Jasper Philipsen denied Mark Cavendish a record-breaking Tour de France victory on the line as the Belgian won stage seven on the line in Bordeaux.

Philipsen made it three wins from three sprint stages in a row in this Tour as he came around Cavendish in the final few metres, leaving the Manxman to curse as he rolled in second, still tied with Eddy Merckx on 34 career Tour wins.

The 38-year-old had come from well down in the pack to power his way down the right hand side and up to the front of the race, but Philipsen got onto his wheel and powered by, with Biniam Girmay in third.

The sprint finish to the 170km stage from Mont-de-Marsan meant no major changes at the top of the general classification, in which defending champion Jonas Vingegaard leads from Tadej Pogacar.

But all eyes had been on the sprinters, with Cavendish hoping to make more Tour history 16 years to the day since he made his debut in the race in London on 2007.

The Astana-Qazaqstan rider was several places down in the pack as they negotiated a tight and twisty approach to the long finishing straight but moved up well and looked to have the speed he needed as he found a path down the right hand side to reach the front, only to see Philipsen come past at the last.

Philipsen said: “I think we can’t be proud enough on our team achievement. Without them it would never be possible to get the third stage win already. I’m just really proud of them and how we worked together, how we found each other in the final.

“That leads to success and I’m super happy and proud…I never had to do a big effort before I could launch my sprint and that’s how we win.

“If you told me (three stage wins) one week ago I’d think you were crazy. So far it’s a dream Tour for us and hopefully we can add another one.

“(Cavendish) was really strong. I would also have loved to see him win, I think everybody would, but I’m sure he will keep on trying. He’s up there, in good condition, and it will be hard.”

Tadej Pogacar raced clear of rival Jonas Vingegaard to take a solo win on stage six of the Tour de France as Jai Hindley’s spell in the yellow jersey proved short-lived.

A day earlier, Pogacar appeared to be suffering the effects of his long injury lay-off as he lost significant time to Vingegaard while Hindley raced into yellow, but it all changed on the second Pyrenean stage as Pogacar flipped the script once again.

After sticking to Vingegaard’s attack on the mighty Tourmalet, the two-time Tour winner put in an explosive dig to distance his rival with 2.7 kilometres of the final climb up to Cauterets-Cambasque remaining, winning the 145km stage from Tarbes by 24 seconds.

Vingegaard’s consolation prize was taking the yellow jersey, but Pogacar’s camp will surely be the happier one after this. Hindley eventually came home two and a half minutes after Pogacar, with the Australian needing to return to his original target of a podium finish after enjoying a day in yellow.

Vingegaard leads by 25 seconds from Pogacar, with Hindley 94 seconds down in third. Simon Yates is up to fourth, a little over three minutes down, with his brother Adam in sixth and Tom Pidcock into the top 10, ninth at a deficit of four minutes 43 seconds.

Vingegaard took on the stage with a clear plan to take the jersey from Hindley and also to again put pressure on Pogacar, who looked vulnerable on the climb of the Marie Blanque on Wednesday.

The Dane attacked close to the top of the Tourmalet, still with more than 50km of the stage to go, quickly distancing Hindley but keeping Pogacar glued to his wheel.

The Slovenian, usually so spritely on the bike, kept his poker face on as he appeared to be clinging on, but as the gradients ramped up on the final climb he sprang forward for a statement win.

“I would not say it’s revenge but it feels sweet to win and to take some time back,” Pogacar said. “I feel a little bit relieved, I feel much better now.

“The display Jonas showed yesterday was incredible and I was thinking when they started to pull on the Tourmalet, I thought, ‘S***, if it’s going to happen like yesterday we can pack our bags and go home’, but luckily I had good legs today and I could follow on the Tourmalet.

“I felt quite comfortable and when I felt it was the right moment in the end I attacked and it was a big relief… I would say now it’s almost the perfect gap and it’s going to be a big battle until the last stage I think.”

When Jumbo-Visma made their move four kilometres from the top of the Tourmalet, Hindley initially stayed with Vingegaard and Pogacar but, having invested so much in Wednesday’s breakaway, he soon fell back into the chasing group.

“What can I say? It was just an epic day,” the Australian said. “Riding around in the yellow jersey, doing some mythical climbs. To be honest I got my arse handed to me but I really enjoyed it.”

Vingegaard had his team-mate Wout van Aert, who ignited the day’s break, waiting for him on the descent of the Tourmalet, where speeds topped 100kmh as they chased down the lead group, and seemed to be in pole position for the win, only for Pogacar to spring a surprise.

“It’s nice to be back in yellow,” Vingegaard said. “I hoped to take the stage but in the end Tadej was really strong and deserved to win.

“We wanted to try to test him again to see how he felt. I suppose he felt better than yesterday.”

Attention returns to the sprinters on Friday with a flat run in to Bordeaux offering Mark Cavendish another opportunity to go for a record-breaking 35th career Tour stage win.

But Pogacar, only 24, is now already up to 10 himself.

“I’m coming for you Mark,” he said with a laugh. “I’m joking. It’s far away.”

