Live from Lille, it’s the latest “Great Loop.” The Tour de France, cycling’s chicest and most significant race, commences from the country’s northern tip. To paraphrase a contemporary great … we got the grip like a handle, and we’re bikin’. Wheels on the road, folks. The complete route can be found here.

Jasper Philipsen has won the opening stage of the Tour de France in a sprint to the line in Lille. Defending champion Tadej Pogačar finished safely.

There were mixed fortunes for the thousands of Belgian fans who poured over the border for the opening stage of the Tour de France