2 Jul 2012

Tour debutant wins first full Tour de France stage

3:51 pm on 2 July 2012

There's been a surprise winner of the first full stage on cycling's Tour de France.

First-year rider Peter Sagan from Slovakia won the 198-kilometre stage in Belgium, outsprinting the prologue winner Fabian Cancellara and the Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen.

Cancellara retained the overall lead, seven seconds ahead of the British rider Bradley Wiggins.

Australia's defending champion Cadel Evans is 17 seconds down on the leader in eighth place.

New Zealand's veteran debutant Greg Henderson finished in the peloton in 165th.