Tadej Pogacar raced clear of rival Jonas Vingegaard to take a solo win on stage six of the Tour de France as Jai Hindley’s spell in the yellow jersey proved to be short-lived.

A day earlier, Pogacar appeared to be suffering the effects of his long injury lay-off as he lost significant time to Vingegaard while Hindley was racing into yellow, but it all changed on the second stage in the Pyrenees as Pogacar flipped the script once again.

After sticking to Vingegaard’s attack on the mighty Tourmalet, the two-time Tour winner exploded away from his rival with 2.7 kilometres of the final climb up to Cauterets-Cambasque remaining, winning the 145km stage from Tarbes by 24 seconds.

Vingegaard’s consolation prize was taking the yellow jersey, with the widely expected two-horse race between these two riders already emerging.

Vingegaard leads overall by 25 seconds from Pogacar, with Hindley 94 seconds down in third.

Simon Yates is up to fourth, a little over three minutes down, with his brother Adam in sixth and fellow Briton Tom Pidcock into the top 10m ninth at a deficit of four minutes 43 seconds.

Hindley eventually came home a little over two and a half minutes after Pogacar, with the Australian needing to return to his original target of a podium finish in this Tour after enjoying a day in yellow.

Vingegaard took on the stage with a clear plan to claim the jersey from Hindley and also to again put pressure on Pogacar, who looked vulnerable on the climb of the Marie Blanque on Wednesday.

The Dane attacked close to the top of the Tourmalet, still with more than 50km of the stage to go, quickly distancing Hindley but keeping Pogacar glued to his wheel.

The Slovenian, usually so expressive on the bike, kept his poker face on as he appeared to just be clinging on, but as the gradients ramped on the final climb he sprang forward inside the last three kilometres for a statement win.

“I would not say it’s revenge but it feels sweet to win and to take some time back,” Pogacar said. “I feel a little bit relieved, I feel much better now.

“The display Jonas showed yesterday was incredible and I was thinking when they started to pull on the Tourmalet, I thought, ‘S***, if it’s going to happen like yesterday we can pack our bags and go home’, but luckily I had good legs today and I could follow on the Tourmalet.

“I felt quite comfortable and when I felt it was the right moment in the end I attacked and it was a big relief…I would say now it’s almost the perfect gap and it’s going to be a big battle until the last stage I think.”

Jai Hindley ripped up the script for the Tour de France as he took the yellow jersey from Adam Yates with a breakaway victory in the Pyrenees while Jonas Vingegaard left chief rival Tadej Pogacar in his wake when he set off in pursuit.

All the talk in the build-up to this Tour has been on the battle between defending champion Vingegaard and two-time winner Pogacar, but Hindley slipped into a strong breakaway on the road out of Pau and so ensured the general classification had been ripped up 163 kilometres later in Laruns.

The Australian Tour debutant, winner of the 2022 Giro d’Italia, made his own case as a contender ending the day with a 47-second lead over Vingegaard, while Pogacar’s inability to follow the Dane up the final climb might be the answer needed regarding his fitness after a long injury lay-off.

Hindley was scarcely able to believe his luck in having been allowed to join the break and then having the legs to capitalise as he went clear on the Col de Marie Blanque to solo into town, winning by 32 seconds from a group including Vingegaard.

“I’m a bit lost for words to be honest,” the 27-year-old said. “I can’t believe it. I was pretty surprised to find myself in that group.

“I just sort of slipped into it. I was sort of having fun, then looked back and there was no group behind so I thought, ‘I guess we’re in for a bike race’.”

Pogacar won an almost identical stage back in 2020 on his way to his first Tour crown, but this unusually early visit to the mountains just five days into a Tour had a very different ending as he dropped to sixth overall, one minute and 40 seconds down.

Bora-Hansgrohe sports director Rolf Aldag called it an “accident” for Hindley to get into the day’s breakaway, but the mistake belonged to the UAE Team Emirates squad of Pogacar and Yates.

With several teams, including Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma, represented up the road, none of their rivals were willing to help them shut the move down, and the break’s advantage quickly ballooned to four minutes as they scaled the Col de Soudet.

Hindley would have been dreaming of taking a significant lead in yellow at that point but inevitably the peloton did begin to close in when the breakaway splintered on the Marie Blanque.

Hindley chose that moment to ride away from Felix Gall and then, as they closed in behind, Vingegaard did the same to Pogacar, putting more than a minute into the Slovenian who is still hampered after breaking his wrist at Liege-Bastogne-Liege in April.

“I just felt good,” Vingegaard said. “I just look at myself and if I feel good then I try to attack. You have to ask Tadej (what happened) but I know he never gives up and it will be a fight all the way to Paris…

“We were also thinking if we should put a guy on the front (to chase the break) but we decided not to. Being in the break takes a lot of energy, but of course we have to look at Jai as well. I think I had a super good day.”

Pogacar tried in vain to chase down Vingegaard on the descent, but waited for a group including Adam and Simon Yates so they could work together to limit their losses.

