– A dream come true – VG

– Now I am 33 years old and have four children. That even though I managed to win in the biggest race in the world gives hope to everyone, he says with a smile to VG’s questions at the post-race press conference.

– I am very proud to win today. The first leg of the tour couldn’t have started better. The yellow jersey is a bonus. Being able to use it for the first time in my career is something that I am very proud and humbled of. I’ll enjoy losing it tomorrow. I guess I’ll lose it, but at least I’ll enjoy the day and be able to ride in the yellow jersey, he continues.

Kristoff had to cope on his own in the last kilometer, but the Norwegian found the right hatches and won the stage clearly ahead of Danes Mads Pedersen and Cees Bol.

The victory is his first of the season and his first Tour de France stage victory since winning the Champs-Elysées in 2018. In total, he now has four Tour de France stage victories.

– I have always dreamed of wearing the yellow jersey. It’s a dream come true and now the season is already in store for me. You can’t dream of a better start, says Kristoff in a victory interview shown on Eurosport.

– I felt very strong in the last kilometers and towards the end I saw that I was going to win. It was a fantastic feeling and I’m very proud of what I was able to do, says Kristoff.

– It means a lot to my career (wearing the yellow jersey). Taking the winner of the fourth stage shows that I can still be there, despite the fact that I am 33 years old and have four children at home. I still act and I know my children feel at home and are very proud, says Kristoff, and greets the children and his wife Maren.

Thor Hushovd is the only other Norwegian who has ridden in the yellow jersey before, something he did in 2004, 2006 and 2011.

After the stage, Kristoff also has the green jersey, and with his 59 points he has already gained a 29-point lead behind Pedersen in second place. Peter Sagan, who finished fifth, is 30 points behind Kristoff.

Two months late due to the corona virus, this year’s Tour de France began with a 156-kilometer stage that begins and ends in Nice.

The drivers set off in good time and Fabien Grellier (Total Direct Energie), Michael Schär (CCC) and Cyril Gautier (B&B Hotels-Vital Concept) attacked almost immediately from the start.

All three got off easily, but the sprint teams made sure they were no more than three minutes ahead.

The stage was finally characterized by torrential rain, which caused a series of overturns. Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal), Giacomo Nizzolo (NTT Pro Cycling), Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step), Sam Bennett (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) and Pavel Sivakov (Ineos) were just a few of the many who finished far behind due to rollovers and technical problems.

The field brought the break already just under 60 km from the finish line, and after there were a series of new rollovers, the riders opted to more or less neutralize the stage themselves. Tony Martin and Primoz Roglic (both Jumbo-Visma) were some of the riders who made it clear to take it easy.

– People turned in almost every way. I think it was the right decision, because it’s a shame that some of the biggest favorites fell on the first day and broke something, says Kristoff about the conditions during the stage.

Ewan was reported to be at a point more than six minutes late, but due to slow speeds, he and several other riders got back onto the field.

– It is a bicycle race, and many expect to race hard and fight for stage victory and the yellow jersey. Rain won’t decide that, TV 2 expert Thor Hushovd tells TV 2.

– Combination guns have a lot to say, and here we see the biggest teams with the favorites combined here will take it easy, but teams that win sprints and have other interests, don’t you dare go against it. I recognize myself from the feeling I had in Spa, says Hushovd.