Avoiding crash 'a victory' at Tour de France, says Alberto Contador

Two-time yellow jersey winner Contador was officially 22nd in the race-opening stage from Leeds to Harrogate, which was won by Marcel Kittel.

Mark Cavendish was at the crux of a heavy crash late in the day, with the Manxman dislocating his shoulder in the process.

Tinkoff-Saxo man Contador said a drama-free day was what he wanted as the Tour kicked off on English soil.

"That makes it much more difficult to brake, but we made it through the day, which was never quiet due to the parcours and falls, and so I'm really happy," the Spaniard said.

"Reaching the finish without problems on a stage like this is almost a victory."

Ahead of stage two, which sees the peloton travel 201 kilometres from York to Sheffield, Contador said he is hopeful his team can continue to protect him in the race's infancy.

"We have to be in the front, like today, focused at all times to keep it together, because the peloton will be broken in many groups," Contador said.

"We'll have to try to ensure that the maximum number of riders from my team stay in front and accordingly, see what happens."