“It was not so difficult a day but Jonas went so fast on the climb and I lost my legs early,” the 24-year-old said.

“It was a bit hectic over the small climbs. Everybody wanted to go in the break and there was a moment where we could not close the gap immediately and the big group went away…

“I think I know my limits now so the motivation is pretty high and I think we can go day-by-day pretty strong.”

Jai Hindley won stage five of the Tour de France in Laruns to take the yellow jersey from Adam Yates and Jonas Vingegaard rode clear of rival Tadej Pogacar as an early trip to the Pyrenees ripped up the general classification.

Hindley, winner of last year’s Giro d’Italia, marked himself out as a major contender with a breakaway victory but surely more important was the sight of defending champion Vingegaard leaving behind two-time winner Pogacar on the final climb to make his case as the favourite to be in yellow come Paris.

Having gone clear from the last of his fellow escapees on the final climb of the Col de Marie Blanque, Hindley soloed into Laruns to take the win by 32 seconds, with Vingegaard coming home at the back of a four-strong group that was second on the road.

With bonus seconds applied, Hindley now leads overall by 47 seconds from Vingegaard with Giulio Ciccone in third, 63 seconds back.

The Australian may be making his Tour de France debut, but given Hindley has twice stood on the podium of the Giro it was a huge surprise to see how easily he got into the break.

“I’m a bit lost for words to be honest,” the Bora-Hansgrohe rider said. “I can’t believe it. I was pretty surprised to find myself in that group. I just sort of slipped into it. I was sort of having fun, then looked back and there was no group behind so I thought, ‘I guess we’re in for a bike race’.

“The gap grew out initially and I was just trying to maybe get a bit of a buffer on the GC guys and then I started to think about the stage win.”

Pogacar, utterly unable to respond when Vingegaard launched his own move on the Marie Blanque, lost more than a minute to Vingegaard and slipped to sixth, one minute and 40 seconds off yellow. Adam Yates is now fifth and his twin brother Simon seventh.

The first real mountain battle of the Tour turned into a fascinating tactical battle as Hindley slipped into a strong breakaway that got clear during a frantic start to the 163km stage out of Pau.

Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates were unable to shut it down and got no help from any of their rivals, watching the advantage balloon to four minutes as they climbed the hors categorie Col de Soudet midway through the stage.

Hindley would have been hoping to gain a bigger lead given the time gaps that had been seen, but when Vingegaard made a late dig of his own he quickly distanced Pogacar and kept himself within reach of the yellow jersey.

Jasper Philipsen underlined his status as the in-form sprinter Mark Cavendish must beat at the Tour de France as he made it two wins in as many days with victory on stage four.

Cavendish, seeking a record-breaking 35th career Tour stage win, could not test himself against the Belgian, a moment’s hesitation leaving him boxed in to finish fifth.

But Philipsen was again dominant, holding off a fast-finishing Caleb Ewan as both riders threw their bikes to the line.

The sprint meant no change at the top of the general classification as Adam Yates continues to lead by six seconds from UAE Emirates team-mate Tadej Pogacar and twin brother Simon Yates of Jayco-Alula.

For a second straight day, Mathieu van der Poel provided the perfect lead-out, guiding Philipsen out of a crash-strewn finish on the Circuit de Nogaro.

Cavendish, having seen team-mate Luis Leon Sanchez caught up in one of several late incidents, put his money on former world champion Mads Pedersen as he surfed the wheels but when he tried to join Pedersen’s charge, he was blocked by Dylan Groenewegen and his chance was gone.

“I think everybody who had a plan, every team, it didn’t come to fruition in the final for them,” the Manxman said. “There was no team in control… my boys got me exactly where I wanted to be, we were good there, but for every team it became chaos in the final. The corners got tighter and tighter.

“It was just a mixing pot of riders, there were crashes, I think Luis has gone down so I’m nervous about that. I looked around and the only man who had a lead-out left I could have jumped on was Mads, he had (Jasper) Stuyven so I thought, ‘Bam, get on him’.

“I was just waiting for him to go. It was a headwind so you want to leave it as late as possible and he just didn’t go.

“At one point I thought I should have gone at 350 (metres). I wouldn’t have won, someone would have passed me but I would have given myself a better shot.

“In a headwind there’s not much you can do. I just waited. I gambled on them going and then the gap filled, I’ve seen them all jump.

“I went audibly with a swear word before I even sprinted, I just was making the most of it then, I knew I couldn’t win once they got the jump on me.”

The motor racing circuit provided wide roads but its tight hairpins left only one racing line and several riders later questioned the safety of the route.

Fabio Jakobsen, a contender for the stage win, went down with 1,600 metres to go, the first of three crashes on the circuit.

Cavendish’s team-mate Sanchez, caught in the second, was taken to hospital for checks, Astana-Qazaqstan said.

The late drama was in contrast to the sedate pace for much of the day. The 182km flat stage from Dax failed to draw out a breakaway at the start as the peloton settled in for a slow day, saving their legs for two mountainous days to come before the sprinters get another chance in Bordeaux on Friday.

