Laporte sprints to Dauphine opening stage win
Intermarche-Circus-Wanty's Herregodts had been part of an early breakaway but finished in third place with Italian Matteo Trentin in second.
With less than a month to go until the Tour de France, last year's champion Jonas Vingegaard crossed the line just behind Jumbo-Visma team-mate Laporte.
One of France's potential contenders for the Tour, Julian Alaphilippe, also finished with the main group in a rain-sodden day to the south of Clermont.
Former Tour champion Egan Bernal came through unscathed too, as he continues his comeback from serious injuries suffered in a training crash in January 2022.
This year's Tour de France begins in San Sebastian, Spain on July 1.
"I just want to finish this race and I would like to know where I'm am, I've been racing in different races but not like the Dauphine," Ineos Grenadiers' Bernal told reporters before the day's stage.
"The plan afterwards depends on how this race goes, I'm not sure how I am. When you have so many accidents and bad luck you need to be strong mentally."
Laporte takes the overall leader's yellow jersey thanks to a 10-second win bonus before Monday's second stage, a 167.5km hilly ride eastwards from Brassac-les-Mines to La Chaise-Dieu.