Tour De France 2015: Stage 1 Results, Overall Standings and Highlights

Rohan Dennis won the first stage of the 2015 Tour de France on Saturday, a short individual time trial around the streets of Utrecht, the Netherlands. The Australian will be the first wearer of this year's yellow jersey, according to Eurosport UK.

The first stage of this year's Tour de France was the event's only individual time trial, and at just under 14 kilometers, it was remarkably long for a simple prologue. The fans who gathered to watch the riders probably enjoyed the strong headwind given the tropical temperatures, but it only added another challenge for the riders.

The wind picked up throughout the day, and Dennis took full advantage. The Australian was one of the earlier starters, and by the time the stage favourites started their ride, there was too much wind to overtake the eventual winner. None of the top favourites for the yellow jersey lost any significant time.

Here are the results of Saturday's stage and the first look at the general classification:

Pos	Rider	Team	Time
1	Rohan Dennis (Aus)	BMC Racing Team	0:14:56
2	Tony Martin (Ger)	Etixx - Quick-Step	+5
3	Fabian Cancellara (Swi)	Trek Factory Racing	+6
4	Tom Dumoulin (Ned)	Team Giant-Alpecin	+8
5	Jos Van Emden (Ned)	Team LottoNL-Jumbo	+15
6	Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa)	Movistar Team	+23
7	Matthias Brandle (Aut)	IAM Cycling	+23
8	Adriano Malori (Ita)	Movistar Team	+29
9	Wilco Kelderman (Ned)	Team LottoNL-Jumbo	+30
10	Steve Cummings (GBr)	MTN - Qhubeka	+32

Nairo Quintana was the first of the favourites for the general classification to hit the road, and the Colombian put together a solid effort given that his main strength is climbing. The Daily Mail's Matt Lawton couldn't help but crack a joke, but in reality, he lost minimal time on his main competitors:

As shared by his team's official Twitter account, Quintana felt good about his ride:

Thibaut Pinot, another rider aiming for the high mountains, also put in a strong time, going 20 seconds faster than Quintana. Pinot is France's best hope for the general classification, and while he's part of a group of dark-horse contenders behind Quintana, Vincenzo Nibali, Alberto Contador and Chris Froome, the Frenchman shouldn't be underestimated.

ITV Cycling didn't expect such a strong showing on Saturday:

"

Much better ride from Pinot than many expected #TDF2015

— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 4, 2015"

Tom Dumoulin was the favourite to win Stage 1 in front of his Dutch fans, but the powerful time-trial specialist was one of the late starters, and by the time he got on his bike, the headwind had picked up significantly.

He was just a few seconds slower than Dennis at the halfway point and was slowed down when overtaking a rider near the final corner, but by the time he crossed the finish line, he had lost eight seconds on the eventual winner.

VeloVoices was impressed and couldn't help but feel Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara had an even better shot at passing Dennis:

Martin's time was just a handful of seconds slower than Dennis', and Swiss veteran Cancellara was another victim of the headwinds. Spartacus looked fantastic during his ride, drawing praise from cycling writer Michael Hutchinson, but at the halfway mark, it became clear the wind was just too much of a factor:

He would cross the line in 15:02, six seconds slower than Dennis.

Meanwhile, the attention turned to Nibali, Contador and Froome, who were all looking to draw first blood in the race for the general classification.

Contador didn't look particularly fast through the first sector, and Froome's first split time was faster than both Quintana's and Contador. With the wind a bigger factor in the second part of the course, he had an excellent opportunity to put some time between himself and his rivals.

Nibali started behind Froome, and he managed to do even better, going just 11 seconds slower than winner Dennis. At the finish line, last year's winner beat Froome by seven seconds, but none of the favourites lost any significant time.  

Sunday's stage will be a short hop from Utrecht to Neeltje Jans, giving the sprinters their first chance to shine. The stage is as flat as can be, with no points available for the mountain classification and just one intermediary sprint. Expect the contenders for the yellow jersey to spend the day in the belly of the peloton. 

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