At least Philipsen, made to wait 20 minutes for confirmation of his win on Monday, could start celebrations immediately this time.

“It was really an easy stage,” he said. “I think everybody wanted to save their legs for the Pyrenees tomorrow and the day after but the final kilometres entering the circuit there were some crashes so I hope everybody is OK and safe.

“It was a hectic final with the turns in the end I lost my team but in the final straight I found Mathieu van der Poel and he did an amazing pull to get me to victory. My legs were cramping and Caleb was coming close.”

Victor Lafay used a late attack to end a 15-year wait for the Cofidis team to celebrate a Tour de France stage victory as Adam Yates retained the yellow jersey in San Sebastian.

Having watched pre-stage favourite Wout Van Aert use up energy shutting down late attacks from Tom Pidcock and Mattias Skjelmose on the run into town, Lafay waited for the flamme rouge to launch his own move, and then held off the chasing pack at the line as Van Aert slammed his handlebars in frustration.

Adam Yates was in a lead group reduced to just 24 riders at the end of the longest stage of this year’s Tour, retaining yellow as his team-mate Tadej Pogacar used bonus seconds to move up to second, level on time with Simon Yates six seconds back.

Pogacar had come across the line third on the stage, just ahead of Pidcock and Pello Bilbao.

For Cofidis, it is a first stage win since Sylvain Chavanel triumphed in Montlucon in 2008.

“In the last metres, I looked down at my computer, I saw 500 metres (to go), 400 metres,” said 27-year-old Frenchman Lafay, who added to his Giro d’Italia stage win from 2021. “I said to myself I will inevitably be caught at 50 metres. It’s sick.”

The UAE Team Emirates squad of Adam Yates and Pogacar did a huge amount of work almost all day to control a three-man breakaway, with the peloton needing to negotiate some changeable weather that made stretches of this 209-kilometre route through the rolling terrain of the Basque Country treacherous.

Other teams, not least the Jumbo-Visma squad of Vingegaard and Van Aert, tried to come to the fore at the foot of the Jaizkibel but it was UAE’s Rafal Majka who put in a huge turn to split the peloton to pieces as they navigated the narrow path left by fans towards the summit.

Pogacar burst forward to take the bonus seconds ahead of Vingegaard and Simon Yates at the top of the climb and briefly looked like he might try to attack on the descent with defending champion and chief rival Jonas Vingegaard on his wheel, but soon sat up with Vingegaard unwilling to help.

Adam Yates will now look to hold on to yellow until at least the Pyrenees, with two flat days coming up next and attention turning to the sprinters – not least Mark Cavendish as he seeks a record 35th career Tour stage win.

“It was a really hectic day, a lot of stress in the bunch,” 30-year-old Yates said. “Wet roads, roundabouts, road furniture, but we made it through with a little bit of bad luck as Matteo (Trentin) crashed on a corner.

“But for us it was a good race, we controlled it all day. Nobody wanted to help us. Then in the final we tried to set it up for Tadej to get the bonus seconds so we did a good job…

“If Tadej had won the bonuses and the stage he could have (taken yellow) but we kept it as a team so it’s job done.

“For sure we will have to control some more days. It looks easier on the paper but the Tour de France every day is super hard, super technical, so it’s not easy to just roll to the finish and keep yellow. We’ll keep on our toes and see what happens.”

Adam Yates beat twin brother Simon to victory on the opening day of the Tour de France to take the yellow jersey and his first Grand Tour stage win in Bilbao.

With their parents out on course, the 30-year-old twins relived the countless times they raced each other on training rides around the roads of Lancashire as youngsters before Adam got the better of Simon on the short rise to the finish.

The pair, riding for rival teams, went clear from a select group at the top of the Cote de Pike, 10km from the finish of a testing 182km stage around the Basque Country, as Adam’s UAE Emirates team-mate Tadej Pogacar and his main rival, defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, eyed each other up.

The twins opened up a 20-second gap on the chasing group as they descended into Bilbao before, as Jayco-Alula’s Simon said he began to suffer with cramp, Adam opened up several bike lengths to take the win.

Back in 2011, Andy Schleck took a stage win on the Galibier ahead of brother Frank but that was by a margin of more than two minutes. Here there were only four seconds as Simon watched Adam raise his arms in celebration.

“Honestly, I don’t even know what to say,” Adam said. “We tried to set the climb up for Tadej, he attacked but then it was a headwind on the descent. My brother came across to me and we started to work together.

“At first I didn’t know if I should work with him, I asked on the radio and they said, ‘Go for it’. I’m speechless. I knew he was going good, I speak to him every day. My brother and I are close and to share this experience with him is really nice.”

Adam is back in yellow after enjoying four days as leader in 2020. Simon is a two-time stage winner in the Tour but the 2018 Vuelta a Espana winner has never worn the leader’s jersey in cycling’s biggest race.

