SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2015 SPORTS Historic moment for Africa UTRECHT: The sweltering conditions the mountains jersey at the recent would have been familiar to Daniel Criterium du Dauphine and will expect to Teklehaimanot as he rolled down the start be mixing it with the world’s best climbers ramp yesterday but not the wall of noise when the race reaches the Alps. that hit him seconds later. The MTN Qhubeka bus, emblazoned The first black African to ride the Tour de with #bicycleschangelives, was thronged France was given the honour of being the with people yesterday, with Ryder’s pride first of the 198 riders to set off in the clear as he explained his dream to the medieval Dutch city of Utrecht where media. crowds estimated at 700,000 gathered to Cheered on by fans waving Eritrean watch a 14-kilometre individual time trial. flags, Teklehaimanot did not quite produce The 26-year-old is part of debut-making the ride he would have liked over the team MTN Qhubeka, the first African pro- 13.8km course-clocking 16 minutes 30 sec- cycling outfit to line up in the world’s great- onds. est race. But along with Meintjes, fellow Eritrean “(The organisers) phoned me last night Merhawi Kudus, the youngest rider in the and said ‘do you want to kick off the race?’,” Tour at 21, and South African brothers team president and founder Doug Ryder Jacques and Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, told Reuters as Teklehaimanot and his team the days ahead will provide many chances mates, including American Tyler Farrar, to showcase the African continent. Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen and South “It’s David v Goliath, why not?” Ryder African Louis Meintjes, sweated on the said. “But we are here on merit and not rollers as the minutes ticked down to the because we are an African team. “We want start of the first stage. to be aggressive, show off the team’s “Most teams don’t want to start first, but colours, show the potential of African when they said do you want to kick off the cyclists and, of course, our Bicycles Change Tour I was like ‘OK, we’d be honored’. “When Lives campaign.” That last part sums it up as I told Daniel he was starting he said ‘fantas- Qhubeka is a foundation that hands out tic’.” bicycles to young Africans. “If we can go Eritrea’s Teklehaimanot, one of 17 chil- back to (Tour organisers) ASO and say not dren, is not just making up the numbers in only were we successful but we put 5,000 UTRECHT: Stage winner Australia’s Rohan Dennis celebrates on the podium after winning the 13.8 km individual time-trial, the first stage of the a team backed by MTN, the South African students on bikes so they can live their 102nd edition of the Tour de France cycling race. —AFP telecommunications company, and elec- dreams and realise their potential, then tronics giant Samsung. He won the king of that’s fantastic,” Ryder said. —Reuters Dennis wins opening stage Orica target stage UTRECHT: Australian Rohan Dennis set a new Contador and Nairo Quintana. couldn’t match Dennis’s pace over the second record for the highest average speed in a Tour de The first marker was set by 2010 Dutch time- half of the race. France timetrial as he won the opening stage of trial champion Jos van Emden, the ninth rider to Italian Nibali caused a stir by beating the man wins not yellow the 2015 edition yesterday. start, who finished in 15min 11sec. he deposed as Tour winner, a seemingly out-of- The 25-year-old scorched around the 13.8km But less than half an hour later, that was bet- sorts Froome, by 7sec. Nibali finished 22nd in course in just 14min 56sec despite Utrecht being tered by Dennis, even though Van Emden’s time 15min 39sec while the other two members of UTRECHT: Australians Orica-GreenEdge have “As far as GC it’s not a goal and never has suffocated by a heat wave. “I’ve broken a dry of 7min 27sec at the 7.1km time check would the ‘fantastic four’ lost even more time than a very clear plan for the Tour de France and it been a goal. As I said before, it would be pret- spell of wins and what a way to do it,” said remain unbeaten all day. Froome, who was 39th. Spanish Giro d’Italia win- doesn’t involve trying to get their hands on ty unprofessional of us to put pressure on the Dennis. Dennis was only one second behind but fin- ner Contador was 15sec behind the Italian while the yellow jersey. Yates boys, who we see as GC talents, in their He was the only rider to break the 15min ished stronger to beat Van Emden’s time by Quintana lost 18sec. Last year, team leader Simon Gerrans first Tour de France that they’re hoping to fin- mark and set a new Tour record of 55.446kph on 15sec. History making Eritrean pair Daniel came into the race believing he had a great ish. average for a timetrial, beating the 21-year-old He had to wait for almost two hours before Teklehaimanot and Merhawi Kudus gave a chance of taking the yellow jersey on one of “They’ve shown throughout the year and mark set by Britain’s Chris Boardman over a the true challengers to his time started to roll respectable account of themselves as the first the early stages but was caught up in a crash since joining the team that they’re very capa- course that was just over half the length. More over the line, but even then, no-one could ever black Africans to ride the Tour for their MTN involving Mark Cavendish on the first stage ble of achieving some great results against important for Dennis, though, will be his oppor- match the former Hour record holder. Qhubeka team, the first African outfit to ride the and forced out of the race. the best guys in the world, but that’s for stage tunity to wear the yellow jersey on Sunday’s sec- Home hope Tom Dumoulin was a second Grand Boucle. With the first stage this time around being victories not GC.” ond stage over 166km from Utrecht to Zeeland. slower than Dennis at halfway but had lost eight Teklehaimanot finished 146th out of 198 rid- a timetrial, Gerrans said it would likely prove Simon Yates took the start line last year at “I left it all out there; I went off harder than seconds by the end. German Tony Martin was ers in a time of 16min 30sec with Kudus 175th in too difficult for the team to get their hands on just four days notice and lasted for two weeks what I thought I should have and I came back three seconds down at halfway and had lost 16min 47sec. Nibali’s Astana teammate Lars the leader’s jersey and as they have no before his team withdrew him on the second harder than what I thought I could,” said the BMC another two seconds before the finish. Boom was at the start line after his participation designs on overall victory, it will be stage rest day. rider. Dennis’s predecessor as World Hour record- had been in doubt on Friday night due to a low wins occupying their thoughts for three This year he is hoping to finish the race Dennis had said before the Tour began that holder Matthias Brandle of Austria could not cortisol level in an unofficial test conducted by weeks. and expects to have a chance of a stage win his whole season had been built around training trouble the Australian, finishing seventh at the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC). “As far as realistic goals, we’ve been pretty in the mountains, by which time he believes for this timetrial and that should he win, it would 23sec, while his successor, Britain’s Alex Dowsett, Although it does not constitute a doping viola- adamant we’re chasing stage wins and GC he’ll be so far out of contention that the over- be “the happiest day” of his “life as a cyclist”. was well off the pace at 36sec in 13th. tion, the MPCC advises it’s member teams-who (overall victory) is not even on our radar this all contenders will let him get away in a And he did so in style, beating three-time By now there were very few riders left expect- are aligned to the movement on a voluntary year,” said the 35-year-old Gerrans, a two-time break. “These first nine days it’s actually going world timetrial champion Tony Martin into sec- ed to push for the stage victory and even basis-to stand down the rider for eight days on stage winner who was in yellow for two days to be pretty easy to lose some time. I’m not ond by 5sec with four-time world champion Spartacus, Cancellara, a five-time winner of health grounds. Astana failed to gain permission in 2013. really suited to these flatlands over this part Fabian Cancellara third at 6sec. opening stage timetrials or prologues at the from the International Cycling Union (UCI) to “I don’t think we’ll be looking too closely of the world,” he said. “It’s going to be pretty Amongst the overall contenders, reigning Tour, could not unseat Dennis. field a replacement so they opted to let Boom at that part of the classification each day.