Tour de Yorkshire: Sky's Lars Petter Nordhaug wins first stage

Team Sky's Lars Petter Nordhaug came second in the 2009 Tour of Ireland

Team Sky's Lars Petter Nordhaug of Norway won the opening stage of the three-day Tour de Yorkshire in a sprint finish on Scarborough seafront.

Nordhaug, 30, got the better of Thomas Voeckler at the end of the 174km stage from Bridlington to win in 4 hours 22 minutes 38 seconds.

The 2012 Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins, 35, competing for Team Wiggins, ended in 96th position.

Saturday's 174km second stage of the inaugural race runs from Selby to York.

On a tough, windy opening day, there were a number of high-profile casualties.

Sir Bradley Wiggins races through Grosmont during the opening stage of the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire

Sprinter Marcel Kittel of the Giant-Alpecin team, who won the opening stage of last year's Tour de France in Harrogate, was the first to abandon the event as the German rider failed to complete his first race on his return from a virus.

Team Sky leader Ben Swift, 27, was among a group of riders who crashed on a slippery descent 50km from the finish which ended the Yorkshireman's race.

NFTO's Irishman Eddie Dunbar, at 18 the youngest rider in the field, also pulled out after the crash with a suspected broken clavicle, as Frenchman Perrig Quemeneur of the Europcar team was left out in front.

His lead was gradually whittled away by a chasing pack of five and they stayed clear until the finish with Stephane Rossetto of Cofidis, Samuel Sanchez of BMC and Sky's Philip Deignan taking third fourth and fifth.

Nordhaug will start day two with a four-second lead over Team Europcar's Voeckler and a six-second advantage over Rossetto thanks to the award of 10 bonus seconds for winning the stage.

Wiggins appeared to ride somewhat conservatively with his attempt at the World Hour Record scheduled for June.

After Saturday's leg the race will finish on Sunday with a 167km stage from Wakefield to Leeds.

Stage one standings (times adjusted for bonus seconds)

1. Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor/Team Sky)4hrs 22mins 38secs

2. Thomas Voeckler (Fra/Europcar) +4secs

3. Stephane Rossetto (Fra/Cofidis) +6secs

4. Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Sp/BMC Racing) +10secs

5. Philip Deignan (Ire/Team Sky) Same time

6. Anthony Turgis (Fra/Cofidis) +1min 18secs

7. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel/BMC Racing) + 1min 20secs

8. Erick Rowsell (GB/ Madison Genesis) Same time

9. Richard Handley (GB/JLT Condor) Same time

10. Huub Duyn (Ned/Team Roompot) Same time

A field of 144 set off on the first stage of the three-day Tour de Yorkshire race

Whitby Abbey was among the landmarks passed on the first stage, from Bridlington to Scarborough

Lars Petter Nordhaug beat Thomas Voeckler (right) and Stephane Rossetto in a sprint finish on Scarborough seafront