The 106th Tour de France starts in Brussels: Sagan on the hunt for records

The start of the 194,5 kilometer flat stage, which leads from Brussels over the wall of Geraardsbergen and Chaleroi back to the Belgian capital, is scheduled for 12.00 p.m. The first of 21 sections is particularly prestigious because the stage winner can compete in the team time trial on Sunday in the yellow jersey.

For the hot title contenders around defending champions Geraint Thomas (Wales), Egan Bernal and Nairo Quintana (both Colombia), the stage with two mountain classifications in the easier categories three and four should be more of a relaxed tour canter.

The favorites to win the first stage of this tour include the men with the fastest speed. In addition to the six-time green winner Peter Sagan (Slovakia), Dylan Groenewegen from the Netherlands and the Italian Elia Viviani are also considered hot contenders for the jump onto the winner's podium and thus into the yellow jersey.

Sagan on the hunt for a record: seventh green jersey The three-time cycling and road world champion Peter Sagan wants to show off his sprint strength at the 106th Tour de France and win the green jersey of the best points for the seventh time. He currently shares the record with former German professional Erik Zabel.

“Everyone knows my goals, they are the same every year. But like every year, it will be very difficult to achieve this,” said Sagan at the press conference for his Bora-hansgrohe team one day before the start in Brussels. “Of course it would be nice to be the first to win the green jersey seven times. But I'm not thinking about that yet. It’s a long way to Paris, a lot can happen.”

In the absence of the Argentinian Fernando Gaviria, the eleven-time Tour stage winner will face competition primarily from Elia Viviani (Deceuninck/no Tour stage win yet), Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo/3), Michael Matthews (AUS/Sunweb/3), Caleb Ewan ( AUS/Lotto/0) and Alexander Kristoff (NOR/UAE/3).

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The 106th Tour de France starts in Brussels: Sagan on the hunt for records

50 years after Eddy Merckx's first Tour de France title, the world's largest cycling race starts this Saturday in Brussels.

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