Mark Cavendish Takes 27th Tour de France Stage Win

Data Dimension sprinter Mark Cavendish, left, crosses the finish line ahead of Etixx-Quickstep’s Marcel Kittel, right, to win the first stage of the 2016 Tour de France, 188 kilometers (116.8 miles) from Mont-Saint-Michel to Utah Beach, France, Saturday, July 2, 2016. AP Photo/Peter Dejong

Mark Cavendish of Team Dimension Data earned his 27th stage win in the first stage of the 2016 Tour de France, taking the race leader’s yellow jersey for the first time in his career.

Cavendish also won the green points leader’s jersey.

Mark Cavendish of Team Dimension Data earned himself his 27th stage win in the first stage of the 2016 Tour de France, taking the race leader’s yellow jersey for the first time in n his career.

The first stage of the 2016 Tour de France was a straightforward flat stage, 188 kilometers from Mont-Saint-Michel to Utah Beach, one of the landing beaches used by the Allies on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

The stage was expected all along to end in a sprint, with a breakaway being caught in the final kilometers and the sprinters’ teams contesting the win.

The breakaway group: Paul Voss, Alex Howes, Leigh Howard, Anthony Delaplace, and Jan Barta (L-R) ride during Stage one of the 2016 Tour de France. AP Photo/Christophe Ena