Frenchman Jimmy Casper clinched his first victory in the Tour de France [Images] when he outsprinted the favourites to win Sunday's first stage.

American George Hincapie, who earned two bonus seconds in the third intermediate sprint, took the overall leader's yellow jersey from Norway's Thor Hushovd.

Hushovd, who won Saturday's prologue ahead of Hincapie, suffered a serious arm injury during the mass sprint finish and crashed after crossing the line.

The result of the first road stage of the Tour meant the yellow jersey would be worn again by a Discovery Channel rider for the first time since Lance Armstrong [Images] retired last year after winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France.

"Yesterday I was very disappointed because I wanted this yellow jersey so badly," said New Yorker Hincapie.

"Today it's a dream coming true. When I saw the breakaway was caught, I knew I had a chance to grab seconds in the last intermediate sprint."

Casper, riding for the Cofidis team, surged as he approached the line at the end of a 184.5-km loop from and back to Strasbourg, with an incursion into Germany [Images].

Australia's Robbie McEwen, winner of three sprint finishes during the last Giro d'Italia, was second just ahead of German Erik Zabel (Milram), who claimed the green jersey for a record six times consecutively from 1996 and 2001.

ABSENT BOONEN

"It's the most beautiful day in my life," said Casper, whose victory gave him the green jersey.

"The door opened at the right time for me in this sprint. I hope I can repeat this feat."

World champion Tom Boonen of Belgium, a favourite in bunched sprints, was nowhere to be seen in a nervous finish.

An early breakaway was instigated in the third kilometre by France's Stephane Auge. He was joined by six riders including compatriot Benoit Vaugrenard, who took the youth standings' white jersey from the Netherlands' Joost Posthuma after winning the first intermediate sprint.

The Francaise des Jeux rider, who finished 19 seconds behind Hushovd in Saturday's 7.1-km time trial prologue, was the best-placed of the breakaway riders.

They led the bunch by up to five minutes but Hushovd's Credit Agricole team never let the gap widen.

German Fabian Wegmann took the Tour's first polka-dot jersey when he outsprinted his breakaway companions at the summit of the category-four Cote de Heilingenstein.

Boonen's Quick Step and Zabel's Milram moved up front some 70 kms from the line, starting a collaboration between the sprinters' teams keen to set up a mass sprint finish.

Just before the fugitives were caught by the bunch in Germany 13 kms from the finish, Frenchman Walter Beneteau broke from the lead group. The Bouygues Telecom rider capitulated six kms further on.

Monday's second stage will take the peloton over 228.5 kilometres from Obernai to Esch-sur-Alzette in Luxembourg.