“I’m pleased for him of course, his first Grand Tour stage so I’m ecstatic for him but I also wanted to win,” Simon said. “We’re quite competitive…I have a fantastic relationships with my brother. I’m really happy for him but I’ll stick it to him in the coming days.”

This undulating stage through the Basque Country, one of the most difficult opening stages to a Tour in recent history, left itself open to a host of possibilities. Everyone from the general classification contenders to Classics specialists to strong sprinters had been tipped for victory.

It came down to the GC riders on the decisive final climb, with Pogacar and Vingegaard to the fore towards the summit before the Yates twins went away.

Pogacar has played up the doubts about his fitness given he has raced only once – winning last weekend’s Slovenian national road race – since breaking his wrist in April, but the road provided a more definitive answer as he set the fastest time up the Pike.

“I’m really happy with the performance,” said Pogacar, who led home a chasing group 12 seconds after Yates. “I think the engine started running today. The final climb was super happy but I was satisfied with the shape.”

With bonus seconds applied, Adam leads by eight seconds from Simon, with Pogacar 18 seconds down in third. Vingegaard is among a host of riders a further four seconds back.

Adam Yates started the day dismissing suggestions he was co-leader alongside Pogacar given the questions over the latter’s wrist, but whatever happens over the next three weeks Yates has already had a race to remember.

“Really I just want to keep my feet on the ground,” he said. “We’re here for Tadej, he’s the boss, he’s shown before he’s the best in the world and over the next few weeks I’m sure he’s going to show that again.”

Adam Yates beat twin brother Simon to victory on the opening stage of the Tour de France to take the yellow jersey in Bilbao.

The pair, riding for rival teams, went clear from a select group at the top of the Cote de Pike towards the end of the lumpy opening 182km stage and opened up a gap on the descent back into town.

Having opened up a gap of 20 seconds on a chasing group, the brothers knew the fight was between themselves on the uphill sprint to the finish line and it was Adam who had the power to ride away at the very end, winning by four seconds to take yellow for the second time in his career.

Adam’s UAE Emirates team-mate Tadej Pogacar then led home a second group, also containing defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, 12 seconds later.

This opening stage through the Basque Country, one of the most difficult opening stages to a Tour in recent history, left itself open to a host of possibilities, with everyone from the general classification contenders to Classics specialists to strong sprinters tipped for victory.

It came down to the GC riders on the Pike, with Pogacar and Vingegaard coming to the fore towards the summit. But with neither wanting to work for the other, Jayco-Alula’s Simon Yates came around with Adam following and the pair slipped away.

Before the stage, Adam had played down suggestions from the team that he is a co-leader alongside Pogacar – whose form is uncertain following injury – but whether it was part of the plan or not, he can now celebrate his first career Tour stage win.

“Honestly, I don’t even know what to say,” Adam said. “We tried to set the climb up for Tadej, he attacked but then it was a headwind on the descent. My brother came across to me and we started to work together.

“At first I didn’t know if I should work with him, I asked on the radio and they said, ‘Go for it’. I’m speechless. I knew he was going good, I speak to him every day. My brother and I are close and to share this experience with him is really nice.

“I wish he would pull a bit easier because he almost dropped me at one moment but I’m just super happy.

“I had yellow a few years ago, the Covid year in 2020, which was also a special moment but really I just want to keep my feet on the ground. We’re here for Tadej, he’s the boss, he’s shown before he’s the best in the world and over the next few weeks I’m sure he’s going to show that again.”

Simon said cramps on the final climb had hampered his efforts to beat Adam to the line.

“There was a bit of cat and mouse over the top, and Adam rolled to the front,” he said. “He gave Pogacar the nod, sort of ‘Can I go? What’s the situation?’ and it was ‘Yeah, sure’ so he’s gone and I’ve gone across to him and that’s all she wrote.

“At first when he saw me coming across I think he was put in a difficult situation. He asked on the radio, ‘Should I wait or roll through?’ At first he wasn’t pulling but I kind of knew that anyway, I knew it was going to be tricky yet at the same time I had to take the opportunity.

“Normally on a finish like that I wouldn’t beat Pogacar or Vingegaard in a real fast sprint so to get away with Adam was maybe a chance. We’re pretty close normally but I had some cramps in the final.

“It was a humid day so unfortunately he got the better of me but I’m sure there are more chances coming.”

Jonas Vingegaard is determined not to fall for any mind games coming from the camp of Tadej Pogacar as the Dane prepares to defend his Tour de France title.

The form of Pogacar, winner of the Tour in both 2020 and 2021, is largely unknown given he has raced only once – cruising to the Slovenian national title last weekend – since breaking his wrist at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

On Wednesday, UAE Team Emirates Mauro Gianetti declared Lancastrian Adam Yates to be co-leader of the team alongside Pogacar due to the uncertainty. Pogacar followed up as he labelled Vingegaard the clear favourite for yellow.

The 24-year-old even seemed to add a hint of sarcasm as he said: “Jonas is the main guy for the Tour de France. He dominated in the (Criterium du) Dauphine and said he wasn’t in his best shape, so I can’t wait to see what he does in the Tour.”

