He came to the Tour with great form after victory in his last two major tests: the Dauphine Libere and last weeks Spanish national road championships. Now Alejandro Valverde has added another victory to his resume... and claimed the yellow jersey as well to prove that his status as a race favorite is justified.

Valverde  said: "My first impression of this Tour is the best possible one. My team did phenomenal work for me today and it soon became obvious that the finish was suited to my strengths. I had Gutierrez leading me all the time to help me avoid any crashes."
"On the final hill I calculated the distance well. It was exactly right to attack with 300 meters to go."
"I already had plenty of confidence but this is a real boost. It’s early to take the leader’s jersey but it will last as long as it can. We’ll try to defend it over the coming days but the important thing is to have the yellow jersey in Paris."
"I confess, it’s true that the time trial has never been my strongest discipline but I have been able to improve it over the years. The crowds at the Dauphine Libere in June saw this already," Valverde concluded.

Thomas Voeckler was part of the breakaway group. He made a name for himself by taking the yellow jersey after being part of an escape group a few years ago and Thomas Voeckler returned to the Tour’s podium again today. This time it was to collect the polka-dot jersey. For the moment, he’s the King of the Hills… but he’s realistic about his chances in the mountains.

Voeckler said: "The escape was not for nothing. I am a little disappointed with the outcome, perhaps just because I expected a little more from this escape. There were eight of us and we had the wind in our favor, and if there had been a little hesitation in the peloton we could have done better, because anything is possible in such a situation. I know that it is with small steps such as these that I can try to get a win because I will not have a chance when we get to the big mountains. There are several other stages that will now be controlled by the sprinters’ teams so today was the ideal circumstance to try to create a winning situation.
”I’m now glad to wear the polka-dot jersey, although I know it will be difficult to keep it. I had to fight with Schröder for it, and I knew he had a better peak speed than me. I still had a good advantage of this final climb, one that I know well, to control it. "

Lilian Jegou instigated an escape group at the start of the stage and insisted with his effort for 190km but for the local rider Lilian Jegou there are rewards other than victory. He was voted the most aggressive man in the opening stage.

"It was a stage in which you could hope for a victory. Of course there was also the added bonus of taking a serious coup of taking the yellow jersey. Over the final 50 kilometers, which are near my hometown of Vannes, I was riding on the roads that I know by heart; it’s where I go training all the time. Alas, it was not enough. I’ll still cherish the memory of the day because of the encouragement we received. Anyway, I don’t regret having tried my luck. I’m aware that there’ll be other steps to take in my career."