Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) has crashed hard in the finale of stage 3 at the Tour de France and
looks like he has been left with significant injuries.
While his team waited for him immediately he came down with 9km to go, the Jumbo Visma leader looked dazed and took some time to get back on the bike.
When he finally remounted he was well over one minute down on the bunch. And though he mounted a chase with his team mates, another crash in the bunch ahead, with 4km to go, slowed his chasing group as it had to pick its way through vehicles and riders.
In the final sprint for the line, Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) and Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) crashed hard in a front group, which numbered less than 20 riders. The stage was won by Tim Merlier (Alpecin Fenix) from his team mate Jasper Philipsen, with Nacer Bouhanni (Arkea Samsic) in 3rd place.
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The only Irish rider in the race, Dan Martin (Israel Start Up Nation), lost 2:11 today. He finished in a group, in 121st place, alongside team mates Chris Froome, Michael Woods and Reto Hollenstein.
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In the end, Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) led home the second chasing group on the road, after the field had been split by the crash in the peloton with 4km to go.
The defending Tour champion's group was some 26 seconds behind the front group - which contained Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers), yellow jersey Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin Fenix) and Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step).
Roglic and his team mates were 55 seconds down on the group of Pogačar on the finish line and that time loss, and those injuries, are a major blow for his hopes of winning the race. He also lost 1:21 to the front group, meaning Carapaz and Alaphilippe have gained significant time on him.
After many of its riders came down in the bad crash on stage 1, Jumbo Visma lost Robert Gesink to a crash today as he is now out of the race. In the same crash, Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) came down and appeared to dislocate his shoulder, though he got back into the group with the help of his team mates.
However, Thomas came out of today in better shape - in terms of time lost - than some of the other riders. He finished in the same group of Pogačar, just 26 seconds down on the stage winner.
More to come.
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