Twelve months ago, Vingegaard rode into yellow when Pogacar cracked on stage 11 to the summit of the Col du Granon, never looking back as he comfortably defended the lead all the way to Paris.

The 26-year-old carried all the assurance of a proven winner as he insisted he was ignoring all the noise coming from his main rival.

“It is quite easy,” the Jumbo-Visma rider said. “I only think about myself. I only think about preparing myself as well as possible. I think about how do I get better, what can I do to improve.

“I have only been thinking about training, pushing for the optimal. I am where I want to be. I am happy with my shape…

“I don’t think it matters to say who is the big favourite. I could also say that he is the favourite.”

Vingegaard comes back to the Tour with a title to defend, but he insisted nothing had changed in his mindset.

“On one side I am the hunted but I am also still hunting the victory so in that case it is not that different,” he said.

“Of course things change when you win the Tour de France, that’s how it is. But I didn’t change and that’s how it should be.”

Pogacar was back in training within days of his crash in April, first at home on the turbo trainer, then back out on the road earlier than scheduled.

His claim that his wrist is still not fully healed may be true, but those wondering if it is all talk will point to Thursday’s images of him pulling wheelies on a recon ride of Saturday’s opening stage.

“It’s not completely fine, I failed with the wheelie and I didn’t make it to the top (of the climb) so it’s not perfect,” he said with a laugh.

“I feel OK on the bike. The wrist is not at full mobility, I would say 60-70 per cent mobility of the wrist but every day training it didn’t bother me at all, no pain. I did a scan on Monday, two out of three bones are healed but the scaphoid needs a bit more time…

“I’m not 100 per cent, that’s why we have a plan B with Adam Yates…I think my legs are good, mentality I’m super good, I hope I’m ready.”

Given the tough opening week of the Tour, with some lumpy stages through the Basque Country before an early visit to the Pyrenees, Pogacar’s true form should become clear very quickly.

“I think this first week will be really tough and explosive, you have everything and so it’ll be interesting,” he said.

“We saw the final (of the opening stage), it’ll be super explosive. There’ll be a big selection in the end, maybe 10 or 15 riders who can go for the stage win. If I’m ready, it could be a chance to take time.”

Mark Cavendish knows he will have to put sentiment to one side as he looks for one last hurrah in his final Tour de France.

The 38-year-old will start his 14th and last Tour in Bilbao on Saturday as he moves into the final months of a glittering career, having announced in May that he will retire at the end of the season.

Cavendish is a former world champion and an Olympic medallist, but for the Manxman nothing compares to the Tour, a race in which his 34 career stage wins stand level with Eddy Merckx for the most of all-time.

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The next three weeks will be a long goodbye, but Cavendish knows he cannot allow emotions to get the better of him as he looks to taste victory again.

“I know I’ve still got a job to do,” he said. “I know I’ll regret that, not living in the moment of enjoying things. The whole experience of the Tour de France, you can’t describe it. This race gives you the most incredible emotions.

“Unfortunately you don’t really analyse it and appreciate them until afterwards. It’s the same every year. I know it’s my last one but it’s the same, I’ve got a job to do and I can’t really afford those little moments of sentiment.

“But I can definitely appreciate them later.”

Cavendish moved level with Merckx in 2021 when, just a few short months after fearing his career was over, he capitalised on an unexpected opportunity with what was then the Deceuninck-QuickStep team to turn back the clock with four stage victories.

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Cavendish had landed on his feet in securing a short-term deal with Deceuninck, who in Michael Morkov have arguably the best lead-out man in the business.

But when Cavendish again found himself scrambling for a contract this winter following the sudden collapse of the B&B Hotels squad, the phone call that came was from Astana-Qazaqstan, a team with no sprinting pedigree and no sort of lead-out train in place.

Cavendish’s former team-mate and lead-out man Mark Renshaw has joined in the past week as a lead-out consultant, but the work to develop a train has been an ongoing project for Cavendish and his team-mates since the day he joined.

“With Astana-Qazaqstan being new to sprinting, it doesn’t mean the resources aren’t there to be able to have an incredible lead-out team, it just means it takes time to practice it and learn it,” Cavendish said.

“A lot of races where I haven’t crossed the line first I’ve taken as wins because I’ve seen the growth of the team, and that’s across different guys – even down to climbers and (general classification) guys committing to a bunch sprint.

“Whether I cross the line (first) or not, if I see the improvements it counts as a win so I’m really happy.”

Whatever happens during July, Cavendish is grateful to have been able to extend his career this far, having given a tearful interview as far back as 2020 when he feared he would be forced out of the sport as he struggled to find a new team.

“I’ve created the most incredible memories, that’s for sure,” he said. “I’m deeply privileged that I could continue my career in the way I did…

“I think the biggest thing you can instil is to never give up. That’s the biggest thing I instil into my kids. They can do what they want and enjoy it but they commit to it if that’s what they want to do. It’s a good way to live life.”

The 110th Tour de France will roll out of Bilbao on Saturday morning with Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar expected to vie for yellow.

