After a chaotic finish in Stage 1, 25-year old German cyclist Marcel Kittel came out of nowhere to take not only the yellow jersey but the point (green) and young rider classification (white) jerseys after evading all sorts of mayhem towards the finish line.
The first day of racing at Tour de France 2013 was marred with crashes and unexpected road block at the finish line after a bus got stranded under an arch in Corsica.
But with all the unusual things that took place during the opening stage, the 100th edition of the world's most prestigious biking event is expected to come out even more challenging in the second stage as riders take on the 156-kilometer medium-mountain route from Bastia to Ajaccio on Sunday.
Alberto Contador suffered a shoulder injury along with bruises and scrapes after he was entangled in one of several crashes on Stage 1. However, the former Tour de France champion is still very much within striking distance in a still wide-open race.
The second stage is far from the Tour de France standard. It featured three climbs, but the highest of which is just 1,163m high Col de Vizzavona. Usually, the first week of the race is dominated by sprinters. But the Bastia to Ajaccio track favors GC specialists because of numerous twisting roads that lie ahead of the race.
Kittel has a long way to go for him to secure his first Tour de France title. The battle is just starting and more climbs and crashes are still to come.
NBC will resume their coverage of the 100th Tour de France on Sunday morning (June 30, 7:30 a.m ET). TSM will continue to provide online live streaming on their site.
Tour de France Classification Standings - Click here
Tour de France Stage 2 Route Information - Click here
Tour de France Online Livestreaming NBC (With Subscriptions) and TSM (Free Online Streaming).
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