"I didn't even know if I had crossed the line first!" - Benjamin Thomas reacts to his grotesque fall at KoM sprint

The opening stage of Tour de France had an unusually sizeable breakaway which included Benjamin Thomas. The all-rounder of Cofidis had his eyes set on the polka dot jersey and, despite some complications along the way, eventually secured his spot on podium in Lille.

"I'm really happy, because that's what we had decided in the team briefing. I was free to break away. Once I took the first point, I needed a second to secure the polka dot jersey, and it all came down to Mont Cassel. It's a place I know well because we often ride there during the 4 Jours de Dunkerque," Thomas explains in post-race interview.

But the Cofidis rider still made a mistake: "I attacked too early, Matteo came back and we had to sprint. On the cobbles, you always sprint sitting down, but when I threw the bike forward, I lost my balance, my front wheel came off and we fell. I didn't even know if I had crossed the line first!" he laughs.

No excuses. Thomas knows that he may only blame himself for such naive fall. Thankfully, both men were able to continue the stage with just some bruises here and tehre. "It was entirely my fault, so I went to apologise to him and luckily he's fine. I'm a bit sore and I'll be aching for two or three days, but nothing too serious."

To secure the first lead in the mountain's classification already makes the Tour slightly more successful for Cofidis. The French team has brought some of their biggest guns, but can't really think of winning multiple stages or riding a good GC. Such small accomplished will be therefore highly appreciated. And it's of course a big day for Thomas who intends to hold on to the jersey for as long as possible:

"It's my first climber's jersey, in any race, so I'm really happy. And of course, the one in the Tour is legendary. We'll see tomorrow if it's worth trying to break away, but I'd like to keep it."