When it comes to the sprints, all eyes will be on Mark Cavendish to see if the Manxman can take the Tour stage wins record outright with a 35th victory in what will be his final Tour.

But those are only some of the storylines that will play out over the next three weeks, and here the PA news agency looks at five other talking points ahead of the race.

Rider safety

Cycling is still in mourning after Gino Mader died on June 16 as a result of injuries suffered a day earlier in a crash at the Tour de Suisse. Mader, 26, went into a ravine on a high-speed descent and never regained consciousness. Amid the grief at the loss of a popular young rider have been more calls for reviews of rider safety – particularly given recent disturbing scenes at the women’s Tour of the Pyrenees, a race which was ultimately curtailed after two stages during which roads were not properly closed. The UCI, in conjunction with riders’ groups, is due to make an announcement on safety regulations on the eve of this year’s Tour.

Bernal is back

It is 18 months since 2019 Tour winner Egan Bernal suffered what could have been life-threatening injuries in a training crash in his native Colombia. Happily, the 26-year-old has made huge strides in his recovery, and was rewarded with selection by the Ineos Grenadiers after riding to 12th at the Criterium du Dauphine at the start of June. There is no suggestion Bernal is yet ready to challenge again at the pointy end of a race, but it will be fascinating to see how he fares over the course of three weeks. Just by lining up, he has already scored a victory.

No Froome

But while Bernal returns, Chris Froome is missing. The four-time Tour winner has never fully got over the injuries sustained in a training crash in 2019 and, at 38 years of age, surely now never will. Even so, eyebrows were raised when Israel Premier-Tech opted to leave their star name out of the Tour team this year, particularly given the way he rode to third place on Alpe d’Huez last year. Froome himself issued a statement expressing disappointment, and vowing to return in 2024.

Yates to challenge?

Pogacar’s team boss Mauro Gianetti threw up a surprise on Wednesday when he listed Adam Yates as a co-leader alongside the two-time champion given the latter’s uncertain form following the broken wrist he suffered in April. But actually, the Yates in question here is his twin brother Simon, who carries the hopes of the Jayco-Alula team alongside sprinter Dylan Groenewegen. So far, the 30-year-old has spoken about targeting stage wins, looking to add to the two he won in 2019, but will the 2018 Vuelta a Espana winner keep himself in the general classification fight or deliberately lose time to be allowed into breakaways?

The Wright Stuff

Fred Wright ended his long wait for a first professional win in some style last weekend by winning the British national road race in Saltburn. That victory has earned the 24-year-old some new threads for the Tour as he will don the British stripes in France, making him a little more conspicuous within the peloton. Last year, Wright made a speciality of getting himself in breakaways at both the Tour and the Vuelta, and four times finished on the podium in stages across the two races even if a win eluded him. The goal will be to go one better this time.

Tom Pidcock believes the racing at this year’s Tour de France will be different as a result of Gino Mader’s death at the Tour de Suisse less than two weeks ago.

Mader, who was 26, died on June 16 as a result of injuries suffered when he crashed into a ravine on a high-speed descent, and rider safety has been a hot topic in the build up to Saturday’s opening stage.

Pidcock, who was also racing in Switzerland, lit up the Tour de France on debut last year with an incredible descent off the Galibier setting up his victory on the Alpe d’Huez.

But asked if he expected the approach to racing to be impacted by what happened in Switzerland, the 23-year-old said: “I think so. I think especially for everyone who was at the race, that was pretty hard hitting.

“I didn’t see a single rider take any risks after that incident on the last two stages. Personally I think one of the things that hit me was it happened descending which is something that I love.

“It kind of showed me what the consequences can be when it goes wrong. I never take uncalculated risks when I’m descending, I don’t take unnecessary risks but things can happen when we’re riding down a descent at 100 kilometres an hour in lycra.”

Pidcock heads into this year’s Tour aiming to better last year’s debut. For him, that means being more consistent in the general classification so there will be no deliberately losing time to get in a breakaway. If he is to win another stage, he wants it to be from the group of favourites.

Fred Wright ended his wait for a professional win in style as he became British men’s road champion in Saltburn hours after Pfeiffer Georgi claimed the women’s title for a second time.

The popular 24-year-old paid a heartfelt tribute to Bahrain Victorious team-mate Gino Mader, who died on June 16 following a crash at the Tour de Suisse, pointing to the sky as he crossed the line.

“There’s lot of emotions,” Wright said. “I’m thinking about a lot of things…I just wanted to enjoy the day because that’s what bike racing is about. I can’t stop getting emotional…

“(Gino) would have believed in me today, more than I would have believed in myself.”

Wright earned fans with have-a-go heroics that brought podium finishes from breakaways at the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana last year, but had somehow still been awaiting victory at the top level.

But after he left behind James Knox and Stevie Williams on the last of 10 laps of a punishing course – including more than 3,500 metres of ascent – there would be no near miss this time.

Knox and Williams are purer climbers than Wright, but the 24-year-old Londoner rode smartly, attacking on the descent to the foot of Saltburn Bank, the short but steep final climb which provided the finale with gradients reaching 22 per cent.

