Latest news with #Valenciennes
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Early Tour de France crashes force top riders to withdraw
Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen (C) from Team Alpecin-Deceuninck in action during the Third stage of the Tour de France cycling race, 178.30 km from Valenciennes to Dunkirk. Jasper Jacobs/belga/dpa The early stages of the Tour de France have been marred by crashes, forcing top riders, including sprint leader Jasper Philipsen, to withdraw. Despite safety measures introduced by cycling's governing body, the UCI, the high risk remains as riders push boundaries in the sport's biggest event. Advertisement Philipsen crashed at 61 kilometres per hour during an intermediate sprint and suffered a displaced collarbone fracture and at least one broken rib, requiring surgery, his team said in a post on X. Two-time world champion Filippo Ganna and Swiss time-trialist Stefan Bissegger have also pulled out following crashes. Sprinter Phil Bauhaus, who finished third on the third stage in Dunkirk, said the Tour is one of the biggest achievement for a professional cyclist, which is why the willingness to take risks is extremely high. Red Bull sports director Rolf Aldag said that the first week of the tour is probably the most dangerous because each cyclist thinks he can make history. As the pecking order becomes apparent in the second and third weeks, you may say athletes pull back and slow down. Advertisement The UCI had previously introduced measures such as yellow cards — two warnings in a race lead to a seven-day suspension, and three yellow cards within 30 days result in a 14-day suspension. Red Bull's Primoz Roglic and Florian Lipowitz have so far avoided major crashes. Aldag said that, while 30 seconds won't decide the Tour, a bad crash will.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chaotic third stage of Tour de France sees Jasper Philipsen crash out
Jasper Philipsen won the first stage on Saturday but his race has come to an early end - Getty Images/Dario Belingheri Green-jersey wearer Jasper Philipsen was forced to abandon the third stage of the Tour de France after a spectacular crash left him needing medical help on the side of the road. The Belgian, who won the opening stage of the race on Saturday, fell just before an intermediate sprint around 60km from the end of the 178.3km route from Valenciennes to Dunkirk. Advertisement Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was on a grass verge, his green-points jersey badly torn, after Frenchman Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) bounced off another rider, Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty) and into Philipsen, who fell heavily on his shoulder. He was attended to by team staff and Tour doctors, who eventually applied a sling. Geraint Thomas, riding in his final Tour de France, also experienced a crash alongside Remco Evenepoel, one of the big pre-race favourites. Both came down towards the end of a chaotic crash-marred third stage but were able to continue to the finish line although Evenepoel did appear to be clutching his ribs. Remco Evenepoel crossed the line clutching his ribs - Reuters/Sarah Meyssonnier This year's Tour de France is only three days old but already the body count is racking up. Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), one of the strongest time-trial riders in the world and one of the favourites for Wednesday's time trial in Caen, was forced to abandon on the opening stage. And there would have been a sharp collective intake of breath when huge names Evenepoel and Thomas were among the riders to go down in one of three separate incidents in the final 5km. Advertisement Evenepoel, who finished third last year, crossed the line smiling, but was holding his ribs gingerly. 'He should be OK,' the Belgian's team said later. There was no immediate news from Ineos on Thomas's health. The 2018 Tour de France winner, 39, is planning to retire later this year. Philipsen would certainly have expected to contest the stage which was eventually won by Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) who pipped Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) on the line in a photo finish. The crash prompted a few harsh words. One of Philipsen's Alpecin team-mates could be seen remonstrating with Coquard in a slow-motion replay. Coquard was tearful afterwards. Advertisement 'I really want to apologise to Jasper Philipsen and the Alpecin-Deceuninck team – even though it wasn't deliberate. I'm not... I'm not a reckless rider, but still, it's never pleasant,' the Frenchman said. 'Bad things happen' However, Alpecin general manager Philip Roodhooft refused to criticise Coquard. 'Jasper is the victim of something where he's totally not involved in, that's clear,' Roodhooft said. 'To be honest, the two others, they collide and they crash but I think it's not about blaming – it's just a stupid crash. These things can happen and the consequences for us as a team and, above all for Jasper, are very bad, but what can you say? I think bad things happen sometimes.' Advertisement The Alpecin team retained the yellow jersey with Mathieu Van der Poel leading race favourite Tadej Pogacar by four seconds and Jonas Vingegaard by six seconds. All three finished safely in the main pack. Meanwhile, Britain's Anna Henderson, who took silver in the time trial in Paris last summer, won the second stage of the Women's Giro d'Italia to claim the pink leader's jersey. Henderson won an uphill sprint finish after she and French rider Dilyxine Miermont broke away from the main peloton with 41.4km to go of the 92km stage through the Alps. 'As a team, we made the plan to be aggressive because we knew it would be a hard final and we have a really good team for attacking,' said Henderson. 'We're here for stages, this is what we came to do, and I'm so thankful for my team-mates for supporting me. 'I'm just beyond grateful and happy, I can't believe it. It's my first World Tour victory, my first individual Grand Tour victory. I'm in shock.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
