The opportunity to battle for the first Maillot Jaune of the Tour de France has been the stuff of dreams for sprinters ever since the route of stage 1 was unveiled. Alexander Kristoff was the last to seize such an opportunity, in Nice in 2020, following in the footsteps of stars like Mark Cavendish at Utah Beach (2016), Marcel Kittel in Ajaccio and Harrogate (2013-14) and Thor Hushovd in Strasbourg (2006), to name just a few in the 21st century. The world’s best sprinters now gear up to battle it out tomorrow on Boulevard Vauban, just outside the citadel of Lille.
Many eyes are on Biniam Girmay, winner of three stages and the green jersey in 2024. Although he has no victories in 2025, the Eritrean remains optimistic: "My start to the season hasn't been perfect, but I've had a few second places and I feel that I'm in good shape, more or less like last year. Winning this stage won't be easy, but it's a dream for me. And I might also have the chance to wear the Maillot Jaune at the finish of the second stage in Boulogne-sur-Mer, which suits me even better.”
Jasper Philipsen, his closest rival last year with three wins as well, is in a similar position. With a modest haul so far (Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and a stage in the Tour of Belgium), his appetite is immense: “This is the first time that the Maillot Jaune is really my target, because when I took part for the first time in 2019, I was really very young.” When asked about his main rivals, the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader believes that “Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan will both have a chance too.”
Merlier (Soudal-Quick-Step) is making his return to the Tour de France, where he already raised his arms in 2021. This time, he is wearing the European champion's jersey and has 10 victories to his name since the start of the year: "It's true that there's a lot of pressure on this first stage, so I'm trying not to think about it too much. But when I found myself on the podium at the Grand Place, I got goosebumps!"
For Lidl-Trek’s Italian powerhouse (7 wins in 2025), the challenge is to claim yellow on his first day in the Tour de France, as Colombian Fernando Gaviria did in 2018: “It's a whole new challenge for me. I don't feel like the favourite for Saturday, there's Tim and Jasper, but I can count on a superb lead-out. We’re going to try and make the most of this drag race for the first Maillot Jaune.”
