The 2013 Tour de France kicked off on the 29th in Porticcio, Corsica, France. The biggest surprise of the first day came from a bus belonging to the Australian Orica-GreenEDGE team. As a result, the 2013 Tour de France Commissaires' Panel decided to fine the Australian Orica-GreenEDGE team 2,000 Swiss francs (approximately 1,626 euros).
Near the end of the first stage of the 100th Tour de France, the Australian Orica-GreenEDGE team's bus got stuck under a billboard at the finish line due to its excessive height. Crew members had to put in considerable effort to remove the bus. However, the race was significantly affected, even leading to a crash and malfunction of the sprint imagery recording equipment. As a result, the Tour de France organizers had to announce after the race that all riders would be given the same time for the first stage.
The 2013 Tour de France Commissaires' Panel pointed out that the penalty against the Australian Orica-GreenEDGE team was due to the team vehicle "failing to comply with the arrival time regulations for team support vehicles set by the organizers."
The first stage of the 100th Tour de France started in Porticcio at the southern tip of Corsica and finished in Bastia at the northern end of the island, covering a total distance of 213 kilometers. In the end, German rider Marcel Kittel from the Dutch Argos-Shimano team secured the yellow jersey for the overall leader and the green jersey for the points classification with an outstanding sprint in the final moments, finishing the stage in 45 minutes.