Belgian bicycle owner Tim Merlier pipped Italian Jonathan Milan proper on the line to win stage three of the Tour de France at Dunkirk on Tuesday AEST, as Dutch competitor Mathieu van der Poel retained the race lead
The stage was marred by a sequence of falls, however the two favourites for the title Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard completed safely in the principle pack and stay in second and third place total behind Van der Poel.
The flat 179km run from Valenciennes alongside the Belgian border was marked above all by a high-speed fall that prompted Dutch bicycle owner Jasper Philipsen to give up the race, after struggling a fractured collarbone and at the very least one damaged rib.
The autumn occurred throughout an intermediate dash 60km away from Dunkirk and ripped the inexperienced greatest sprinter’s jersey from Philipsen’s again as he slid alongside the highway within the 70kph crash.
Philipsen’s group Alpecin mentioned in a press release that surgical procedure could be required.
A lot of what the group had deliberate for the Tour revolved across the sprinter — who gained the opening stage — teammate Van der Poel revealed.
“It is all the time certainly one of our objectives to win levels, so it is a dangerous day,” the 30-year-old mentioned. Van der Poel prompt the wind had emboldened the sprinters.
“In a headwind, it is simpler to return from behind within the sprints, it made issues extra chaotic,” he mentioned.
There have been three extra falls, together with two nasty-looking ones within the finale with Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, Merlier’s teammate, concerned.
Merlier, 32, grew up simply over the border from Dunkirk and had been hoping to win the opening stage on Sunday.
“That was a large number,” Merlier mentioned of the falls. “I misplaced an excessive amount of power getting in place however it was a superb bike throw. I knew I would beat Milan.”
Milan led over a lot of the ultimate 150m, however even with out sealing the stage win, his efforts had been nonetheless rewarded as he inherited the inexperienced dash factors jersey from the stricken Philipsen.
Van der Poel within the chief’s yellow jersey is the grandson of French biking legend Raymond Poulidor, who got here second within the Tour de France seven instances, however by no means gained and by no means received to don the yellow tunic.
One other Belgian, the nationwide champion Tim Wellens, gave cross-border followers much more to have fun as he gained the day’s solely climb, the two.3km ascent of Mont Cassel at 31km from the end line.
The 34-year-old will now maintain the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey in a single day.
Tim Merlier of Belgium has one the Tour de France’s third stage. Supply: Getty / Tim de Waele
Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin is in one of the best under-25 rider’s white jersey after staying within the ending combine in all three levels.
Regional police mentioned a million spectators had lined the roadsides on the opening day, and whereas rain dissuaded that type of turnout for stage two, big crowds turned out once more for the run to Dunkirk.
After 11 bikes had been stolen from outdoors the Cofidis group’s lodge on Sunday, all had been all discovered earlier than the stage’s finish — 5 of them had been recovered deserted in a forest early Monday, with the others being tracked down by the police later within the day.
The Tour de France’s third stage was a 179km flat run from Valenciennes alongside the Belgian border. Supply: Getty / Dario Belingheri
Tuesday’s fourth stage is a 174km run from Amiens, because the Tour leaves the North area, to Rouen in Normandy, with 5 hills within the ultimate 25km designed to spark a sequence of race-splitting assaults.
The primary part of the Tour is raced by the north and west of France.
The volcanic panorama of the Puy de Dome presents the primary mountains as late as stage 10, with two extra colossal climb days within the Pyrenees earlier than the blockbuster ultimate week within the Alps.
The place to look at the 2025 Tour de France — LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE — plus the fourth version of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, is correct right here on the SBS On Demand Hub.
