Plumelec, France - Spaniard Alejandro Valverde stamped himself as a legitimate favourite for the 2008 Tour de France title by winning Saturday's first stage of the three-week race. The 28-year-old Valverde, who has often disappointed expectations in the Tour, displayed an astonishing burst of speed with about 200 metres to go and easily beat Belgian Philippe Gilbert into second place. Frenchman Jerome Pineaud finished third.
Valverde covered the 197.5 km from the western French city of Brest to Plumelec in 4 hr 36 min and 7 sec, an average speed of 42.92 kph.
With the win, his second-ever Tour stage victory, Valverde takes over the race leader's yellow jersey and will now be viewed as the man to beat for the championship.
Asked if he had taken over the yellow jersey to soon in the race, Valverde told France 2 television, "It is very soon, but it's good for me and very important for the team. But the important thing is to wear the yellow jersey in Paris," where the race ends on July 27.
"That will be very difficult," he noted.
The leader of the Spanish Caisse d'Epargne team said he had ridden a cautious race, trying to avoid crashing. "And I calculated the last part of the race very well," he said.
Sunday's second stage, 164.5 km from Auray to St. Brieuc in Brittany, is largely flat and should favour a mass sprint to the finish line.