SBS Australia
5 days ago
- Sport
- SBS Australia
Tour de France: Merlier wins crash-marred third stage as injuries force Philipsen out
Belgian cyclist Tim Merlier pipped Italian Jonathan Milan right at 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 series of falls, but the two favourites for the title Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard finished safely in the main pack and remain in second and third place overall behind Van der Poel . The flat 179km run from Valenciennes along the Belgian border was marked above all by a high-speed fall that caused Dutch cyclist Jasper Philipsen to quit the race, after suffering a fractured collarbone and at least one broken rib. The fall happened during an intermediate sprint 60km away from Dunkirk and ripped the green best sprinter's jersey from Philipsen's back as he slid along the road in the 70kph crash. Philipsen's team Alpecin said in a statement that surgery would be required. Much of what the team had planned for the Tour revolved around the sprinter — who won the opening stage — teammate Van der Poel revealed. "It's always one of our goals to win stages, so this is a bad day," the 30-year-old said. Van der Poel suggested the wind had emboldened the sprinters. "In a headwind, it's easier to come from behind in the sprints, it made things more chaotic," he said. There were three more falls, including two nasty-looking ones in the finale with Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, Merlier's teammate, involved. Merlier, 32, grew up just over the border from Dunkirk and had been hoping to win the opening stage on Sunday. "That was a mess," Merlier said of the falls. "I lost a great deal of energy getting in position but it was a good bike throw. I knew I'd beat Milan." Milan led over most of the final 150m, but even without sealing the stage win, his efforts were still rewarded as he inherited the green sprint points jersey from the stricken Philipsen. Van der Poel in the leader's yellow jersey is the grandson of French cycling legend Raymond Poulidor, who came second in the Tour de France seven times, but never won and never got to don the yellow tunic. Another Belgian, the national champion Tim Wellens, gave cross-border fans even more to celebrate as he won the day's only climb, the 2.3km ascent of Mont Cassel at 31km from the finish line. The 34-year-old will now hold the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey overnight. Tim Merlier of Belgium has one the Tour de France's third stage. Source: Getty / Tim de Waele Frenchman Kevin Vauquelin is in the best under-25 rider's white jersey after staying in the finishing mix in all three stages. Regional police said one million spectators had lined the roadsides on the opening day, and while rain dissuaded that kind of turnout for stage two, huge crowds turned out again for the run to Dunkirk. After 11 bikes were stolen from outside the Cofidis team's hotel on Sunday, all were all found before the stage's end — five of them were recovered abandoned in a forest early Monday, with the others being tracked down by the police later in the day. The Tour de France's third stage was a 179km flat run from Valenciennes along the Belgian border. Source: Getty / Dario Belingheri Tuesday's fourth stage is a 174km run from Amiens, as the Tour leaves the North region, to Rouen in Normandy, with five hills in the final 25km designed to spark a series of race-splitting attacks. The first section of the Tour is raced through the north and west of France. The volcanic landscape of the Puy de Dome presents the first mountains as late as stage 10, with two more colossal climb days in the Pyrenees before the blockbuster final week in the Alps. The place to watch the 2025 Tour de France — LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE — plus the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, is right here on the SBS On Demand Hub .
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tour de France Stage 3 results, standings: Tim Merlier wins race featuring serious crash
Stage 3 of the 2025 Tour de France featured a gruesome crash by one Belgian cyclist and came down to a massive sprint to the finish line won by one of his countrymen. Tim Merlier edged out Italian Jonathan Milan to win Monday's stage, which ended with a dramatic sprint that was extended from 3 km to 5km with a large peloton throughout the mostly flat terrain over the more than 178 km between Valenciennes and Dunkirk. Advertisement Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen, who began Monday wearing the green jersey and ranked seventh in the overall chase for the yellow jersey, suffered a serious crash that forced him to withdraw from the Tour de France two days after winning its opening stage. He fell hard from his bike after contact with Bryan Coquard during the intermediate sprint portion of the stage won by Milan, who replaced Philipsen as the green jersey leader with 81 points. Philipsen had his jersey ripped in several places, suffered bloody scrapes and was attended to by the race doctor shortly afterward, according to Reuters. Mathieu Van der Poel of the Netherlands, who won the sprint to end stage 2 on Sunday, kept the yellow jersey. Tim Wellons of Germany claimed the polka dot jersey and the only available climbing