Odenwälder professional cyclist Gleit missed the yellow jersey at the Tour de France!

Odenwälder professional cyclist Gleit missed the yellow jersey at the Tour de France!

The first stage of the Tour de France 2025 caused a lot of excitement today. Jonasrutsch, the talented professional cyclist from the Odenwald, was at the start for the Intermarché-Wanty team. The day was supposed to include one big goal: winning the yellow jersey. But that was denied to the team hessenschau.de reported. Despite remarkable efforts,rutsch was in a breakaway group for a long time during the stage, but the desired goal was ultimately not achieved.

The team also had high hopes for their sprinter Biniam Girmay to win the day. Unfortunately, he also crossed the finish line behind the day's winner Jasper Philipsen and had to be content with less than the success he had hoped for. Philipsen, who rides for Alpecin-Deceuninck, secured the first victory of this tour and thus also secured the Maillot Jaune.

Crisis situations characterized the stage

The stage was marked by dramatic moments. Right from the start, several falls ensured that the tension in the peloton was high. The first crash happened to Filippo Ganna and Sean Flynn, with Ganna having some impact but fortunately being able to return to the race after a medical. About 106 kilometers from the finish, the breakaway group was caught by the main group, which significantly changed the dynamics of the stage cyclinguptodate.com emphasized.

There were also other falls during the race, including Stefan Bissegger and Ben O'Connor, who fell but reached the finish in the same time as the leader. Ultimately, it was a difficult stage for the Intermarché-Wanty team and their riders, as some favorites such as Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel also found themselves in difficult situations and lost a lot of time.

A look at developments in professional cycling

However, the Tour de France is not just a sporting event, but also reflects developments in professional cycling. It is therefore not surprising that the average age of the tour participants in 2020 was around 30 years and the body weight of a tour starter has also fallen by around 5 kg since 1990. The current trend shows drivers' heights increasing, while the average BMI has been decreasing over the years. This shows that the demands placed on athletes are high and they have a high level of physical fitness to compete at the highest level.

The Ineos Grenadiers team, which has a budget of at least 40 million euros, is an example of the financial dimension in professional cycling, which is also constantly discussed. Jonathan Vaughters, for example, is calling for a “salary cap” to improve the competitive conditions and make sport fairer. This discussion about the commercialization of cycling is becoming increasingly explosive, especially in comparison to other sports.

The first stage of the Tour de France not only remains in the memory of Jonasrutsch and his team, but also offers fundamental insights into the challenges and changes in cycling in general radsport-rennrad.de shows.