Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) took the runner-up spot in today's chaotic opening stage at the Tour de France. In the decisive bunch sprint he looked set for a surprising stage win but he was eventually caught by Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano). Afterwards Kristoff blamed too long a stay in the head wind for his failure to claim the stage.

"I stayed too long in the head-wind,” said Kristoff, “so I lost a lot of energy and in the end I was a bit tired. Anyway, I managed to come back to the first positions: but when I wanted to start my rush I was closed in. As soon as I saw a chance to sprint I went for it, but I saw that Kittel was really fast. Moreover, he's usually faster than me when the finish line is flat because I'm less explosive than him. But I'm satisfied anyway with my performance. I'm in a good shape, so let's see what's going to happen tomorrow."