Tour de France 2018 Grand Départ LIVE: Chris Froome crashes as Fernando Gaviria wins stage one latest updates

The Tour de France begins with a 201km jaunt from Noirmoutier-en-L'Ile in Vendee, scene of this year's Grand Départ, to Fontenay-le-Comte

How Chris Froome won his fourth Tour de France

The Tour de France gets under way with a 201km jaunt from Noirmoutier-en-L'Ile in Vendee, scene of this year's Grand Depart, to the stage 1 finish in Fontenay-le-Comte.

Most of the route tracks France's north-west coastline meaning crosswinds could be a factor affecting the peloton, but conditions are warm and calm so we can expect the 176 riders to make it to the end and a bunch sprint to ensue.

Mark Cavendish will have his eye on clinching the yellow jersey for Sunday's stage 2 by winning here but he faces stiff competition from a strong sprint field

Follow all the action below with our live blog:

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Prediction

A bunch sprint to be claimed by one of the power riders – we'll pick Marcel Kittel.

How to watch on TV

The race will be shown live on Eurosport and ITV.

Odds

Fernando Gavaria 9/4

Marcel Kittel 9/2

Arnaud Demare 6/1

Key Points

• Stage-by-stage guide to the 2018 Tour de France
• Team-by-team guide to all 176 riders on the start list
• Chris Froome battles against history, rivalry, the peloton and the people

[7 July 2018 10:13 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

The Tour de France 2018 is under way! 

And immediately a trio of riders form an early breakaway...

[7 July 2018 10:20 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

194km to go

Kevin Ledanois (Fortuneo-Samsic), Yoann Offredo (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Jerome Cousin (Direct Energie) are the trio riding out in front, with the rest happy to slow down the past in this searing heat on the north-west coast of France and allow the to escape with a lead which has already grown to more than 2 min. 

[7 July 2018 10:36 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

One to watch

The talented young Colombian Egan Bernal has been tipped to succeed Chris Froome in the coming years at Team Sky. The 21-year-old debutant won a stage of the Tour of California and don't be surprised to see him win one of his first 21 stages in this Tour de France.

[7 July 2018 10:48 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

170km to go

So the trio of Ledanois, Offredo, and Cousin are off riding their own race, four minutes down the road from the rest of the peloton who are enjoying a leisurely cycle along the coast, happy to let them go for now. We can expect the teams who want to get their sprinters in position – like Mark Cavendish's Dimension Data – to pick up the pace at some point. 

[7 July 2018 10:57 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

The peloton in action along the Vendee coast:

[7 July 2018 11:16 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

150km to go

The gap between our leaders and the rest has stabilised at around 3 min 50 sec, as the peloton decides to up their output a little. So who are three out in front? Kévin Ledanois (Fortuneo-Samsic) is a 24-year-old French rider whose father, Yvon, won a stage of the 1997 Vuelta. Yoann Offredo (Groupe-Gobert) is a 31-year-old French rider in his second Tour de France, and Jerome Cousin (Direct Energie) is a 29-year-old rider in his third Tour most famous for his impressive facial hair. Photos as we get them...

[7 July 2018 11:31 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Is any sporting event as photogenic as the Tour de France?

[7 July 2018 11:39 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Stage 1 route & profile

[7 July 2018 11:41 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

130km to go

The unmistakable figure of Andre Greipel hits the front of the peloton for a spell, the man nicknamed The Gorilla. He might fancy his chances in the bunch sprint at the end of this opening stage, which is looking more and more likely: the gap to the leading trio is now down to less than three minutes. 

[7 July 2018 11:53 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]