“I was really pleased with the way I rode it,” Wright said. “I probably had the best legs of my life out there. I knew that compared to them I had to edge it on the downhill and the flat so I used that to my advantage to use as little energy as possible. It was just all guns blazing to the finish.

“I still can’t believe I’ve got my first professional win, it’s a monkey off my back.”

Earlier, Georgi attacked on Saltburn Bank to distance Claire Steels and Anna Henderson, reclaiming the jersey she won in Lincoln in 2021 before finishing second to Alice Towers in Castle Douglas last year.

“It’s so special,” Georgi, now a two-time national champion at the age of 22, told the PA news agency.

“It still hasn’t sunk in. After I won the jersey in Lincoln, I really wanted it back because it’s such an honour and it gave me a lot of confidence in the peloton turning up with the stripes.

“I’m really happy to get it back. It’s hard to win it once and it’s really hard to win it twice because I think everyone looks at you a bit more. Coming into Lincoln I was maybe a bit more unknown but this time I had more pressure that I kind of put on myself.”

Both races were hugely attritional. Of the 101 riders who started the women’s race, it was clear with more than two of the seven laps remaining that only seven were contenders for victory.

Steels kept attacking, but when Georgi tried a move of her own on the penultimate ascent of Saltburn Bank she saw she could distance her 36-year-old rival, and she repeated the move on the final lap to take the win.

“I was doubting myself that I was the strongest so I thought I needed to test where I was,” she said. “After that I got the confidence that I could actually win it.”

While the women raced in heat and humidity, the skies began to break midway through the men’s race with sunshine giving way to showers, and showers giving way to torrential rain and thunder at the start of the penultimate lap.

That was about the time that Bahrain-Victorious announced their eight-man squad for the Tour, with no surprise that Wright was in it.

“I’ll go to the Tour with a lot of confidence,” he said. “I’ve won the national championships, I’m happy at the moment, and I’m going to keep trying.”

Fred Wright ended his wait for a professional win in style as he became British men’s road champion in Saltburn hours after Pfeiffer Georgi claimed the women’s title for a second time.

The popular 24-year-old paid a heartfelt tribute to Bahrain Victorious team-mate Gino Mader, who died on June 16 following a crash at the Tour de Suisse, pointing to the sky as he crossed the line.

“There’s lot of emotions,” Wright said. “I’m thinking about a lot of things…I just wanted to enjoy the day because that’s what bike racing is about. I can’t stop getting emotional…

“(Gino) would have believed in me today, more than I would have believed in myself.”

Wright earned fans with have-a-go heroics that brought podium finishes from breakaways at the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana last year, but had somehow still been awaiting victory at the top level.

But after he left behind James Knox and Stevie Williams on the last of 10 laps of a punishing course – including more than 3,500 metres of ascent – there would be no near miss this time.

Knox and Williams are purer climbers than Wright, but the 24-year-old Londoner rode smartly, attacking on the descent to the foot of Saltburn Bank, the short but steep final climb which provided the finale with gradients reaching 22 per cent.

“I was really pleased with the way I rode it,” Wright said. “I probably had the best legs of my life out there. I knew that compared to them I had to edge it on the downhill and the flat so I used that to my advantage to use as little energy as possible. It was just all guns blazing to the finish.

“I still can’t believe I’ve got my first professional win, it’s a monkey off my back.”

Earlier, Georgi attacked on Saltburn Bank to distance Claire Steels and Anna Henderson, reclaiming the jersey she won in Lincoln in 2021 before finishing second to Alice Towers in Castle Douglas last year.

“It’s so special,” Georgi, now a two-time national champion at the age of 22, told the PA news agency.

“It still hasn’t sunk in. After I won the jersey in Lincoln, I really wanted it back because it’s such an honour and it gave me a lot of confidence in the peloton turning up with the stripes.

“I’m really happy to get it back. It’s hard to win it once and it’s really hard to win it twice because I think everyone looks at you a bit more. Coming into Lincoln I was maybe a bit more unknown but this time I had more pressure that I kind of put on myself.”

Both races were hugely attritional. Of the 101 riders who started the women’s race, it was clear with more than two of the seven laps remaining that only seven were contenders for victory.

Steels kept attacking, but when Georgi tried a move of her own on the penultimate ascent of Saltburn Bank she saw she could distance her 36-year-old rival, and she repeated the move on the final lap to take the win.

“I was doubting myself that I was the strongest so I thought I needed to test where I was,” she said. “After that I got the confidence that I could actually win it.”

While the women raced in heat and humidity, the skies began to break midway through the men’s race with sunshine giving way to showers, and showers giving way to torrential rain and thunder at the start of the penultimate lap.

That was about the time that Bahrain-Victorious announced their eight-man squad for the Tour, with no surprise that Wright was in it.

“I’ll go to the Tour with a lot of confidence,” he said. “I’ve won the national championships, I’m happy at the moment, and I’m going to keep trying.”