Geraint Thomas 1st to don Tour de France’s yellow jersey

DUSSELDORF, Germany — One stage into the Tour de France was all it took for Chris Froome and his Team Sky to answer all the prerace talk about how they are not as dominant this year.

Geraint Thomas, Froome’s most loyal support rider in his three Tour victories, won the wet and slippery opening stage and claimed the yellow jersey.

Romain Bardet, the Frenchman who finished second overall behind Froome last year, and seven-time Grand Tour champion Alberto Contador lost even more time.

Two involved key support riders for the overall favorites; Alejandro Valverde, who assists Quintana at Movistar, and Nicolas Roche, who aides Porte with BMC.

Valverde slammed into the barriers at high speed after falling off his bike and was forced to abandon the race in a neck brace with a suspected broken left kneecap.

Sky had no such problems, which was a welcome change after a difficult start to the year for cycling’s powerhouse team.

Thomas aimed for overall victory in the Giro d’Italia, but was forced to abandon that race because of injuries in a crash caused by a police motorbike.

Froome entered the Tour without having won a single warm-up race — or even a stage — for the first time since he began dominating four years ago.

With neither a long time trial nor many mountaintop finishes, many observers suggested this Tour doesn’t suit Froome’s strengths.