Paris – Marcel Kittel of Germany won a sprint finish in a crash-marred opening stage of the Tour de France which started its 100th edition on the Mediterranean island of Corsica on Saturday.
The Argos-Shimano rider got the first yellow jersey as he topped the 213-kilometre stage from Porto-Vecchio in the south to Bastia in the north as the Tour is routed for the first time through Corsica.
The stage was marred by several crashes, with the last one shortly before the finish ending the sprint ambitious of Briton Mark Cavendish because he had to stop to avoid a fall.
Bradley Wiggins, the first Briton to win the Tour in 2012, is among the notable absences at the centenary edition, which will cover 3,404 kilometres before a sprint finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 21.
The title-holder announced in May he would be unable to compete because of an ongoing knee injury.
Team Sky captain Chris Froome is hoping to pick up where Wiggins left off. Froome already boasts several wins this year, including the Tour de Romandie, and was second hehind Wiggins at the 2012 Tour.
His main rivals include 2011 winner Cadel Evans of Australia and ex-champion Alberto Contador of Spain, who was stripped of the 2010 title for doping.
In total, 198 riders are competing in the Tour, which is made up of 21 stages, including two ascents of the Alpe d'Huez peak on the 18th stage.
The start of the race was clouded by fresh allegations and revelations about past doping affairs.
Last week, the 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich admitted to Germany's Focus magazine that he had used blood doping products supplied by Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.
Meanwhile, former French rider Laurent Jalabert stepped down as a radio and television commentator of the Tour at the last minute after being accused by L'Equipe sports daily of having taken EPO during the 1998 edition.
Disgraced US cyclist Lance Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France tours last year for doping, waded into the fray Friday, telling Le Monde newspaper that it was “impossible” to win the Tour without using banned substances.
The Tour riders reacted angrily to the renewed controversy, saying they were being saddled with suspicion for cheating by previous generations.
“It is degrading to be dragged through the mud and be run down by some who look to make money on our backs,” they said, calling “for all sports to be treated equally.” – Sapa-dpa