By Nick Butler

Marcel Kittel continued the form he showed at the 2013 Tour de France by winning Stage One in Yorkshire ©AFP/Getty ImagesGerman star Marcel Kittel broke British hearts by winning the opening stage of the Tour de France from Leeds to Harrogate this afternoon, after home hope Mark Cavendish crashed with 300 metres to go.


With over one million supporters lining the streets of Yorkshire, in the Tour's first visit to Great Britain since 2007, with Prime Minister David Cameron and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry among those in attendance, hopes were high that Cavendish could mark the occasion with a trademark sprint victory, which would have been his 26th in the Tour de France. 

But, although the Manxman's Omega-Pharma-Quickstep team appeared to be in a perfect position after hitting the front of the peloton with four kilometres of the 118.3 mile race remaining, Cavendish lost control of his front wheel and was left prostrate on the road as the stage concluded. 

It was then left to Kittel to burst ahead and the Giant-Shimano rider eventually won in 4 hours 44min 07sec to continue the form he showed last year in winning the green jersey for the best overall sprinter.

It is also the second year in a row in which the 26-year-old has won the opening stage of the Tour, after he did so last year in Corsica.

Slovakian rival Peter Sagan, winner of the 2012 and 2013 green jersey, finished second, while Lithuanian Ramunas Navardsuskas crossed the line third.

The stage ended with a superb finish even if not was the result the home fans wanted ©AFP/Getty ImagesThe stage ended with a superb finish even if not was the result the home fans wanted ©AFP/Getty Images












"It's unbelievable that I win stage one again," Kittel said afterwards.

"I had good legs today and my guys did an excellent job.

"Our plan was to control the race with the other sprinters' teams.

"This yellow jersey is for my team-mates, they were completely dedicated to that one goal, and it's a big big relief to pay them back with a win."

It was a good day for Germany as 42-year-old veteran Jens Voigt marked the start of his 17th Tour with an early breakaway which kept the lead for most of the day before being eventually overhauled. 

He does hold an early lead in the king of the mountains category for the best climber.

Cavendish, meanwhile, now has a suspected broken collarbone and it remains to be seen whether he will be fit to begin tomorrow's stage from York to Sheffield. 

He admitted the crash was his own fault, because "he tried to find a gap that wasn't really there", before adding that he had "felt really strong and was in a great position to contest the sprint thanks to the unbelievable efforts" of his team.

It is not the first time the 25-time Tour de France stage winner has tasted disappointment on home turf as he also failed to win the Olympic road race on the opening day of London 2012, despite being heavily favoured to do so, when Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov took the gold medal. 

Mark Cavendish cut a forlorn figure after his chances of winning on home turf ended with a crash ©AFP/Getty ImagesMark Cavendish cut a forlorn figure after his chances of winning on home turf ended with a crash ©AFP/Getty Images



But despite the home disappointment, the first stage was still hailed as a huge success, and a boost for the host county of Yorkshire.

Sir Rodney Walker, chair of TdFHUB2014 Ltd, the company organising the stages in Yorkshire, claimed that "spectators have had a fantastic day they will never forget and Yorkshire has been showcased to a massive global audience".

He added: "It has taken a huge amount of planning and teamwork, so thank you to all of our partners, and especially our stewards and the Tour Maker volunteers for all of their hard work.

"Today has set the tone for the next two days, and we look forward to seeing more huge crowds lining the route to watch the world's best cyclists in action."

Tomorrow will see a much hillier 124.9 mile stage from York to Sheffield, which is unlikely to end in a bunch sprint and should instead present an early test for the overall contenders, including Britain's defending champion Chris Froome, who finished a strong sixth place today.

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