Copenhagen, the opening stage of the 2022 Tour de France, drew a huge crowd to the 13.2km time trial course, with an estimated 500,000 people there to enjoy the Grand Depart.

The so-called Danish summer: rain, wind, and gray skies did nothing to stop the party or keep the crowds back, but they certainly shook up the race with many crashes, a surprise winner, and a larger than expected time difference in the overall race.

Most of the big-name riders opted for an early start to avoid the deteriorating weather and expected rain. However, the rain started early and fell hard, drenching the riders and slowing the pace.

This meant that all the contenders for the stage win and overall contenders had to race in the same terrible conditions.

Yves Lampère started a bit late, giving him a slight but perhaps significant advantage. When he went out, the track surface was still wet, but the rain had stopped. The Belgian rider did not hesitate when given the perfect opportunity. Pulling up his aerosocks as far as possible, and not wearing his new Specialized aero helmet and aero head socks, he set a best time of 15:17, five seconds ahead of fellow Belgian and favorite Wout Van Aert (Jumbo Visma), in Copenhagen's streets to win the race's first maillot jaune.

The rest were distributed among the stage results, the first GC, and the virtual GC in the overall contenders.

Tadej Pogachar, the 2021 winner, showed his 2022 mettle by finishing third, two seconds behind Van Aert and seven seconds behind Lampert. He was the first Virtual GC leader to wear the white jersey of Best Young Athlete. Pogachar's daily podium visits have already begun.

Jonas Vingegaard and Primoš Roglic, who excel in rain and time trials, finished 8 and 9 seconds behind, respectively.

Adam Yates and Geraint Thomas were also within 20 seconds of Pogachar, but Thomas regretted not taking off his gilet before the race. The rain and pressure of the Tour de France can ruin even the best of spirits and the slightest gains.

Among the big losers were Ben O'Connor, 54 seconds behind Pogachar; Rigoberto Urán, 1:07 back; Enric Mas, 49 seconds back; and David Gaudou, 43 seconds back. But after a flat 13.2 km time trial, their Tour de France already seems to be an uphill battle.

They definitely cursed the rain as the sky darkened during the lunch break and the heavens opened at 3 p.m. when the first raindrops fell around 2 p.m., three hours ahead of schedule.

Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) recovered from COVID-19 and was looking for a stage win, but a slip on the wet road ended his hopes. However, a slip on the wet road ended his hopes. A second crash with about 1km to go further aggravated his ride and he finished in 99th place.

Others, including Christophe Laporte (Jumbo Visma) and Mikel Honoré (Quick-Step Alphavinil), were crashing regularly. Others slipped in 18 corners and everyone tried to avoid puddles and road marks on the road.

Winning the race required cyclocross skills, a lack of fear, and exceptional bike skills, and Mathieu van der Poel seemed to be enjoying it all, knowing that riding hard in the cyclocross mud is much worse than in the summer rain. He finished fifth, 13 seconds back, but the yellow jersey is still within reach.

Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) was the favorite to win, but could only shake his head as he finished 17 seconds behind Van Aert.

Even time trial world champion Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) could not outrun the weather gods. He had to slow entering corners and often lacked the grip to accelerate out of corners at full speed. He suffered slow punctures and lost seven seconds late in the route, but he did not use that as an excuse.

"The rain made me restless in the corners," he said. 'It was supposed to be dry when we left, but the track surface was already wet, and then it started raining even more. I can't regret it. There were better riders today."

Ganna started at 5:03 local time, with Van Aert a minute behind and Pogachar a minute further back, and the 15-minute battle between the big guns turned into one of the most intense moments of a tense day, with Van Aert holding off Pogachar for the win.

Lampert started at 5:44 a.m. The 40-minute time difference meant that the rain was light and the track surface was wet, but not soaking wet. High aero socks, a quirky new aero helmet, a fast low center of gravity, and an appetite for taking risks allowed him to make the difference in victory.

The crowd cheered as he climbed the stage and donned the first yellow jersey of the 2022 Tour de France. In contrast, Bahrain Victorious' Dylan Theuns was booed, and teammates Matej Mohoric and Luis Leon Sanchez, who appeared near the podium for anti-doping, received little sympathy.

Gray clouds still loom over Bahrain Victorious as the police investigation continues. The only ray of sunshine of the day illuminated Rampart's yellow jersey.

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