorities on Saturday imposed stricter regulations in the event of coronavirus cases. Riders, however, put on a brave face. “I think nobody imagined 2020 to be like this,” says triple world champion Peter Sagan.