point during stage 3 when he finished first over to the summit of Mont Cassel. Here's a look at the complete stage 3 results and 2025 Tour de France standings after Monday, July 7, as well as what's coming up for cycling's biggest race: 2025 TOUR DE FRANCE: How to watch, schedule, stages for cycling's top race Advertisement Stage 3 results Finals results of the 175.5-kilometer Stage 3 from Valenciennes to Dunkirk at the 2025 Tour de France from Monday, July 7. Pos. Rider Team Time Gap B 1 Tim Merlier Soudal Quick-Step 04h 16' 55'' - B : 10'' 2 Jonathan Milan Lidl-Trek 04h 16' 55'' - B : 6'' 3 Phil Bauhaus Bahrain Victorious 04h 16' 55'' - B : 4'' 4 Sohren Waerenskjold Uno-X Mobility 04h 16' 55'' - - 5 Pavel Bittner Team Picnic Postnl 04h 16' 55'' - - 6 Biniam Girmay Intermarché-Wanty 04h 16' 55'' - - 7 Kaden Groves Alpecin-Deceuninck 04h 16' 55'' - - 8 Pascal Ackermann Israel-Premier Tech 04h 16' 55'' - - 9 Amaury Capiot Arkea-B&B Hotels 04h 16' 55'' - - 10 Alberto Dainese Tudor Pro Cycling Team 04h 16' 55'' - - Tour de France 2025 standings Mathieu Van der Poel, Netherlands: 12h 55' 37'' Tadej Pogacar, Slovenia: 12h 55' 41'' (4 seconds behind) Jonas Vingegaard, Denmark: 12h 55' 43'' (6 seconds) Kevin Vauquelin, France: 12h 55' 47'' (10 seconds) Matteo Jorgenson, USA: 12h 55' 47'' (10 seconds) Enric Mas, Spain: 12h 55' 47'' (10 seconds) Joseph Blackmore, Great Britain: 12h 56' 18'' (41 seconds) Tobias Johannessen, Norway: 12h 56' 18'' (41 seconds) Ben O'Connor: Australia: 12h 56' 18'' (41 seconds) Emanuel Buchmann, Germany: 12h 56' 26 (49 seconds) 2025 Tour de France jersey leaders Yellow (overall race leader): Mathieu Van der Poel, Netherlands Green (points): Jonathan Milan, Italy Polka dot (mountains): Tim Wellens, Germany White (young rider): Kevin Vauquelin, France Who's wearing the rainbow jersey at 2025 Tour de France? In addition to the four traditional colored jerseys at the Tour de France, the reigning world road race champion wears a rainbow-colored jersey. It's white with five colored stripes – blue, red, black, yellow and green (same as the colors of the Olympic rings) – and is currently worn by Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia. Advertisement 2025 Tour de France next stage Stage 4 is a 174.2-kilometer route over hilly terrain from Amiens to Rouen on Tuesday, July 8. Contributing: Steve Gardner, USA TODAY Sports, Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tour de France stage 3: Tim Merlier wins, Jasper Philipsen crash
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Merlier pips Milan in crash-marred stage three of Tour
Tim Merlier won his only other stage at the Tour in 2021 [Getty Images] Tim Merlier pipped Jonathan Milan on the line in a sprint finish to win a crash-marred stage three of the Tour de France. The Belgian edged the Italian by the slenderest of margins with Germany's Phil Bauhaus in third on a day when Mathieu van der Poel retained the race leader's yellow jersey and stage one winner Jasper Philipsen was forced to abandon. Advertisement "It was difficult to be in position in the battle before the last corner and I must say, my team did an incredible job to the last 5km and then the real battle started," said Merlier. "I was able to get some slipstream next to Milan. It's always difficult to beat him but I'm happy I can take today my second win in the Tour de France. "At first I was sure [I had won] and put my hands in the air but then I was not sure anymore so I was waiting until I was." Belgian Philipsen, who would almost certainly have contested the race to the finish line, fell heavily around 60km from the end of the 178.3km route from Valenciennes to Dunkirk when Frenchman Bryan Coquard unintentionally diverted into his path. Advertisement There were three more crashes including two in the final 5km of the stage with Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and Geraint Thomas seemingly involved. The two main general classification favourites, Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, finished safely in the main pack and remain in second and third place overall behind Van der Poel. Meanwhile, the 11 bikes stolen from the Cofidis team truck on Sunday morning were all found before the stage concluded. Five of them had been abandoned in a forest with the others being located by the police later on Monday. Tuesday's fourth stage is a rolling 174.2km run from Amiens Metropole to Rouen, with five categorised climbs in a demanding finale. Advertisement Stage three results 1. Tim Merlier (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) 4hrs 16mins 55secs 2. Jonathan Milan (Ita/Lidl-Trek) Same time 3. Phil Bauhaus (Ger/Bahrain Victorious) " 4. Soren Waerenskjold (Nor/Uno-X Mobility) " 5. Pavel Bittner (Cze/Picnic PostNL) " 6. Biniam Girmay (Eri/Intermarche-Wanty) " 7. Kaden Groves (Aus/Alpecin - Deceuninck) " 8. Danny van Poppel (Ned/Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe) " 9. Pascal Ackermann (Ger/Israel - Premier Tech) " 10. Amaury Capiot (Bel/Arkwa - B&B Hotels) " General classification after stage three 1. Mathieu Van der Poel (Ned - Alpecin-Deceuninck) 12hrs 55mins 37secs Advertisement 2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +4secs 3. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) +6secs 4. Kevin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) +10secs 5. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) Same time 6. Enric Mas (Spa-Movistar), Same time 7. Joseph Blackmore (GB - Israel - Premier Tech) +41secs 8. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor - Uno-X Mobility) Same time 9. Ben O'Connor (Aus - Jayco AlUla) " 10. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger/Cofidis) +49secs
