The Tour begins, silly accidents and all

“My first impression is beyond my imagination — to win the stage and wear the yellow jersey,” Caisse d’Epargne rider Valverde said. “The important thing is to have the yellow jersey in Paris,” where the race ends on July 27.

The Tour’s 95th edition got off to a nervous start. Valverde said his strategy was to avoid the crashes that often occur in the flat, early stages.

Of four crashes that marred the race debut, one took down Juan Mauricio Soler, the Colombian who was the Tour’s best climber last year. He finished over two minutes behind Valverde.

France’s Herve Duclos-Lassalle of the Cofidis team became the first rider in the 180-man pack to quit the race. He crashed and broke his wrist after a fellow rider’s food bag got stuck in his front wheel spokes.